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
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
Fredericks stock and that whole race of Suevian Princes was extinct Which in the judgement of some men was a judgement of God on him for his lasciviousnesse We must not forget a memorable passage which happened more then twenty yeares after Fredericks death One Tylo Colupp a notable juggler sometime brought up at the Court cunningly sowing together all the old shreds of his Courtship and stretching them out with impudency pretended to be Frederick the Emperour long detained in captivity in Palestine The difference betwixt their aspects was easily reconciled for few Physiognomy-marks are so deeply fixed in any face but that age and misery will alter them The credulity of the vulgar sort presently betrayed them to be couzened by him yea some Princes took this brasse for gold without touching it But the best engine which gave this puppet his motion was a bruit constantly buzzed That Frederick was not dead For Princes the manner of whose deaths hath been private and obscure fame commonly conjureth again out of their graves and they walk abroad in the tongues and brains of many who affirm and beleeve them to be still alive But the world soon surfeted of this cheaters forgerie and this glow-worm when brought into the light shined no more but at Nanse was burnt to ashes by Rodulphus the Emperour After Fredericks death there was an interregnum for three and twenty yeares in the Empire of Germany True it is that of some William Earl of Holland one without a beard not valour was nominated Emperour The Spirituall electours chose Richard brother to our King Henry the third And as in Cornwall he got much coin so Germany gave him a bottomlesse bag to put it in A third party named Alphonse King of Castile an admirable Mathematician But the ointment of his name is marred with the dead flie of his Atheisticall speech That if he had been in Gods stead he could have framed the world better then now it is Notwithstanding the best Dutch writers make an interregnum as counting the Empire still a widow and all these rather her suiters then any her husband In like manner also in Palestine there was not any King for fourteen yeares after Fredericks death The right indeed lay in Conrade Duke of Sueviâ— Fredericks sonne by Iole daughter to John Bren King of Jerusalem But he was so imployed in defending himself in Sicily against Maufred his base brother who soon after dispatched him out of the way that he had no leisure to prosecute his title to the fragments of the Kingdome of Jerusalem Chap. 21. The Pastorells killed in France King Lewis returned home GO we back to King Lewis who all this while stayed in Palestine busying himself partly in building and fensing of Sidon and Cesarea partly in composing discords betwixt the Pisans and Genoans even proceeding to threaten them into agreement But these armed men little cared for his naked menacing He being also an excellent religious Antiquary and Critick on holy monuments much employed himself in redeeming of old sacred places from the tyranny of time and oblivion Mean time in his Kingdome of France happened this strange accident An Hungarian pesant who is said to have been an apostate to Mahomet and well learned gathered together many thousands of people pretending they had intelligence from heaven to march to the Holy land These took on them the name and habit of Pastorelli poore shepherds in imitation belike as the Devil is Gods ape of those in the Gospel who were warned by Angels in a vision to go to Bethlehem Being to shape their course into Palestine they went into France shewing they had a vertigo in their heads mistaking the West for the East or else that like vagabonds they were never out of their way The Holy Lambe was their ensigne but their actions neither holy nor lambe-like They pillaged and killed the poore Jews as they went an unhappy nation whose heads lie pat for every ones hands to hit and their legges so stand in mens way that few can go by them without spurning at them Where they wanted Jews they made Jews of Christians especially if they were rich using them with all cruelty But at last neare Burdeaux threescore thousand of them were slain and the rest dispersed A rhymer of that age or in courtesie call him a Poet made this Epitaph on them M semel bis C L I conjungere disce Duxit Pastorum saeva Megaera chorum Learn to put together well What M C C L I do spell When some devilish fiend in France Did teach the Shepherds how to dance By this time Lewis in Syria had stayed out the death and buriall of all his hopes to receive succour from his own countrey Long expecting in vain that France should come to him he at last returned to it The greatnesse of the burden he bore made him go the faster and being loaden with debts to his Italian creditours he secretly hasted home Where safely arriving besides loyaltie to their Prince love to a stranger was enough to make him welcome Chap. 22. The conversion of the Tartarians Haalon conquereth Persia and extinguisheth the Caliphs of Babylon LEwis is gone and left the Christians in Syria in a wofull condition without hope of amendment Now can any good come out of Tartary Can the Northern wind blow a comfortable warmth Yea see a strange vicissitude of things Haito the Christian King of Armenia had travelled to Mango the Cham of Tartary to communicate to him the present danger of the Turks and to consult of a remedy He shewed how if order were not taken with them in time they would over-runne all Asia Let him not count that he lay out of their rode because of his remote situation For what is the way wanderers will not trace He might expect onely this courtesie to be last devoured In conclusion Haito prevailed so farre with this Pagan that he not onely promised his assistance but also was baptized and took the Christian religion on him So also did his whole countrey by his example and Christianity being the Court-fashion none would be out of it Never since the time of Constantine the Great did the devil at once lose a greater morsel or was there made a more hopefull accession to the Faith Understand we this conversion of Tartary though Authours predicate it universally of that whole countrey onely of Cathaia the Eastern and most refined part of that Empire For Cannibals were still in the North who needed first to be converted to reason and to be made men before they could become Christians Also at this same time we find a swarm of Western Tartarian heathens forraging Poland So it seemeth so vast was the Empire that it was still night in the West though it was day in the Eastern part thereof Now whether the conversion of these Tartarians was solemnly deliberately and methodically wrought by preaching first those things wherein the
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
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
Dukes of Austria bear Gules a Fesse Argent in memory of the valour of Leopoldus at the siege of Ptolemais whereof before The Duke of Savoy beareth Gules a Crosse Argent being the crosse of S. John of Jerusalem because his predecessours were speciall benefactours to that Order and assisted them in defending of Rhodes Queens Colledge in Cambridge to which I ow my education for my first seven yeares in that Universitie giveth for parcel of her Arms amongst many other rich Coats the Crosse of Jerusalem as being founded by Queen Margaret wife to King Henry the sixth and daughter of Renate Earl of Angiers and titular King of Sicilie and Jerusalem The noble and numerous familie of the Douglasses in Scotland whereof at this day are one Marquesse two Earls and a Vice-count give in their Arms a mans Heart ever since Robert Bruse King of Scotland bequeathed his heart to James Douglasse to carry it to Jerusalem which he accordingly performed To instance in particulars were endlesse we will onely summe them up in generals Emblemes of honour born in Coats occasioned by the Holy warre are reducible to these heads 1. Scallop-shells which may fitly for the workmanship thereof be called artificium naturae It seemeth Pilgrimes carried them constantly with them as Diogenes did his dish to drink in I find an Order of Knights called Equites Cochleares wearing belike Cockle or Scallop-shells belonging to them who had done good sea-service especially in the Holy warre and many Hollanders saith my Authour for their good service at the siege of Damiata were admitted into that Order 2. Saracens Heads It being a maxime in Heraldrie That it is more honourable to bear the head then any other part of the bodie They are commonly born either black or bloudie But if Saracens in their Arms should use Christians heads I doubt not but they would shew ten to one 3. Pilgrimes or Palmers Scrips or Bags the Arms of the worshipfull family of the Palmers in Kent 4. Pilgrimes Staves and such like other implements and accoutâ—ements belonging unto them 5. But the chiefest of all is the Crosse which though born in Arms before yet was most commonly and generally used since the Holy warre The plain Crosse or S. Georges Crosse I take to be the mother of all the rest as plain-song is much senior to any running of division Now as by transposition of a few letters a world of words are made so by the varying of this Crosse in form colour and metall ringing as it were the changes are made infinite severall Coats The Crosse of Ierusalem or five Crosses most frequently used in this warre Crosse Pâ—â—ée because the ends thereof are broad Fichée whose bottom is sharp to be fixed in the ground Wavée which those may justly wear who sailed thither through the miseries of the sea or sea of miseries Molinée because like to the rind of a mill Saltyrée or S. Andrews Crosse Florid or garlanded with flowers the Crosse crossed Besides the divers tricking or dressing as piercing voiding fimbriating ingrailing couping And in fansie and devices there is still a plus ultra insomuch that Crosses alone as they are variously disguised are enough to distinguish all the severall families of Gentlemen in England Exemplary is the Coat of George Villiers Duke of Buckingham five Scallop-shells on a plain Crosse speaking his predecessours valour in the Holy warre For Sir Nicolas de Villiers Knight followed Edward the first in his warres in the Holy land and then and there assumed this his new Coat For formerly he bore Sable three Cinquefoils Argent This Nicolas was the ancestour of the Duke of Buckingham lineally descended from the ancient familie of Villiers in Normandie then which name none more redoubted in this service For we find John de Villiers the one and twentieth Master of the Hospitallers and another Philip de Villiers Master of Rhodes under whom it was surrendred to the Turks a yeelding equall to a conquest Yet should one labour to find a mysterie in all Arms relating to the qualitie or deserts of the owners of them like Chrysippus who troubled himself with great contention to find out a Stoicall assertion of Philosophie in every fiction of the Poets he would light on a labour in vain For I beleeve be it spoken with loyaltie to all Kings of Arms and Heralds their Lieutenants in that facultie that at the first the will of the bearer was the reason of the bearing or if at their originall of assuming them there were some speciall cause yet time since hath cancelled it And as in Mythologie the morall hath often been made since the fable so a sympathie betwixt the Arms and the bearer hath sometimes been of later invention I denie not but in some Coats some probable reason may be assigned of bearing them But it is in vain to digge for mines in every ground because there is lead in Mendip hills To conclude As great is the use of Arms so this especially To preserve the memories of the dead Many a dumbe monument which through time or sacriledge hath lost his tongue the epitaph yet hath made such signes by the scutcheons about it that Antiquaries have understood who lay there entombed Chap. 25. Some offers of Christian Princes for Palestine since the end of the Holy warre by Henry the fourth of England Charles the eighth of France and Iames the fourth of Scotland AS after that the bodie of the sunne is set some shining still surviveth in the west so after this Holy warre was expired we find some straggling rayes and beams of valour offering that way ever and anon the Christian Princes having a bout with that designe To collect the severall essayes of Princes glancing on that project were a task of great pains and small profit specially some of them being umbrages and State-representations rather then realities to ingratiate Princes with their subjects or with the oratorie of so pious a project to woo money out of peoples purses or thereby to cloke and cover armies levied to other intents Besides most of these designes were abortive or aborsive rather like those untimely miscarriages not honoured with a soul or the shape and lineaments of an infant Yet to save the Readers longing we will give him a tast or two and begin with that of our Henry the fourth of England The end of the reigne of this our Henry was peaceable and prosperous For though his title was builded on a bad foundation yet it had strong buttresses most of the Nobilitie favoured and fensed it And as for the house of York it appeared not its best bloud as yet ranne in feminine veins and therefore was the lesse active Now King Henry in the sunne-shine evening of his life after a stormie day was disposed to walk abroad and take in some forrein aire He pitched his thoughts on the Holy warre for to go to Jerusalem and began to provide for 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 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
