HenrytheFourth,ofGermany,assertedtherightofinvestitures,theprerogativeofconfirminghisbishopsbythedeliveryoftheringandcrosier。Buttheemperor\'spartywascrushedinItalybythearmsoftheNormansandtheCountessMathilda;andthelongquarrelhadbeenrecentlyenvenomedbytherevoltofhissonConradandtheshameofhiswife,^5who,inthesynodsofConstanceandPlacentia,confessedthemanifoldprostitutionstowhichshehadbeenexposedbyahusbandregardlessofherhonorandhisown。^6SopopularwasthecauseofUrban,soweightywashisinfluence,thatthecouncilwhichhesummonedatPlacentia^7
wascomposedoftwohundredbishopsofItaly,France,Burgandy,Swabia,andBavaria。Fourthousandoftheclergy,andthirtythousandofthelaity,attendedthisimportantmeeting;and,asthemostspaciouscathedralwouldhavebeeninadequatetothemultitude,thesessionofsevendayswasheldinaplainadjacenttothecity。TheambassadorsoftheGreekemperor,AlexiusComnenus,wereintroducedtopleadthedistressoftheirsovereign,andthedangerofConstantinople,whichwasdividedonlybyanarrowseafromthevictoriousTurks,thecommonenemiesoftheChristianname。IntheirsuppliantaddresstheyflatteredtheprideoftheLatinprinces;and,appealingatoncetotheirpolicyandreligion,exhortedthemtorepeltheBarbariansontheconfinesofAsia,ratherthantoexpectthemintheheartofEurope。AtthesadtaleofthemiseryandperilsoftheirEasternbrethren,theassemblyburstintotears;themosteagerchampionsdeclaredtheirreadinesstomarch;andtheGreekambassadorsweredismissedwiththeassuranceofaspeedyandpowerfulsuccor。ThereliefofConstantinoplewasincludedinthelargerandmostdistantprojectofthedeliveranceofJerusalem;buttheprudentUrbanadjournedthefinaldecisiontoasecondsynod,whichheproposedtocelebrateinsomecityofFranceintheautumnofthesameyear。Theshortdelaywouldpropagatetheflameofenthusiasm;andhisfirmesthopewasinanationofsoldiers^8stillproudofthepreeminenceoftheirname,andambitioustoemulatetheirheroCharlemagne,^9who,inthepopularromanceofTurpin,^10hadachievedtheconquestoftheHolyLand。AlatentmotiveofaffectionorvanitymightinfluencethechoiceofUrban:hewashimselfanativeofFrance,amonkofClugny,andthefirstofhiscountrymenwhoascendedthethroneofSt。Peter。Thepopehadillustratedhisfamilyandprovince;noristhereperhapsamoreexquisitegratificationthantorevisit,inaconspicuousdignity,thehumbleandlaboriousscenesofouryouth。
[Footnote3:Ultraquinquagintamillia,simepossuntinexpeditioneproduceetpontificehabere,armatamanuvoluntininimicosDeiinsurgereetadsepulchrumDominiipsoducentepervenire,Gregor。vii。epist。ii。31,intom。xii。322,concil。]
[Footnote4:SeetheoriginallivesofUrbanII。byPandulphusPisanusandBernardusGuido,inMuratori,Rer。Ital。Script。tom。
iii。parsi。p。352,353。]
[Footnote5:SheisknownbythedifferentnamesofPraxes,Eupraecia,Eufrasia,andAdelais;andwasthedaughterofaRussianprince,andthewidowofamargraveofBrandenburgh。
Struv。CorpusHist。Germanicae,p。340。]
[Footnote6:Henricusodioeamcoepithabere:ideoincarceraviteam,etconcessitutpleriquevimeiinferrent;immofiliumhortansuteamsubagitaret,Dodechin,Continuat。Marian。Scot。
