A.I). 102.0.] ΟΓ THF. LOSS OF TUB HOLY I.ANI). lieforc the faking of the Huh- Land and the cross of our Lord hy that perfidious and cruel man Saladin, some other astronomers then living in the same city also wrote to pope Clement as follows: —from the present year, which is the one thousand one hundred and seventy-ninth year of our Lord's incarnation, till the ex piration of seven years, in the month of September, the sun being in Libra and the tail of the Dragon, there will he, if God so permit, an assembling of the planets in Libra and the tail of the Dragon, and this is a wonderful signification of a change of immutable events. And there shall follow a dreadful earthquake, and the accustomed places of perdition shall be destroyed hy Saturn and Mars, tc. This conjunction of the planets will produce a strong wind, which will thicken and darken the air, and infect it with poison, nnd the sound of this wind will be dreadful, disturbing the hearts of men ; and front sandy regions it shall raise the sand and overwhelm the cities lying nearest to them in the plains, and in the first place the eastern cities of Mecca and Babylon, and all cities lying near to sandy places ; not one will escape being overwhelmed with tanti and earth. But signs of these events will precede them ; in the same year there will be, before the planets assemblo in Libra, a total eclipse of the sun, and in the preceding conflict the moon will be totally eclipsed ; and the eclipse of the sun will be of a fiery and unsightly colour, denoting that there will bo a war amongst chiefs near a river in the east, and likewise in western countries ; and a doubtfulness shall fall amongst the Jews and Saracens, until they shall altogether abandon their synagogues and mosques, and their sect shall at the command of God he entirely destroyed tuid annihilated ; wherefore, when you see the eclipse, know that you are to leave that land with all your followers. How on account of the sins of man the Holt/ Land teas lost. At that time there was much evil amongst men on earth, so that "all flesh almost had corrupted its way before the Lord ;" for the practice of sin had hurst forth amongst the people to such a degree, that all, casting aside the veil of shame, everywhere inclined to wickedness openly. Too tedious is it to enumerate the slaughters, robberies, adultery, obscenities, lies, treasons, and other crimes, especially so to us, who design to write of the events which occurred. However the old enemy of man after having disseminated the spirit of corruption far and wide in the world, invaded Syria in particular, from which place other nations received their religion in the first place, and from that place they then took the example of all uncleanness. For this reason therefore the Lord and Saviour of the world, seeing that the laud of his nativity, suffering, and resurrection had fallen into the depths of wickedness, scorned his inheritance, and allowed the rod of his anger, namely Saladin, to vent his rage to the extermination of