devoured the mother and wealth impaired religion Chap. 12. The qualitie and condition of those people who undertook the warre IT is not to be expected that all should be fish which is caught in a drag-net neither that all should be good and religious people who were adventurers in an action of so large a capacitie as this warre was We must in charitie allow that many of them were truly zealous and went with pious intents These were like to those of whom Bellarmine speaketh who had no fault praeter nimiam sanctitatem too much sanctitie which a learned man interpreteth too much superstition But besides these well-meaning people there went also a rabble-rout rather for companie then conscience Debters took this voyage on them as an acquittance from their debts to the defrauding of their creditours Servants counted the conditions of their service cancelled by it going away against their masters will Theeves and murderers took upon them the crosse to escape the gallows Adulterers did penance in their armour A lamentable case that the devils black guard should be Gods souldiers And no wonder if the successe was as bad as some of the adventurers especially seeing they retained their old conditions under a new climate And as if this voyage had been like to repentance never too soon nor too late for any to begin not onely green striplings unripe for warre but also decayed men to whom age had given a writ of ease became souldiers and those who at home should have waited on their own graves went farre to visit Christs sepulchre And which was more women as if they would make the tale of the Amazons truth went with weapons in mens clothes a behaviour at the best immodest and modesty being the case of chastitie it is to be feared that where the case is broken the jewel is lost This enterprise was also the mother of much non-residence many Prelates and Friars fitter to handle a pen-knife then a sword left their covents and pastorall charges to follow this businesse The totall summe of those pilgrime-souldiers amounted to three hundred thousand and some writers do double that number No doubt the Christians army had been greater if it had been lesse for the belly was too big for the head and a medley of nations did rather burden then strengthen it Besides the armie was like a cloth of many colours and more seams which seams though they were curiously drawn up for the present yet after long wearing began to be seen and at last brake out into open rents Chap. 13. The adventurers sorted according to their severall nations THe French Dutch Italian and English were the foure elementall nations whereof this army was compounded of these the French were predominant they were the cape-merchants in this adventure That nimble nation first apprehended the project and eagerly prosecuted it As their language wanteth one proper word to expresse Stand so their natures mislike a settled fixed posture and delight in motion and agitation of businesse Yea France as being then best at leisure contributed more souldiers to this warre then all Christendome besides The signall men were Hugh surnamed le Grand brother to the King of France Godfrey Duke of Bouillon Baldwine and Eustace his younger brethren Stephen Earl of Bloys father to Stephen afterwards King of England Reimund Earl of Tholouse Robert Earl of Flanders Hugh Earl of Saint-Paul Baldwine de Burge with many more besides of the Clergie Aimar Bishop of Puy and Legate to the Pope and William Bishop of Orange Germanie is slandered to have sent none to this warre at this first voyage and that other pilgrimes passing through that countrey were mocked by the Dutch and called fools for their pains It is true the Germane adventurers in number answered not the largenesse and populousnesse of their countrey for Henry the Emperour a Prince whom the Pope long hacked at and hewed him off at last being desirous to go this voyage was tied up at home with civill discords Yet we find a competencie of souldiers of that nation besides those under Godescalcus a Priest Emmicho the Rhene-grave and Count Herman their leaders But though Germanie was backward at the first yet afterwards it proved the main Atlas of the warre that nation like a heavie bell was long a raising but being got up made a loud sound Italy sent few out of her heart and middle provinces nigh Rome The Pope was loth to adventure his darlings into danger those white-boyes were to stay at home with his Holinesse their tender father Wherefore he dispensed with them for going as knowing how to use their help nearer and to greater profit Peters patrimonie must as well be looked to as Christs sepulchre But though the Pope would spend none of his own fewel he burnt the best stakes of the Emperours hedge and furthered the Imperiall partie to consume it self in this tedious warre Out of the furthermost parts of Italie Boemund Prince of Tarentum and Tancred his nephew both of the Normane seed though growing on the Apulian soyl led an army of twelve thousand men And Lombardy was also very liberall of her souldiers towards this expedition England the Popes pack-horse in that age which seldome rested in the stable when there was any work to be done sent many brave men under Robert Duke of Normandy brother to William Rufus as Beauchamp and others whose names are lost Neither surely did the Irish-mens feet stick in their bogs though we find no particular mention of their atchievements Spain had other use for her swords against the Saracens at home and therefore sent none of her men abroad As one saith The Spaniards did follow their own Holy warre a work more necessary and no lesse honourable Thus they acted the same part though not on the same stage with our Pilgrimes as being also imployed in fight against the infidels Poland had the same excuse for not much appearing clean through this warre because she lieth bordering on the Tartars in her appendant countrey of Lituania and therefore was busied in making good her frontiers Besides no wonder if Prussia Lituania and Livonia were not up in this service for it was scarce break of day with them and the sunne of the Gospel was newly if at all risen in those parts Yea Poland was so farre from sending men hither that she fetcht them from hence and afterwards implored the aid of the Teutonick order who came out of Palestine to assist her against her enemies Hungary might bring filling-stones to this building but few foundation or corner-stones and at this time had no commander of note in this action Scotland also presenteth us not with any remarkable piece of service which her men performed in all this warre It was not want of devotion which was hot enough in that cold countrey rather we may impute it to want of shipping that countrey being little powerfull at sea or which is most
affrighted into good works for fear of Purgatory no wonder if devout Godfrey were pliable to any demand Pierce Plowman maketh a witty wonder why Friers should covet rather to confesse and bury then to christen children intimating it proceeded from covetousnesse there being gain to be gotten by the one none by the other And this was the age wherein the Covents got their best living by the dying which made them contrary to all other people most to worship the sunne setting Chap. 6. Godfreys death and buriall AUthours differ on the death of this noble King some making him to die of that long-wasting sicknesse others of the plague It may be the plague took him out of the hands of that lingring disease and quickly cut off what that had been long in fretting He died July 18. having reigned one yeare wanting five dayes A Prince valiant pious bountifull to the Church for besides what he gave to the Patriarch he founded Canons in the temple of the Sepulchre and a monasterie in the vale of Jehoshaphat We would say his death was very unseasonable leaving the orphane State not onely in its minority but its infancy but that that fruit which to mans apprehension is blown down green and untimely is gathered full-ripe in Gods providence He was buried in the temple of the Sepulchre where his tombe is unviolated at this day whether out of a religion the Turks bear to the place or out of honour to his memory or out of a valiant scorn to fight against dead bones or perchance the Turks are minded as John King of England was who being wished by a Courtier to untombe the bones of one who whilest he was living had been his great enemy Oh no said King John would all mine enemies were as honourably buried Chap. 7. Baldwine chosen King He keepeth Ierusalem in despite of the Patriarch GOdfrey being dead the Christians with a joint consent dispatched an embassie to Baldwine his brother Count of Edessa a city in Arabia the lord whereof had adopted this Baldwine to be his heir entreated him to accept of the Kingdome which honourable offer he courteously embraced A Prince whose body Nature cut of the largest size being like Saul higher by the head then his subjects And though the Goths had a law alwayes to choose a short thick man for their King yet surely a goodly statuâ—e is most majesticall His hair and beard brown face fair with an eagles nose which in the Persian Kings was anciently observed as a mark of magnanimity Bred he was a scholar entred into Orders and was Prebendary in the churches of Rhems Liege and Cambray but afterwards turned secular Prince as our Athelwulphus who exchanged the mitre of Winchester for the crown of England Yet Baldwine put not off his scholarship with his habit but made good use thereof in his reigne For though bookishnesse may unactive yet learning doth accomplish a Prince and maketh him sway his sceptre the steadier He was properly the first King of Jerusalem his brother Godfrey never accounted more then a Duke and was crowned on Christmasse-day The reason that made him assume the name of a King was thereby to strike the greater terrour into the Pagans Thus our Kings of England from the dayes of King John were styled but Lords of Ireland till Henry the 8. first entitled himself King because Lord was sleighted by the seditious rebells As for that religious scruple which Godfrey made to wear a crown of gold where Christ wore one of thorns Baldwine easily dispensed therewith And surely in these things the mind is all A crown might be refused with pride and worn with humility But before his Coronation there was a tough bickering about the city of Jerusalem Dabert the Patriarch on the death of Godfrey devoured Jerusalem and the towre of David in his hope but coming to take possession found the place too hot for him For Garnier Earl of Gretz in the behalf of King Baldwine who was not as yet returned from Edessa manned it against him But so it happened that this valiant Earl died three dayes after which by Dabert was counted a just judgement of God upon him for his sacriledge Now though it be piety to impute all events to Gods hand yet to say that this mans death was for such a sinne sheweth too much presumption towards God and too little charity towards our neighbour Indeed if sudden death had singled out this Earl alone it had