different degrees of bountie the Spanish Polish Danish Scots and all other people of Europe The French I make the Founders for these reasons First because they began the action first Secondly France in proportion sent most adventurers Some voyages were all of French and all voyages were of some French Yea French men were so frequent at Jerusalem that at this day all Western Europeans there are called Franks as I once conceived and perchance not without companie in my errour because so many French men came thither in the Holy warre Since I am converted from that false opinion having found that two hundred yeares before the Holy warre was dreamed of namely in the time of Constantine Porphyrogenetes Emperour of the East all Western Christians were known to the Greeks by the name of Franks so that it seemeth the Turks borrowed that appellation from the Grecians Thirdly As France sent the most so many of most eminent note She sheweth for the game no worse cards then a pair royall of Kings Lewis the Young Philip Augustus and Saint Lewis besides Philip the Bold his sonne who went half-way to Tunis The first and last Christian King of Europe that went to Palestine was a French man and all the Kings of Jerusalem Frederick the Emperour onely excepted originally were of that nation Fourthly Even at this day France is most loyall to the cause Most grand Masters of the Hospitallers have been French men And at this day the Knights of Malta who have but foure Albergies or Seminaries in all Christendome have three of them in France viz. one of the France in generall one of Avergne and one of Provence Yet France carrieth not the upper hand so clearly but that Germanie justleth for it especially if we adde to it the Low-countreys the best stable of woodden horses and most potent in shipping in that age of any countrey in Europe which though an amphibion betwixt both yet custome at this day adjudgeth it Dutch Now these are the severall accents of honour in the Germane service First That countrey sheweth three Emperours in the Holy warre Conrade Frederick Barbarossa and Frederick the second The last of these was solemnly crowned and peaceably possessed King of Jerusalem Secondly Germanie sent more Princes to this warre then all Europe besides It would be an infinite task to reckon them all it being true of the Germane Nobilitie what Logicians say of a Line that it is divisibilis in semper divisibilia Here honours equally descend to sonnes and daughters whereby they have Counts without counting in the whole Empire There were seventeen Princes of Henault and seven and twentie Earls of Mansfield all living together So that one of their own countreymen saith That the Dutch esteem none to be men but onely such as are Noble-men We will not take notice of Germanie as it is minced into pettie Principalities but as cut into principall Provinces We find these regnant Princes for as for their younger brethren herein they are not accounted to have been personally present in the Holy warre Prince Palatine of Rhene Henry 1197 Duke or as others King of Bohemia Jaboslaus or Ladislaus 1147 Duke of Saxonie Henry the younger 1197 Marquisse of Brandenburg Otho 1197 Archbishops of Mentz 1 Conrade 2 Siphred 1197 Archbish. of Triers Theodoricus 1216 Archbish. of Colen Theodoricus 1216 Dukes of Austria 1 Leopoldus the second 1190 2 Frederick 1197 3 Leopoldus the third surnamed the Glorious 1216 Dukes of Bavaria 1 Guelpho 1101 2 Henry 1147 3 Lewis 1216 Landt-graves of Thuringia 1 Herman 1197 2 Lewis 1227 Marquesse of Moravia Conrade 1197 Duke of Mechlenburg Henry 1277 Earls of Flandres 1 Theodoricus 1147 2 Philippus 1190 3 Baldwine 1200 4 William Dampier 1250 5 Guido 1270 Dukes of Brabant 1 Godfrey 1195 2 Henry 1227 Earl of Holland William 1216 All these I say not these were all went themselves led forth other companies suitable to their greatnesse The Reader as he lighteth on more at his leisure may strike them into this catalogue Thirdly Germanie maintained the Teutonick Order wholly consisting of her nation besides Templars and Hospitallers whereof she had abundance of whose loyall and valiant service we have spoken largely before Lastly She fought another Holy warre at the same time against the Tartars and other barbarous people which invaded her on her North-east-part And though â—ome will except That that warre cannot be intituled Holy because being on the defensive it was rather of nature and necessitie then pietie yet upon examination it will appear that this service was lesse superstitious more charitable to Christendome and more rationall and discreet in it self it being better husbandrie to save a whole cloth in Europe then to winne a ragge in Asia Chap. 22. The English and Italian service compared Of the Spanish Polish Norvegian Hungarian Danish and Swedish performance in this warre NExt in this race of honour follow England and Italie being very even and hard-matched England it is no flatterie to affirm what envie cannot denie spurreth up close for the prize and though she had a great disadvantage in the starting Italie being much nearer to Palestine yet she quickly recovered it Our countrey sent one King Richard the first and three Kings sonnes Robert Courthois Richard of Cornwall and Prince Edward to this warre Yea England was a dayly friend to this action and besides these great and grosse summes of visible adventurers she dropped and cast in privily many a Pilgrime of good qualitie so that there was scarce any remarkable battel or memorable siege done through the warre wherein there were not some English of eminent desert Yet Italy cometh not any whit behind if the atchievements of her severall States Venetians Genoans Pisans Sicilians Florentines were made and moulded up together Yea for sea-service and engineers in this warre they bear the bell away from all other nations But these things allay the Italian service 1. It was not so abstracted from the dregs of mercinarinesse as that of other countreys whose adventurers counted their very work herein sufficient wages but before they would yeeld their assistance they indented and covenanted with the King of Jerusalem to have such and such profits pensions and priviledges in all places they took to them and their posteritie not as an honorarie reward freely conferred on them but in nature of wages ex pacto contracted for aforehand as the Genoans had in Ptolemais and the Venetians in Tyre 2. These Italians stopped two gaps with one bush they were Merchant-Pilgrimes together applied themselves to profit and pietie Here in Tyre they had their banks and did drive a sweet trade of spices and other Eastern commodities 3. Lastly As at first they gave good milk so they kicked it down with their heel and by their mutuall discord caused the losse of all they helped to gain in Syria Spain was exercised all the time of this warre in defending her self against the Moores and Saracens in her
the Greeks and taking shipping safely arrived in Palestine where he was highly welcomed by Reimund Prince of Antioch Some weeks were spent in complying entertainments and visiting holy places till at last Elianor wife to the King of France who accompanied her husband made religion her pander and played bankrupt of her honour under pretense of pilgrimage keeping company with a base Saracen jester whom she preferred before a King Thus love may blindfold the eyes but lust boreth them out Yea now she pleaded that she might be no longer wife to the King because she was too neare unto him within the degrees forbidden This new-started scruple never troubled her before but some have sluces in their consciences and can keep them open or shut them as occasion requireth Chap. 29. Damascus besieged in vain The return of the Emperour and King with the censure on this voyage THe late-come Pilgrimes having sufficiently recreated themselves the Emperour and the King of France concluded to besiege Damascus for a small town was conceived too narrow an object of their valour whilest so eminent an action was adequate to the undertakers Damascus is so pleasant a citie that Mahomet durst never enter into it lest this deceiver should be deceived himself and be so ravished with the pleasures of the place that he should forget to go on in that great work he had in hand Some make Eliezer Abrahams steward builder of this citie because he is called Eliezer of Damascus though that phrase speaketh him rather to have had his birth or dwelling there then the citie her building from him To passe this by because as the foundations are hidden in the ground so the founders of most ancient places are forgotten It was for many yeares after the Metropolis of Syria and was now straitly besieged by the Christians with great hope of successe had they not afterwards fallen out amongst themselves who should eat the chickens before they were hatched Conrade and King Lewis destined the city to Theodorick Earl of Flanders lately arrived in those parts whilest other Princes which had been long resident in Palestine and born the heat of the warre grudged hereat and their stomachs could not digest the cruditie of a raw upstart to be preferred before them Yea some of the Christians corrupted with Turkish money though when they received it it proved but gilded brasse may all traitours be payed in such coin perswaded the King of France to remove his camp to a stronger part of the walls which they long besieged in vain and returned home at last leaving the city and their honours behind them The French proverb was verified of this voyage Much bruit and little fruit They not onely did no good in the Holy land save that some think their coming advantaged King Baldwine for the taking of the citie of Askelon but also did much harm For now the Turks seeing one citie both bear the brunt and batter the strength of both armies began to conceive that their own fear was their greatest enemy and those swords of these new Pilgrimes which they dreaded in the sheath they sleighted when they saw them drawn and shook off that aw which had formerly possessed them of the strength of the Western Emperour Many thousand Christians perished in this adventure whose souls are pronounced by all the writers of this age to be carried up into heaven on the wings of the holy cause they died for Whose blessed estate I will not disprove nor will I listen to the unhappy Dutch proverb He that bringeth himself into needlesse dangers dieth the devils martyr We must not forget how the French King coming homeward was taken prisoner by the fleet of the Grecian Emperour and rescued again by Gregory Admirall to Roger King of Sicilie When he was safely arrived in France in open Parliament his wife was divorced from him Her nearnesse in bloud was the onely cause specified and the King took no notice of her inconstancy accounting those but foolish husbands who needlessely proclaim their wives dishonesty He gave her back again all the lands in France which he had received with her in portion scorning her wealth which neglected his love Herein he did nobly but not politickly to part with the Dukedomes of Poictou and Aquitain which he enjoyed in her right for he brake his own garland by giving her her flowers back again mangled and dismembred his own kingdome and gave a torch into Henry King of England his hands who afterwards married her to set France on fire Chap. 30. An apologie for S. Bernard whom the vulgar sort condemned for the murderer of those that went this voyage SLander quicker then Martiall law arraigneth condemneth and executeth all in an instant This we may see in poore S. Bernard who was the mark for every mans tongue to shoot arrows against and when this voyage had miscarried many condemned him because his perswasion set this project not onely on foot but on wings as if he had thrust so many men as one morsel into the jaws of death But much may be alledged truly to excuse this good man First he was but an instrument imployed by Pope Eugenius and a Provinciall Councel of French Bishops to forward the designe Rather then should they have blamed his Holinesse who set him on work But the saddle oftentimes is not set on the right horse because his back is too high to be reached and we see commonly that the instruments are made skreens to save the face of the principall from scorching Secondly the true cause of the ill successe was the vitiousnesse of the undertakers For Germany at this time surfeted of lewd people and those grew the fattest which lived on the high-wayes But this voyage robbed the whole countrey of her theeves and then no wonder if they found their death in Asia who deserved it in Europe Heare what Otho Frisingensis who went this voyage speaketh impartially in the matter If we should say that Bernard that holy Abbot was inspired by Gods Spirit to incite us to this warre but we through our pride and wantonnesse not observing his holy commands deservedly brought on our selves the losse of our goods and lives we should say nothing but what is agreeable to reason and to ancient examples However it was an heavy affliction to S. Bernards aged back to bear the reproch of many people it being a great grief for one to be generally condemned as guilty for want of proof of his innocency And though God set his hand to S. Bernards testimoniall by the many miracles which that Father wrought yet still some challenged him for a counterfeit And surely this humiliation was both wholesome and necessary for him For the people who cannot love without doting nor approve without admiring were too much transported with an high opinion of this man and his directions as if that arrow could not misse the mark which came out of S.