apudBaron。A。D。1093,No。4。InthesynodofConstance,sheisdescribedbyBertholdus,reruminspector:quaesetantasettaminauditasfornicationumspurcitias,etatantispassamfuisseconquestaest,&c。;andagainatPlacentia:satismisericorditersuscepit,eoquodipsamtantasspurcitiaspertulisseprocertocognoveritpapacumsanctasynodo。ApudBaron。A。D。1093,No。4,1094,No。3。Araresubjectfortheinfallibledecisionofapopeandcouncil。Theseabominationsarerepugnanttoeveryprincipleofhumannature,whichisnotalteredbyadisputeaboutringsandcrosiers。Yetitshouldseem,thatthewretchedwomanwastemptedbytheprieststorelateorsubscribesomeinfamousstoriesofherselfandherhusband。]
[Footnote7:SeethenarrativeandactsofthesynodofPlacentia,Concil。tom。xii。p。821,&c。]
[Footnote8:Guibert,himselfaFrenchman,praisesthepietyandvaloroftheFrenchnation,theauthorandexampleofthecrusades:Gensnobilis,prudens,bellicosa,dapsilisetnitida……QuosenimBritones,Anglos,Ligures,siboniseosmoribusvideamus,nonillicoFrancoshominesappellemus?p。478。Heowns,however,thatthevivacityoftheFrenchdegeneratesintopetulanceamongforeigners,p。488。andvainloquaciousness,p。502。]
[Footnote9:PerviamquamjamdudumCarolusMagnusmirificusrexFrancorumaptarifecitusqueC。P。,GestaFrancorum,p。1。
Robert。Monach。Hist。Hieros。l。i。p。33,&c。]
[Footnote10:JohnTilpinus,orTurpinus,wasarchbishopofRheims,A。D。773。Aftertheyear1000,thisromancewascomposedinhisname,byamonkofthebordersofFranceandSpain;andsuchwastheideaofecclesiasticalmerit,thathedescribeshimselfasafightinganddrinkingpriest!YetthebookoflieswaspronouncedauthenticbyPopeCalixtusII。,A。D。1122,andisrespectfullyquotedbytheabbotSuger,inthegreatChroniclesofSt。Denys,FabricBibliot。LatinMediiAevi,edit。
Mansi,tom。iv。p。161。]
ItmayoccasionsomesurprisethattheRomanpontiffshoulderect,intheheartofFrance,thetribunalfromwhencehehurledhisanathemasagainsttheking;butoursurprisewillvanishsosoonasweformajustestimateofakingofFranceoftheeleventhcentury。^11PhiliptheFirstwasthegreat—grandsonofHughCapet,thefounderofthepresentrace,who,inthedeclineofCharlemagne\'sposterity,addedtheregaltitletohispatrimonialestatesofParisandOrleans。Inthisnarrowcompass,hewaspossessedofwealthandjurisdiction;butintherestofFrance,Hughandhisfirstdescendantswerenomorethanthefeudallordsofaboutsixtydukesandcounts,ofindependentandhereditarypower,^12whodisdainedthecontroloflawsandlegalassemblies,andwhosedisregardoftheirsovereignwasrevengedbythedisobedienceoftheirinferiorvassals。AtClermont,intheterritoriesofthecountofAuvergne,^13thepopemightbravewithimpunitytheresentmentofPhilip;andthecouncilwhichheconvenedinthatcitywasnotlessnumerousorrespectablethanthesynodofPlacentia。^14BesideshiscourtandcouncilofRomancardinals,hewassupportedbythirteenarchbishopsandtwohundredandtwenty—fivebishops:thenumberofmitredprelateswascomputedatfourhundred;andthefathersofthechurchwereblessedbythesaintsandenlightenedbythedoctorsoftheage。Fromtheadjacentkingdoms,amartialtrainoflordsandknightsofpowerandrenownattendedthecouncil,^15inhighexpectationofitsresolves;andsuchwastheardorofzealandcuriosity,thatthecitywasfilled,andmanythousands,inthemonthofNovember,erectedtheirtentsorhutsintheopenfield。Asessionofeightdaysproducedsomeusefuloredifyingcanonsforthereformationofmanners;aseverecensurewaspronouncedagainstthelicenseofprivatewar;theTruceofGod^16wasconfirmed,asuspensionofhostilitiesduringfourdaysoftheweek;womenandpriestswereplacedunderthesafeguardofthechurch;andaprotectionofthreeyearswasextendedtohusbandmenandmerchants,thedefencelessvictimsofmilitaryrapine。