somewhat favoured their censure but there was then a generall mortality in the city which swept away thousands and which is most materiall what this Patriarch interpreted sacriledge others accounted loyalty to his Sovereigne As for that donation of the city of Jerusalem and towre of David which Godfrey gave to the Patriarch some thought that this gift overthrew it self with its own greatnesse being so immoderately large others supposed it was but a personall act of Godfrey and therefore died with the giver as conceiving his successours not obliged to perform it because it was unreasonable that a Prince should in such sort fetter and restrain those which should come after him Sure it is that Baldwine having both the stronger sword and possession of the citie kept it perforce whilest the Patriarch took that leave which is allowed to loosers to talk chafe and complain sending his bemoning letters to Boemund Prince of Antioch inviting him to take arms and by violence to recover the Churches right but from him received the uselesse assistance of his pity and that was all Chap. 8. The Church-story during this Kings reigne A chain of successive Patriarchs Dabert Ebremare Gibelline and Arnulphus Their severall characters AFterwards this breach betwixt the King and Patriarch was made up by the mediation of some friends but the skinne onely was drawn over not dead flesh drawn out of the wound and Arnulphus whom we mentioned before discontented for his losse of the Patriarchs place still kept the sore raw betwixt them At last Dabertus the Patriarch was fain to flee to Antioch where he had plentifull maintenance allowed him by Bernard Patriarch of that See But he was too high in the instep to wear another mans shoes and conceived himself to be but in a charitable prison whilest he lived on anothers benevolence Wherefore hence he hasted to Rome complained to the Pope and received from his Holinesse a command to King Baldwine to be reestablished in the Patriarchs place but returning home died by the way at Messana in Sicily being accounted seven yeares Patriarch foure at home and three in banishment Whilest Dabert was thrust out one Ebremarus was made Patriarch against his will by King Baldwine An holy and devout man but he had more of the dove then the serpent and was none of the deepest reach He hearing that he was complained of to the Pope for his irregular election posted to Rome
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
because jointly built by the Tyrians Sidonians and Aradites And Berytus since Barutus accompanied her neighbour and both of them were yeelded unto the Christians The King created one Bertram a well-deserving Noble-man Earl of Tripoli who did homage to the King for his place which was accounted a title of great honour as being one of the foure Tetrarchies of the kingdome of Jerusalem Chap. 12. The description of Sidon and Tyre the one taken the other besieged in vain by Baldwine SIdon is the most ancient citie of Phenicia And though the proud Grecians counted all Barbarians besides themselves yet Phenicia was the schoolmistresse of Grecia and first taught her her alphabet For Cadmus a Phenician born first invented and brought letters to Thebes Sidon had her name from the eldest sonne of Canaan and was famous for the finest crystall-glasses which here were made The glassie sand was fetched 40 miles off from the river Belus but it could not be made fusile till it was brought hither whether for want of tools or from some secret sullen humour therein we will not dispute This citie anciently was of great renown but her fortune being as brittle as her glasses she was fain to find neck for every one of the Monarchs yokes and now at last by the assistance of the Danish and Norvegian fleet was subdued by the Christians Fleshed with this conquest they next besieged Tyre Sea and land nature and art consented together to make this city strong for it was seated in an island save that it was tacked to the continent with a small neck of land which was fortified with many walls and towres It is questionable whether the strength or wealth of this city was greater but out of question that the pride was greater then either Here the best purples were died a colour even from the beginning destined to Courts and Magistracie and here the richest clothes were imbroidered and curiously wrought And though generally those who are best with their fingers are worst with their arms yet the Tyrians were also stout men able mariners and the planters of the noblest colonies in the world As their city was the daughter of Zidon so was it mother to Romes rivall Carthage Leptis Utica Cadiz and Nola. The most plentifull proof they gave of their valour was when for three yeares they defended themselves against Nebuchadnezzar and afterwards stopped the full career of Alexanders conquests so that his victorious army which did flie into other countreys was glad to creep into this citie Yet after seven moneths siege such is the omnipotency of industry he forced it and stripped this lady of the sea naked beyond modesty and mercy putting all therein to the sword that resisted and hanged up 2000 of the prime citizens in a rank along the sea-shore Yet afterwards Tyre out-grew these her miseries and attained though not to her first giant-like yet to a competent proportion of greatnesse At this time wherein King Baldwine besieged it it was of great strength and importance insomuch that finding it a weight too heavy for his shoulders he was fain to break off his siege and depart With worse successe he afterwards did rashly give battel to the vast army of the Persian Generall wherein he lost many men all his baggage and escaped himself with great difficulty Chap. 13. The pleasurable voyages of King Baldwine and his death AFter the tempest of a long warre a calm came at last and King Baldwine had a five yeares vacation of peace in his old age In which time he disported himself with many voyages for pleasure as one to the Red-sea not so called from the rednesse of the water or sand as some without any colour have conceited but from the neighbouring Edomites whom the Grecians called Erythreans or red men truly translating the Hebrew name of Edomites they had their name of rednesse from their father Edom. And here Baldwine surveyed the countrey with the nature and strength thereof Another journey he took afterwards into Egypt as conceiving himself ingaged in honour to make one inrode into that countrey in part of paiment of those many excursions the Egyptians had made into his Kingdome He took the city of Pharamia anciently called Rameses and gave the spoil thereof to his souldiers This work being done he began his play and entertained the time with viewing that riddle of Nature the river of Nilus whose stream is the confluence of so many wonders first for its undiscovered fountain though some late Geographers because they would be held more intelligent then others have found the head of Nilus in their own brains and make it to flow from a fountain they fansie in the mountains of the moon in the south of Africa then for the strange creatures bred therein as river-bulls horses and crocodiles But the chiefest wonder is the yearly increasing thereof from the 17. of June to the midst of September overflowing all Egypt and the banks of all humane judgement to give the true reason thereof Much time Baldwine spent in beholding this river wherein he took many fishes and his death in eating them for a new surfet revived the grief of an old wound which he many yeares before received at the siege of Ptolemais His sicknesse put him in mind of his sinnes conscience speaking loudest when men begin to grow speechlesse And especially he grieved that having another wife alive he had married the Countesse of Sicilie the relict of Earl Roger But now heartily sorrowfull for his fault he sent away this his last wife yet we reade not that he received his former again Other faults he would have amended but was prevented by death And no doubt where the deed could not be present the desire was a sufficient proxy He died at Latis a city in the road from Egypt and was brought to Jerusalem and buried on Palm-sunday in the temple of the Sepulchre in the 18. yeare of his reigne A Prince superiour to his brother Godfrey in learning equall in valour inferiour in judgement rash precipitate greedy of honour but swallowing more then he could digest and undertaking what he was not able to perform little-affected to the Clergie or rather to their temporall greatnesse especially when it came in competition with his own much given to women besides the three wives he had first marrying Gutrera an English-woman after her death Tafror an Armenian Lady and whilest she yet survived the Countesse of Sicilie yet he had no child God commonly punishing wantonnesse with barrennesse For the rest we referre the reader to the dull Epitaph written on his tombe which like the verses of that age runneth in a kind of rhythme though it can scarce stand on true feet Rex Baldwinus Iudas alter Maccabaeus Spes patriae vigor Ecclesiae virtus utriusque Quem formidabant cui dona tributa ferebant Cedar Aegypti Dan ac homicida Damascus Proh dolor
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
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
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
willingly But at last he was made to stoop and retired himself to a private life appointing Baldwine his nephew a child of five yeares old his successour and Guy Earl of Joppa and Askelon this childs father in law to be Protectour of the Realm in his minority But soon after he revoked this latter act and designed Reimund Earl of Tripoli for the Protectour He displaced Guy because he found him of no over-weight worth scarce passable without favourable allowance little feared of his foes and as little loved of his friends The more martiall Christians sleighted him as a slug and neglected so lazy a leader that could not keep pace with those that were to follow him Yea they refused whilest he was Protectour at his command to fight with Saladine and out of distast to their Generall suffered their enemie freely to forrage which was never done before For the Christians never met any Turks wandring in the Holy land but on even terms they would examine their passe-port how sufficient it was and bid them battel Guy stormed at his displacing and though little valiant yet very â—ullen left the Court in discontent went home and fortified his cities of Joppa and Askelon What should King Baldwine do in this case Whom should he make Protectour Guy had too little Reimund too much spirit for the place He feared Guy's cowardlinesse lest he should lose the kingdome to the Turks and Reimunds treachery lest he should get it for himself Thus anguish of mind and weaknesse of bodie a doughtie conquest for their united strengths which single might suffice ended this Kings dayes dying young at five and twenty yeares of age But if by the morning we may guesse at the day he would have been no whit inferiour to any of his predecessours especially if his body had been able but alas it spoiled the musick of his soul that the instrument was quite out of tune He reigned twelve yeares and was buried in the Temple of the Sepulchre a King happie in this that he died before the death of his Kingdome Chap. 43. The short life and wofull death of Baldwine the fifth an infant Guy his father in law succeedeth him IT is a rare happinesse of the family of S. Laurence Barons of Hoath in Ireland that the heirs for 400 yeares together alwayes have been of age before the death of their fathers For Minors have not onely baned families but ruined realms It is one of Gods threatnings I will give children to be their Princes and babes shall rule over them With this rod God strook the Kingdome of Jerusalem thrice in 40 yeares Baldwine the third fourth and fifth being all under age and this last but five yeares old He was the posthumus sonne of William Marquesse of Montferrat by Sibyll his wife sister to Baldwine the fourth daughter to King Almerick She afterwards was married to Guy Earl of Joppa and Askelon Now Reimund Earl of Tripoli challenged to be Protectour of this young King by the vertue of an Act of the former King so assigning him But Sibyll mother to this infant to defeat Reimund first murdered all naturall affection in her self and then by poyson murdered her