if the tottering of his kingdome had rocked him fast asleep Nor was he moved with that which followed and more nearly concerned him For Syracon the Turkish Captain whom Sanar had gotten to come into Egypt would not be intreated to go home again but seized on the city of Belbis fortified it and there attended the arrivall of more Turks from Damascus for the conquest of Egypt Which afterwards they performed the land being never completely cleared of them till at last they conquered the whole kingdome partly under this Syracon and wholly under Saladine his nephew And here my discourse by the leave of the reader must a little sally forth to treat of the danger of entertaining mercenary souldiers They may perchance be called in with a whistle but scarce cast out with a whip If they be slugs they indanger a State by their slothfulnesse if spirited men by their activity Cesar Borgia Machiavells idol whose practice he maketh the pattern of policie saith That he had rather be conquered with his own men then be conquerour with an army of others because he counted that conquest to be none at all Yet good physick may be made of poyson well corrected They may sometimes be necessary evils yea good and serviceable to defend a land if thus qualified First if they have no command of castles or place neare about the Princes person for then they have a compendious way to treason if they intend it Secondly if they be not entertained in too great numbers but in such refracted degrees that the natives may still have the predominancie for a surfeit of forrein supplies is a disease incurable Thirdly if the Prince who imployeth them hath their wives children and estates in his own hands which will be both a caution and pawn for their fidelity and will also interest their affections more cordially in the cause Lastly if they be of the same religion with them and fight against the enemy of the religion of both for then they are not purely hirelings but parties in part and the cause doth at least mediately concern them I beleeve that it will scarcely be shown that the Protestants have turned tails and betrayed them they came to assist We may observe the Low-countreys have best thrived by setting this trade of journey-men-souldiers on work Let them thank God and the good English for if Francis Duke of Anjou with his Frenchmen had well succeeded no doubt he would have spread his bread with their butter Next them the Venetians have sped best for they have the trick when they find it equally dangerous to casheer their mercenary Generall or to entertain him any longer fairly to kill him as they served Carmignola England hath best thrived without them under Gods protection we stand on our own legs The last I find are an handfull of Almains used against Kett in Norfolk in the dayes of King Edward the sixth And let it be our prayers That as for those hirelings which are to be last tried and least trusted we never have want of their help and never have too much of it Chap. 36. Sanar imploreth the aid of King Almerick A solemn agreement made betwixt them and ratified by the magnificent Caliph SUltan Sanar perceiving himself pressed and overlayed by these Turks who with Syracon their Captain refused to return and of assistants turned invaders borrowed the help of Almerick King of Jerusalem to avoid them out of Egypt Whilest Almerick marched thither an unfortunate battel was fought betwixt Boemund the third of that name Prince of Antioch Reimund Count of Tripoli Calaman Grecian governour of Cilicia and Joceline the third the titular Count of Edessa on the one side and Noradine King of the Turks on the other The Turks got the victory and these foure Christian Princes were taken prisoners and their army lost so much good bloud that day that cast it into an irrecoverable consumption and hastened the ruine of this kingdome Noradine following his blow wonne Cesarea-Philippi Neverthelesse Almerick went on effectually in Egypt and for a time expulsed the Turks out of this land But Syracon would not so quickly quit the countrey but goeth to the Caliph of Babylon who was opposite to him of Egypt each of them claiming as heir to Mahomet that false prophet the soveraignty over all that were of the Saracen law offereth him his means for the exstirpation of this schismaticall Caliph and the reduction of all Egypt to the subjection of the Babylonian The motion was joyfully entertained and Syracon with a mighty power descendeth into Egypt Sanar affrighted hereat maketh new and larger proffers to King Almerick to stop this deluge of his enemies and proffereth him a pension of fourty thousand ducats yearly for his behooffull assistance But the King understanding that the Sultan how much soever he took upon him was subject to a higher Lord would make no such bargain with him but with the Caliph himself and therefore sent his Embassadours Hugh Earl of Cesarea and a Knight-Templar along with the Sultan to Caliph Elhadach then resident at Cairo Arriving at his palace they passed through dark passages well guarded with armed Ethiopians Hence they were conducted into goodly open courts of such beauty and riches that they could not retain the gravity of Embassadours but were enforced to admire the rarities they beheld The farther they went the greater the state till at last they were brought to the Caliphs own lodging Where entring the presence the Sultan thrice prostrated himself to the ground before the curtain behind which the Caliph sat Presently the traverse wrought with pearls was opened and the Caliph himself discovered sitting with great majesty on a throne of gold having few of his most inward eunuchs about him The Sultan humbly kissed his masters feet and briefly told him the cause of their coming the danger wherein the land stood the proffers he had made to King Almerick desiring him now to ratifie them and in demonstration thereof to give his hand to the Kings Embassadours The Caliph demurred hereat as counting such a gesture a diminution to his State and at no hand would give him his hand bare but gave it in his glove To whom the resolute Earl of Cesarea Sir said he Truth seeketh no holes to hide it self Princes that will hold covenant must deal openly and nakedly give us therefore your bare hand we will make no bargain with your glove He was loth to do it but necessity a more imperious Caliph then himself at this time commanded it and he did it at last dismissing the Christian Embassadours with such gifts as testified his greatnesse According to this agreement King Almerick cordially prosecuted his businesse improving his utmost might to expell Syracon with his Turks out of Egypt whom he bade battel and got the day though he lost all his baggage So that the conquest in a manner was divided the Turks gaining the wealth
knew he did it onely to gain time to fetch new breath and if he yeelded to him his bounty had not been thanked but his fear upbraided as if he durst not denie him Yea in anger King Richard commanded all the Turkish captives which were in his hands seven thousand in number to be put to death except some choice persons on that day whereon the articles should have been but were not performed For which fact he suffered much in his repute branded with rashnesse and crueltie as the murderer of many Christians For Saladine in revenge put as many of our captives to death On the other side the moderation of the French King was much commended who reserving his prisoners alive exchanged them to ransome so many Christians Chap. 9. The unseasonable return of the King of France MEan time the Christians were rent a sunder with faction Philip the French King Odo Duke of Burgundie Leopold Duke of Austria most of the Dutch all the Genoans and Templars siding with King Conrade King Richard Henry Count of Champaigne the Hospitallers Venetians and Pisans taking part with King Guy But King Conrades side was much weakened with the sudden departure of the French King who eighteen dayes after the taking of Ptolemais returned home pretending want of necessaries indisposition of body distemper of the climate though the greatest distemper was in his own passions The true cause of his departure was partly envie because the sound of King Richards fame was of so deep a note that it drowned his partly covetousnesse to seise on the dominions of the Earl of Flanders lately dead Flanders lying fitly to make a stable for the fair palace of France If it be true what some report that Saladine bribed him to return let him for ever forfeit the surname of Augustus and the style of The most Christian Prince His own souldiers disswaded him from returning beseeching him not to stop in so glorious a race wherein he was newly started Saladine was already on his knees and would probably be brought on his face if pursued If he played the unthrift with this golden occasion let him not hope for another to play the good husband with If povertie forced his departure King Richard profered him the half of all his provisions All would not do Philip persisted in his old plea How the life of him absent would be more advantageous to the cause then the death of him present and by importunitie got leave to depart solemnly swearing not to molest the King of Englands dominions Thus the King of France returned in person but remained still behind in his instructions which he left with his armie to the Duke of Burgundie to whom he prescribed both his path and his pace where and how he should go And that Duke moved slowly having no desire to advance the work where King Richard would carrie all the honour For in those actions wherein severall undertakers are compounded together commonly the first figure for matter of credit maketh ciphres of all the rest As for King Philip being returned home such was the itch of his ambition he must be fingering of the King of Englands territories though his hands were bound by oath to the contrary Chap. 10. Conrade King of Ierusalem slain Guy exchangeth his Kingdome for the Island of Cyprus ABout the time of the King of France his departure Conrade King of Jerusalem was murdered in the market-place of Tyre and his death is variously reported Some charged our King Richard for procuring it And though the beams of his innocencie cleared his own heart yet could they not dispell the clouds of suspicions from other mens eyes Some say Humphred Prince of Thoron killed him for taking Isabella his wife away from him But the generall voice giveth it out that two Assasines stabbed him whose quarrel to him was onely this That he was a Christian. These murderers being instantly put to death gloried in the meritoriousnesse of their suffering and surely were it the punishment not the cause made martyrdome we should be best stored with Confessours from gaols and Martyrs from the gallows Conrade reigned five yeares and left one daughter Maria Iole on whom the Knight-Templars bestowed princely education And this may serve for his Epitaph The Crown I never did enjoy alone Of half a Kingdome I was half a King Scarce was I on when I was off the throne Slain by two slaves me basely murdering And thus the best mans life at mercie lies Of vilest varlets that their own despise His faction survived after his death affronting Guy the anti-King and striving to depose him They pleaded that the Crown was tied on Guy's head with a womans fillet which being broken by the death of his wife Queen Sibyll who deceased of the plague with her children at the siege of Ptolemais he had no longer right to the Kingdome they objected he was a worthlesse man and unfortunate On the other side it was alledged for him that to measure a mans worth by his successe is a square often false alwayes uncertain Besides the courtesie of the world would allow him this favour That a King should be semel semper once and ever Whilest Guy stood on these ticklish terms King Richard made a seasonable motion which well rellished to the palate of this hungrie Prince To exchange his Kingdome of Jerusalem for the Island of Cyprus which he had redeemed from the Templars to whom he had pawned it And this was done accordingly to the content of both sides And King Richard with some of his succeeding English Kings wore the title of Jerusalem in their style for many yeares after We then dismisse King Guy hearing him thus taking his farewell I steer'd a state warre-tost against my will Blame then the storm not th' Pilots want of skill That I the Kingdome lost whose emptie style I sold to Englands King for Cyprus Isle I pass'd away the land I could not hold Good ground I bought but onely aire I sold. Then as a happy Merchant may I sing Though I must sigh as an unhappy King Soon after Guy made a second change of this world for another But the family of the Lusignans have enjoyed Cyprus some hundred yeares and since by some transactions it fell to the state of Venice and lately by conquest to the Turks Chap. 11. Henry of Champaigne chosen King The noble atchievements and victories of King Richard COnrade being killed and Guy gone away Henry Earl of Champaigne was chosen King of Jerusalem by the especiall procuring of King Richard his uncle To corroborate his election by some right of succession he married Isabella the widow of King Conrade and daughter to Almerick King of Jerusalem A Prince as writers report having a sufficient stock of valour in himself but little happie in expressing it whether for want of opportunitie or shortnesse of his reigne being most spent in a truce He more
