_The Chivalry of Europe takes the Field--The Leaders--Godfrey of
Bouillon--Conducts his Army towards Constantinople--Hugh the Great--Leads
his Army through Italy--Embarks for Durazzo--Taken Prisoner--Liberated--
Robert, Duke of Normandy--Winters in Italy--Arrives at Constantinople--
Robert, Count of Flanders--Joins the rest--Boemond of Tarentum--Tancred--
Their March--Defeat the Greeks--Boemond does Homage--Tancred avoids it--
The Count of Toulouse arrives--Refuses to do Homage--Robert of Normandy
does Homage._
While the undisciplined and barbarous multitudes who first set out were
hurrying to destruction, various princes and leaders were engaged, as I
have before said, in collecting the Chivalry of Europe under the banner of
the Cross. Six distinguished chiefs--Godfrey of Bouillon, Duke of
Loraine--Hugh the Great, Count of Vermandois, and brother of Philip, King
of France--Robert, Duke of Normandy, brother of William Rufus--Robert,
Count of Flanders--Boemond, Prince of Tarentum--and Raimond, Count of
Toulouse--conducted six separate armies towards Constantinople: and I
propose, in this chapter, to follow each of them till their junction in
Bithynia.
It is indeed a pleasure to turn our eyes from scenes of horror and crime
to the contemplation of those great and shining qualities--those noble and
enthusiastic virtues, which entered into the composition of that rare
quintessence, the spirit of Chivalry.
Doubtless, in the war which I am about to paint there occurred many things
that are to be deeply regretted, as furnishing abundantly that quantity of
alloy which is ever, unhappily, mixed with virtue's purest gold: but, at
the same time, I now come to speak of men, in many of whom splendid
courage, and moral beauty, and religious zeal, and temperate wisdom, and
generous magnanimity, combined to form the great and wonderful of this
earth's children. Indeed, if ever there was a man who well merited the
glorious name of a true knight, that man was Godfrey of Bouillon; and few
have described him without becoming poets for that once.
I will not borrow from Tasso--who had the privilege of eulogium--but, in
striving to paint the character of the great leader of the crusade, I
shall take the words of one of the simplest of the writers of his
age,[138] and give them as nearly as possible in their original tone: "He
was beautiful in countenance," says Robert the Monk, "tall in stature,
agreeable in his discourse, admirable in his morals, and at the same time
so gentle, that he seemed better fitted for the monk than for the knight;
but when his enemies appeared before him, and the combat approached, his
soul became filled with mighty daring; like a lion, he feared not for his
person--and what shield, what buckler, could resist the fall of his
sword?"
Perhaps of all men of the age, Godfrey of Bouillon was the most
distinguished. His mother Ida, daughter of Godfrey, Duke of Loraine, was
celebrated for her love of letters,[139] and from her it is probable that
Godfrey himself derived that taste for literature, so singular among the
warriors of that day. He spoke several languages, excelled in every
chivalrous exercise, was calm and deliberate in council, firm and decided
in resolution; he was active, clearsighted, and prudent, while he was
cool, frank, and daring; in the battle he was fierce as the lion, but in
victory he was moderate and humane.
Though still in his prime of years when the crusades were preached, he was
already old in exploits: he had upheld Henry IV. on the imperial throne,
had attacked and forced the walls of Rome, and had shone in a hundred
fields, where his standard ever was raised upon the side of honour and of
virtue.
Long ere the idea of such an enterprise as the crusade became general in
Europe, Godfrey had often been heard to declare, when tales were brought
him of the miseries of the Holy Land, that he longed to travel to
Jerusalem,[140] not with staff and scrip,[141] but with spear and shield;
and it may well be conceived that his was one of the first standards
raised in the ranks of the Cross. A fever that had hung upon him for some
time left him at the tidings, and he felt as if he had shaken off a load
of years, and recovered all his youth.[142]
His fame as a leader soon collected an immense number of other barons and
knights, who willingly ranged themselves under his banner; and we find
that besides Baldwin, his brother[143]--and many other relations--the
lords of St. Paul, of Hainault, of Gray, of Toul, of Hache, of Conti, and
of Montagne, with their knights and retainers, had joined him before the
beginning of August,[144] and towards the middle of that month they began
their march with all the splendour of Chivalry.[145]
The progress of this new body of crusaders was directed, like that of
Peter the Hermit, towards Hungary; but the conduct maintained by the
followers of Godfrey was as remarkable for its strict discipline,
moderation, and order, as that of his predecessors had been for turbulence
and excess.[146] The first objects, however, that presented themselves on
the Hungarian frontier were the unburied corpses of the fanatic crowd
slain near Mersburg.