sonne that so the Crown in her right might come to her husband Guy This Baldwine reigned eight moneths eight dayes saith mistaken Munster and some mistake more who make him not to reigne at all cruel to wrong his memorie of his honour whom his mother had robbed both of his life and Kingdome His death was concealed till Guy his father in law had obtained by large bribes to the Templars and Heraclius the Patriarch to be crowned King One more ennobled with his descent from the ancient family of the Lusignans in Poictou then for any eminencie in himself His gifts were better then his endowments Yet had he been more fortunate he would have been accounted more vertuous men commonly censuring that the fault of the King which is the fate of the kingdome And now the Christian affairs here posted to their wofull period being spurred on by the discords of the Princes Chap. 44. Church-affairs Of Haymericus Patriarch of Antioch Of the Grecian Anti-patriarchs and of the learned Theodorus Balsamon WHilest Heraclius did Patriarch it in Jerusalem one Haymericus had the same honour at Antioch He wrote to Henry the second King of England a bemoning letter of the Christians in the East and from him received another fraught with never-performed fair promises This man must needs be different from that Haymericus who began his Patriarchship in Antioch anno 1143 and sat but twelve yeares say the Centuriatours But Baronius as different from them sometimes in Chronologie as Divinitie maketh them the same Then must he be a through-old man enjoying his place above fourtie yeares being probably before he wore the style of Patriarch well worn in yeares himself I must confesse it passeth my Chymistrie to extract any agreement herein out of the contrariety of writers We must also take notice that besides the Latine Patriarchs in Jerusalem and Antioch there were also Grecian Anti-patriarchs appointed by the Emperour of Constantinople who having no temporall power nor profit by Church-lands had onely jurisdiction over those of the Greek Church We find not the chain of their succession but here and there light on a link and at this time in Jerusalem on three successively 1. Athanasius whom though one out of his abundant charitie is pleased to style a Schismatick yet was he both pious and learned as appeareth by his epistles 2. Leontius commended likewise to posteritie for a good Clerk and an honest man 3. Dositheus inferiour to the former in both respects Isaac the Grecian Emperour sent to make him Patriarch of Constantinople and Dositheus catching at both held neither but betwixt two Patriarchs chairs fell to the ground Antioch also had her Greek Patriarchs As one Sotericus displaced for maintaining some unsound tenets about our Saviour After him Theodorus Balsamon the oracle of the learned Law in his age He compiled and commented on the ancient Canons and principally set forth the priviledges of Constantinople listening say the Romanists to the least noise that soundeth to the advancing of the Eastern Churches and knocking down Rome wheresoever it peepeth above Constantinople This maketh Bellarmine except against him as a partiall writer because a true Historian should be neither partie advocate nor judge but a bare witnesse By Isaac the Grecian Emperour this Balsamon was also deceived he pretended to remove him to Constantinople on condition he would prove the translation of the Patriarch to be legall which is forbidden by the Canons Balsamon took upon him to prove it and a Lawyers brains will beat to purpose when his own preferment is the fee. But herein he did but crack the nut for another to eat the kernel For the Emperour mutable in his mind changing his favourites as well
as his clothes before they were old when the legality of the translation was avowed bestowed the Patriarchship of Constantinople on another and Theodorus was still staked down at Antioch in a true spirituall preferment affording him little bodily maintenance Chap. 45. The revolt of the Earl of Tripoli The Christians irrecoverably overthrown and their King taken prisoner THere was at this time a truce betwixt the Christians and Saladine broken on this occasion Saladines mother went from Egypt to Damascus with much treasure and a little train as sufficiently guarded with the truce yet in force when Reinold of Castile surprised and robbed her Saladine glad of this occasion gathereth all his strength together and besiegeth Ptolemais Now Reimund Earl of Tripoli appeareth in his colours vexed at the losse of the government His great stomach hath no room for patience and his passions boyled from a fever to a phrensie so that blinded with anger at King Guy he mistaketh his enemy and will be revenged on God and religion revolting with his Principalitie a third part of the Kingdome of Jerusalem to Saladine and in his own person under a visard assisted him in this siege Out of the citie marched the Templars and Hospitallers and falling on the Turks killed twentie thousand of them Yet they gave welnigh a valuable consideration for their victory the master of the Hospitallers being slain and a brave Generall in battel never dieth unattended Saladine hereupon raiseth his siege and Reimund Earl of Tripoli whether out of fear the Christians might prevail or remorse of conscience or discontent not finding that respect he expected of Saladine who had learned that politick maxime To give some honour no trust to a fugitive reconciled himself to King Guy and sory for his former offense returned to the Christians King Guy hereupon gathering the whole strength of his weak Kingdome to do their last devoir determined to bid Saladine battel though having but fifteen hundred horse and fifteen thousand foot against an hundred and twenty thousand horse and an hundred and sixty thousand foot Nigh Tiberias the battel was fought They close in the afternoon but night moderating betwixt them both sides drew their stakes till next morning then on afresh The Christians valour poised the number of their enemies till at last the distemper of the weather turned the scales to the Turks side More Christians thirsty within and scalded without were killed with the beams the sunne darted then with the arrows the enemies shot Reinold of Castile was slain with most of the Templars and Hospitallers Gerard Master of the Templars and Boniface Marquesse of Montferrat were taken prisoners and also Guy the King who saw the rest of his servants slain before his eyes onely obtaining of Saladine the life of his schoolmaster Yea in this battel the flower of the Christian chevalrie was cut down and what was most lamented the Crosse saith Matthew Paris which freed men from the captivity of their sinnes was for mens sinnes taken captive Most impute this overthrow to the Earl of Tripoli who that day commanded a great part of the Christian army and is said of some treacherously to have fled away But when a great action miscarrieth the blame must be laid on some and commonly it lighteth on them who formerly have been found false be it right or wrong So impossible is it for him who once hath broken his credit by treason ever to have it perfectly joynted again It increaseth the suspicion because this Earl afterwards found dead in his bed as some say was circumcised Victorious Saladine as he had thrown a good cast played it as well in a moneth conquering Berytus Biblus Ptolemais and all the havens Tyre excepted from Sidon to Askelon He used his conquest with much moderation giving lives goods to all and forcing no Christians to depart their cities save onely the Latines This his gentlenesse proceeded from policy well knowing that if the Christians could not buy their lives cheap they would sell them deare and fight it out to the uttermost Askelon was stout and would not surrender Wherefore Saladine loth with the hazard of so long a siege to check his fortune in the full speed left it and went to Jerusalem as to a place of lesse difficulty and more honour to conquer Chap. 46. Ierusalem wonne by the Turk with wofull remarkables thereat BEfore the beginning of the siege the sunne as sympathizing with the Christians woes was eclipsed A sad presage of the losse of Jerusalem For though those within the city valiantly defended it for a fortnight yet they saw it was but the playing out of a desperate game which must be lost Their foes neare their friends farre off and those willing to pity unable to help Why then should they prolong languishing where they could not preserve life Concluding to lavish no more valour they yeelded up the city on condition all their lives might be redeemed a man for ten a woman for five a child for one besant and fourteen thousand poore people not able to pay their ransome were kept in perpetuall bondage All Latines were cast out of the citie but those of the Greek religion were permitted to stay therein Onely Saladine to two Frenchmen gave liberty to abide there and maintenance to live on in reverence to their age the one Robert of Corbie a souldier to Godfrey of Bouillon when he wanne this citie the other Fulk Fiole the first child born in the citie after the Christians had conquered it Saladine possessed of Jerusalem turned the churches into stables sparing onely that of the Sepulchre for a great summe of money Solomons Temple he converted to a Mosque sprinkling it all over with rose-water as if he would wash it from profanenesse whilest he profaned it with his washing Thus Jerusalem after it had fourescore and eight yeares been enjoyed by the Christians by Gods just judgement was taken again by the Turks What else could be expected Sinne reigned in every corner there was scarce one honest woman in the whole city of Jerusalem Heraclius the Patriarch with the Clergie was desperately vitious and no wonder if iron rust when gold doth and if the Laity followed their bad example This dolefull news brought into Europe filled all with sighs and sorrows Pope Urbane the third as another Eli at the Arks captivity died for grief The Cardinals lamented out of measure vowing such reformation of manners Never more to take bribes Never more to live so vitiously yea Never to ride on an horse so long as the Holy land was under the feet of the Turks But this their passion spent it self with its own violence and these mariners vows ended with the tempest In this generall grief of Christendome there was one woman found to rejoyce and she a German Prophetesse called S. Christian a virgin Who as she had foretold the day of the defeat so on the same she
lavish physick on him in whom he seeth faciem cadaverosam so that death hath taken possession in the sick mans countenance finding this warre to be desperate and dedecus fortitudinis they even fairly left the Holy land and came into Europe meaning to lay out their valour on some thing that would quit cost But hereof hereafter Chap. 6. Richard of England and Philip of France set forward to the Holy land The danger of the interveiws of Princes THe miseries of the Christians in Syria being reported in Europe made Richard the first King of England and Philip the second surnamed Augustus King of France to make up all private dissensions betwixt them and to unite their forces against the Turks Richard was well stored with men the bones and quickly got money the sinews of warre by a thousand Princely skills gathering so much coin as if he meant not to return because looking back would unbowe his resolution To Hugh Bishop of Duresme for his life he sold the County of Northumberland jesting he had made a new Earl of an old Bishop He sold Barwick and Roxburgh to the Scottish king for ten thousand pounds Yea he protested he would sell his citie of London if any were able to buy it rather then he would be burdensome to his subjects for money But take this as he spake it for a flourish for pretending he had lost his old he made a new seal wherewith he squeezed his subjects and left a deep impression in their purses forcing them to have all their instruments new-sealed which any wayes concerned the Crown Having now provided for himself he forgot not his younger brother John Earl of Morton who was to stay behind him an active man who if he misliked the maintenance was cut for him would make bold to carve for himself Lest therefore straitned for means he should swell into discontent King Richard gave him many Earldomes and honours to the yearly value of foure thousand marks Thus he received the golden