with their own bloud when their camp was their shambles the Turks their butchers and themselves the Martinmasse-beeves from which the beastly drunkards differ but a little The citie of Joppa the Turks rased to the ground and of this victory they became so proud that they had thought without stop to have driven the Christians quite out of Syria But by the coming of Simon Count of Montford a most valiant and expert Captain sent thither by Philip the French King with a regiment of tall souldiers at the instance of Innocent the third that succeeded Celestine in the Papacy and by civil discord then reigning amongst the Turks themselves for sovereignty their fury was repressed and a peace betwixt them and the Christians concluded for the space of ten yeares During which time the Turks promised not to molest the Christians in Tyre or Ptolemais Which peace so concluded the worthy Count returned with his souldiers into France Chap. 17. A Crusado for the Holy land diverted by the Pope to Constantinople They conquer the Grecian Empire THis truce notwithstanding another armie of Pilgrimes was presently provided for Syria The Tetrarchs whereof were Baldwine Earl of Flanders Dandalo the Venetian Duke Theobald Earl of Champaigne Boniface Marquesse of Montferrat with many other Nobles Leave we them a while taking the citie of Jadera in Istria for the Venetians Mean time if we look over into Greece we shall find Isaac Angelus the Emperour deposed thrust into prison his eyes put out the punishment there in fashion so that he ended his dayes before he ended his life by the cruelty of Alexius Angelus his brother who succeeded him But young Alexius Isaac Angelus his sonne with some Grecian Noble-men came to the courts of most Western Princes to beg assistance to free his father and expell the tyrant He so deported himself that each gesture was a net to catch mens good will not seeking their favour by losing himself but though he did bow he would not kneel so that in his face one might reade a pretty combat betwixt the beams of majesty and cloud of adversity To see a Prince in want would move a misers charity Our Western Princes tendered his case which they counted might be their own their best right lying at the mercy of any stronger usurper Young Alexius so dressed his meat that he pleased every mans palate promising for their succours to disingage the French from their debts to the Venetian promising the Venetian satisfaction for the wrongs done them by the Grecians and bearing the Pope in hand he would reduce the Eastern Churches into his subjection things which he was little able to perform But well may the statute of Bankrupt be sued out against him who cannot be rich in promises These his fair proffers prevailed so farre that the Pope commanded and other Princes consented that this army of Pilgrimes levied for the Holy land should be imployed against the usurping Grecian Emperour Many taxed his Holinesse for an unjust steward of the Christian forces to expend them against the Grecians which were to be laid out against the Infidels Especially now when Palestine through the dissension of the Turks offered itself into the Christians arms to be regained Others thought the Pope took the right method because he which should winne Jerusalem must begin at Constantinople And by this warre the Grecian Empire which was the bridge to Syria would be made good and secured for the passage of Pilgrimes The souldiers generally rejoyced at the exchange of their service for the barren warres in Syria starved the undertakers and a cook himself cannot lick his fingers where no meat is dressed There nothing but naked honour was to be gotten here honour clothed with spoil the usurpers treasure would make brave scrambling amongst them And it was good plowing up of that ground which had long lien fallow Setting sail from Jadera which citie they had subdued to the Venetian forcing them to pay three thousand cony-skins yearly for tribute to that State like good fensers they strook at the head and made for Constantinople Which they quickly took after some hot skirmishes Alexius Angelus the usurper with his wife whores and treasure fled away Blind Isaac Angelus was fetched out of prison he and young Alexius his sonne saluted joynt Emperours Which brittle honour of theirs was quickly broken For soon after the father died being brought into an open place kept before in a close pent dungeon and having long fasted from good aire he now got his death by surfeting on it His sonne was villainously strangled by Alexius Ducas called from his beetle-brow Mursiphlus One of base parentage who was tumultuously chosen Emperour by the people This Ducas offered some affronts to the Latines which lay before Constantinople in their ships Wherefore and also because they were not payed for their former service they the second time assaulted the citie and took it by main force killing none but robbing all ravishing women and using a thousand insolencies Some fled for their succour to the shrines of Saints But the Sanctuaries needed sanctuaries to protect themselves the souldiers as little respecting place as formerly age or sex not standing on any reverence to the Saints they stood upon them making footstools of their images and statues Nicetas Choniates hitherto an historian now a plaintiff writing so full of ohs and exclamations as if the while pinched by the arm rather without measure then cause bemoneth the outrages the Latines here committed Poore man all the miseries our Saviour speaketh of in a siege met in him His flight from Constantinople was in the winter on the Sabbath-day his wife being great with child But when the object is too neare the eye it seemeth greater then it is and perchance he amplifieth and aggravateth the cruelty of these Pilgrimes being nearly interessed therein himself especially when the rhetorick of grief is alwayes in the Hyperbole Nor is it any news for souldiers to be so insolent when they take a citie by assault which time is their Saturnalia when servants themselves do command acknowledging no other leader or captain then their own passions Within a twelve-moneth all Greece was subdued save onely Adrianople Baldwine Earl of Flanders chosen Emperour Thomas Maurocenus elected first Latine Patriarch in Constantinople Boniface Marquesse of Montferrat made King of Thessalie Geoffrey of Troy a Frenchman Prince of Achaia and Duke of Athens the Venetians got many rich Islands in the Egean and Ionian seas So that one could not now see the Grecian Empire for Empires It was now expected that they should have advanced hence into Palestine But here having well feathered their nests they were loth to flie any further And now no wonder if the Christians affairs in Palestine were weak and lean the Pope diverting the meat that should feed them another way Chap. 18. The Pope sendeth an armie of Croises against
and famine had pleased to spare Hence the Templars conducted them to Gaza where they fell on forraging the countrey of the Sultan assaulting no places which were of strength or honour to subdue but onely spoiled poore villages which counted themselves walled with the truce as yet in force Abundance of wealth they got and were now late returning home when after their plentifull supper a deare sharp reckoning was called for Behold the Turks in great numbers fell upon them neare unto Gaza and the Christians down with their bundles of spoil and out with their swords bravely defending themselves till such time as the night parted the fray Here they committed a great errour and as one may say a neglect in over-diligence for in stead of reposing themselves to rest and appointing a set watch they all lay in a manner Perdues no one slumbering all night but attending their enemies contrary to the rules of an armie which with Argus should never have all its eyes wake or sleep together Next morning when the Turks whose numbers were much increased set upon them alas they being but few to many faint to fresh were not able to make any forcible resistance Yet what they could not pay in present they pawned their lives for and their arms being too weak for their hearts they were rather killed then conquered Earl Henry was slain Almerick taken prisoner the King of Navarre escaped by the swiftnesse of his Spanish gennet which race for their winged speed the Poets feigned to be begot of the wind Mean time the other Christians looked on and saw their brethren slaughtered before their eyes and yet though they were able to help them were not able to help them their hands being tied with the truce and Reinoldus charging them no way to infringe the peace concluded with the Sultan Hereupon many cursed him as the Christians cut-throat he as fast condemned the King of Navarre and his army for breaking the truce And though the Papall faction pleaded that the former peace concluded not these late adventurers and that it was onely made with Frederick the Emperour yet he representing the whole body of Christianity all the bundle of their shifts could not piece out a satisfactory answer but that they were guilty of faith-breaking Home hastened the King of Navarre with a small retinue clouding himself in privatenesse as they actour who cometh off with the dislike of the spectatours stealeth as invisibly as he may into the tiring-house Expectation that friendly foe did him much wrong and his performance fell the lower because men heightened their looking for great matters from him Chap. 8. Richard Earl of Cornwall saileth to the Holy land His performance there and the censure thereof FIfteen dayes after the departure of Theobald Richard Earl of Cornwall brother to Henry the third then King of England landed at Ptolemais This Prince was our English Crassus or Croesus Cornwall was his Indies where he turned tinne into gold and silver So well-moneyed he was that for ten yeares together he might for every day expend an hundred marks So that England never since had together a poorer King and a richer Subject Before he began his voyage he craved a subsidie of prayers from the Monks of S. Albanes Yea scarce was there any Covent appearing for piety to whose devotions he recommended not himself counting that ship to sail the surest which is driven with the breath of godly mens prayers Theodoricus Lord Prior of the English Hospitallers with many other Barons and brave souldiers attending him passed through France and was there honourably entertained by King Lewis Being come to the Mediterranean sea the Popes Legate brought him a flat countermand that he must go no further but instantly return Richard at first was astonished hereat but quickly his anger got the mastery of his amazement and he fell on fuming Was this Christs Vicar Unlike was he to him who was thus unlike to himself who would say and unsay solemnly summon then suddenly cashier his Holy souldiers This was deluding of peoples devotions with false alarms to make them put their armour on to put it off again As for his own self he had vowed this voyage his honour and treasure was ingaged therein and the Pope should not blast his settled resolutions with a breath his ships were manned victualled and sailing forward and in such great actions the setting forth is more then half the journey All know his Holinesse to be too wary an archer to shoot away his arrows at nothing He had a mark herein a plot in this restraint but that too deep for others to fathom It could not be this To make this rich Earl a fish worth angling for to commute his voyage into money and to buy a dispensation of his Holinesse to stay at home as formerly he had served many meaner Pilgrimes Surely though the Popes covetousnesse might have prompted his wisdome would have disswaded him from a project spunne with so course a threed On saileth Earl Richard and safely arriveth at Ptolemais where he is well welcomed especially by the Clergie solemnly singing Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. He proclaimed No Christian should depart for want of pay for he would entertain any and give them good wages that would do work in this warre But he found the Christians there shivered into severall factions and the two great Orders Hospitallers and Templars two great confusions of the Holy cause Of these the Hospitallers were the seniors in standing their originall being dated eighteen yeares before the Templars and therefore challenged superiority But that which made the younger brother so brisk was that he was his fathers darling The Templars in all their broils had support from the Pope because the others were suspected to have a smack of the Imperiall faction This made them active daring offering of affronts And what countrey-men soever the Templars were they were alwayes Italians that is true to the Triple Crown These being madded with ambition were the more outragious for their â—igh fare their great revenues and deserved to be dieted with a poorer pittance except they would have used their strength better Our Earl knew to please one side would certainly displease the other and to please both would probably please neither Wherefore he managed his matters entirely to himself without relating to either of the parties taking no ground of their giving but bowling at the publick good by the aim of his own eye The Sultans in Syria for the Turkish power there was divided into severall Sultanies as those of Damascus Cracci Seisser but Babylon the chiefest hearing of Richards preparations profered peace unto him But whilest as yet the conditions were in suspense Richard fortified Askelon in all the bunch there was not a better key or harbour of more importance not onely to strength but state with marble pillars and statues though the silent ruines thereof at
