EPITOME OF THE CRUSADES.

(_For the Mirror_.)


The first Crusade[1] to the Holy Land was undertaken by numerous
Christian princes, who gained Jerusalem after it had been in possession
of the Saracens four hundred and nine years. Godfrey, of Boulogne, was
then chosen king by his companions in arms; but he had not long enjoyed
his new dignity, before he had occasion to march out against a great
army of Turks and Saracens, whom he overthrew, and killed one hundred
thousand of their men, besides taking much spoil. Shortly after this
victory, a pestilence happened, of which multitudes died; and the
contagion reaching Godfrey, the first Christian King of Jerusalem,
he also expired, on the 18th of July, 1100, having scarcely reigned
a full year.

Godfrey's successors, the Baldwins, defeated the Turks in many
engagements. In the reign of Baldwin III., however, the Christians lost
Edessa, a circumstance which affected Pope Eugenius III. to such a
degree, that he prevailed on Conrad III., Emperor of Germany, to relieve
his brethren in Syria. In the year 1146, therefore, Conrad marched
through Greece, and soon afterwards encountered the Turkish army, which
he routed; he then proceeded to Iconium, the principal seat of the Turks
in Lesser Asia; but, for want of provisions and health, was compelled
to relinquish his design of taking that city, and to return home. Much
about the same period, Lewis VIII., of France, made an expedition to
the Holy Land, but was wholly unsuccessful in his attempts against the