saddle but none of the bridle of the Common-wealth honour riches were heaped upon him but no place of trust and command For the King deputed William Bishop of Ely his Viceroy choosing him for that place rather then any lay-Earl because a Coronet perchance may swell into a Crown but never a Mitre For a Clergie-mans calling made him uncapable of usurpation in his own person Thus having settled matters at home he set forth with many of our nation which either ushered or followed him Of these the prime were Baldwine Archbishop of Canterbury Hubert Bishop of Salisburie Robert Earl of Leicester Ralph de Glanvile late chief Justice of England Richard de Clare Walter de Kime c. The Bishops of Duresme and Norwich though they had vowed this voyage were dispensed with by the court of Rome quae nulli deest pecuniam largienti to stay at home His navie he sent about by Spain and with a competent number took his own journey through France At Tours he took his Pilgrimes scrip and staff from the Archbishop His staff at the same time casually brake in pieces which some whose dexteritie lay in sinister interpreting all accidents construed a token of ill successe Likewise when he and the French king with their trains passed over the bridge of Lyons on the fall of the bridge this conceit was built That there would be a falling out betwixt these two Kings which accordingly came to passe their intercourse and familiaritie breeding hatred and discontent betwixt them Yea the interviews of equall Princes have ever been observed dangerous Now Princes measure their equalitie not by the extent of their dominions but by the absolutenesse of their power so that he that is supreme and independent in his own countrey counteth himself equall to any other Prince how great soever Perchance some youthfull Kings may disport and solace themselves one in anothers companie whilest as yet pleasure is all the elevation of their souls But when once they grow sensible of their own greatnesse a lesson they will quickly learn and shall never want teachers then emulation will be betwixt them because at their meeting they cannot so go in equipage but one will still be the foremost Either his person will be more proper or carriage more court-like or attendance more accomplished or attire more fashionable or some thing will either be or conceived to be more majesticall in one then the other And corrivalls in honour count themselves eclipsed by every beam of state which shineth from their competitour Wherefore the best way to keep great Princes together is to keep them asunder accommodating their businesse by Embassadours lest the meeting of their own persons part their affections Chap. 7. King Richard conquereth Sicilie and Cyprus in his passage to the Holy land AT Lyons these two Kings parted their trains and went severall wayes into Sicilie King Richard in his passage though within fifteen miles of Rome wanting forsooth either devotion or manners vouchsafed not to give his Holinesse a visit yea plainly told Octavian Bishop of Ostia the Popes Confessour that having better objects to bestow his eyes on he would not stirre a step to see the Pope Because lately without mercie he had simoniacally extorted a masse of money from the Prelates of England At Messana in Sicilie these two Kings meet again where to complete King Richards joy behold his Navie there safely arriving which with much difficultie and danger had fetched a compasse about Spain And now King Richard by his own experience grew sensible of the miseries which merchants and mariners at sea underwent being alwayes within few inches often within an hairs breadth of death Wherefore now touched with remorse of their pitifull case he resolved to revoke the law of Wracks as a law so just that it was even unjust For formerly both in England and Normandie the Crown was intituled to shipwrackt goods and the King jure gentium made heir unto them which otherwise jure naturali were conceived to be in bonis nullius pertaining to no owner But now our Richard refused to make advantage of such pitifull accidents and to strip poore mariners out of those rags of their estates which the mercie and modestie of the waves and winds had left them And therefore on the moneth of October at Messana in the presence of many Archbishops and Bishops he for ever quitted the claim to Wracks So that if any man out of the ship cometh alive to the shore the propertie of the shipwrackt goods is still preserved to the owner Yea this grant was so enlarged by our succeeding Kings that if a dogge or a cat escaped alive to land the goods still remained the owners if he claimed them within a yeare and a day Tankred at this time was King of Sicilie a bastard born and no wonder if climbing up to the throne the wrong way he shaked when he sat down Besides he was
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
testimonies of their very enemies and who knoweth not but such a witnesse is equivalent to a generall consent For those who when bemadded with anger most rave and rage against them yet per lucida intervalla in their cold bloud when their words are indicted from their judgements not passions do most sufficiently acquit them from these accusations Reinerius a Jacobine Monk and a cruel inquisitour of the Waldenses testified That they lived justly before men and beleeved all things well of God and held all the articles contained in the Creed onely they blasphemed the Romish Church and hated it Claudius de Seissell Archbishop of Turin confesseth As touching their life and manners they were sound and unreproveable without scandal amongst men giving themselves to their power to the observation of the commandments of God King Lewis the twelfth of France being throughly informed of the faith and life of the Waldenses in his time bound it with an oath That they were better men then he or his people The same King having killed many of those poore people and having called the place where they lived Vallis meretricia for their painted and dissembled piety upon better instructions changed the name calling it from himself The vale of Lewis William de Belai Lieutenant of Piemont gave this commendation of the Merindolites a sprig which some hundred yeares after sprouted from the Waldenses That they were a laborious people averse from suits bountifull to the poore duly paying their Princes tributes and Lords dues serving God with daily prayers and shewing forth much innocencie in manners Thuanus one that writeth truth with a steadie hand jogged neither by Romanists nor Huguenots thus charactereth the Con-waldenses a stemme of that stock we speak of They used raw pelts clapped about them for their clothes the foure feet whereof served in stead of buttons all equall in poverty having no beggers amongst them their diet on deer milk yet was there scarce any amongst them but could reade and write handsomely understand the Bible and sing psalmes scarce a boy but could presently and by heart give an account of his faith Tribute they payed very religiously c. More might be added but I end all with Gamaliels words If this work be of men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it It argueth the goodnesse of their cause in that all their enemies cruelty unwise to think to spoil the growth of chamomile by trampling on it could never suppresse them but they continued till the dayes of Luther when this morning-starre willingly surrendred his place to him a brighter sunne But enough of their life and manners And if and condemn me for superfluity herein I guard my self with S. Augustines shield Non est multiloquium quando necessaria dicuntur quantalibet sermonum multitudine ac prolixitate dicantur Chap. 21. The Holy armie advance against the Albingenses The cities of Besier and Carcassone taken POpe Innocent the third having now gathered together an armie of one hundred thousand Pilgrimes set forwards for the finall exstirpation of the poore Albingenses The best champions for his Holinesse herein were the Duke of Burgundy the Earls of Nevers St Paul Auxerre Geneva Poictiers with Simon Earl of Montfort Of the Clergie Milo the Popes Legate the Archbishops of Sens Rovan the Bishops of Clermont Nevers Lysieux Bayeux Chartres with divers others every Bishop with the Pilgrimes of his jurisdiction To whom the Pope promised Paradise in heaven but not one peny on earth Their work was to destroy the Albingenses which were in great numbers in Daulphine Provence Narbonne Tholose and other parts of France Their Commission also extended to the rooting out of all their friends and favourers whether detected or onely suspected such as were Reimund Earl of Tholose Reimund Earl of Foyx the Vicecount of Besiers Gaston Lord of Berne the Earl of Bigorre the Lady of la Vaur with divers others See here a new gate to heaven never opened before for men to cut their way thither through the throats of their innocent brethren Behold the holy Ghost who once came down in the form of a Dove now counterfeited in the shape of a Vulture But we must not forget how just before the warre began the Pope pretended to reclaim them by reasons to the Church of Rome To which end he gave order for a disputation with them The parties place and time were agreed on who where when they should dispute but in fine nothing was effected Yea who ever knew conferences in so great oppositions to ripen kindly and bring any fruit to perfection For many come rather for faction then satisfaction resolving to carry home the same opinions they brought with them An upright moderatour will scarce be found who hangeth not to one side The place will be subject to suspicion and hinder liberty Boldnesse and readinesse of speech with the most though not most judicious auditours will bear away the bell from solidity of arguments The passages in the disputing will be partially reported and both sides will brag of the conquest so that the rent will be made worse and more spirits conjured up then allayed But now words ended in blows the Pope onely entertaining them in conferences that in the mean time he might prepare his great armies more suddenly to suppresse them The first piece of service his souldiers performed was in sacking the citie of Besiers and burrough of Carcassone In which many Catholicks stedfast in the Romish faith did dwell and promiscuously were slain with the Albingenses yea Priests themselves were cut in pieces in their priestly ornaments and under the banner of the Crosse So that the swallowing of their foes made their friends also go down glib through their throats without danger of choking As for the city of Carcassone which was not farre from the burrough to the inhabitants thereof those immodest conditions were propounded whereof formerly which they refused and God better provided for them For whilest the citie was besieged they escaped out by the benefit of a vault under ground and so shifted abroad for themselves Chap. 22. Simon Earl of Montfort chosen Captain of the Holy warre He conquereth the King of Aragon prevaileth against the Albingenses and at last is killed by a woman HItherto this warre was managed by the Popes Legate But now it was concluded that a secular captain should be adjoyned to him in whose person the chief command should reside over Martiall affairs and for his pains by the Popes donation he was to enjoy all countreys that should be conquered from the Albingenses or their favourers The place was offered to the Duke of Burgundy who refused it saying He had lands and Lordships enow of his own without spoiling others of their goods It was waved also by the Earls of St-Paul and Nevers whether out of conscience or policie because though the Pope gave them the bears skinne
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