with them joyntly to resist the Corasines seeking saith Frederick the Emperour to find fidem in perfidia trust in treachery Many suspected these auxiliary forces thinking though the forrest-wolves fell out with the mountain ones they would both agree against the sheep Robert Patriarch of Jerusalem was a most active commander over all S. Lukes day was the time agreed upon for the fatall battel neare Tiberias was the place As the Christians were ordering themselves in aray it was questioned in what part of their armie their new Turkish assistants should be disposed and concluded that they should be placed in the front where if they did no other good they would dull the appetite of their enemies sword This is thought to have been a notorious errour and cause of their overthrow For though those souldiers who mean to be false will never be made faithfull in what place soever they be bestowed yet may they be made lesse dangerous if cast into the body or main battel of the army whence they have no such scope to fling out and to take advantage of place to do mischief as they have either in the front or wings thereof Thus in Cesars time Crassus an experienced Generall under him being to bid the Gauls battel auxiliares copias quibus ad pugnam non multum confidebat in mediam aciem colloâ—â—vit that so being hemmed in before and behind they might be ingaged to fight manfully without starting away And to instance in later times our Richard the third who though he usurped the Crown had as none will deny a true title both to prowesse and martiall policie marching to Bosworth placed suspected persons whose bodies were with him and hearts with Earl Henry in the midst and those whom he most trusted before behind and on every side The battel being joyned the Turks ranne over to the other side though some braved them onely with cowardlinesse not treachery and that they fled from the battel but not fell to the enemies The Christians manfully stood to it and though over-powerd in number made a great slaughter of their enemies till at last they were quite overthrown Of the Teutonick Order escaped but three of three hundred Templars but eighteen of two hundred Hospitallers but nineteen The Patriarch to use his own words whom God reputed unworthy of martyrdome saved himself by flight with a few others And this great overthrow to omit lesse partner-causes is chiefly imputed to the Templars former so often breaking the truce with the Sultan of Babylon Thus were the Christians conquered by the Corasines and beaten by a beaten nation Palestine being wonne by those who could not keep their own countrey Improving this victorie they left nothing to the Christians but Tyre Ptolemais and Antioch with some few forts Soon after these Corasines elated herewith fell out with the Sultan himself who in anger rooted out their nation so that none of their name remained Yea all writers are silent of them both before this time and ever after as if God at this very instant had created this people to punish Christians which service performed they were annihilated again Chap. 11. Lewis the ninth setteth forward against the Turks The occasion of his journey and his attendants SOme two yeares after Lewis the ninth of that name King of France came to assist the Christians The occasion of his voyage this He had been visited with a desperate sicknesse insomuch that all art cried craven as unable to help him and the Physicians resigned him to Divines to begin with him where they ended They also gave him over and for a while he lay in a trance not the least breath brought news of any life left in him Then Blanch the Queen-mother and Queen of mothers for her care of her sonne and his Kingdome applied a piece of the Crosse unto him Thereat whether thereby let others dispute he revived and recovered and thereupon was Croised and in thankfulnesse bound himself with a vow to sail to the Holy land But his Nobility disswaded him from that designe The dangers were certain the successe would be doubtfull of so long a journey his own Kingdome would be left desolate and many mischiefs unseen as yet would appear in his absence Besides his vow was made in his sicknesse whilest reason was scarce as yet in the peaceable possession of his mind because of the remnant-dregs of his disease It might also be dispensed with by the Pope yea his deserts did challenge so much from his Holinesse King Lewis as perswaded hereat laid down the Crosse to the great comfort and contentment of all the beholders But then altering his countenance he required the Crosse should be restored to him again and vowed to eat no bread untill he was recognized with the Pilgrimes badge And because his vow should suffer no diminution or abatement from his disease now no longer Lewis the sick but Lewis the sound undertook the Holy warre His Nobles seeing him too stiff to be unbent and counting it a kind of sacrilegious counsel to disswade him from so pious a work left him to his own resolutions There went along with him his two brothers Charles Earl of Anjou Robert Earl of Artois his own Queen and their Ladies O do the Popes Legate Hugh Duke of Burgundie William Earl of Flanders Hugh Earl of St. Paul and William Longspath Earl of Sarisbury with a band of valiant English men who went without licence from Henry King of England For in those dayes this doctrine went currant That their Princes leave was rather of complement then essentiall to their voyage as if the band of this Holy warre was an acquittance from all others Our Henry displeased at this Earls departure for his disobedience deprived him of his Earldome and castle of Sarisbury not suffering that sheep to grase in his pasture which would not own him for his shepherd William also sonne to this Earl smarting for his fathers fault never enjoyed that honour And though King Henry himself being a Prince of more devotion then policie did most affectionately tender this Holy cause yet he used this necessary severity towards this Earl at this time first because it would weaken his land thus to be dispeopled of martiall men secondly his subjects forwardnesse might be interpreted a secret check of his own backwardnesse in that warre thirdly the sucking in of forrein aire did wean people from their naturall Prince and did insensibly usher into their hearts an alienation from their own Sovereigne and a dependence on the King of France lastly he had some thoughts on that voyage himself and reserved such prime Peers to attend on his own person thither The Pope gave to this King Lewis his charges the tenth of the Clergies revenues through France for three yeares and the King imployed the Popes collectours to gather it knowing those leaches were the best suckers Hereupon the states of the Clergie were
Kings of Naples 9 The Princes of Antioch 10 The Counts of Brienne 11 The Kings of Armenia 12 The Kings of Hungarie 13 The Kings of Aragon 14 The Dukes of Anjou 15 The Dukes of Loraine 16 Lewis the eleventh King of France 17 The Dukes of Bourbon 18 The Dukes of Savoy 19 Iames de Lusigna base sonne to the King of Cyprus 20 Charles de Lusigna sonne to the Prince of Galilee 21 The State of Genoa 22 The Marquesse of Montferrat 23 The Count of la-Vall 24 The Arch-duke of Nize 25 The Sultan of Egypt 26 The Emperour of the Turks It seemeth by the naming of Lewis the eleventh and James the bastard of Cyprus that this list was taken about the yeare 1466. And now how would a Herald sweat with scouring over these time-rustie titles to shew whence these Princes derived their severall claims and in whom the right resteth at this day when his work is done who should pay him his wages My clew of thread is not strong enough on the guidance thereof for me to venture into this labyrinth of Pedegrees we will content our selves with these generall observations 1. It seemeth this catalogue containeth as well those who had jus in Regno as those who had jus ad Regnum as namely the Prince of Thorone and Patriarchs of Jerusalem and State of Genoa whose ambition surely soared not so high as to claim the Kingdome of Jerusalem but rather perched it self upon some lands and Signories challenged therein 2. A small matter will serve to intitle a Prince to a titular Kingdome In this case Kings can better digest corrivals where they be many and all challenge what is worth nothing In this catalogue it seemeth some onely intitle themselves out of good fellowship and love of good companie These like squirrels recover themselves and climbe up to a claim on the least bough twig yea leaf of a Right Thus the Counts of Brienne in France if any still remain of that house gave away their cake and kept it still in that John Bren parted with his right to this Kingdome in match with Iole his daughter to Frederick the second Emperour and yet the Earls of his familie pretend still to Jerusalem 3. We may beleeve that by matches and under-matches some of these titles may reside in private Gentlemen especially in France And what wonder seeing within fourteen generations the royall bloud of the Kings of Judah ran in the veins of plain Joseph a painfull carpenter 4. At this day some of those titles are finally extinct as that of the Emperours of the East conquered by the Ottoman familie Their Imperiall Eagle was so farre from beholding the sunne that the half-moon dazzled yea quite put out his eyes Rank in the same form the Kings of Armenia and Sultans of Egypt 5. Some of these titles are translated That of the Lusignans Kings of Cyprus probably passed with that Island to the State of Venice The claim of the Hungarian Kings seemeth at this day to remain in the Germane Emperour 6. Some united The claim of the Arch-dukes of Nize a style I meet not with elsewhere twisted with that of the Duke of Savoy The Kings of Naples and Aragon now joyned in the King of Spain 7. Of those which are extant at this day Englands appeareth first our Richard receiving it in exchange of King Guy for the Island of Cyprus Guy's resignation was voluntarie and publick the world was witnesse to it He truly received a valuable consideration which his heirs long peaceably enjoyed and our English Kings styled themselves Kings of Jerusalem till afterwards they disused it for reasons best known to themselves Our Poet Harding in a paper he presented to King Henry the sixth cleareth another double title of our Kings thereunto And because some palates love the mouldie best and place the goodnesse of old verses in the badnesse of them take them as they fell from his penne To Ierusalem I say ye have great right From Erle Geffray that hight Plantogenet Of Aungeâ—y Erle a Prince of passyng might The eldest sonne of Fouke and first beget King of Ierusalem by his wife dewly set Whose sonne Geffray foresaid gat on his wife Henry the second that was known full rife Yet have ye more from Bawldwyne Paralytious King afterward to the same King Henry The Crown sent and his Banner pretious As very heire of whole Auncestrie Descent of bloud by title lineally From Godfray Boleyn and Robert Curthose That Kings were thereof and chose 8. Then cometh forth the Popes title who claimeth it many wayes Either because he was the first and chiefest mover and advancer of this warre Lord Paramont of this action and all the Pilgrimes no better then his servants and then according to the rule in Civil law Quodâ—unque per servum acquiritur id Domino acquiritâ—r suo Or else he challengeth it from John Bren who subjected that Kingdome to the See of Rome and yet the said John used the style of Jerusalem all the dayes of his life and also gave it away in match with his daughter Or else he deriveth it as forfeited to him by the Emperour Frederick the second and his sonnes for taking arms against the Church But what need these farre-abouts They go the shortest cut who accounting the Pope Gods Lieutenant on earth though by a Commission of his own penning give him a temporall power especially in ordine ad spiritualia over all the Kingdomes of the world The originall right of Jerusalem he still keepeth in himself yet hath successively gratified many Princes with a title derived from him Nor shineth his candle the dimmer by lighting of others First he bestowed his title on Charles of Anjou King of Sicilie from which root spring the many-branched French competitours and since hath conferred the same on the house of Aragon or King of Spain Which King alone weareth it in his style at this day and maketh continuall warre with the Turk who detaineth Jerusalem from him Yea all West-Christendome oweth her quiet sleep to his constant waking who with his galleys muzzleth the mouth of Tunis and Algier Yea God in his providence hath so ordered it that the Dominions of Catholick Princes as they term them are the case and cover on the East and South to keep and fense the Protestant countreys The quit-rent which the King of Spain payeth yearly to the Pope for the Kingdomes of Jerusalem Naples and Sicilie is foure thousand crowns sent to his Holinesse upon a hackney Who grudgeth his tenant so great a penie-worth yet cannot help himself except he would follow the Friars advice To send home the Spanish Hackney with a great Horse after him What credit there is to be given to that through-old if not doting prophecie That a Spaniard shall one day recover Jerusalem we leave to the censure of others and mean time we will conclude more serious matters with this pleasant passage When the
as these Pilgrimes went through his countrey he did them all possible mischief still under the pretense of kindnesse What hinderer to a false helper calling the chief Captains of the army his sonnes but they found it true The more courtesie the more craft Yea this deep dissembler would put off his visard in private and professe to his friends that he delighted as much to see the Turks and these Christians in battel as to see mastiffdogs fight together and that which side soever lost yet he himself would be a gainer But when they had passed Grecia and had crossed the Bosporus otherwise called The arm of S. George entring into the dominion of the Turks they were for thirty dayes exposed a mark to their arrows And though this great multitude was never stabbed with any mortall defeat in a set battel yet they consumed away by degrees the cowardly Turks striking them when their hands were pinnioned up in the straits of unknown passages The Generalls bestrawed the countrey about with their corpses Great Hugh of France was buried at Tarsus in Cilicia Duke Guelpho at Paphos in Cyrpus Diemo the Archbishop of Saltzburg saw his own heart cut out and was martyred by the Turks at Chorazin And God saith my Authour manifested by the event that the warre was not pleasing unto him Chap. 10. Antipatris and Cesarea wonne by the Christians The variety of King Baldwines successe MEan time King Baldwine was imployed with better successe in Palestine for hitherto Joppa was the onely port the Christians had but now by the assistance of the Genoan fleet who for their pains were to have a third part of the spoil and a whole street to themselves of every city they took Baldwine wonne most considerable havens along the mid-land-sea He began with Antipatris to ransome the Christian honour which was morgaged here because Godfrey was driven away from hence And no wonder having no shipping whereas that Army which takes a strong harbour otter-like must swim at sea as well as go on ground Next he took Cesarea-Stratonis built and so named in the honour of Cesar Augustus by Herod the great who so politickly poised himself that he sat upright whilest the wheel of Fortune turned round under him Let Antony winne let Augustus winne all one to him by contrary winds he sailed to his own ends Cesarea taken Baldwine at Rhamula put the Turks to a great overthrow But see the chance of warre Few dayes after at the same place he received a great defeat by the Infidels wherein besides many others the two Stephens Earls of Burgundy and Bloys were slain This was the first great overthrow the Christians suffered in Palestine and needs must blows be grievous to them who were not used to be beaten The King was reported slain but fame deserved to be pardoned for so good a lie which for