Butalaw,howevervenerablebethesanction,cannotsuddenlytransformthetemperofthetimes;andthebenevolenteffortsofUrbandeservethelesspraise,sincehelaboredtoappeasesomedomesticquarrelsthathemightspreadtheflamesofwarfromtheAtlantictotheEuphrates。FromthesynodofPlacentia,therumorofhisgreatdesignhadgoneforthamongthenations:theclergyontheirreturnhadpreachedineverydiocesethemeritandgloryofthedeliveranceoftheHolyLand;andwhenthepopeascendedaloftyscaffoldinthemarket—placeofClermont,hiseloquencewasaddressedtoawell—preparedandimpatientaudience。Histopicswereobvious,hisexhortationwasvehement,hissuccessinevitable。Theoratorwasinterruptedbytheshoutofthousands,whowithonevoice,andintheirrusticidiom,exclaimedaloud,\"Godwillsit,Godwillsit。\"^17\"ItisindeedthewillofGod,\"repliedthepope;
\"andletthismemorableword,theinspirationsurelyoftheHolySpirit,beforeveradoptedasyourcryofbattle,toanimatethedevotionandcourageofthechampionsofChrist。Hiscrossisthesymbolofyoursalvation;wearit,ared,abloodycross,asanexternalmark,onyourbreastsorshoulders,asapledgeofyoursacredandirrevocableengagement。\"Theproposalwasjoyfullyaccepted;greatnumbers,bothoftheclergyandlaity,impressedontheirgarmentsthesignofthecross,^18andsolicitedthepopetomarchattheirhead。ThisdangeroushonorwasdeclinedbythemoreprudentsuccessorofGregory,whoallegedtheschismofthechurch,andthedutiesofhispastoraloffice,recommendingtothefaithful,whoweredisqualifiedbysexorprofession,byageorinfirmity,toaid,withtheirprayersandalms,thepersonalserviceoftheirrobustbrethren。
ThenameandpowersofhislegatehedevolvedonAdhemarbishopofPuy,thefirstwhohadreceivedthecrossathishands。TheforemostofthetemporalchiefswasRaymondcountofThoulouse,whoseambassadorsinthecouncilexcusedtheabsence,andpledgedthehonor,oftheirmaster。Aftertheconfessionandabsolutionoftheirsins,thechampionsofthecrossweredismissedwithasuperfluousadmonitiontoinvitetheircountrymenandfriends;
andtheirdeparturefortheHolyLandwasfixedtothefestivaloftheAssumption,thefifteenthofAugust,oftheensuingyear。
^19
[Footnote11:SeeEtatdelaFrance,bytheCountdeBoulainvilliers,tom。i。p。180—182,andthesecondvolumeoftheObservationssurl\'HistoiredeFrance,bytheAbbedeMably。]
[Footnote12:IntheprovincestothesouthoftheLoire,thefirstCapetianswerescarcelyallowedafeudalsupremacy。Onallsides,Normandy,Bretagne,Aquitain,Burgundy,Lorraine,andFlanders,contractedthesameandlimitsoftheproperFrance。
SeeHadrianVales。NotitiaGalliarum]
[Footnote13:Thesecounts,ayoungerbranchofthedukesofAquitain,wereatlengthdespoiledofthegreatestpartoftheircountrybyPhilipAugustus。ThebishopsofClermontgraduallybecameprincesofthecity。Melanges,tiresd\'unegrandBibliotheque,tom。xxxvi。p。288,&c。]
[Footnote14:SeetheActsofthecouncilofClermont,Concil。
tom。xii。p。829,&c。]
[Footnote15:Confluxeruntadconciliumemultisregionibus,viripotentesethonorati,innumeriquamviscingulolaicalismilitiaesuperbi,Baldric,aneye—witness,p。86—88。Robert。Monach。
p。31,32。Will。Tyr。i。14,15,p。639—641。Guibert,p。478
—480。Fulcher。Carnot。p。382。]
