The Count gathered what troops he could, and, passing the Euphrates, came in the night-time to Edessa, to which some of his followers being let in by ropes and ladders over the wall, they opened the gates to their companions, who slew all the Turks they met in the streets; but having no engines, nor materials wherewith to make them, they were not able to reduce the two castles, which were strong and well stored with men and provisions. Noradin, the younger son of Sanguin, having succeeded to his father's dominions of Aleppo, was no sooner apprized of this adventure at Edessa, than he collected a great army, with which he encompassed that city in such a manner, that those who were within, could not attempt to get out but at the imminent hazard of their lives. The Christians, finding that they were not in a condition to defend themselves against the enemy without the city, and the garrisons of the castles, and having no prospect of speedy relief, resolved to force their way sword in hand through the besiegers camp. In that attempt they succeeded, though with great difficulty and prodigious loss, being not only pressed very hotly in front by the soldiers in camp, and in the rear by detachments from the castles, when they sallied out of their city, but also harassed all the fourteen miles between Edessa and the river Euphrates. During that conflict, Count Josceline acted the part of a brave warrior, and, after exposing himself to the greatest dangers, arrived safe at Samosatum. The loss of the city of Edessa occasioned the second crusade, in which Conrade III. Emperor of Germany, engaged with an army of 200,000 infantry, and 50,000 cavalry, and Lewis VII. (surnamed the Young) King of France, with a retinue little inferior in number. These Princes set out for Palestine in the year 1147, and it being resolved, after their arrival, to open the campaign with the siege of Damascus, a general rendezvous of their troops, and of those of Baldwin III. King of Jerusalem, consisting of his own forces and those of the Princes of Syria, was held at Tiberias on May 25th, 1148: but their attempt upon that city miscarried through the treachery of their Syrian allies, and the two European Potentates left Palestine in disgust, reproaching the Syrians for betraying their Christian brethren, whom they had solicited to take so long a voyage merely for their relief, and would have sacrificed for money to the infidels. The Prince of Antioch having been slain, A. D. 1149, in battle by Noradin, aforesaid, the Sultan of Iconium entered Syria with a great army; and, having taken many cities and castles, laid siege to Turbessel, where Count Josceline re

sided with his wife and children: but the Count delivering up all the prisoners he had belonging to the Sultan, and presenting him with arms for twelve horsemen, that commander retired with his forces. After that Count Josceline lived in too unguarded a security, and going one night, at the Patriarch's invitation, to Antioch, A. D. 1152, was seized by some thieves, who lay in wait for him, when he had stept aside, as it is said, to ease nature, having no person with him but his page holding his horse, the rest of the retinue being partly before and partly behind, and quite ignorant of his misfortune. The Count was put in irons by his captors, and, being carried to Aleppo, was clapt into prison, the unwholesomeness of which, together with vexation, soon put an end to his days. This Josceline de Courtenay, second Count of Edessa, wedded Beatrix, widow of William de Saona: and by her had a son, Josceline de Courtenay, third Count of Edessa, and two daughters, Isabel, who died young, and Agnes, who was three times married, viz. first, to Almerick, King Baldwin III's brother, who was Count of Joppa, and in the sequel sixth monarch of Jerusalem; secondly, to Hugh de Ibelim; and, thirdly, to Rainald de Mares, Prince of Sidon.

Joceline de Courtenay, third Count of Edessa, being a minor at the death of his father, Beatrix, his mother, had the government of his dominions, which then only contained the towns of Turbessel, Hamtab, Revendal, Ramulat, Bile, Samosatum, with a few others of less consequence: and she, not being in a capacity to maintain them against the superior power of the Turks, delivered them, in consideration of a yearly pension for herself and children, to Manuel I. Emperor of Constantinople, with consent of her superior Lord, Baldwin III. King of Jerusalem, who, as he imagined they could not be preserved long from their Turkish neighbours, chose rather that they should fall into the enemies hands (which happened about a year afterwards) while in Manuel's possession, than that the ruin of the country should be imputed to him. The Countess of Edessa, having resigned her son's dominions to the before-mentioned Manuel I. set out for Jerusalem with her family; and, soon after her arrival there, the aforesaid Almerick, brother to King Baldwin III. married her daughter, Agnes de Courtenay, and, during the life of his brother, had by her a son, Baldwin IV. King of Jerusalem, and a daughter, Sibylla, who also became Queen of that realm, as shall be taken notice of. Baldwin III. being poisoned by a Jewish physician, departed this life on February 13th, 1163, and was succeeded on