treasure to keep in pay so many souldiers for many moneths together But it is no time to dispute about unnecessary thrift when a whole Kingdome is brought into question to be subdued And because the landing-places in Egypt are of great disadvantage to the defendants yeelding them no shelter from the fury of their enemies artillery being all open places and plain the shores there being not shod against the sea with huge high rocks as they are in some other countreys because the land is low and level Meladine was forced to fortifie welnigh an hundred and eighty miles along the sea-side and what Nature had left bare Art put the more clothes on and by using of great industry such as by Tully is fitly termed horribilis industria in short space all that part of Egypt was fenced which respecteth the sea Winter being past Robert Duke of Burgundie and Alphonse King Lewis his brother arrived in Cyprus with a new armie and hereupon they concluded to set forward for Egypt and attempted to land neare Damiata But the governour thereof with a band of valiant souldiers stoutly resisted them Here was a doubtfull fight The Egyptians standing on the firm ground were thereby enabled to improve and inforce their darts to the utmost whilest the French in their ticklish boats durst not make the best of their own strength Besides those on land threw their weapons downwards from the forts they had erected so that the declivity and downfall did naturally second the violent impression of their darts How-ever the Infidels at last were here beaten with what commonly was their own weapon I mean multitude so that they fled into the town leaving behind them their governour and five hundred of their best souldiers dead on the shore Damiata was a strong city the taking whereof was accounted the good task of an armie for a yeare But now the Egyptians within were presented afresh with the memory of the miseries they indured in the last long siege by the Christians and fearing lest that tragedy should be acted over again set fire on their houses and in the night saved themselves by flight The French issuing in quenched the fire and rescued much corn and other rich spoil from the teeth of the flame Meladine much troubled with this losse to purchase peace offered the Christians all Jerusalem in as ample a manner as ever formerly they had enjoyed it all prisoners to be restored with a great summe of money to defray their charges and many other good conditions So that we may much wonder at his profusenesse in these profers and more at the Christians indiscretion in their refusall For though some advised to make much of so frank a chapman and not through covetousnesse to outstand their market yet the Popes Legate and Robert Earl of Artois heightened with pride that they could not see their profit and measuring their future victories by the largenesse of their first footing in Egypt would make no bargain except Alexandria the best port in Egypt were also cast in for vantage to make the conditions down-weight And King Lewis whose nature was onely bad because it was so good would in no wise crosse his brother in what he desired Whereupon the Turks seeing themselves in so desperate condition their swords being sharpened on extremity provided to defend their countrey to the utmost Chap. 14. Discords betwixt the French and English The death disposition of Meladine King of Egypt ABout this time brake out the dissensions betwixt the French and English The cause whereof as some say was for that the Earl of Sarisbury in sacking a fort got more spoil then the French But surely the foundation of their discontents lay much lower being an old enmity betwixt the two nations and Robert Earl of Artois used Earl William and his men with much discourtesie This Robert stood much on the Royaltie of his descent being brother to King Lewis though nothing of kin in conditions being as bountifull to deal injuries and affronts as the other alms and charitable deeds The English Earl though he stood on the lower ground in point of birth yet conceived himself to even him in valour and martiall knowledge And though godly King Lewis used all his holy-water to quench these heart-burnings his successe answered not his pains much lesse his desires onely his cooling perswasions laid their enmities for the present fairly asleep Amidst these broils died Meladine the Egyptian King A worthy Prince he was though some write very coursely of him as he must rise early yea not at all go to bed who will have every ones good word Let Christians speak of him as they found whose courtesies to them when they were half-drowned in Egypt if they will not confesse they deserve to be wholly drowned for their ingratitude In the latter end of his age he quite lost the good will of his subjects and lived unloved and died unlamented though a deserving and fortunate man which oftentimes covereth a multitude of faults The chief reason whereof was because they suspected him to be unsound in his religion and offering to Christianity Besides having reigned above thirty yeares his government became stale and good things if of long continuance grow tedious they being rather affected for their variety then true worth Lastly the rising sunne stole the adorers from the sunne setting and Melechsala his sonne being an active and promising Prince reigned before in mens desires over the Kingdome To him now they all applied themselves and having more wisdome in their generation then the Christians instantly ceased their private dissensions And now the Sultans of Damascus Aleppo and Babylon twisted themselves in a joynt agreement with Melechsala to defend their Mahometane religion Chap. 15. Robert Earl of Artois fighting with the Egyptians contrary to the counsel of the Master of the Templars is overthrown and drowned FRom Damiata the French marched up towards Cairo the governour whereof offended with Melechsala promised to deliver that regall citie to the French With some danger and more difficulty they passed an arm of Nilus being conducted by a fugitive Saracen to a place where it was foordable Hence Earl Robert marched forward with a third part of the army and suddenly assaulting the Turks in their tents whilest Melechsala was absent in solemnizing a feast put them to flight Hereupon this Earl proclaimed himself in his hopes Monarch of the world This blow made his enemies reel the next would fell them Now speed was more needfull then strength This late victory though gotten was lost if not used What though they were not many the fewer the adventurers the greater the gain Let them therefore forwards and set on the whole power of the Turks which was incamped not farre off But the Master of the Templars in whom the sap of youth was well dried up advised the Earl to stay and digest the honour he had gotten expecting the arrivall of the rest of
from all the rest in the wood namely that what specious shews soever were pretended the true cause of their ruine was that they began to desert the Pope and adhere to the Emperour If this was true no doubt they were deeply guiltie and deserved the hard measure they suffered Sure I am how-ever at this time they might turn edge they had formerly been true blades for his Holinesse All Europe followed the copie that France had set them Here in England King Edward the second of that name suppressed the Order and put them to death So by vertue of a writ sent from him to Sir John Wogan Lord chief Justice in Ireland were they served there and such was the secrecie of the contrivance of the businesse that the storm fell upon them before they saw it and all crannies were so closely stopped that none could steal a glimpse of the mischief intended against them In Germanie they found some mercie and milder dealing for Hugh Wildgrave coming with twenty of his Order all in armour into a Councel of Dutch Bishops who intended to execute the sentence of the Pope upon them there protested his innocencie and appealed to the next Pope who should succeed Clement as to his competent judge Hereupon their lives were spared onely they were forced to renounce the name of Templars and to enter themselves into other Orders chiefly of Hospitallers and Teutonicks on whom their lands were bestowed We will conclude all with that resolution of a brace of Spanish writers who make this epilogue to this wofull tragedie Concerning these Templars whether they were guiltie or not let us suspend our censure till the day of judgement and then and no sooner shall we certainly be informed therein Chap. 4. Of the Teutonick Order When they left Palestine and on what conditions they were entertained in Prussia Their Order at last dissolved FRequent mention hath been formerly made of the Teutonick Order or that of Dutch Knights who behaved themselves right valiantly clean through the Holy warre And which foundeth much to their honour they cannot be touched either for treason or faction but were both loyall and peaceable in the whole service But at last they perceived that by the course of the cards they must needs rise losers if they continued the warre in the Holy land and even resolved to abandon it It happened at the same time that Conrade Duke of Mazovia offered them most honourable conditions namely the enjoying of Prussia on condition they would defend it against the Infidels which annoyed it Indeed the fratres gladiferi or sword-bearing brothers brave slashing lads undertook that task but finding either their arms too weak or swords too blunt to strike through their enemies they imployed the aid of and conjoyned themselves to this Teutonick Order Hereupon in the yeare of our Lord 1239 Hermannus de Saltza fourth Master of these Dutch Knights came with most of his Order into Prussia yet so that he left a competent number of them still in Palestine which continued and did good service there even to the taking of Ptolemais But the greater number of these Dutch Knights in Prussia did knight-service against the Tartarians and were Christendomes best bank against the inundations of those barbarous people By their endeavours the Prussians which before were but heathen-Christians were wholly converted many a brave citie builded specially Marienburg where formerly a great oak stood who would think so many beautifull buildings would spring out of the root of one tree and those countreys of Prussia and Livonia which formerly were the course list are now become the rich fringe of Europe At last the Prussians grew weary of the tyrannous oppression of those Dutch Knighâ—â— as appeareth by the grievances they presented and applied themselves to Casimire King of Poland He took to task Lewis Erlinsufe the Master of their Order and so ordered him that whereas before he pleaded himself to be a free Prince of the Empire hereafter he should acknowledge the King of Poland for his Lord and Master The successours to this Lewis fretted against this agreement as prejudiciall to them They could do no lesse then complain and could do little more for the King of Poland in spite of their resistance held them to their agreements Albert of the house of Brandenburg was the last grand Master of this Order and first Duke of Prussia He brake the vow of their Order losing his virginitie to keep his chastitie and married Dorothie daughter to the King of Denmark The other Teutonicks protested against him and chose Gualther Croneberg in his room Yea Albert was proscribed in a Diet in Germanie and his goods confiscated but the proscription never executed the Emperour of Germanie being the same time employed in matters of greater moment which more nearly concerned himself And thus in this Albert for ought we can find to the contrarie the Teutonick Order had its end and was quite dissolved Chap. 5. The severall flittings of the Knights-Hospitallers from Cyprus by Rhodes Nice Syracuse to Malta WE must now wait on the Hospitallers to their lodgings and we have done We left them driven from Ptolemais and landed at Cyprus where King Henry courteously entertained them But a friends house is no home Hence therefore they were conveyed to their severall Alberges in Europe But such active spirits could not long be idle such running streams would not end in a standing pond Wherefore they used all their own strength and improved their interest with all their benefactours to furnish out a fleet Which done under Fulk de Vilderet their grand Master they wonne the Island of Rhodes from the Turks eighteen yeares after Ptolemais was lost and there seated themselves Besides Rhodes they also enjoyed these five adjacent Islands saith my Authour Nicoria Episcopia Iolli Limonia and Sirana places so small that consulting with maps will not find them out enough almost to make us think with Tertullian of Delos that once there were such Islands which at this day are quite vanished away Two hundred and fourteen yeares to the terrour of the Turks comfort of the Christians and their own immortall fame they maintained this Island and secured the seas for the passage of Pilgrimes to Jerusalem till at last in the yeare 1523 after six moneths siege they surrendred the citie to their own honour and shame of other Christians who sent them no succour in season Yet changing their place they kept their resolution to be honourably imployed Hence they sailed to Nice in Piemont a citie lying opposite to Africa from whence the Moores and Saracens much infested Christendome Wherefore Charles Duke of Savoy bestowed that citie upon them to defend it counting the courtesie rather done to him then by him that they would accept it Afterwards they perceived it was more needfull to stop the Turks invasions then their pillagings They had lately wonne Buda and as it was thought would quickly stride over the Adriatick sea