[Footnote16:TheTruceofGodTreva,orTreugaDeiwasfirstinventedinAquitain,A。D。1032;blamedbysomebishopsasanoccasionofperjury,andrejectedbytheNormansascontrarytotheirprivilegesDucange,GlossLatin。tom。vi。p。682—685。]
[Footnote17:Deusvult,Deusvult!wasthepureacclamationoftheclergywhounderstoodLatin,Robert。Mon。l。i。p。32。Bytheilliteratelaity,whospoketheProvincialorLimousinidiom,itwascorruptedtoDeuslovolt,orDiexelvolt。SeeChron。
Casinense,l。iv。c。11,p。497,inMuratori,Script。RerumItal。
tom。iv。,andDucange,Dissertatxi。p。207,surJoinville,andGloss。Latin。tom。ii。p。690,who,inhispreface,producesaverydifficultspecimenofthedialectofRovergue,A。D。1100,verynear,bothintimeandplace,tothecouncilofClermont,p。15,16。]
[Footnote18:Mostcommonlyontheirshoulders,ingold,orsilk,orclothsewedontheirgarments。Inthefirstcrusade,allwerered,inthethird,theFrenchalonepreservedthatcolor,whilegreencrosseswereadoptedbytheFlemings,andwhitebytheEnglish,Ducange,tom。ii。p。651。YetinEngland,theredeverappearsthefavorite,andasifwere,thenational,colorofourmilitaryensignsanduniforms。]
[Footnote19:Bongarsius,whohaspublishedtheoriginalwritersofthecrusades,adopts,withmuchcomplacency,thefanatictitleofGuibertus,GestaDeiperFrancos;thoughsomecriticsproposetoreadGestaDiaboliperFrancos,Hanoviae,1611,twovols。infolio。Ishallbrieflyenumerate,astheystandinthiscollection,theauthorswhomIhaveusedforthefirstcrusade。
I。GestaFrancorum。
II。RobertusMonachus。
III。Baldricus。
IV。RaimundusdeAgiles。
V。AlbertusAquensisVI。FulcheriusCarnotensis。
VII。Guibertus。
VIII。WillielmusTyriensis。Muratorihasgivenus,IX。RadulphusCadomensisdeGestisTancredi,Script。Rer。Ital。tom。v。p。285—333,
X。BernardusThesaurariusdeAcquisitioneTerraeSanctae,tom。vii。p。664—848。
ThelastofthesewasunknowntoalateFrenchhistorian,whohasgivenalargeandcriticallistofthewritersofthecrusades,EspritdesCroisades,tom。i。p。13—141,andmostofwhosejudgmentsmyownexperiencewillallowmetoratify。ItwaslatebeforeIcouldobtainasightoftheFrenchhistorianscollectedbyDuchesne。I。PetriTudebodiSacerdotisSivracensisHistoriadeHierosolymitanoItinere,tom。iv。p。773—815,hasbeentransfusedintothefirstanonymouswriterofBongarsius。
II。TheMetricalHistoryofthefirstCrusade,invii。books,p。
890—912,isofsmallvalueoraccount。
Note:Severalnewdocuments,particularlyfromtheEast,havebeencollectedbytheindustryofthemodernhistoriansofthecrusades,M。MichaudandWilken。—M。]
Sofamiliar,andasitweresonaturaltoman,isthepracticeofviolence,thatourindulgenceallowstheslightestprovocation,themostdisputableright,asasufficientgroundofnationalhostility。Butthenameandnatureofaholywardemandsamorerigorousscrutiny;norcanwehastilybelieve,thattheservantsofthePrinceofPeacewouldunsheathetheswordofdestruction,unlessthemotivewerepure,thequarrellegitimate,andthenecessityinevitable。Thepolicyofanactionmaybedeterminedfromthetardylessonsofexperience;
but,beforeweact,ourconscienceshouldbesatisfiedofthejusticeandproprietyofourenterprise。Intheageofthecrusades,theChristians,bothoftheEastandWest,werepersuadedoftheirlawfulnessandmerit;theirargumentsarecloudedbytheperpetualabuseofScriptureandrhetoric;buttheyseemtoinsistontherightofnaturalandreligiousdefence,theirpeculiartitletotheHolyLand,andtheimpietyoftheirPaganandMahometanfoes。^20