Here then Godfrey paused during three weeks,[147] investigating calmly the
causes of the bloody spectacle before him; after which he wrote to
Carloman, king of Hungary; and his letter on this occasion, mingling
firmness with moderation, gives a fair picture of his noble and dignified
character. Having mentioned the horrible sight which had arrested him in
his progress, and the rumours he had heard, he proceeds--"However severe
may have been the punishment inflicted on our brethren, whose remains lie
round about us, if that punishment was merited, our anger shall expire;
but if, on the contrary, you have calumniated the innocent, and given them
up to death, we will not pass over in silence the murder of the servants
of God, but will instantly show ourselves ready to avenge the blood of our
brethren."[148]
It was easy for Carloman to prove that the aggression had been on the side
of the crusaders; and after various acts of confidence between
Godfrey[149] and the king, the army of the Cross was permitted to pass
through Hungary, which they accomplished in safety and peace, maintaining
the strictest discipline and regularity, and trading with the people of
the country with good faith and courtesy. Hence, proceeding through
Bulgaria and Thrace, Godfrey led his troops peacefully on to Philippopoli,
where he was met by deputies from the emperor, charged with orders to see
that the crusaders should be furnished with every kind of necessary
provision.
In passing through Dacia and Bulgaria, the army of Godfrey had been not a
little[150] straitened for food, and it is impossible to say what might
have been the consequences, had the same dearth been suffered to continue.
The prudent conduct of the emperor did away all cause of violence, and
after the arrival of his deputies, the troops of the Cross celebrated his
liberality with joy and gratitude.
News soon reached the army[151] of Godfrey, however, which changed their
opinion of Alexius, and showed him as the subtle and treacherous being
that he really was. To explain what this news consisted of, I must turn
for a moment to another party of crusaders, who, while Godfrey pursued
his peaceful course through Hungary, marched towards the general
meeting-place at Constantinople, by the way of Italy.
Hugh, Count of Vermandois, had assembled an army even superior in number
to that of Godfrey of Bouillon, and was himself in every respect
calculated to shine at the head of such an armament. He was gallant,[152]
brave, handsome, and talented; but the calm and dignified spirit of
moderation, which so characterized Godfrey of Bouillon, was wanting in the
brother of the French king. Joined to his expedition, though marching in
separate bodies, and at distinct times,[153] were the troops of Robert,
Duke of Normandy, and Stephen, Count of Blois; with those of Robert, Count
of Flanders, in another division.[154]
The count of Vermandois, impetuous and proud, took his departure before
his companions, traversed Italy, and embarking at Barri, landed with but a
scanty train at Durazzo. His expectations were high, and his language
haughty, supposing he should find in the Greek emperor the same humbled
supplicant who had craved, in abject terms, assistance against the
infidels from his Christian brethren of the west. But the position of the
emperor had now changed. The Turks, occupied with other interests, no
longer menaced his frontier. The imperial city slept in peace and
splendour; and if he had any thing to fear, it was from his own restless
and turbulent subjects rather than from his Saracen foes. Nor, in fact,
had he ever been desirous of any thing like the expedition that was
entering his dominions. He had prayed for aid and assistance to defend his
country, but Urban had preached a crusade, and the princes were now in
arms to reconquer the Christian territories in Asia, as well as to protect
those of Europe. He had gladly heard of the crusade, and willingly
consented to it, it is true, as he well knew it would afford a mighty
diversion in his favour, but he then dreamed not of the armed millions
that were now swarming towards his capital. His position, too, had
changed, as I have said, and he immediately determined upon a line of
policy well suited to the weak subtlety of his character.
Alexius was one of those men whose minds are not of sufficient scope to
view life as a whole, and who therefore have not one great object in their
deeds; who act for the petty interests of the moment, and whose cunning,
compared with the talents of a really great mind, is like the skill of a
fencing-master compared with the genius of a great general. He saw not,
and felt not, the vast ultimate benefit which he might receive from
maintaining a dignified friendship with the princes commanding the
crusade. He did not perceive what an immense and powerful engine was
placed, if he chose it, at his disposition.--In his narrow selfishness, he
only beheld a temporary danger from the great forces that were
approaching, and he strove to diminish them by every base and petty
artifice. He did not endeavour to make himself great by their means, but
he tried to bring them down to his own littleness. It is true, that on
some occasions he showed feelings of liberality and humanity; but from his
general conduct it is but fair to infer that these were the
inconsistencies of selfishness; and that though he was sometimes prudent
enough to be liberal, he was not wise enough to be uniformly generous.
