ed a doublet of dressed leopard's skin
reaching within a handbreadth of the knee. The rest of his muscular
limbs, both legs and arms, were bare, excepting that he had sandals
on his feet, and wore a collar and bracelets of silver. A straight
broadsword, with a handle of box-wood and a sheath covered with
snakeskin, was suspended from his waist. In his right hand he held a
short javelin, with a broad, bright steel head, of a span in length, and
in his left he led by a leash of twisted silk and gold a large and noble
staghound.

The messenger prostrated himself, at the same time partially uncovering
his shoulders, in sign of humiliation, and having touched the earth with
his forehead, arose so far as to rest on one knee, while he delivered
to the King a silken napkin, enclosing another of cloth of gold,
within which was a letter from Saladin in the original Arabic, with a
translation into Norman-English, which may be modernized thus:--

"Saladin, King of Kings, to Melech Ric, the Lion of England. Whereas, we
are informed by thy last message that thou hast chosen war rather than
peace, and our enmity rather than our friendship, we account thee as
one blinded in this matter, and trust shortly to convince thee of thine
error, by the help of our invincible forces of the thousand tribes, when
Mohammed, the Prophet of God, and Allah, the God of the Prophet, shall
judge the controversy betwixt us. In what remains, we make noble account
of thee, and of the gifts which thou hast sent us, and of the two
dwarfs, singular in their deformity as Ysop, and mirthful as the lute of
Isaack. And in requital of these tokens from the treasure-house of thy
bounty, behold we have sent thee a Nubian slave, named Zohauk, of whom
judge not by his complexion, according to the foolish ones of the earth,
in respect the dark-rinded fruit hath the most exquisite flavour.
Know that he is strong to execute the will of his master, as Rustan of
Zablestan; also he is wise to give counsel when thou shalt learn to hold
communication with him, for the Lord of Speech hath been stricken with
silence betwixt the ivory walls of his palace. We commend him to thy
care, hoping the hour may not be distant when he may render thee good
service. And herewith we bid thee farewell; trusting that our most
holy Prophet may yet call thee to a sight of the truth, failing which
illumination, our desire is for the speedy restoration of thy royal
health, that Allah may judge bet