Richard arrived in Palestine some time after the King of France.  His arrival gave new vigor to the operations of the Croises.  He reduced Acre to surrender at discretion, which had been in vain besieged for two years, and in the siege of which an infinite number of Christians had perished; and so much did he distinguish himself on this and on all occasions, that the whole expedition seemed to rest on his single valor.  The King of France, seeing him fully engaged, had all that he desired.  The climate was disagreeable to his constitution, and the war, in which he acted but a second part, to his pride.  He therefore hastened home to execute his projects against Richard, amusing him with oaths made to be violated,—­leaving, indeed, a part of his forces under the Duke of Burgundy, but with private orders to give him underhand all possible obstruction.  Notwithstanding the desertion of his ally, Richard continued the war with uncommon alacrity.  With very unequal numbers he engaged and defeated the whole army of Saladin, and slew forty thousand of his best troops.  He obliged him to evacuate all the towns on the sea-coast, and spread the renown and terror of his arms over all Asia.  A thousand great exploits did not, however, enable him to extend his conquests to the inland country.  Jealousy, envy, cabals, and a total want of discipline reigned in the army of the Crosses.  The climate, and their intemperance more than the climate, wasted them with a swift decay.  The vow which brought them to the Holy Land was generally for a limited time, at the conclusion of which they were always impatient to depart.  Their armies broke up at the most critical conjunctures,—­as it was not the necessity of the service, but the extent of their vows, which held them together.  As soon, therefore, as they had habituated themselves to the country, and attained some experience, they were gone; and new men supplied their places, to acquire experience by the same misfortunes, and to lose the benefit of it by the same inconstancy.  Thus the war could never be carried on with steadiness and uniformity.  On the other side, Saladin continually repaired his losses; his resources were at hand; and this great captain very judiciously kept possession of that mountainous country which, formed by a perpetual ridge of Libanus, in a manner walls in the sea-coast of Palestine.  There he hung, like a continual tempest, ready to burst over the Christian army.  On his rear was the strong city of Jerusalem, which secured a communication with the countries of Chaldea and Mesopotamia, from whence he was well supplied with everything.  If the Christians attempted to improve their successes by penetrating to Jerusalem, they had a city powerfully garrisoned in their front, a country wasted and destitute of forage to act in, and Saladin with a vast army on their rear advantageously posted to cut off their convoys and reinforcements.

[Sidenote:  A.D. 1192.]