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1819.]

the Appendix to the second volume of the “History of the Crusades,” of Professor Wilken of Heidelberg, is given a literal translation of an Arabic poem, written in reproach of the indifference with which the Moslems prosecuted those wars.

Of the poet, Modaffar of Abiward (a town of Khorassan), nothing farther is known, than his song of upbraiding on the slackness of the Mussulmen in the contest for Islam against the Crusades, specimens of which are given in different historical works of the Arabians. Abulfeda, in his Annals, adduced, as a specimen, some distichs, to which Reiske, from a MS. of Ebn-Shohnah, has sdod three more (9, 11, 12). In the History of Jerusalem and Hebron, of which Professor Wilken had access to two MSS. in the Imperial Library at Paris, varying but little from one another in regard to this poem, and that chiefly in errors of the copyist, nor differing much from the text as given by Abulfeda, a few additional distichs are cited. Abulfeda has given only the better and more intelligible distichs (1, 2, 4–7, 16, 17), which does credit to his judgment.

It would appear, from the reference made to the poem in the body of the work, that it was written soon after the taking of Jerusalem by the Crusaders, which assigns its date about the year A. D. 1100.