situation thereof is very uneven rising into hils and sinking into dales the lively embleme of the fortunes of the place sometimes advanced with prosperitie sometimes depressed in misery Once it was well compacted and built as a citie that is at unitie in it self but now distracted from it self the suspicious houses as if afraid to be infected with more miserie then they have alreadie by contiguousnesse to others keep off at a distance having many waste places betwixt them not one fair street in the whole citie It hath a castle built as it is thought by the Pisans tolerably fortified Good guard is kept about the citie and no Christians with weapons suffered to enter But the deepest ditch to defend Jerusalem from the Western Christians is the remotenesse of it and the strongest wall to fence it is the Turkish Empire compassing it round about Poor it must needs be having no considerable commoditie to vent except a few beads of Holy earth which they pay too deare for that have them for the ferching There is in the citie a covent of Franciscans to whom Christians repair for protection during their remaining in the citie The Padre Guardian appointeth these Pilgrimes a Friar who sheweth them all the monuments about the citie Scarce a great stone which beareth the brow of reverend antiquitie that passeth without a peculiar legend upon it But every vault under ground hath in it a deep mysterie indeed Pilgrimes must follow the Friar with their bodies and belief and take heed how they give tradition the lie though she tell one never so boldly The survey finished they must pay the Guardian both for their victuals and their welcome and gratifie his good words and looks otherwise if they forget it he will be so bold as to remember them The Guardian farmeth the Sepulchre of the Turk at a yearly rent and the Turks which reap no benefit by Christs death receive much profit by his buriall and not content with their yearly rent squeez the Friars here on all occasions making them pay large summes for little offenses The other subsistence which the Friars here have is from the benevolence of the Pope and other bountifull benefactours in Europe Nor getteth the Padre Guardian a little by his fees of making Knights of the Sepulchre of which Order I find some hundred yeares since Sr John Chamond of Lancels in Cornwall to have been dubbed Knight But I believe no good English subject at this day will take that honour if offered him both because at their creation they are to swear loyaltie to the Pope and King of Spain and because honours conferred by forrein Potentates are not here in England acknowledged neither in their style nor precedency except given by courtesie Witnesse that famous case of the Count Arundel of Wardour and Queen Elisabeths peremptory resolve That her sheep should be branded with no strangers mark but her own The land about it as Authours generally agree is barren Yet Brochard a Monk who lived here some two hundred yeares since commendeth it to be very fruitfull Sure he had better eyes to see more then other men could or else by a Synecdoche he imputeth the fertilitie of parcels to the whole countrey But it is as false a consequence as on the other side to conclude from the basenesse of Bagshot-heath the barrennesse of all the Kingdome of England We may rather believe that since the fall of the Jews from Gods favour the once-supernaturall fertilitie of the land is taken away and the naturall strength thereof much abated and impaired Chap. 28. Whether it be probable that this Holy warre will ever hereafter be set on foot again THus we state the question Whether this Holy warre I mean for the winning of the citie of Jerusalem and recovering of Palestine will probably ever hereafter be projected and acted again We may believe this tragedie came off so ill the last acting that it will not be brought on the stage the second time 1. The Pope will never offer to give motion to it as knowing it unlikely to succeed Policies of this nature are like sleights of hand to be shewed but once lest what is admired at first be derided afterwards 2. Princes are grown more cunning and will not bite at a bait so stale so often breathed on The Popes ends in this warre are now plainly smelt out which though prettie and pleasing at first yet Princes are not now like the native Indians to be cozened with glasse and gaudie toyes The loadstone to draw their affection now out of non-age must present it self necessary profitable and probable to be effected 3. There is a more needfull work nearer hand to resist the Turks invasion in Europe Heark how the Grecians call unto us as once the man in the vision did to S. Paul Come over into Macedonia and help us Yea look on the Popes projects of the last Edition and we shall find the businesse of the Sepulchre buried in silence and the Holy warre running in another chanel against