the present much disheartened the Christians a great part of the souldiers courage being wrapped up in the life of the Generall Baronius as bold as any Bethshemite to pry into the ark of Gods secrets saith This was a just punishment on Baldwine for detaining the Churches goods But to leave hidden things to God the apparent cause of his overthrow was his own rashnesse being desirous to ingrosse all the credit alone without sending for succours and supplies from his neighbours He assaulted his numerous enemies with an handfull of men and so brake himself with covetousnesse to purchase more honour then he could pay for And herein he discovered his want of judgement being indeed like an arrow well-feathered but with a blunt pile he flew swift but did not sink deep Thus his credit lay bleeding but he quickly stanched it The Pagans little suspecting to be re-incountred gave themselves over to mirth and jollity as security oftentimes maketh the sword to fall out of their hands from whom no force could wrest it when Baldwine coming on them with fresh souldiers strook them with the back-blows of an unexpected enemy which alwayes pierce the deepest routed them and put them to the light This his victory followed so suddenly after his overthrow that some mention not the overthrow at all but the victory onely as that good horseman is scarce perceived to be thrown that quickly recovereth the saddle Chap. 11. The conquest of sundry fair havens by the Christians Ptolemais c. WHilest the King was thus busied in battel Tancred Prince of Galilee was not idle but enlarged the Christian dominions with the taking of Apamea and Laodicea These cities in Celosyria were built by Antiochus and they agreed so well together that they were called sisters and as in concord so in condition they went hand in hand being now both conquered together Ptolemais next stooped to the Christian yoke so named from Ptolemeus Philometor King of Egypt a citie on the Mediterranean of a triangular form having two sides washed with the sea the third regarding the champian The Genoan galleys being 70 in number did the main service in conquering and had granted them for their reward large profits from the harbour a church to themselves jurisdiction over a fourth part of the citie This Ptolemais was afterwards the very seat of the Holy warre Let me mind the Reader of a Latine proverb Lis Ptolemaica that is A long and constant strife so called from Ptolemais a froward old woman who was never out of wrangling But may not the proverb as well be verified of this citie in which there was ninescore yeares fighting against the Turks With worse successe did Baldwine Count of Edessa and Earl Joceline besiege Charran in Mesopotamia for when it was ready to be surrendred the Christian Captains fell out amongst themselves were defeated by the Pagans and the two forenamed Earls taken prisoners This Charran is famous for Abrahams living and his father Terahs dying there And in the same place rich Crassus the Romane vomited up the sacrilegious goods he had devoured of the temple of Jerusalem and had his army overthrown Nor here may we overpasse how Boemund Prince of Antioch with a great navie spoiled the harbours of Grecia to be revenged of treacherous Alexius the Emperour Voluntaries for this service he had enough all desiring to have a lash at the dog in the manger and every mans hand itching to throw a cudgel at him who like a nut-tree must be manured by beating or else would never bear fruit yet on some conditions an agreement at last was made betwixt them To return to Palestine The next citie that felt the victorious arms of the Christians was Byblus a good haven and built by Heveus the sixth sonne of Canaan Here Adonis was anciently worshipped whose untimely death by a bore Venus so much bemoned And the fable is moralized when Lust lamenteth the losse of Beauty consumed by age Nor did Tripoli hold out long after so called
second Alice married to young Boemund Prince of Antioch the third Hodiern wife to Reimund Prince of Tripoli and Mete the youngest Abbesse of Bethanie Chap. 19. Of Fulco the fourth King of Ierusalem FUlco Earl of Tours Mam and Anjou coming some three yeares before on pilgrimage to Jerusalem there took in marriage Millesent the Kings daughter He had assigned to him the city of Tyre and some other princely accommodations for his present maintenance and the Kingdome after the death of his father in law which he received accordingly He was welnigh 60 yeares old And by his first wife he had a sonne Geffrey Plantagenet Earl of Anjou to whom he left his lands in France and from whom our Kings of England are descended This Fulco was a very valiant man able both of body and mind His greatest defect was a weak memory though not so bad as that of Messala Corvinus who forgot his own name insomuch that he knew not his own servants and those whom he even now preferred were presently after strangers unto him Yet though he had a bad memory whilest he lived he hath a good one now he is dead and his vertues are famous to posteritie Chap. 20. The Church-story during this Kings reigne The remarkable ruine of Rodolphus Patriarch of Antioch THe Church of Jerusalem yeelded no alterations in the reigne of Fulco But in Antioch there was much stirre who should succeed Bernard that peaceable long-lived man who sat 36 yeares and survived eight Patriarchs of Jerusalem Now whilest the Clergie were tedious in their choice the Laity was too nimble for them and they thinking it equall to have an hand in making who must have their arms in defending a Patriarch clapped one Rodolphus of noble parentage into the chair He presently took his pall off from the altar of S. Peter thereby sparing both his purse and pains to go to Rome and acknowledging no other superiour then that Apostle for his patrone This man was the darling of the Gentry and no wonder if they loved him who was of their cloth and making but hated of the Clergie Wherefore knowing himself to need strong arms who was to swim against the stream he wrought himself into the favour of the Princesse of Antioch the widow of young Boemund so that he commanded all her command and beat down his enemies with her strength He promised to make a marriage betwixt her and Reimund Earl of Poictou a Frenchman of great fame who was coming into these parts but he deceived her and caused the Earl to marry Constantia the daughter of this Lady by whom he had the principality of Antioch Indeed this Constantia was but a child for age but they never want yeares to marry who have a Kingdome for their portion The Patriarch to make firre work bound Prince Reimund by an oath to be true to him But friends unjustly gotten are seldome comfortably enjoyed Of his sworn friend he proved his sworn enemy and forced him to go up to Rome there to answer many accusations laid to his charge wherein the ground-work perchance was true though malice might set the varnish on it The main matter was that he made odious comparisons betwixt Antioch and Rome and counted himself equall to his Holinesse Rodolphus coming to Rome found the Popes doores shut against him but he opened them with a golden key Money he sowed plentifully and reaped it when he came to be tried for he found their hands very soft towards him whom formerly he had greased in the fist He also resigned his old pall and took a new one from the Pope As for his other crimes it was concluded that Albericus Bishop of Ostia should be sent into Syria the Popes Legate to examine matters and to proceed accordingly with the Patriarch as things there should be found alledged and proved Whereat his adversaries much stormed who expected that he should instantly have been deposed Yet afterwards they prevailed mightily with Albericus the Legate and bowed him on their side He coming to Antioch cited the Patriarch to appear who being thrice called came not On his absence all were present with their conjectures what should cause it Some imputing it to his guiltinesse others to his contempt others to his fear of his enemies potencie or judges partiality for indeed the Legate came not with a virgin-judgement but ravished with prejudice being prepossessed with this intent to dispossesse him of his place Some thought he relied on his peace formerly made at Rome where the illegality of his election was rectified by his laying down his first pall and assuming a new one from the Pope Here was it worth the beholding in what severall streams mens affections ran All wished that the tree might be felled who had hopes to gather chips by his fall and especially one Arnulphus and Dean Lambert the promoters against the Patriarch Others pitied him and though perchance content that his roof might be taken down were loth he should be razed to the ground Some reserved their affections till they were counselled by the event which side to favour and would not be engaged by any manifest declaration but so that they might fairly retreat if need required Amongst other Prelates which were present Serlo Archbishop of Apamea was one who formerly had been a great enemy to the Patriarch but had lately taken himself off from that course The Legate demanded of him why he proceeded not to accuse the Patriarch as he was wont To whom he answered What formerly I did was done out of unadvised heat against the health of my soul discovering the nakednesse of my father like to cursed Cham and now God hath recalled me from mine errour so that I will neither accuse nor presumptuously judge him but am ready to die for his safety Hereupon the Legate immediately such was the martiall law in a Church-man deposed him from his Archbishoprick Little hope then had the Patriarch who saw himself condemned in his friend and he himself followed not long after being thrust out by violence cast into prison and there long kept in chains till at last he made an escape to Rome intending there to traverâ—e his cause again had not death occasioned by poison as is thought prevented him Chap. 21. Calo-Iohannes the Grecian Emperour demandeth Antiochia Reimund the Prince thereof doeth homage to him for it CAlo-Johannes the Grecian Emperour came up with a vast army of horse and foot and demanded of Reimund Prince of Antioch to resigne unto him that whole Signorie according to the composition which the Christian Princes made with Alexius his father Hereat Reimund and all the Latines stormed out of measure Had they purchased the inheritance of the land with their own bloud now to turn tenants at will to other Some pleaded That the ill usage of Alexius extorted from Godfrey and the rest of the Pilgrimes that agreement and an oath made by force is
of no force but may freely be broken because not freely made Others alledged That when Antiochia was first wonne it was offered to Alexius and he refused it so fair a tender was a paiment Others argued That that generation which made this contract was wholly dead and that the debt descended not on them to make it good But most insisted on this That Alexius kept not his covenants and assisted them not according to the agreement Indeed he called these Princes his sonnes but he disinherited them of their hopes and all their portion was in promises never payed No reason then that the knot of the agreement should hold them fast and let him loose The worst of these answers had been good enough if their swords had been as strong as the Grecian Emperours But he coming with a numerous army in few dayes overcame all Cilicia which for fourty yeares had belonged to the Prince of Antioch and then besieged the city of Antioch it self Force is the body and resolution the soul of an action both these were well tempered together in the Emperours army and the city brought to great distresse Whereupon Fulk King of Jerusalem with some other Princes fearing what wofull conclusion would follow so violent premisses made a composition between them So that Reimund did homage to the Emperour and held his principality as a vassall from him And though foure yeares after the Emperour came again into these parts yet he did not much harm pillaging was all his conquest Some yeares after he died being accidentally poisoned by one of his own arrows which he intended for the wild boar A Prince so much better to the Latines then his father Alexius as an honourable foe is above a treacherous friend His Empire he disposed to Emmanuel his sonne Chap. 22. The succession of the Turkish Kings and the Saracen Caliphs Of the unlimited power of a Souldan Some resemblance thereof anciently in the kingdome of France NO great service of moment was performed in the reigne of King Fulk because he was molested with domesticall discords and intestine warres against Paulinus Count of Tripoli and Hugh Earl of Joppa Onely Beersheba was fortified and some forts built about Askelon as an introduction to besiege it Also skirmishes were now and then fought with variety of successe against Sanguin one of the Turks great Princes And here let the reader take notice that though we have mentioned many Commanders as Auxianus Corboran Ammiravissus Tenduc Gazi Balak Dordequin Borscquin Sanguin some Turkish some Saracen yet none of these were absolute Kings though perchance in courtesie sometimes so styled by writers but were onely Generals Lieutenants accountable to their superiours the Caliphs either of Babylon or Egypt Who what they were we referre the reader to our Chronologie Caliph was the Pope as I may say of the Saracens a mixture of Priest and Prince But we need not now trouble our selves with curiosity in their successions these Caliphs being but obscure men who confined themselves to pleasures making play their work and having their constant diet on the sawce of recreation We are rather to take notice of their Generals and Captains which were the men of action For a Souldan which was but a Vice-roy with his borrowed light shineth brighter in history then the Caliph himself Yet may we justly wonder that these slothfull Caliphs should do nothing themselves and commit such unlimited power to their Souldans especially seeing too much trust is a strong tentation to make ambitious flesh and bloud disloyall Yet something may be said for the Caliph of Egypt besides that the pleasures of that countrey were sufficient to invite him to a voluptuous life First the awfull regard which the Egyptians had of their Princes gave them security to trust their officers with ample commission Secondly herein they followed an ancient