own bowels Yet such was her charitie that whilest her own house was on burning she threw some buckets of water to quench her neighbours and as other nations cast their superfluitie she her widows mite into the treasurie of this action and produceth two Theobalds Kings of Navarre and Alphonse King of Castile that undertook expeditions to Palestine Hungary sheweth one King Andrew who washed himself in Jordan and then shrinking in the wetting returned presently home again But this countrey though it self did go little yet was much gone through to the Holy warre being the rode to Syria for all land-armies and merited well in this action in giving peaceable passage and courteous entertainment to Pilgrimes as to Duke Godfrey and Frederick Barbarossa with all their souldiers as they travelled through it Had the Kings of Hungarie had the same principle of basenesse in their souls as the Emperours of Grecia they had had the same cause of jealousie against the Christians that passed this way yet they used them most kindly and disdained all dishonourable suspicions True it is at the first voyage King Coloman not out of crueltie but carefulnesse and necessarie securitie did use his sword against some unruly and disorderly Pilgrimes but none were there abused which first abused not themselves But what-ever Hungarie was in that age it is at this day Christendomes best land-bulwark against the Turks Where this prettie custome is used That the men wear so many feathers as they have killed Turks which if observed elsewhere either feathers would be lesse or valour more in fashion Poland could not stirre in this warre as lying constant perdue of Christendome against the Tartarian yet we find Boleslaus Crispus Duke or King thereof waiting on shall I say or accompanying Conrade the Emperour in his voyage to Palestine and having defraid all his and his armies costs and charges towards Constantinople he returned home as not to be spared in his own countrey But if by King Davids statute the keepers of the baggage are to be sharers in the spoil with the fighters of the battel then surely Poland and such other countreys may entitle themselves to the honour of the warre in Palestine which in the mean time kept home had an eye to the main chance and defended Europe against forrein invaders Norway in that age the sprucest of the three Kingdomes of Scandia and best tricked up with shipping though at this day the case is altered with her and she turned from taking to paying of tribute sent her fleet of tall souldiers to Syria who like good fellows asked nothing for their work but their victuals and valiantly wonne the citie of Sidon for the King of Jerusalem And it is considerable that Syria but a step or stride from Italie was a long race from Norway so that their Pilgrimes went not onely into another countrey but into another world Denmark was also partner in the foresaid service Also afterwards Ericus her King though he went not quite through to the Holy land yet behaved himself bravely in Spain and there assisted the winning of Lisbon from the Infidels His successour Canutus anno 1189 had provided his navie but was prevented by death his ships neverthelesse came to Syria Of Sweden in this grand-jurie of nations I heare no Vous avez but her default of appearance hath been excused before Chap. 23. Of the Scottish Welsh and Irish their severall adventures THere remain behind the Scottish Welsh and Irish. It may occasion suspicion that these nations either did neglect or are neglected in this Holy warre because clean through this Historie there is no mention of them or their atchievements True it is these countreys can boast of no King of their own sent to Syria nor of any great appearing service by them alone performed It seemeth then they did not so much play the game themselves as bet on the hands of others and haply the Scottish service is accounted to the French the Welsh and Irish to the English That Scotland was no ciphre in this warre plainly appeareth 1. In that David Earl of Huntington and younger brother to William the Elder King of Scotland went along with our Richard the first no doubt suitably attended with souldiers This David was by a tempest cast into Egypt taken captive by the Turks bought by a Venetian brought to Constantinople there known and redeemed by an English merchant and at last safely arrived at Alectum in Scotland which Alectum he in memorie and gratitude of his return called Dundee or Dei donum Gods gift 2. By the plentifull provision which there was made for the Templars and Hospitallers Who here enjoyed great priviledges this amongst many others Take the Scottish law in its pure naturals That the Master of the Knicts of the Temple and cheefe Priors of the Hospitall of Jerusalem wha were keepers of strangers to the Haly grave sould be receaved themselves personally in any suit without entertaining a procuratour for them Nor must we here forget a Saint William a Scot of Perth by birth by trade a baker in charitie so abundant that he gave his tenth loaf to the poore in zeal so fervent that he vowed to visit the Holy land But in his journey as he passed through Kent he was slain by his servant buried at Rochester afterwards Sainted and shewed many miracles Neither may we think whilest all other nations were at this Martiall school that Wales the while truanted at home The Welsh saith my Authour left their forrests and now with them no sport to the hunting of Turks especially after that Wizo and Walter his sonne had founded the fair Commandrie for Hospitallers at Slebach in Pembroke-shire and endowed it with rich revenues Ireland also putteth in for her portion of honour in this service Indeed for the first fourescore yeares in the Holy warre Ireland did little there or in any other countrey It was divided into many pettie Kingdomes so that her peoples valour had no progressive motion in length to make any impression in forrein parts but onely moved round in a circle at home their pettie Reguli spending themselves against themselves till our Henry the second conquered them all After which time the Irish began to look abroad into Palestine witnesse many houses for Templars and the stately Priorie of Kilmainam nigh Dublin for Hospitallers the last Lord Prior whereof at the dissolution was Sir John Rawson Yea we may well think that all the consort of Christendome in this warre could have made no musick if the Irish Harp had been wanting Chap. 24. Of the honourable Arms in scutcheons of Nobilitie occasioned by their service in the Holy warre NOw for a corollarie to this storie if we survey the scutcheons of the Christian Princes and Nobilitie at this day we shall find the Arms of many of them pointing at the atchievements of their predecessours in the Holy warre Thus the
CONRADE Marquesse of Montferrat defendeth Tyre and is chosen King Guy taken prisoner Jerusalem won by Saladine 2 26 46 7 is slain in a battel neare Ptolemais He is taken prisoner 8 11 8 CLEMENT the third 1 4 37 34 9 2 Guy having got libertie besiegeth Ptolemais 3 27 8 IX GARNERIUS de Neapoli Syriae TERICUS Master of the Templars during Gerards durance Gerard is set at libertie and slain in the siege of Ptolemais 9 12 9 2 5 38 M. 7. RICHARD the first 1 10 3 4. VOYAGE under Frederick surnamed Barbarossa 4 28  9   10 13 Anno Dom. Popes Emper. of the East Emper. of the West Kings of England Kings of France Holy Warre Kings of Ierusalem Princes of Antioch Patriarchs of Antioch Patriarchs of Ierusalem Mrs of Kn. Hospitallers Mrs of Kn. Templars Mrs of Dutch Knights Caliphs of Syria Turkish K. of Egypt 1190 3 6 HENRY the sixth S. 1 2 11 4 5. VOYAGE under Rich. of Engl. Philip of Fran 5 Antioch wonne again froÌ„ the Turks by Frederick D. of Suevia  10   HENRY a-Wal-pot 1 11 14 1 M. 2 D. 10 7 2 3 12 5 Conrade murdered in the market-place of Tyre Ptolemais taken 6   11   2 12 15 2 CELESTINE the third 2 8 3 4 13 Guy exchangeth his Kingdome of Jerusalem for Cyprus 7 The time of Boemunds death is as uncertain as who was his Successour onely we find from this time forward the same Princes but without name or certain date â—â—yled both of Antioch Tripoli  He lived viciously and died obscurely  3 13 16 3 3 M. 7. 9 4 5 14 HENRY Earl of Champaigne 1  X. ERMEGAROUS DAPS.  4 14 SAPHADIME Br. to Saladine 1 4 4 ALEXIUS COMNENê° ANGELUS 1 5 6 15 2      5 15 2 Anno Dom. Popes Emper. of the East Emper. of the West Kings of England Kings of France Holy Warre Kings of Ierusalem Princes of Antioch Patriarchs of Ierusalem Mrs of Kn. Hospitallers Mrs of Kn. Templars Mrs of Dutch Knights Caliphs of Syria Turkish K. of Egypt 1195 5 2 6 7 16 3     6 16 Betwixt him and Saladines soâ—nes whom at last he conquered and subdued was long warre to the great comfort and profit of the Christians 3 6 6 3 7 8 17 ALMERICK the second King also of Cyprus 1     7 17 4 7 M. 9 D. 11 4 8 9 18 6. VOYAGE under Henry Duke of Saxonie Henry the Palatine Herman Landtgrave c. winne Berytâ—â— 2     8 18 5 8 INNOCENTIUS the third 1 5 9 10 19 The Dutch men miserably killed on St Martines day 3  XII ALBERTUS succeedeth Heraclius Spond   9 19 6 9 2 6 OTHO the fourth 1 11 20 Simon Earl of Montfort cometh into Palestine and maketh a profitable peace 4     10 20 7 1200 3 7 2 JOHN his Br. 1 21 5     II. OTTO Kerpin 1 21 8 1 4 8 3 2 22 6     2 22 9 2 5 ISAACIUS again with ALEXIUS his S. 9 4 3 23 7. VOYAGE under Baldwine Earl of Flandres but by the Pope diverted against the Grecian usurping Emperour 7   XI GOTâ—RIDUS de Dnyjon  3 23 10 3 6 BALDWINE Earl of Flandres 1 5 4 24 8     4 24 11 4 7 2 6 5 25 1 INTERREGNUM of 5 years Almerick dieth of a surfet according to Marinus Sanutus 9  He perfecteth and writeth a Rule to the Carmelites Idem   5 25 12 5 8 HENRY his Br. 1 7 6 26 2 10    Leo King of Armenia restoreth to the Templars what he had violently taken from them 6 26 13 6 9 2 8 7 27 3 The Holy warre turned against the Albingenses in France 11     III. HERMANNUS Bart. 1 27 14 7 10 3 9 8 28 4 12     2 28 1 MELADINE as most compute succeedeth his father Saphadiâ—e in Egypt 15 8 11 4 10 9 29 5 Almerick for his lazinesse deposed by the Pope dieth soon after 13     3 29 2 16 9 12 5 11 10 30 JOHN BREN made King of Jerusalem by the Pope 1     4 30 3 17 1210 13 6 12 11 31 2  XIII THOMAS Aâ—â—â— Â Â IV. HERMANNUS a Salâ—za 1 31 4 18 1 14 7 13 12 32 3     2 32 5 19 2 15 8 FREDERICK the second 1 13 33 4   XII ALPHONâ—US de Portugallia  3 33 6 20 3 16 9 2 14 34 An army of children going to the Holy warre wofully perish by the way 5     4 34 7 21 4 17 10 3 15 35 6     5 35 8 22 1215 18 11 4 16 36 The great Laterane Councel to advance the Holy warre 7  He is present in the Laterane Councel to solicite the Holy warre XIII GOTHERIDUS de-la-Rat P. de Monte acuto 6 36 9 Saphadine according to M. Paris p. 404. dieth for grief that the fort nigh to Damiata was taken ☉ 23 6 M. 6 D. 9 PETER Earl of Auxerre 1 5 17 37 8. VOYAGE under Andrew King of Hungarie 8     7 37 10 24 7 HONORIUS the third 2 2 6 HENRY the third S. 1 38 9     8 38 11 25 8 3 3 7 2 39 Damiata beseiged 10    He fighteth stoutly with the rest of his Order at the taking of Damiata Mat. Paris pag. 409 419. 9 39 12 MALADINE 1 9 4 4 8 3 40 Damiata taken 11     10 40 13 2 1220 5 5 9 4 41 The Christians intrapped in water restore Damiata for their libertie and conclude an eight-yeares truce 12     11 41 14 Is wonderfully kind to the Christians half drowned in Egypt 3 1 6 ROBERT 1 10 5 42 13     12 42 15 4 2 7 2 11 6 43 14     13 43 16 5 3 8 3 12 7 He dieth 44 John Bren cometh into France and there receiveth rich legacies from Philip Augustus 15   60000 crownâ— bequeathed by the K. of Fr. to the Hospit Templars  14 44 17 6 4 9 4 13 8 LEWIS the eighth 1 16  XIIII GERALDUS  OLIVER 15 45 18 7 5 10 5 14 9 2 17   XIIII GUARINUS de Monâ—e acuto  16 TAHER S. 1 19 8 6 M. 8. 6 15 10 3 He is honourably entertained at Rome and resigneth his kingdome 18  A bitter enemy he was to Frederick the Emperour and sâ—ded with the Pope Templars against him   17 2 20 9 7 GREGORY the ninth 1 7 16 11 St LEWIS 1 FREDERICK by marriage of Iole Brens daughter 1     The Dutch
