w completed, but Godfrey's duties as king were yet
to commence. He set about fulfilling them with activity, fortifying
various important positions, subduing revolts of hostile tribes,
dividing the conquered territories equally among his generals,
according to the feudal system, and summoning an Assize, or Assembly
of his wisest councillors to draw up a code of laws. This code, which
long remained in operation, amply testified to the legislative wisdom
of the Crusaders. But the new state was not long favored with his
presence to enforce and exemplify its constitution. In returning from
a successful expedition against some Arabs of Galilee, he was met by
the Emir of Caesarea, who offered him a present of fruits. Godfrey
tasted a cedar apple, and immediately was seized with illness. He
died, not without suspicion of poison having been thus administered,
shortly after reaching Jerusalem, commending to his comrades the care
of the holy places, and the state which he had founded. His age
scarcely exceeded forty years.

One of the most celebrated and beautiful Italian poems, the "Jerusalem
Delivered" of Tasso, has "the pious Godfrey" for the presiding hero of
the glorious scenes which it narrates. But there are no grounds for
supposing that his fame belongs to romance rather than history.
Contemporary writers have painted his portrait in no less flattering
colors than Tasso has used, and the poet's affectionate fancy has
scarcely exaggerated the tribute which the soberest historian may feel
warranted in rendering to the memory of the great and good Crusader,
Godfrey de Bouillon.

SALADIN[13]

By WALTER BESANT

(1137-1192)

[Footnote 13: Copyright, 1894, by Selmar Hess.]

There are two great names in the tangled and somewhat tedious story of
Islam which stand out, deathless, from the crowd of sultans, viziers,
and Moslem conquerors--the names of Haroun al Raschid and Saladin. The
former has become the accepted type of a good and just despot; the
latter is the Bayard of his religion, the knight and captain, king and
magistrate, _sans peur et sans reproche_; whose enemies respected and
trusted him as much as his own people loved him. His conquest of
Jerusalem and overthrow of the Latin kingdom were but episodes, and
from his point of view, not the most important episodes in his thirty
years of war and victory. The History of Egypt, the History of Syria,
the History of the Mohammedan faith, contain more pa