custome practised by the Pharaohs anciently who gave unto Joseph so large authority as we may read in Genesis Some example also we have hereof in France about nine hundred yeares ago Childerick Theodorick Clovis Childebert Dagobert c. a chain of idle Kings well linked together gave themselves over to pleasures privately never coming abroad but onely on May-day they shewed themselves to the people riding in a chariot adorned with flowers and drawn with oxen slow cattel but good enough for so lazy luggage whilest Charles Martell and Pipin Maiors of the palace opened packets gave audience to Embassadours made warre or peace enacted and repealed laws at pleasure till afterwards from controllers of the Kings houshold they became controllers of the Kings and at last Kings themselves To return to Egypt Let none be troubled pardon a charitable digression to satisfie some scrupulous in a point of Chronologie if they find anciently more Kings of the Egyptians and longer reigning then the consent of times will allow room for for no doubt that which hath swelled the number is the counting Deputies for Kings Yea we find the holy Spirit in the same breath 1. Reg. 22.47 speak a Vice-roy to be a King and no King There was no King in Edom a Deputy was King Chap. 23. The lamentable death of King Fulk WHen Fulco had now eleven yeares with much industry and care though with little enlarging of his dominions governed the land he was slain in earnest as following his sport in hunting to the great grief of his subjects And we may heare him thus speaking his Epitaph A hare I hunted and death hunted me The more my speed was was the worse my speed For as well-mounted I away did flee Death caught and kill'd me falling from my steed Yet this mishap an happy misse I count That fell from horse that I to heaven might mount A Prince of a sweet nature and though one would have read him to be very furious by his high-coloured countenance yet his face was a good hypocrite and contra leges istius coloris saith Tyrius he was affable courteous and pitifull to all in distresse He was buried with his predecessours in the temple of the Sepulchre leaving two sonnes Baldwine who was 13 and Almerick 7 yeares old Chap. 24. The disposition of Baldwine the third The care of Queen Millesent in her sonnes minority BAldwine succeeded his father who quickly grew up as to age so in all royall accomplishments and became a most complete Prince well learned especially in historie liberall very witty and very pleasant in discourse He would often give a smart jest which would make the place both blush and bleed where it lighted Yet this was the better taken at his hands because he cherished not a cowardly wit in himself to wound men behind their backs but played on them freely to their faces yea and never refused the coin he payed them in but would be contented though a King to be the subject of a good jest and sometimes he was well-favouredly met with as the best fencer in
Emissa and Cesarea young King Baldwine lay close in Askelon not daring to adventure on so strong an enemy With whose fear Saladine encouraged dispersed his army some one way some another to forrage the countrey King Baldwine courted with this opportunity marched out privately not having past foure hundred horse with some few footmen and assaulted his secure enemies being six and twenty thousand But victory standeth as little in the number of souldiers as verity in the plurality of voices The Christians got the conquest and in great triumph returned to Jerusalem This overthrow rather madded then daunted Saladine Who therefore to recover his credit some moneths after with his Mammalukes fell like a mighty tempest upon the Christians as they were parting the spoil of a band of Turks whom they had vanquished put many to the sword the rest to flight Otto grand Master of the Templars and Hugh sonne in law to the Count of Tripoli were taken prisoners and the King himself had much ado to escape And thus both sides being well wearied with warre they were glad to refresh themselves with a short slumber of a truce solemnly concluded and their troubled estates breathed almost for the space of two yeares Which truce Saladine the more willingly embraced because of a famine in the kingdome of Damascus where it had scarce rained for five yeares together Chap. 41. The fatall jealousies betwixt the King and Reimund Earl of Tripoli BUt this so welcome a calm was troubled with domesticall discords For the Kings mother a woman of a turbulent spirit and her brother his steward accused Reimund Count of Tripoli governour of the Realm in the Kings minority as if he affected the Crown for himself which accusation this Earl could never wholly wipe off For slender and lean slanders quickly consume themselves but he that is branded with an hainous crime though false when the wound is cured his credit will be killed with the scarre Before we go further let us view this Earl Reimunds disposition and we shall find him marked to do mischief and to ruine this Realm He was sonne to Reimund grandchild to Pontius Earl of Tripoli by Cecilie the daughter of Philip King of France great-grandchild to Bertram first Earl of Tripoli great-great-grandchild to Reimund Earl of Tholose one of speciall note amongst the primitive adventurers in the Holy warre His mother was Hodiern third daughter of Baldwine the second King of Jerusalem A man whose stomach was as high as his birth and very serviceable to this State whilest the sharpnesse of his parts were used against the Turks which at last turned edge against the Christians Proud not able to digest the least wrong and though long in captivity amongst the Turks yet a very treuant in the school of affliction who never learned the lesson of patience So revengefull that he would strike his enemy though it were through the sides of religion and the Christian cause For this present accusation of treason good authours seem to be his compurgatours for this at this time though afterwards he discovered his treacherous intents And because he could not rise by his service he made his service fall by him and undid what he had done for the publick good because thereby he could not attain his private ends He commanded over the Earldome of Tripoli which was a territory of large extent wherein he was absolute Lord. And by the way we may take notice of this as one of the banes of the Kingdome of Jerusalem That the principalities of Antioch Tripoli and Edessa whilest it was Christian were branches of this Kingdome but too big for the body For the Princes thereof on each petty distast would stand on their guard as if they had been subjects out of courtesie not conscience and though they confessed they owed the King allegeance yet they would pay no more then they thought fitting themselves To return to King Baldwine This suspicion of Earl Reimund though at first but a buzze soon got a sting in the Kings head and he violently apprehended it Whereupon Reimund coming to Jerusalem was by the way commanded to stay to his great disgrace But some of the Nobility foreseeing what danger this discord might bring reconciled them with much labour However Baldwine ever after looked on this Earl with a jealous eye Jealousie if it be fire in private persons is wild-fire in Princes who seldome rase out their names whom once they have written in their black bills And as the Italian proverb is Suspicion giveth a passe-port to faith to set it on packing so this Earl finding himself suspected was never after cordially loyall smothering his treachery in this Kings life which afterwards broke forth into an open flame Chap. 42. Saladine is conquered by King Baldwine and conquereth Mesopotamia Discords about the Protectourship of Ierusalem The death and praise of Baldwine the fourth THe kingdome of Damascus being recovered of the famine Saladine having gotten his ends by the truce would now have the truce to end and breaking it as not standing with his haughty designes marched with a great army out of Egypt through Palestine to Damascus much spoiling the countrey And now having joyned the Egyptian with the Damascene forces re-entred the Holy land But young King Baldwine meeting him though but with seven hundred to twenty thousand at the village Frobolet overthrew him in a great battel and Saladine himself was glad with speedy flight to escape the danger and by long marches to get him again to Damascus Afterward he besieged Berytus both by sea land but the vigilancie and valour of King Baldwine defeated his taking of it Saladine finding such tough resistance in the Holy land thought to make a better purchase by laying out his time in Mesopotamia Wherefore passing Euphrates he wonne Charran and divers other cities and then returning in Syria besieged Aleppo the strongest place the Christians had in that countrey so fortified by nature that he had little hope to force it But treason will runne up the steepest ascent where valour it self can scarce creep and Saladine with the battery of bribes made such a breach in the loyaltie of the governour that he betrayed it unto him Thus he cometh again into the Holy land more formidable then ever before carrying an army of terrour in the mentioning of his name which drove the poore Christians all into their fenced cities As for King Baldwine the leprosie had arrested him prisoner and kept him at home Long had this Kings spirit endured this infirmity swallowing many a bitter pang with a smiling face and going upright with patient shoulders under the weight of his disease It made him put all his might to it because when he yeelded to his sicknesse he must leave off the managing of the State and he was loth to put off his royall robes before he went to bed a Crown being too good a companion for one to part with
pleased himself in the style of Prince of Tyre then King of Jerusalem as counting it more honour to be Prince of what he had then King of what he had not And now the Christians began every where to build The Templars fortified Gaza King Richard repaired and walled Ptolemais Porphyria Joppa and Askelon But alas this short prosperity like an Autumne-spring came too late and was gone too soon to bring any fruit to maturitie It was now determined they should march towards Jerusalem for all this while they had but hit the butt that Holy citie was the mark they shot at Richard led the vantguard of English Duke Odo commanded in the main battel over his French James of Avergne brought on the Flemings and Brabanters in the rere Saladine serpent-like biting the heel assaulted the rere not farre from Bethlehem when the French and English wheeling about charged the Turks most furiously Emulation formerly poyson was here a cordiall each Christian nation striving not onely to conquer their enemies but to overcome their friends in the honour of the conquest King Richard seeking to put his courage out of doubt brought his judgement into question being more prodigall of his person then beseemed a Generall One wound he received but by losing his bloud he found his spirits and laid about him like a mad-man The Christians got the victory without the losse of any of number or note save James of Avergne who here died in the bed of honour But more of the Turks wore slain then in any battel for fourtie yeares before Had the Christians presently gone to Jerusalem probably they might have surprised it whilest the Turks eyes were muffled and blindfolded in the amazement of this great overthrow But this opportunitie was lost by the backwardnesse and unwillingnesse of King Richard and the English say the French writers To crie quits with them our English authours impute it to the enviâ— of the French who would have so glorious an action rather left undone then done by the English They complain likewise ofâ— the treacherie of Odo Duke of Burgundie who more carefull of his credit then his conscience was choked with the shame of the sinne he had swallowed and died for grief when his intelligence with the Turks was made known This cannot be denied that Saladine sent term them bribes or presents both to our King and the French Duke and they received them no wonder then if neither of them herein had a good name when they traded with such familiars But most hold King Richard attempted not Jerusalem because as a wise architect he would build his victories so as they might stand securing the countrey as he went it being senselesse to besiege Jerusalem a straggling citie whilest the Turks as yet were in possession of all the sea-ports and strong forts thereabout About this time he intercepted many camels loaden with rich commoditie those Eastern wares containing much in a little And yet of all this and of all the treasures of England Sicilie and Cyprus which he brought hither King Richard carried home nothing but one gold-ring all the rest of his wealth melted away in this hot service He wintered in Askelon intending next spring to have at Jerusalem Chap. 12. The little-honourable peace King Richard made with Saladine Of the value of Reliques BUt bad news out of Europe shaked his steadiest resolutions hearing how William Bishop of Ely his Vice-roy in England used unsufferable insolencies over his subjects So hard it is for one of base parentage to personate a King without over-acting his part Also he heard how the King of France and John Earl of Morton his own brother invaded his dominions ambition the Pope in their belly dispensing with their oath to the contrary Besides he saw this warre was not a subject capable of valour to any purpose the Venetians Genoans Pisans and Florentines being gone away with their fleets wisely shrinking themselves out of the collar when they found their necks wrung with the hard imployment Hereupon he was forced first to make the motion of in plain terms to begge peace of Saladine Let Saladine now alone to winne having all the game in his own hand Well knew he how to shoot at his own ends and to take aim by the exigencies wherein he knew King Richard was plunged For he had those cunning gypsies about him who could read in King Richards face what grieved his heart and by his intelligencers was certified of every note-worthy passage in the English armie Upon these terms therefore or none beggers of peace shall never be choosers of their conditions a truce for three some say five yeares might be concluded That the Christians should demolish all places they had walled since the taking of Ptolemais which was in effect to undo what with much charge they had done But such was the tyrannie of King Richards occasions forcing him to return that he was glad to embrace those conditions he hated at his heart Thus the voyage of these two Kings begun with as great confidence of the undertakers as expectation of the beholders continued with as much courage as interchangeablenesse of successe baned with mutuall discord emulation was ended with some honour to the undertakers no profit either to them or the Christian cause Some farre-fetched deare-bought honour they got especially King Richard who eternized his memory in Asia whom if men forget horses will remember the Turks using to say to their horses when they started for fear Dost thou think King Richard is here Profit they got none losing both of them the hair of their heads in an acute disease which was more saith one then both of them got by the voyage They left the Christians in Syria in worse case then they found them as he doeth the benighted traveller a discourtesie rather then a kindnesse who lendeth him a lantern to take it away leaving him more masked then he was before And now a little to solace my self and the reader with a merry digression after much sorrow and sad stories King Richard did one thing in Palestine which was worth all the cost and pains of his journey namely He redeemed from the Turks a chest full of holy Reliques which they had gotten at the taking of Jerusalem so great as foure men could scarce carry any way And though some know no more then Esops cock how to prize these pearls let them learn the true value of them from the Romane jewellers First they must carefully distinguish between publick and private Reliques In private ones some forgery may be suspected lest quid be put for quo which made S. Augustine put in that wary parenthesis Si tamen Martyrum If so be they be the Reliques of Martyrs But as for publick ones approved by the Pope and kept in Churches such no doubt as these of King Richards were oh let no Christian be such an infidel as to stagger at the
