aracens, and sighed to think that such generosity
and valour should be sullied by disbelief in the Gospel of Jesus. But
when the strife began, all these feelings disappeared, and the struggle
became mortal.

The jealousy excited in the mind of Philip by the events of Messina
still rankled, and the two monarchs refused to act in concert. Instead
of making a joint attack upon the town, the French monarch assailed it
alone, and was repulsed. Richard did the same, and with the same
result. Philip tried to seduce the soldiers of Richard from their
allegiance by the offer of three gold pieces per month to every knight
who would forsake the banners of England for those of France. Richard
met the bribe by another, and promised four pieces to every French
knight who should join the Lion of England. In this unworthy rivalry
their time was wasted, to the great detriment of the discipline and
efficiency of their followers. Some good was nevertheless effected; for
the mere presence of two such armies prevented the besieged city from
receiving supplies, and the inhabitants were reduced by famine to the
most woeful straits. Saladin did not deem it prudent to risk a general
engagement by coming to their relief, but preferred to wait till
dissension had weakened his enemy, and made him an easy prey. Perhaps
if he had been aware of the real extent of the extremity in Acre, he
would have changed his plan; but, cut off from the town, he did not
know their misery till it was too late. After a short truce the city
capitulated upon terms so severe that Saladin afterwards refused to
ratify them. The chief conditions were, that the precious wood of the
true cross, captured by the Moslems in Jerusalem, should be restored;
that a sum of two hundred thousand gold pieces should be paid; and that
all the Christian prisoners in Acre should be released, together with
two hundred knights and a thousand soldiers, detained in captivity by
Saladin. The eastern monarch, as may be well conceived, did not set
much store on the wood of the cross, but was nevertheless anxious to
keep it, as he knew its possession by the Christians would do more than
a victory to restore their courage. He refused, therefore, to deliver
it up, or to accede to any of the conditions; and Richard, as he had
previously threatened, barbarously ordered all the Saracen prisoners in
his power to be put to death.

The possession of the city only caused new and unhappy dissensions
bet