riage; and, to confirm the Peace upon a folid Foundation, that he may refide at Jerufalem; and receiving, as a Dowry from her Brother, all that is his between Ptolemais and Afcalon, with other Gifts, he and her Husband may reign jointly at Jerufalem, as King and Queen of Paleftine; and the said Kingdom to be added to the reft of Al-Adel's Lands and Provinces. That on the other hand, the Soltân fhould deliver up to bim, [the King of England] the true Cross, and leave the Knights Templars and Hofpitalers in the quiet Poffeffion of their Lands and Castles. That there should be a general Release of Prifoners on each fide. That the Peace being thus fettled on a lafting Bafis, the King of England would cross the Seas home again.

Al-Malec Al-Adel was very fond of this Project, and he chose such a Number of Ambaffadors, of which our Hiftorian was the chief, to serve as fo many Witnesses, that the Soltán either approved of the Plan, or rejected a Peace offered upon fuch honourable and advantageous Conditions. The Soltán, without hesitation declared his Affent, being perfuaded, it feems, that the King would never ratify a Peace upon fuch terms, and that the whole was a collufion.

AN Ambaffador was fent to the King of England, to acquaint him, that the Soltán came into his Measures; but when he arrived, he was told, there was a difappointment; that the King's Sifter was highly offended at the Match, and had vowed by all that was good and facred, never to admit a Molem to her Embraces; and that thereupon the King had promised her to bring Al-Adel over to the Chriftian Faith. And thus

was

was the great Bufinefs of Peace fufpended for the prefent.

In confequence of this disappointment, the War took its old courfe, and the Sword on each fide was unfheathed again. A few days afterwards, the Marquifs of Tyre made a renewal of his offer to break with the Franks, by his Ambaffador, fent for that purpofe. His Anger proceeded from the diffatisfaction of the other Chriftian Princes with his Marriage, fays our Author, deeming it repugnant to their Laws and Ordinances. The Soltán lent an attentive ear to the purport of this Embaffy, glad to hear of the diffenfion arifen among the adverse Powers; and ordered this Ambaffador to be complimented with all the Honoure fhewn to those of the most confiderable Princes.

WE must not infift much on the Occur. rences of the War, which henceforward languishes very confiderably, and fhall only purfue the Negotiations towards a Peace, that we may not fwell out this Article to an immoderate bulk, or have occafion to continue it in the following Number.

IN three or four Days after the Tyrian Ambaffador's arrival in the Soltán's Quarters, Al-Malec Al-Adel and the King of England had a meeting, wherein great kindness and complaifance were fhewn on both fides; and they parted as if the firmeft Friendship had taken root between them. The King took this opportunity of defiring a Conference with the Soltan himself, from whom he received much fuch an Answer as formerly, viz. "That it would "not look well for them to war upon each other after a Conference; but that Affairs being duly fettled, it would be highly be

"coming.

coming. That it could not fuit with their "Dignity to confer together, but upon a "matter of the highest moment. That nei

ther understood the other's Tongue. And, "upon the whole, that it were beft to defer "their Congrefs till every thing was fettled "upon the most amicable footing, that they

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might fee each other with Pleasure and De"cency, and ever afterwards hold a fair In"telligence with each other.” The Soltân was told, that the King was ftruck with admiration at this Answer, and thence perceived no good was to be done but by fubmitting to the Soltán, and acquiefcing with his Inclinations.

THE next day, the Soltán gave Audience to the Tyrian Ambaffador, who affured him, that not only the Lord of Tyre was ready to break all Measures with the Weftern Franks, but also many Nobles befides; and the like. The Soltan gave him a favourable hearing, was delighted at what he said, and promised him a fpeedy Answer. At the fame time came the English Ambaffador, accompanied by a Man of one hundred and twenty years of Age. He faid, "That his Mafter fought the Sol"tan's Love and Friendship: That the Sol"tán having faid he would inveft his Brother "Al-Adel with thofe maritime Provinces; he "fhould be glad if he would act as Umpire "between him and his Brother, and divide "the Cities fairly between them. That by all "means the Franks fhould have fome share of

Jerufalem. Finally, That he would have "him order the Partition fo, as neither to "leffen himself in the eyes of the Moslems, or "him [the King] in the eyes of the Franks." The Soltan promifed fair, and the Ambaffador

being gone, he fent after them, to know their mind concerning the Captives; but in his heart there was no hopes of fecurity and rest, but by an utter expulfion of the Franks, as he privately expressed himself to our Historian.

HOWEVER, this double Offer of Peace brought on a debate, whether it were best to hearken to the King, or to the Marquifs, and the Propofals of each were laid before the Council: but for weighty Reasons, it was unanimously agreed, that the King was to be preferred. The ground-work of this Peace was. the intended Marriage of the King's Sifter with the Soltan's Brother; that these two fhould have the whole Kingdom of Jerufalem; and that the Queen should have all of it belonging to the Franks in right of her Brother, and AlMalec Al-Adel, what belonged to the Moflems, in right of the Soltán. But the Queen being averse to this Plan, and all the Chriftians crying out against it; the King declared he could not proceed to execution till he had confulted the Pope; that accordingly he had sent an Ambaffador to him, whom he expected to return in fix Months time; that if the Pope. granted a Difpenfation, well and good; but that, if he did not, Al-Malec Al-Adel fhould have his Brother's Daughter, whom he could difpofe of as he pleafed, without troubling the Pope. In the mean time, the War went on; but to forward the Peace in prospect, the Sidonian, who came Ambaffador from the Marquifs of Tyre, was fhewn upon all occafions, to fpur them on to a conclufion of what hitherto had ended in mere talk; nor by delaying, to give, the Soltán occafion to strengthen himself,

himself, by entring into a feparate Allyance with the faid Marquifs.

THE Affair of the Marriage was canvaffed and explained to the Soltan's Understanding, who could not rightly conceive what fhould hinder the King from difpofing of his Sifter as eafily as of his Niece; and upon the close it was returned, That in expectation of the Pope's Decifion, the Plan fhould remain unalterable and be executed juft as it was, if it came to a Match.

THE E. Armies then, on each fide, betook them to their Winter Quarters, the Soltán retiring to Jerufalem, and the King to Ptolemais. After fome time, the King fent an Ambaffador to fignify his defire to confer with Al-Malet Al-Adel, whom he now looked on as his Brother, upon an Affair of equal importance to each fide; wherefore Al-Malec Al-Adel fet out Year of the with a ftrong Guard, and furnished with pro- Hejr.588. per Inftructions to expedite the Affair depending. Among other Articles, he was to infift on the demolition of Berytus; to make an offer of the true Cross; to agree that they should exercife their Religion in the Church of the Refurrection; and that they fhould have free Liberty to vifit Jerufalem as Pilgrims, provided they were unarmed.

Al-Malec Al-Adel departed from Jerufalem, and on his way dispatched an Exprefs with farther Proposals, which had been communicated to him on the part of the King of England, wherein was fpecified, that the Partition of "the Country should be exactly equal, nor "one have more than the other, faving that they would have the whole City of Jerufa

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66 lem,