they must first kill and slay him themselves At last Simon of Montfort nigh Paris accepted of it swearing to vex the Lords enemies And for a breakfast to begin with he was seised of the Vicecounty of Besiers proceeding from hence to take many castles and cities One grand inconvenience attended on this armie of Pilgrimes For when their quarantine or fourty dayes service was expired the term the Pope set them to merit Paradise in they would not stay one whit longer Like post-horses they would runne to their set stage but could not be spurred one foot further contenting themselves they had already purchased heaven and fearing they should be put in possession thereof too soon by losing their lives in that service And though the Bishops perswaded some few to stay that so the surplusage of their merits might make up the arrerages of their friends which wanted them yet could they not prevail to any purpose Nor could they so cast and contrive their matters the tide of peoples devotion being uncertain but that betwixt the going out of the old and coming in of the new store of Pilgrimes there would be a low ebbe wherein their armie was almost wasted to nothing whereof the Albingenses made no small advantage However the Earls of Tholose Foyx and Comminge and Prince of Berne the patrones of the Albingenses finding they were too weak for this Holy armie sheltered themselves under Peter King of Aragon whose homagers they were receiving investiture from him though their dominions lay on this side of the Pyrenean hills This King had the greatnesse of the Earl of Montfort in suspicion fearing lest these severall Principalities which now were single arrows should be bound in one sheaf conquered and united under Earl Simon Wherefore he fomented a faction in them against the Holy armie publickly protesting against the proceedings of Earl Simon charging him to have turned the bark of Gods Church into a pirates ship robbing others and enriching themselves under the pretense of Religion seising on the lands of good Catholicks for supposed hereticks using Gods cause as hunters do a stand in it the more covertly to shoot at what game they please Otherwise why was the Vicecount of Beziers who lived and died firm in the Romish faith lately trained into the Legates hand and against oathes and promises of his safe return kept close prisoner till his death and his lands seised on by Earl Simon At last the King of Aragon taking the Earl of Montfort on the advantage shooting him as it were betwixt wind and water the ending of the old and beginning of new Pilgrimes forced him to a battel The King had thirty thousand foot and seven thousand horse but the Earl of both foot and horse not above two thousand two hundred They closed together neare the castle of Moret And the King whether out of zeal of conquest and thirst of honour or distrust of under-officers or desire to animate others or a mixture of all ranne his curvets so openly and made his turns and returns in the head of the army that so fair a mark invited his enemies arrows to hit him by whom he was wounded to death and fell from his horse to lesson all Generals to keep themselves like the heart in the body of the army whence they may have a virtuall omnipresence in every part thereof and not to expose their persons which like crystall viols contain the extracted spirits of their souldiers spilled with their breaking to places of imminent danger With his bodie fell the hearts of his men And though the Earls of Tholose Foyx and Comminge perswaded entreated threatned them to stay they used their oratorie so long till their audience ranne all away and they were fain to follow them reserving themselves by flight to redeem their honour some other time Simon improving this victorie pursued them to the gates of Tholose and killed many thousands The Friars imputed this victory to the Bishops benediction and adoring a piece of the Crosse together with the fervency of the Clergies prayers which remaining behind in the castle of Moret battered heaven with their importunity On the other side the Albingenses acknowledged Gods justice in punishing the proud King of Aragon who as if his arm had been strong and long enough to pluck down the victory out of heaven without Gods reaching it to him conceived that Earl Simon came rather to cast himself down at his feet then to fight But such reckonings without the host are ever subject to a rere-account Yet within few yeares the face of this warre began to alter With writers of short-hand we must set a prick for a letter a letter for a word marking onely the most remarkables For young Reimund Earl of Tholose exceeding his father in valour and successe so bestirred himself that in few moneths he regained what Earl Simon was many yeares in getting And at last Earl Simon besieging Tholose with a stone which a woman let flie out of an engine had his head parted from his body Men use not to be niggards of their censures on strange accidents Some paralleled his life with Abimelech that tyrant-Judge who with the bramble fitter to make a fire then a King of accepted of the woodden Monarchie when the vine olive figge-tree declined it They paired them also in their ends death disdaining to send his summons by a masculine hand but arresting them both by a woman Some perswaded themselves they saw Gods finger in the womans hand that because the greater part of his cruelty lighted on the weaker sex for he had buried the Lady of laVaur alive respecting neither her sex nor nobility a woman was chosen out to be his executioner though of himself he was not so prone to cruelty but had those at his elbow which prompted him to it The time of his death was a large field for the conceits of others to walk in because even then when the Pope and three Councels of Vaur Montpelier and Laterane had pronounced him sonne servant favourite of the faith the invincible defender thereof And must he not needs break being swoln with so many windie titles Amongst other of his styles he was Earl of Leicester in England and father to Simon Montfort the Catiline of this Kingdome who under pretense of curing this land of some grievances had killed it with his physick had he not been killed himself in the battel of Evesholm in the reigne of Henry the third And here ended the storm of open warre against the Albingenses though some great drops fell afterwards Yea now the Pope grew sensible of many mischiefs in prosecuting this people with the Holy warre First the incongruity betwixt the Word and the Sword to confute hereticks with armies in the field opened clamourous mouthes Secondly three hundred thousand of these Croised Pilgrimes lost their lives in this expedition within the space of fifteen yeares so that there was neither citie nor
the speedy withering of their religion argueth it wanted root And as tame foxes if they break loose and return wild do ten times more mischief then those which were wild from the beginning so these renegadoes raged more furiously then any Pagans against religion Guirboca sacrificed many Christians to the ghost of his nephew destroyed Cesarea and burnt it using all cruelty against the inhabitants Nor lesse were the Christians plagued at the same time with Bendocdar the Mammaluke Prince in Egypt who succeeded Melechem and every where raging against them either killed or forced them to forswear their religion The city of Joppa he took and burned and then wonne Antioch slaying therein twenty thousand and carrying away captive an hundred thousand Christians But it may justly be suspected that these numbers were written first in figures and therefore at too much length when the adding of nothing may increase many thousands These wofull tidings brought into Europe so wrought on the good disposition of Lewis King of France that he resolved to make a second voyage into Palestine to succour the Christians He so fixed his mind on the journeys end that he saw not the dangers in the way His Counsel could not disswade though they did disswade him First they urged That he was old let younger men take their turns They recounted to him his former ill successe How lately had that hot countrey scorched the lilies of France not onely to the blasting of the leaves but almost withering of the root Besides the sinews of the Christians in Syria were so shrunk that though lifted up they could not stand That Nature decayed but not thus wholly destroyed was the subject of physick That the Turks had got a habit of conquering and riveted themselves into the possession of the countrey so that this voyage would but fleet the cream of the Kingdome to cast it into the fire But as a vehement flame maketh feuel of whatsoever it meeteth so this Kings earnest resolution turned bridles into spurres and hindrances into motives to his journey Was he old let him make the more speed lest envious death should prevent him of this occasion of honour Had he sped ill formerly he would seek his credit where he lost it Surely Fortunes lottery had not all blanks but that after long drawing he should light on a prize at last Were the Christians in so low a case the greater need they had of speedy help Thus was this good Kings judgement over-zealed And surely though Devotion be the naturall heat Discretion which wanted in him is the radicall moisture of an action keeping it healthfull prosperous and long-lived Well King Lewis will go and to this end provideth his navie and is accompanied with Philip and Tristram his sonnes Theobald King of Navarre his sonne in law Alphonse his brother and Guido Earl of Flandres There went also Edward eldest sonne to Henry King of England It was a wonder he would now adventure his head when he was to receive a Crown his father being full-ripe to drop down without gathering having reigned longer then most men live fifty and five yeares But thirsty was this Edward of honour Longshanks was he called and as his strides were large so vast and wide was the extent of his desire As for his good father he was content to let go the staff of his age for to be a prop to the Church And though King Lewis was undiscreet in going this journey he was wise in choosing this his companion to have this active Prince along with him it being good to eye a suspicious person and not to leave him behind With Edward went his brother Edmund Earl of Lancaster surnamed Crouch-back not that he was crook-shouldered or camel-backed From which our English Poet most zealously doth vindicate him Edmund like him the comeliest Prince alive Not crook-back'd ne in no wise disfigured As some men write the right line to deprive Though great falshood made it to be scriptured but from the Crosse anciently called a Crouch whence Crouched Friars which now he wore in his voyage to Jerusalem And yet it maketh it somewhat suspicious that in Latine records he is never read with any other epithet then Gibbosus But be he crooked or not let us on straight with our story Chap. 27. King Lewis besiegeth the city of Tunis His death and commendation LEwis now having hoised up sail it was concluded by the generall consent of his Counsel That to secure and clear the Christians passage to Palestine from pirates they should first take the city of Carthage in Africa by the way This Carthage long wrestled with Rome for the sovereignty and gave as many foils as she took till Scipio at last crushed out her bowels with one deadly fall Yet long after the citie stood before wholly demolished to be a spurre to put metall into the Romanes and to be a forrein mark for their arrows lest otherwise they should shoot against themselves At last by the counsel of Cato it was quite destroyed who alledged That it was not safe to have a knife so neare their throat and though good use might be made of an enemy at arms end yet it was dangerous to have him too close to ones side as Carthage was within a dayes sail from Rome Out of the ruines of this famous citie Tunis arose as often a stinking elder groweth out of the place where an oak hath been felled Theeving was their trading but then as yet they were Apprentises to piracie whereof at this day they are grown Masters Yea not considerable was Tunis then in bignesse great onely in mischief But as a small scratch just upon the turning of a joynt is more troublesome then a bigger sore in another place so this paltry town the refuge of rogues and wanderers home seated in the passage betwixt Europe Asia and Africa was a worse annoyance to Christian traffick then a whole countrey of Saracens elsewhere Wherefore both to revenge the bloud of many Christians who passing this way to Palestine were either killed or taken captive as also to secure the way for the time to come Lewis with his whole fleet augmented with the navy of Charles King of Sicilie and Jerusalem his brother bent his course to besiege it It was concluded both unnecessary and unfitting first in a fair way to summon the city because like pernicious vermine they were to be rooted out of the world by any means nor was it meet to lavish the solemn ceremonies of warre on a company of theeves and murderers The siege was no sooner begun but the plague seised on the Christian armie whereof thousands died amongst others Tristram King Lewis his sonne And he himself of a flux followed after This Lewis was the French Josiah both for the piety of his life and wofulnesse of his death ingaging himself in a needlesse warre Many good laws he made for his Kingdome that not the worst He first retrenched