the Turks in Christendome 4 Lastly who is not sensible with sorrow of the dissensions better suiting with my prayers then my penne wherewith Christian Princes at this day are rent in sunder wounds so wide that onely Heavens chirurgerie can heal them Till which time no hope of a Holy warre against the generall and common foe of our Religion We may safely conclude that the regaining of Jerusalem and the Holy land from the Turks may better be placed amongst our desires then our hopes as improbable ever to come to passe except the Platonick yeare turning the wheel of all actions round about bring the spoke of this Holy warre back again Chap. 29. Of the many Pretenders of titles to the Kingdome of Ierusalem NO Kingdome in the world is challenged at this day by such an armie of Kings as this of Jerusalem It is sooner told what Princes of Europe do not then what do lay claim to it they be so many Take their names as I find them in the Catalogue of Stephen a Cypriot 1. The Emperours of the East 2 The Patriarchs of Ierusalem 3 The Lusignans Kings of Cyprus 4 Emfred Prince of Thorone 5 Conrade de la-Rame Marquesse of Montferrat 6 The Kings of England 7 His Holinesse 8 The 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 â—he 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 and 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 company 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 believe 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 family Their Imperiall Eagle was so far 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 Archdukes of Nize a style I meet not with elsewhere twisted with that of the Duke Savoy The Kings of Naples and Aragon now joyned in the King of Spain 7. Of those which are extant at this day Englands appearâ—â— first our Richard receiving it in exchange of King Guy 〈◊〉 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 Aungeoy Erle a Prince of passing 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 rise Yet have ye more from Bawldwyne Paralyticus 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 Pope 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 Quodcunque per servum acquiritur id Domino acquiritur 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 late warres in the dayes of Queen Elisabeth were hot between England and Spain there were Commissioners on both sides appointed to treat of peace They met at a town of the French Kings and first it was debated what tongue the negotiation should be handled in A Spaniard thinking to give the English Commissioners a shrewd gird proposed the French tongue as most fit it being a language which the Spaniards were well skilled in and for these Gentlemen of England I suppose said he that they cannot be ignorant of the language of their fellow-subjects their Queen is Queen of France as well as England Nay in faith Masters replyed
the walls of Jerusalem were repaired the Churches therein adorned and all publick edifices either wholly cast their skin with the snake or at leastwise renewed their bill with the eagle having their fronts either built or beautified But new tackling to an old rotten keel will never make serviceable ship Short were the smiles of this citie which groning under Gods old curse little joyed her self in this her new bravery The end of the third Book The History of the HOLY VVARRE Book IV. Chap. 1. Frederick battered with the Popes force and undermined with his fraud leaveth Palestine and returneth into Italy THus the Christian affairs in Palestine were in good case and possibility of improvement But the Pope knew he should catch no fish if the waters were thus clear Wherefore he stirred up John Bren Fredericks father in law guesse whether his plots ran not low when he used such dregs to raise a rebellion in Italy against him His Holinesse spread a false report of purpose that Frederick was dead Who would think there were so much substance in a shadow This vain rumour wrought reall effects strengthening Fredericks foes with hopes and staggering his friends with fear and uncertainties Bren striking the iron whilest it was hot wonne many places from the Emperour And though Time soon after was delivered of her daughter Truth yet the confutation came too late to shut the door when the steed was stoln the Pope having attained his ends and served his turn already A jubile of liberty was proclaimed to all the Emperours subjects and they dispensed with from the Pope for their allegeance to him Milan and many other cities in Italy formerly Imperiall danced at this musick made a foot-cloth of their Masters livery and from this time dated themselves Free-States Here was brave gleaning where all ranne away with whole sheaves where robbery was priviledged for lawfull purchase And the Pope wise enough not so to give away the pie but to keep the best corner for himself carved all Apulia for