the throne of Jerusalem by his said brother Almerick, who was, soon after his accession, obliged to be divorced from his wife, Agnes de Courtenay, before-mentioned, as they were in the fourth degree of consanguinity; but their two children aforesaid were declared legitimate, and capable of succeeding to their father's inheritance. Almerick then wedded Mary, daughter of John Protosebastus, a Grecian Prince, and by her had a daughter, Isabel, of whom mention shall be made afterwards. In the year 1165, Josceline de Courtenay, third Count of Edessa, was, with other Christian chieftains, taken in battle by Noradin, beforementioned; and, being carried to Aleppo, was detained there until 1175, when he was set at liberty by the care and industry of his sister, Agnes, then the wife of Rainald de Mares, Prince of Sidon. In the mean time King Almerick dying of a bloody flux, A. D. 1175, was succeeded on the throne of Jerusalem by his son Baldwin IV. aforesaid, who, on November 25th, 1176, with 400 horse, and a few foot, routed Saladin, Sultan of Egypt, and his army, consisting of 26,000 Turkish troops, at Ascalon. Josceline de Courtenay, Count of Edessa, the King's uncle, and Steward of the kingdom of Jerusalem, contributed much by his bravery and conduct to that memorable victory; and in the seventh year of the reign of Baldwin IV. was sent on an embassy to Constantinople, to solicit assistance against the enemies of Christianity. A new invasion being apprehended from the beforementioned Saladin, the nobles of the kingdom assembled at Jerusalem in February, 1183, and agreed, that a general tax should be imposed on every city and town, in order to maintain such a number of horse and foot as might be able to defeat the designs. of the enemy. The money so collected in the cities and towns between Jerusalem and Caypha, was conducted by four principal persons of every city or town to Jerusalem, and there delivered to certam persons, who were appointed to receive it, and put the money of every city and town by itself, in a bag sealed up, into a chest, in presence of the patriarch of Jerusalem, the prior of the Holy Sepulchre, and the governor of the city, who were each intrusted with one of the three keys for the three locks of that chest, which was ordered to be kept in the treasury of the Holy Cross. The money raised by that tax, in the cities and towns between Caypha and Berytum, was conveyed in like manner to Acon, and being there delivered as at Jerusalem, was also put into a chest with three locks, for each of which there was a key, one whereof

was committed to the archbishop of Tyre, the second to this Josceline, third Count of Edessa, and the third to four principal inhabitants of the city of Acon. With the money arising from that tax, King Baldwin levied a more numerous army than had ever been raised in the Holy Land, and gave the command of it to Guy de Lusignan, Count of Joppa and Ascalon, who was at that time the second husband of Sibylla, his sister, and among other Princes had Josceline de Courtenay, third Count of Edessa, under his banner but there arose such dissensions among the great officers at Guy's being appointed general, that Saladin, after encamping near them for eight days, and ravaging the adjacent country, retired unmolested, when it was thought that he had acted imprudently in coming so far as this side of the river Jordan into the kingdom of Jerusalem, and might have therefore been greatly harassed, if not totally routed, had the Christians behaved with unanimity and common resolution. Upon that Guy de Lusignan was divested of the command, which was again given to Raimond, Count of Tripoli, who had been set aside to make room for Guy. King Baldwin IV. survived that event but a short time; for being worn out with the leprosy, and grieved at the discord among his nobles, he resigned his breath A. D. 1185, in the 25th year of his age, and was interred in the temple of the Holy Sepulchre; being reckoned happy in dying before the fall of his kingdom. He was succeeded by his nephew, Baldwin V. the posthumous son of William (styled Longaspada) Marquis of Montferrat, by Sibylla, before-mentioned, daughter of King Almerick, by his consort, Agnes de Courtenay. Baldwin V. died about the age of six years, A. D. 1186, after he had set on the throne only eight months and eight days; and is said to have been cut off by poison. After the death of Baldwin V. "the peers and nobles, joining together in council, offered unto Sibylla, the King's mother, as to the lawful heir of the crown, that she should be their Queen, with this condition, that she should sequester from, by solemn divorcement, Guy her husband;' but she refused the kingdom offered to her on that condition; till at last the magistrates, with the nobles in general, granted unto her, and by their oaths confirmed the same, that whomsoever she would chuse to be her husband, all they would take and obey as their King.' Also Guy, her husband, with like petition among the rest, humbly requested her that the kingdom, for his sake, or for his private loss, might not be destitute of government. At length

she, with tears, consenting to their intreaty, was contented, and solemnly was crowned their Queen, who after the manner received again their fidelity by their oath: whereupon Guy, without all hope both of wife and kingdom, departed quietly to his own home. This done, the Queen assembling the States and Prelates together, entered talk with them about the chusing of the King, according to that which they had promised and sworn to her, to obey him as their King, whom she should name to be her husband. Thus whilst they were all in expectation, waiting every man whom she would nominate, the Queen, with a loud voice, said to Guy, that stood amongst them, 'Guy, my Lord, I chuse thee for my husband, and yielding myself and my kingdom unto you, openly I protest you to be the King.' At these words. all the assembly, being amazed, wondered that one single woman so wisely had beguiled so many wise men and worthy was she, no doubt (saith Fox, in his Acts and Monuments), to be commended and extolled for her singular virtue, both of faithful chas. tity and high prudence; so tempering the matter, that she obtained to her husband the kingdom, and retained to herself her husband, whom she so faithfully loved." Her love was certainly very singular and uncommon, if, as some authors suggest, she dispatched her own son, King Baldwin V. to make way for her busband to the throne. About the time that Sibylla and her husband, Guy de Lusignan, were recognized sovereigns of Jerusalem, there was a truce between the Christians and Saladin, Sultan of Egypt; but, in 1187, it was violated by Reginald de Castellin's robbing Saladin's mother, as she was travelling from Egypt to Damascus, with great treasure, but a small retinue, suspecting no harm during the cessation of hostilities. Saladin, provoked at that outrage, and eager to revenge it, levies a great army, and invests Ptolemais. Raimond, Count of Tripoli, who had claimed the office of protector of the kingdom, during the reign of Baldwin V. and saw his ambitious views frustrated by the elevation of Guy de Lusig nan to the throne, revolted with his province, which comprehended a third part of the kingdom of Jerusalem, to Saladin, Sultan of Egypt: but the Templars and Hospitallers, marching out of the city, cut off 20,000 of the Sultan's forces, and obliged him to raise the siege. Raimond, Count of Tripoli, either dreading the future success of the Christians, or stung with remorse, or perhaps not finding himself so much considered by Saladin as he expected, reconciled himself to King Guy, and returned to the