I。Therightofajustdefencemayfairlyincludeourcivilandspiritualallies:itdependsontheexistenceofdanger;andthatdangermustbeestimatedbythetwofoldconsiderationofthemalice,andthepower,ofourenemies。ApernicioustenethasbeenimputedtotheMahometans,thedutyofextirpatingallotherreligionsbythesword。ThischargeofignoranceandbigotryisrefutedbytheKoran,bythehistoryoftheMussulmanconquerors,andbytheirpublicandlegaltolerationoftheChristianworship。Butitcannotbedenied,thattheOrientalchurchesaredepressedundertheirironyoke;that,inpeaceandwar,theyassertadivineandindefeasibleclaimofuniversalempire;andthat,intheirorthodoxcreed,theunbelievingnationsarecontinuallythreatenedwiththelossofreligionorliberty。Intheeleventhcentury,thevictoriousarmsoftheTurkspresentedarealandurgentapprehensionoftheselosses。Theyhadsubdued,inlessthanthirtyyears,thekingdomsofAsia,asfarasJerusalemandtheHellespont;andtheGreekempiretotteredonthevergeofdestruction。Besidesanhonestsympathyfortheirbrethren,theLatinshadarightandinterestinthesupportofConstantinople,themostimportantbarrieroftheWest;andtheprivilegeofdefencemustreachtoprevent,aswellastorepel,animpendingassault。Butthissalutarypurposemighthavebeenaccomplishedbyamoderatesuccor;andourcalmerreasonmustdisclaimtheinnumerablehosts,andremoteoperations,whichoverwhelmedAsiaanddepopulatedEurope。
[Footnote20:IfthereaderwillturntothefirstsceneoftheFirstPartofHenrytheFourth,hewillseeinthetextofShakespearethenaturalfeelingsofenthusiasm;andinthenotesofDr。Johnsontheworkingsofabigoted,thoughvigorousmind,greedyofeverypretencetohateandpersecutethosewhodissentfromhiscreed。]
[Footnote*:Themannerinwhichthewarwasconductedsurelyhaslittlerelationtotheabstractquestionofthejusticeorinjusticeofthewar。Themostjustandnecessarywarmaybeconductedwiththemostprodigalwasteofhumanlife,andthewildestfanaticism;themostunjustwiththecoolestmoderationandconsummategeneralship。Thequestionis,whetherthelibertiesandreligionofEuropewereindangerfromtheaggressionsofMahometanism?Ifso,itisdifficulttolimittheright,thoughitmaybepropertoquestionthewisdom,ofoverwhelmingtheenemywiththearmedpopulationofawholecontinent,andrepelling,ifpossible,theinvadingconquerorintohisnativedeserts。Thecrusadesaremonumentsofhumanfolly!buttowhichofthemoreregularwarscivilized。Europe,wagedforpersonalambitionornationaljealousy,willourcalmerreasonappealasmonumentseitherofhumanjusticeorhumanwisdom?—M。]
II。PalestinecouldaddnothingtothestrengthorsafetyoftheLatins;andfanaticismalonecouldpretendtojustifytheconquestofthatdistantandnarrowprovince。TheChristiansaffirmedthattheirinalienabletitletothepromisedlandhadbeensealedbythebloodoftheirdivineSavior;itwastheirrightanddutytorescuetheirinheritancefromtheunjustpossessors,whoprofanedhissepulchre,andoppressedthepilgrimageofhisdisciples。VainlywoulditbeallegedthatthepreeminenceofJerusalem,andthesanctityofPalestine,havebeenabolishedwiththeMosaiclaw;thattheGodoftheChristiansisnotalocaldeity,andthattherecoveryofBethlemorCalvary,hiscradleorhistomb,willnotatonefortheviolationofthemoralpreceptsofthegospel。Suchargumentsglanceasidefromtheleadenshieldofsuperstition;andthereligiousmindwillnoteasilyrelinquishitsholdonthesacredgroundofmysteryandmiracle。