or in hell it self For this was his religion To kill any he was commanded or on the non-performance willingly to forfeit his life The fifth time of his coming he brought Prince Edward letters from his Master which whilest he was reading alone and lying on his bed he struck him into the arm with an invenomed knife Being about to fetch another stroke the Prince with his foot gave him such a blow that he felled him to the ground and wresting the knife from him ranne the Turk into the belly and slew him yet so that in struggling he hurt himself therewith in the forehead At this noise in sprang his servants and one of them with a stool beat the brains out of the dead Turks head shewing little wit in his own and the Prince was highly displeased that the monument of his valour should be stained with anothers crueltie It is storied how Elenor his Lady sucked all the poison out of his wounds without doing any harm to her self So sovereigne a medicine is a womans tongue anointed with the vertue a loving affection Pity it is so pretty a story should not be true with all the miracles in Loves Legends and sure he shall get himself no credit who undertaketh to confute a passage so sounding to the honour of the sex Yet can it not stand with what others have written How the Physician who was to dresse his wounds spake to the Lord Edmund and the Lord John Voysie to take away Lady Elenor out of the Princes presence lest her pity should be cruel towards him in not suffering his sores to be searched to the quick And though she cried out and wrung her hands Madame said they be contented it is better that one woman should weep a little while then that all the realm of England should lament a great season And so they conducted her out of the place And the Prince by the benefit of physick good attendance and an antidote the Master of the Templars gave him shewed himself on horse-back whole and well within fifteen dayes after The Admirall of Joppa hearing of his recovery utterly disavowed that he had any hand in the treachery as none will willingly father unsucceeding villany True it is he was truly sorrowfull whether because Edward was so bad or no worse wounded he knoweth that knoweth hearts Some wholly acquit him herein and conceive this mischief proceeded from Simon Earl of Montforts hatred to our Prince who bearing him and all his kindred an old grudge for doing some conceived wrong to his father in very deed nothing but justice to a rebell hired as they think this Assasine to murder him as a little before for the same quarrel he had served Henry sonne to Richard King of the Romanes and our Edwards cousin-germane at Viterbo in Italy It is much this Simon living in France should contrive this Princes death in Palestine but malice hath long arms and can take men off at great distance Yea this addeth to the cunning of the engineer to work unseen and the further from him the blow is given the lesse is he himself suspected Whosoever plotted God prevented it and the Christians there would have revenged it but Edward would not suffer them In all haste they would have marched and fallen on the Turks had not he disswaded them because then many Christians unarmed and in small companies were gone to visit the Sepulchre all whose throats had then probably been cut before their return Eighteen moneths he stayed at Ptolemais and then came back through Italy without doing any extraordinary matter in Palestine What musick can one string make when all the rest are broken what could Edward do alone when those Princes fell back on whom the project most relied Lewis and Charles were the main undertakers Edward entertained but as an adventurer and sharer and so he furnished himself accordingly with competent forces to succour others but not to subsist of themselves But as too often where the principall miscarrieth the second sureties must lie at the stake to make the debt good so in their default he valiantly went forward though having in all but thirteen ships and some thousands of men too many for a plain Prince to visit with and too few for a great one to warre with and performed what lay within the compasse of his power In a word his coming to Ptolemais and assisting them there was like a cordiall given to a dying man which doth piece out his life or death rather a few grones and as many gasps the longer By this time Henry his aged father being dead his lamp not quenched but going out for want of oil the English Nobility came as far as the Alpes in Savoy to wait on Edward in his return Leave we him then to be attended home by them to receive the Crown to which no lesse his vertues then birth entitled him Since the Conquest he was the first King of his name and the first that settled the Law and State deserving the style of Englands Justinian and that freed this Kingdome from the wardship of the Peers shewing himself in all his actions after capable to command not the realm onely but the whole world Chap. 30. Rodulphus the Emperours voyage to Palestine hindred The Duke of Mechlenburg his captivity and inlargement BEfore Edwards departure Hugh King of Jerusalem and Cyprus concluded a peace to our Princes small liking with the Mammaluke Sultan of Egypt to hold onely in and neare Ptolemais whereby the Christians had some breathing-time But that which now possessed all mens thoughts and talk in Syria was the expectation of Rodulphus to come thither with a great army who after two and twenty yeares interregnum was chosen Emperour of Germany This Rodulphus was a mean Earl of Haspurg Frederick the last Emperour was his godfather who little thought that having so many sonnes of his own his godsonne should next succeed him and lived in a private way But now the Empire refusing her rich suiters married this Earl without any portion onely for pure love A preferment beyond his expectation not above his deserts For Germany had many bigger lights none brighter Pope Gregory the tenth would not ratifie his election but on this condition That he should in person march with an armie to Palestine And though this was but an old policie To send the Emperours far away that so he might command in chief in their absence yet his Holinesse did so turn and dresse this threed-bare plot with specious pretenses of piety that it passed for new and fresh especially to those that beheld it at distance But Rodulphus could not be spared out of Germany being there imployed in civil discords The knees of the Dutch Princes were too stiff to do him homage till he softned them by degrees And indeed he was not provided for the Holy warre and wanted a stock of his own to drive so costly a trade
them in a heap One Peter not the Hermite found out the lance wherewith Christ was pierced to approve the truth thereof against some who questioned him herein on Palm-sunday taking the lance in his hand he walked through a mightie fire without any harm but it seemeth he was not his crafts-master for he died soon after An image of our Lady brought from Jerusalem but set up neare Damascus began by degrees to be clothed with flesh and to put forth breasts of flesh out of which a liquour did constantly flow Which liquour the Templars carried home to their houses and distributed it to the Pilgrimes which came to them that they might report the honour thereof through the whole world A Sultan of Damascus who had but one eye chanced to lose the other and so became stark-blind when coming devoutly to this image though he was a Pagan having faith in God and confidence therein he perfectly was restored to his sight Infinite are the sholes of miracles done by Christs Crosse in Jerusalem insomuch that my Authour blamed the Bishop of Acon who carried the Crosse in that battel wherein it was lost to the Turks for wearing a corselet and therefore saith he he was justly slain because his weak faith relied on means not on the miraculous protection thereof When Conrade Landt-grave of Thuringia was inrolled in the Teutonick Order to go to the Holy warre and received his benediction as the fashion was the Holy Ghost visibly descended upon him in the shape of fire The said Conrade received of God as a boon for his valour in this service the rare facultie That by looking on any man he could tell whether or no he had committed a mortall sinne yea at first sight descrie their secret sinnes But the last miracle of our Lady in Palestine is the Lady of all miracles which was this In the yeare 1291 when the Holy land was finally subdued by the Turks the chamber at Nazareth wherein the Angel Gabriel saluted her with joyfull tidings was wonderfully transported into Sclavonia That countrey being unworthy of her divine presence it was by the Angels carried over into Italie anno 1294. That place also being infested with theeves and pirates the Angels removed it to the little village of Loretto where this Pilgrime-Chappel resteth it self at this day and liketh her entertainment so well it will travel no further But enough for fools meat is unsavourie to the tast of the wise I have transgressed already two instances had been sufficient as Noah preserved but two of all unclean creatures the rest might be lost without losse and safely be drowned in oblivion How-ever we may observe these millions of miracles are reducible to one of these foure ranks 1. Falsely reported never so much as seemingly done Asia the theatre whereon they were acted is at a great distance and the miracles as farre from truth as the place from us And who knoweth not when a lie is once set on foot besides the first founders it meeteth with many benefactours who contribute their charitie thereunto 2. Falsely done insomuch as at this day they are sented amongst the Romanists Who would not laugh to see the picture of a Saint weep Where one devout Catholick lifteth up his eyes ten of their wiser sort wag their heads 3. Truly done but by the strength of nature Suppose one desperately sick a piece of the Crosse is applied to him he recovereth is this a miracle Nothing lesse how many thousands have made an escape after Death in a manner hath arrested them As therefore it is sacriledge to father Gods immediate works on naturall causes so it is superstition to intitle naturall events to be miraculous 4. Many miracles were ascribed to Saints which were done by Satan I know it will non-plus his power to work a true miracle but I take the word at large and indeed vulgar not to say humane eyes are too dimme to discern betwixt things wonderfull and truly miraculous Now Satan the master-juggler needeth no wires or ginnes to work with being all ginnes himself so transcendent is the activitie of a spirit Nay may not God give the Devil leave to go beyond himself it being just with him that those who will not have Truth their king and willingly obey it should have Falshood their tyrant to whom their judgement should be captivated and inslaved Chap. 11. The second grand errour in prosecuting the Holy warre being the Christians notorious breaking their faith with Infidels NExt unto Superstition which was deeply inlayed in the Holy warre we may make the Christians Truce-breaking with the Infidels the second cause of their ill successe Yet never but once did they break promise with the Turks which was as I may say a constant and continued faith-breaking never keeping their word To omit severall straining of the sinews and unjoynting the bones of many a solemn peace we will onely instance where the neck thereof was clearly broken a sunder 1. When Godfrey first won Jerusalem pardon was proclaimed to all the Turks which yeelded themselves yet three dayes after in cold bloud they were all without difference of age or sex put to the sword 2. Almerick the first swore effectually to assist the Saracens in driving the Turks out of Egypt and soon after invaded Egypt and warred upon the Turks against his promise I know something he pretended herein to defend himself but of no validitie and such plausible and curious wittie evasions to avoyd perjurie are but the tying of a most artificiall knot in the halter therewith to strangle ones own conscience 3. There was a peace concluded for some time betwixt King Guy and Saladine which non obstante Reinold of Castile robbed Saladines own mother Whereupon followed the miserable overthrow of the Christians and taking of Jerusalem 4. Our Richard at his departure from Palestine made a firm peace for five yeares with Saladine and it stood yet in force when Henry Duke of Saxonie coming with a great armie of new adventurers invaded the Turkish dominions 5. Frederick the second Emperour made a truce of ten yeares with the Sultan of Babylon and yet in despite thereof Theobald King of Navarre forraged the countrey of Gaza to the just overthrow of him and his armie 6. Reinold Vice-roy of Palestine in the name of Frederick the Emperour and after him our Richard Earl of Cornwall drew up a firm peace with the said Sultan which was instantly disturbed and interrupted by the turbulent Templars 7. Lastly the Venetians in the name of all Christian Princes concluded a five yeares peace with Alphir the Mammaluke Prince of Egypt yet some voluntaries in Ptolemais pillaged and robbed many Saracen merchants about the citie But pardon them this last fault we will promise they shall never do so any more in Palestine hereupon losing all they had left there And how could Safetie it self save this people and blesse this project so blackly blasted