which seems to have been between a part of the troops of Robert of Flanders, and the son of Baguisian, detached by his father, as we have before said, for the purpose of obtaining reinforcements, the small body of Christians which was opposed to the infidels, was totally defeated, and a great number of the crusaders were slain.

The other son of the Emir of Antioch was less fortunate, for in comparing the tale of the Christian writers, especially Albert of Aix, with that of the Arabian authors, we find that the Mussulman leader having obtained assistance from the Emir of Aleppo, and various other chiefs, succeeded in entrapping Robert of Flanders, with a force of a thousand knights, into an ambuscade. He then fell upon the count and his companions with twenty thousand horsemen, but notwithstanding the superiority of the enemy's numbers, Robert and his knights contrived to cut their way through, and at length, being joined by some reinforcements, they turned upon the attacking squadrons, totally defeated them, and drove them back to the very walls of Aleppo.

The arrival of Tancred, who was sweeping the country between Alexandretta and Artesia, soon after freed the Count of Flanders from the danger of any further attack; and on the approach of the great army, all the leaders, with the exception of Baldwin, having reunited their forces, marched on, and soon entered the territory of Antioch.*

* It has been stated by a very respectable author, that Tan

The Turkish population of Syria and the neighbouring countries, was now fully roused to a sense of the disasters which threatened the Mahommedan religion; and the march of various armies, as well as the massacre of several bodies of Syrian and Armenian Christians, warned the crusaders that a more strenuous opposition than they had yet met with, was about to be offered to their farther progress. The dangers which had beset Robert of Flanders and some smaller parties of the Christian force, induced the leaders, as they approached Antioch, to publish an order, forbidding any band to absent itself from the main body of the army, which soon after came in sight of the Orontes, near its junction with the Uphrenus.

cred arrived upon the field while Robert of Flanders was engaged with the troops of Baguisian, and that the coming of the Prince of Otranto delivered the count from the consequences of his imprudence; but neither the best Latin nor Arabian statements confirm this tale, and it is very evident that Robert of Flanders did not receive the aid of the Italian prince till after he had reentered the walls of Artesia. The sincere account of Kemaleddin merely states that the son of Baguisian, returning with reinforcements towards Antioch, encountered a body of Christians, which though inferior in number, put him to flight, and pursued him to the gates of Aleppo. It does not appear from the narrative of Arabs that Baguisian either led or sent any body of troops against the crusaders; but it would seem, on the contrary, that he remained in Antioch, making vigorous preparations for the defence of that city. In a former work upon the Crusades I followed the account of the Latin historians in regard to the presence of the Antiochian prince with his troops on this occasion; but a further study of the Arabian authors has convinced me that I was in error.

The situation of Antioch, and the strength of its fortifications, struck the crusaders with wonder and admiration, and the picturesque account given of it by Raymond de Agiles, enables us to comprehend the feelings with which the chivalrous pilgrims beheld it. 66 Amongst the mountains of Libanus," he says, "there is a certain plain, the breadth of which takes the traveller a day to cross, and the length a day and a half. This plain is bounded on the west by a marsh, and on the east by a river, which sweeping round a part, runs towards the mountains situated to the southern side, so that there is no passage between the stream and the mountains, and thus it flows into the Mediterranean sea, which is near to Antioch. In the straits which the stream makes in running under the mountains Antioch is situated, so that to the west there is left not more than an arrows's flight of ground between the lower wall and the river. The town thus situated rises to the east, and in the circuit of its walls encloses the peaks of three mountains. That mountain, indeed, which it has to the north, is separated from the others by a great precipice, so that between it and them there is no means or very difficult means of communication. On the top of the northern mountain is a castle, and on the middle mountain ano

* See Raymond de Agiles Bongarsius, p. 143. M. Guizot translates this passage differently, but I think there can be little doubt that he is mistaken. Raymond says, "In colle septemtrionali castellum quoddum est, et in medio collis castellum aliud

ther castle, which in the Greek language is called Colax. On the third peak are some towers. The town is two miles in length, and so fortified with walls and towers and outworks, that it fears no force of machines, and no assault of man, even if the whole human race should come against it. The Frankish army now besieged the town thus fortified from the northern side, but although amounting to three hundred thousand armed men, it attempted no assault, but merely encamped close to the city. There were in the town two thousand chosen men-at-arms, four or five thousand troopers,* and ten thousand or more foot. The walls, too, were so high, and so well defended by ditches and marshes, that if the gates were well guarded all the rest were secure."

In one particular the above account of Raymond is not quite accurate: for though the space between the mountains and the river was certainly narrow, and the rocks in many places advanced within a very small distance of the stream, yet there was ample room for passage, and the Roman road itself ran on that side of the Orontes.

quod lingua Græca colax vocatur. In tertio colle tantum turres, M. Guizot translates in medio collis, "sur le milieu de la meme montagne." Raymond was evidently describing the circumstances of the three peaks which he mentions; and though he used a loose and wrong expression, he clearly meant by in medio collis on the middle mountain, rather than on the middle of the mountain. At all events the words "la meme" are wrongly introduced. * I have translated the words militum gregariorum troopers.

The city itself communicated with the adjacent country by two bridges, one crossing the Orontes close to Antioch, and one spanning the marsh which guarded it on the other side. But besides these, there were another, about six miles above the town, consisting of nine stone arches, and defended by towers and doors plated with iron. In order to attack the city it was absolutely necessary that the crusaders should cross the river by one of the two bridges which traversed it; for although there were several fords, the baggage of the army could not be carried through them. The iron bridge, as it was called, lying farthest from the town, was the one over which the leaders of the crusade determined to force their way, and Robert of Normandy was thrown forward to dislodge the troops which Baguisian had sent to defend the passages of the stream. A vigorous resistance was made by the Turks, and it was not till the main body of the crusading army arrived that possession of the bridge could be obtained. At length, however, the enemy were dislodged from the bridge and driven back from the fords, and the river was passed simultaneously at various points.

It would seem that much difference of opinion existed amongst the Christian chiefs in regard to the plan of attack, and great irregularity and want of military skill displayed themselves throughout the siege of Antioch. Thus many points were left open which might have been successfully guarded;