Gibbon, Crusaders and Muslims

I am a bit behind in finishing up my Century War critique. And its a gorgeous afternoon here in Crockett, looking out my office window, so I will not be near a computer much longer. I just happened to read this in Gibbon's chap LVIII, note 83. He is talking about how the French speaking crusaders referred to all Muslims as 'miscrants'.

Mecreant, a word invented by the French Crusaders, and confined in that language to it primitive sense. It should seem, that the zeal of our ancestors boiled higher and that they branded every unbeliever as a rascal. A similiar prejudice still lurks in the minds of many who think themselves Christian.

Well, he's a dead white European male, so we don't have to pay any further attention to him.