his own part Whilest hostility in Italy treason beset Frederick in Syria the Templars intimated to the Sâ—ltan his privie project to wash himself in Jordan that so he might be surprized But the Sultan no doubt out of pity to see a Lion catched in a Fox-trap there being a consangumity of all Princes and the royall bloud which runneth in their veins causing a sympathie of Majesty betwixt them scorned to advantage himself by treachery and sent their letters to Frederick Who afterwards used the Templars and generally all the Clergie in Palestine counting them complices with the Pope coursely not to say cruelly At last having confirmed his ten years truce and having appointed Reinoldus Duke of Bavaria his Lieutenant in Syria without noise he cometh into Europe For to return triumphantly in state had been but an alarm to awaken envy and a warning-piece for his enemies to prepare against him He outsailed fame it self landing in Italy in person before he arrived there in report Then the love of his loyall subjects hitherto rather coverted then quenched appeared and though formerly forced to a contrary motion returned now quickly to their own Prince their proper centre Within fifteen dayes assisted with the Duke of Spoletum Frederick recovered all which was wonne from him and unravelled the fair web of John Brens victory even to the very hemme thereof Then was all Italy resembled by Geographers for the fashion thereof to a mans legge troubled with the incurable gout of schisme and faction Not a city of note in it which was not dichotomized into the sect of the Guelfes which favoured the Pope and Gibellines which adhered to the Emperour Guelfes for the Pope in Rome Ursini Sabellii in Florence Adimaerii Bondelmontii Amidei Cerchii Rircii Medicei Pactii Interminelli in Lucea in Padua in Genoa Fosci Grimaldi Fregosu in Bononia Caneduli Pepuli Marescotii in Ferrara Estenses in Milain Vicecomites in Mantua Gonzagae Gibellines for the Emperour in Rome Columnienses Frangepanes Caesarini in Florence Paxii Uberti Donati Albicii Strozi Salviati in Lucea Obicii in Padua Carraerii in Genoa Spinolae Adurnii Dorii in Bononia Bentivoli Malvecii in Ferrara Saligureri in Milain Turregiani in Mantua Bonacursii I will not quarrel with the tradition That Elves and Goblins in our English tongue had their first originall from the depravation of the names of Guelfes and Gibellines If so sure I am what now we make terriculamenta infantum scarecrows to affright children were then true Harpies to devour men I would farther prosecute these discords and also shew how Frederick was forced to ask pardon of him who had mostwronged him and dearly to purchase his absolution from the Pope For though this Emperours heart was as hard as stone yet was it furrowed dinted and hallowed at last with the Popes constant dropping and incessant raining of curses upon him But I dare wander no farther in this subject lest any should question my Passe but return back to the Holy land Chap. 2. The Tartars first appearing in the world affright both Christians and Turks Of their name and nature Whether Turks or Tartars be easier convertible to the true religion REinoldus Duke of Bavaria being left Fredericks Lieutenant in Syria wisely discharged his office and preserved the peace entire which was concluded with the Sultan of Babylon But the Templars sought by all means to bring this ten years truce to an untimely end which was as bad as a Lent to them wherein they must fast from fighting the meat and drink of turbulent spirits These counting all luke-warm which were not scalding hot condemned Reinoldus for want of zeal in the Holy warre and gave him many a lift to heave him from his place but still he sat sure poised with his own gravity Not did the enmity of Henry King of Cyprus much trouble him who challenged the Principality of Antioch as next of kinne to the Prince deceased For Reinold met and defeated him in battel and bestowed Antioch on Frederick base sonne to Frederick the Emperour But that which kept both Christians and Turks in aw and made them willing mutually to observe the truce was the fear of the Tartars a fierce nation which now had their first flight out of their own nest into the neighbouring countreys These Tartarians anciently called Scythians inhabit the Northern part of Asia a countrey never conquered by any of the Monarchs priviledged from their victorious arms chiefly by its own barrennesse For except souldiers were ambitious of hunger and cold here is nothing to countervail their pains of an invasion yea no meat to maintain them It is true rhubarb the best of drugs groweth in this the worst of countreys But souldiers seek rather for food then physick when they invade a countrey A greater part of their land is undiscovered though map-makers rather then they will have their maps naked and bald do periwig them with false hair and