Knights under Hermannus their Master come unto Prusâ—ra yet so as many of them still remained in Syria 18 3 21 10 8 2 BALDWINE the second 1 17 12 2 2   XV. CERVIUS  19 4 22 11 9 3 2 18 13 3 9. VOYAGE under Frederick who crowned himself King of Jerusalem and concluding a ten-yeares truce returneth into Europe leaving Reinold Duke of Bavaria his Vice-Roy in Palestine 3    An inveterate enemie to Frederick whom be most spitefully and treacherously used 20  23 12 1230 4 3 19 14 4 4 The Pr. of Antioch dieth without lawfull issue    21  24 13 1 5 4 20 15 5 5   XVI BERTRANDUS de Campis  22  25 14 2 6 5 21 16 6 6 FREDERICK base S. to Fred. the Emp. is by Reinoldus Vice-roy of JerusaleÌ„ made Pr. of Antioch in spite of Henr. K. of Cyprus who claimed that place 1    23  26 15 3 7 6 22 17 7 7 2    24  27 16 4 8 7 23 18 8 8 3    25 MUâ—TENATZEâ— 28 17 1235 9 8 24 19 9 9 4    26  29 18 6 10 9 25 20 10 10 5    27  30 19 7 11 10 26 21 11 11 6    28  31 20 8 12 11 27 22 12 The former ten-yeares Truce expired Reinold concludeth another of the same term 12 7    29  32 21 9 13 12 28 23 13 10. VOYAGE under Theobald King of Navarre 13 8    30  33 22 1240 14 13 29 24 14 He is unfortunately overthrown in battel at Gaza 14 9    31  34 23 1 M. 5. CELESTINE the fourth D. 17. 14 30 25 15 11. VOYAGE under Richard Earl of Cornwall 15 10 XV. ROBERTUS  HERMANNUS Petragorinus M. Paris pag 726. V. CONRADE Landtgrave of Hassia 1  35 24 2 The See void 15 31 26 16 16 11  XVII PETRUS de Villebride  2  36 25 3 INNOCENTIUS the fourth 1 16 32 27 17 17 12    3  37 26 4 2 17 33 28 18 The Coraâ—ines conquer the Christians and sack Jerusalem 18 13 He was in the battel against the Corasines as appeareth in M. Paris where he writeth a bemoning letter taken captive by the Corasines M. Paris pag. 833. All the Templars slain to eighteen the Hospitallers to nineteen the Dutch Knights to three 4  38 27 5 3 18 34 29 19 19 14  XVIII GUILIELMUS de Castello novo M. Paris pag. 836.  5  39 28 6 4 19 35 30 20 20 15    6  40 29 7 5 20 36 31 21 12. VOYAGE under S. Lewis King of France 21 The Antiochians fighting unadvisedly with the Turks are overthrown 16    7  He dieth at Damiata's taking 30 8 6 21 37 32 22 He arriveth in Cyprus there wintereth 22     8  MELECHSALA S. 1 9 7 22 38 33 23 taketh Damiata beateth the Saracens 23     9  2 Anno Dom. Popes Emper. of the East Emper. of the West Kings of England Kings of France Holy Warre Kings of Ierusalem Princes of Antioch Patriarchs of Ierusalem Mrs of Kn. Hospitallers Mrs of Kn. Templars Mrs of Dutch Knights Caliphs of Syria Great ChaÌ„s of Tartary Mammaluke Sultans of Egypt 1250 8 23 INTERREGNUM of 23 yeares wherein there were many Competitours for the Empire 1 34 24 Robert Earl of Artois slain Lewis taken prisoner INTERREGNUM of 14 yeares 1  The Patriarch of Jerusalem was taken prisoner with the King of France Magdeburg Cent. 13. col 697. All the Hospitallers with their Master slain to one All the Templars with their Master slain to two 10   TARQUEMINUS 1 1 9 24 2 35 25 The Pastorells overthrown in France 2   XIX HUGO REVEL He â—ade a statute whereby women were admitted into this Order  11   2 2 10 25 3 36 26 King Lewis being ransomed cometh into Palestine recovereth and fortifieth Sidone 3 CONRADE S. to Frederick Prince of Antioch    12   3 3 11 26 4 37 27 returneth into France 4     VI. POPPO 1  MANGO perswaded by Haito K. of Armenia to tâ—rn Christian. 1 4 4 M. 5 D. 14 27 5 38 28 5     2  2  Anno Dom. Popes Emper. of the East Emper. of the West Kings of England Kings of France Holy Warre Kings of Ierusalem Princes of Antioch Patriarchs of Ierusalem Mrs of Kn. Hospitallers Mrs of Dutch Knights Caliphs of Syria Great ChaÌ„s of Tartary Mammaluke Sultans of Egypt 1255 ALEXANDER the fourth 2 28 6 39 29 6  XVI PANTALEON a Frenchman  3  3  6 3 29 7 40 30 7    4 MUSTEAZEM the last Caliph of Syria a covetous miser coÌ„quered by the Tartarians 1 4 MELECH otherwise called CLOTHES 7 4 30 8 41 31 8    5 2 Haalach Br. to Mango taketh the citie of Babylon 5  8 5 31 9 42 32 These 10 yeares following the Genoans fighting against the Venetians and Pisans hasten the ruine of the Christians in Palestine 9    6  6  9 6 32 10 43 33 10    7  7  1260 M. 5. D. 5 MICHAEL Palaeologus 1 11 44 34 11 Haalach the Tartarian cometh to Antioch is there kindly entertained by Prince Conrade   8  8 BENDOCDAR 1 1 URBANE the fourth 1 2 12 45 35 12  He is made Pope by the name of Urbane the fourth Platina  9  HAALACH succeedeth his Br. Mango 1 2 2 2 3 13 46 36 13    10  2 3 3 3 4 14 47 37 14    11  3 4 4 M. 1 D. 4 5 15 48 38 CHARLES Earl of Anjou by the Pope made King of Jerusalem and Siâ—ilia 1 Conrade cometh into Europe to succour Conradine his kinsman   12  ABAGA Cham his S. 1 He winneth the kingdome of Damascus from the Tartarian taketh Siphet killeth all that would not turn Mahometanes winneth Joppa 5 5 CLEMENT the fourth 1 6 16 49 39 2    VII HANNO de Sanger Hausen 1  2 6 6 2 7 17 50 40 3   XX. NICOLAUS Longar 2  3 7 7 3 8 18 51 41 4    3  4 8 8 M. 9 D. 25 9 19 52 42 5 Antioch in the absence of Conrade wonne by Bendocdar   4  5 9 9 The See void 10 20 53 43 1 HUGH King of Cyprus 13. VOYAGE under St Lewis King of France Charles of Sicilie and our Prince Edward 6    5  6 10 1270  11 21 54 44 2 Tunis taken Lewis dieth 7 BOEMUND the fourth   6
handsomenesse preferred to be Patriarch William Archbishop of Tyre was violent against his election because of a prophesie That as Heraclius King of Persia wonne so an Heraclius should lose the Crosse. But others excepted that this exception was nothing worth For let God give the man and let the devil set the name As for those blind prophesies they misse the truth ofter then hit it so that no wise man will lean his belief on so slender a prop. But Heraclius had a worse name then his name the bad report of his vitious life keeping a Vintners wife whom he maintained in all state like an Empresse and owned the children he had by her Her name Pascha de Rivera and she was generally saluted The Patriarchesse His example infected the inferiour clergie whose corruption was a sad presage of the ruine of the realm For when Prelates the Seers when once those eye-strings begin to break the heart-strings hold not out long after In his time the Maronites were reconciled to the Romane Church Their main errour was the heresie of the Monothelites touching one onely will and action in Christ. For after that the heresie of Nestorius about two persons in our Saviour was detested in the Eastern Churches some thought not themselves safe enough from the heresie of two persons till they were fallen with the opposite extremity of one nature in Christ violence making men reel from one extreme to another The errour once broched found many embracers As no opinion so monstrous but if it hath had a mother it will get a nurse But now these Maronites renouncing their tenents received the Catholick faith though soon after when Saladine had conquered their countrey they relapsed to their old errours wherein they continued till the late times of Pope Gregory the thirteenth and Clement the eighth when they again renewed their communion with the Romane Church They live at this day on mount Libanus not exceeding twelve thousand households and pay to the great Turk for every one above twelve yeares old seventeen sultanines by the yeare and for every space of ground sixteen spanne square one sultanine yearly to keep themselves free from the mixture of Mahometanes A sultanine is about seven shillings six pence of our money To return to Heraclius Soon after he was sent Embassadour to Henry the second King of England to crave his personall assistance in the Holy warre delivering unto him the Royall standard with the keyes of our Saviours sepulchre the towre of David and the city of Jerusalem sent him by King Baldwine King Henry was singled out for this service before other Princes because the world justly reported him valiant wise rich powerfull and fortunate And which was the main hereby he might expiate his murder and gather up again the innocent bloud which he had shed of Thomas Becket Besides Heraclius entituled our Henry to the kingdome of Jerusalem because Geoffrey Plantagenet his father was sonne some say brother to Fulk the fourth King of Jerusalem But King Henry was too wise to bite at such a bait wherein was onely the husk of title without the kernel of profit Yet he pretended he would go into Palestine and got hereby a masse of money towards his voyage making every one as well Clerk as Lay saving such as went to pay that yeare the tenth of all their revenues moveables and chattells as well in gold as in silver Of every citie in England he chose the richest men as in London two hundred in York an hundred and so in proportion and took the tenth of all their moveables by the estimation of credible men who knew their estates imprisoning those which refused to pay sub eleemosynae titulo vitium rapacitatis includans saith Walsingham But now when he had filled his purse all expected he should fulfill his promise when all his voyage into Palestine turned into a journey into France Heraclius whilest he stayed in England consecrated the Temple-church in the suburbs of London and the house adjoyning belonging to the Templars since turned to a better use for the students of our municipall Law these new Templars defending one Christian from another as the old ones Christians from Pagans Chap. 40. Saladine fitteth himself with forrein forces The originall and great power of the Mammalukes with their first service IN the minority of King Baldwine who was but thirteen yeares old Milo de Plancia Noble-man was Protectour of the Realm Whose pride and insolence could not be brooked and therefore he was stabbed at Ptolemais and Reimund Count of Tripoli chosen to succeed him Now Saladine seriously intendeth to set on the Kingdome of Jerusalem and seeketh to furnish himself with souldiers for that service But he perceived that the ancient nation of the Egyptians had lasted so long that now it ranne dregs their spirits being as low as the countrey they lived in and they fitter to make merchants and mechanicks then military men For they were bred in such soft imployments that they were presently foundred with any hard labour Wherefore he sent to the Circassians by the lake of Meotis neare Taurica Chersonesus and thence bought many slaves of able and active bodies For it was a people born in a hard countrey no fewel for pleasure grew there nor was brought thither and bred harder so that warre was almost their nature with custome of continuall skirmishing with the neighbouring Tartars These slaves he trained up in military discipline most of them being Christians once baptized but afterwards untaught Christ they learned Mahomet and so became the worse foes to religion for once being her friends These proved excellent souldiers and speciall horsemen and are called Mammalukes And surely the greatnesse of Saladine and his successours stood not so much on the legs of their native Egyptians as it leaned on the staff of these strangers Saladine and especially the Turkish Kings after him gave great power and placed much trust in these Mammalukes Who lived a long time in ignorance of their own strength till at last they took notice of it and scorning any longer to be factours for another they would set up for themselves and got the sovereignty from the Turkish Kings Thus Princes who make their subjects over-great whet a knife for their own throats And posterity may chance to see the insolent Janizaries give the grand Seignor such a trip on the heel as may tumble him on his back But more largely of these Mammalukes usurping the kingdome of Egypt God willing in its proper place Thus Saladine having furnished himself with new souldiers went to handsel their valour upon the Christians invaded the Holy land burning all the countrey before him and raging in the bloud of poore Christians till he came and encamped about Askelon Mean time whilest Reimund Count of Tripoli Protectour of the Kingdome with Philip Earl of Flanders the chief strength of the Kingdome were absent in Celosyria wasting the countrey about