Jerusalem, the City of Herod and SaladinBesant, Walter
History
Jerusalem, the City of Herod and Saladin
Besant, Walter
Jerusalem -- Description and travel; Jerusalem -- History
But Saladin was open to prayers from all quarters. The widows and
children of those who had fallen at Tiberias came to him weeping and
crying. “When Saladin saw them weeping, he was moved with great
pity; and, hearing who they were, he told them to inquire if their
husbands and fathers were yet living, and in prison, those who were
his captives he ordered to be released; and, in those cases where it
was proved that their husbands were dead, he gave largely from his
own private purse to all the ladies and the noble maidens, so that
they gave thanks to God for the honour and wealth that Saladin
bestowed upon them.” Clearly a magnanimous prince, this Saladin, and
one who was accustomed to return good for evil.
There were so many Christians who came out of the city that the
Saracens marvelled how they could have all got in. Saladin separated
them into three divisions; the Templars led one, the Hospitallers
another, and Balian the third. To each troop he assigned fifty of
his own knights to conduct them into Christian territory.... These,
when they saw men, women, or children fatigued, would make their
squires go on foot, and put the wearied exiles on horseback, while
they themselves carried the children. Surely this is a tender and
touching picture of the soft-hearted soldiers of Islam, too pitiful
to let the little children cry while they had arms to carry them, or
to drive the weary forward while they could walk on foot themselves.
When the exiles got to Tripoli they found themselves worse off than
on the march. Raymond would not let them enter, but sent out his
knights, who caught all the rich bourgeois, and brought them
prisoners into the city. Then Raymond deprived them of all that they
brought out of Jerusalem. The poorer of them dispersed into Armenia
and the neighbouring countries, and disappear from history. The
names of the Christians linger yet, however, in the Syrian towns,
and many of their descendants, long since converted to the faith of
the country, may be found in every town and village between Antioch
and Ascalon.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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