On the arrival of Hugh at Durazzo, he was at first received with respect,
and entertained with honour and profusion; and thus finding himself at
ease, he was induced to remain for a time in confident security. Suddenly,
however, without a pretence for such violence, he was arrested, together
with his train, and sent to Constantinople, some authors say, _in
chains_.[155]
Nevertheless, it is not probable that Alexius dared to carry his
inhospitality so far; and one of the historians[156] of the day
particularly marks, that the prisoner was treated with every testimony of
respect. Guibert also ventures a supposition respecting the motives of
Alexius, far superior to the general steril course of ancient chronicles.
He imagines--and I wonder that the idea has not been adopted by any
one--that the object of the Greek emperor, in confining Hugh, was to
obtain from him, before the other princes should arrive, that act of
homage which he intended to exact from all. The brother of the king of
France himself having taken the oath, would be so strong a precedent, that
it is more than probable, Alexius[157] fancied the rest of the crusaders
would easily agree to do that which their superior in rank had done
previous to their arrival.
At Philippopoli[158] the news of Hugh's imprisonment reached the army of
Godfrey de Bouillon, and with the prompt but prudent firmness of that
great leader's character, he instantly sent messengers to Alexius,
demanding the immediate liberation of the Count of Vermandois and his
companions, accompanying the message with a threat of hostilities, if the
demand were not conceded.
Godfrey then marched on to Adrianople,[159] where he was met by his
deputies, bringing the refusal of the emperor to comply with his request:
in consequence of which the country was instantly given up to pillage; and
so signal were the effects of this sort of vengeance, that Alexius
speedily found himself forced to put his prisoners at liberty. The moment
that a promise to this effect was received, Godfrey recalled his forces;
and with wonderful discipline and subordination, they instantly abandoned
the ravages they were before licensed to commit, and marched on peacefully
towards Constantinople. Had the armies of the Cross continued to show such
obedience and moderation, Palestine would now have been Christian.
In the neighbourhood of the imperial city Godfrey pitched his tents, and
the innumerable[160] multitude of his steel-clad warriors struck terror
into the heart of the fearful monarch of the east.[161] To the Count of
Vermandois, however, it was a sight of joy; and issuing forth from
Constantinople with his friends and followers, he galloped forward to the
immense camp of the crusaders, where, casting himself into the arms of
Godfrey,[162] he gave himself up to such transports of delight and
gratitude, that the bystanders were moved to tears.
The emperor now turned the whole force of his artful mind to wring from
Godfrey an act of homage, and for several weeks he continued, by every
sort of fluctuating baseness, to disturb his repose, and to irritate his
followers. At one time, he was all professions of kindness and liberality;
at another, he breathed nothing but warfare and opposition. Sometimes the
markets were shut to the crusaders, sometimes the private stores of the
emperor himself were opened.
At length, after having twice defeated the bands of plunderers sent by
Alexius to attack him,[163] Godfrey gave way to his wrath, and for six
days successively ravaged the country round Constantinople with fire and
sword. Alexius on this again changed his conduct, and with every
profession of regard demanded an interview with the chief of the
crusaders, offering his son as a hostage for his good faith. With this
safeguard Godfrey, followed by several other noble knights, entered
Constantinople, and proceeded to the imperial palace, clothed in his robes
of peace,[164] and bearing purple and ermine and gold, instead of the iron
panoply of war.[165]
The great leader was received by the emperor with the highest distinction,
was honoured with the kiss of peace, and underwent that curious ceremony
of an adoption of honour (as it was then called) as son to the
emperor.[166] He was clothed with imperial robes,[167] and the monarch,
calling him his son, nominally placed his empire at Godfrey's disposal. In
return for the distinctions he had received--and probably pressed by Hugh,
Count of Vermandois, who loved not to stand alone, in having yielded
homage to Alexius--Godfrey consented to give the emperor his hand,
according to the feudal forms of France, and to declare himself his
liegeman.
His fears dissipated by this concession, and his hopes of winning the
princes who were to follow, by so illustrious an example, raised to the
highest pitch, Alexius loaded Godfrey and his followers with magnificent
presents, and suffered them to depart. Peace was now permitted to remain
unbroken; and after having refreshed themselves for some days, the army of
the crusaders passed the Hellespont, and encamped at Chalcedon,[168] to
wait the arrival of their brethren.
It is more than probable that Godfrey was induced to quit the original
place of rendezvous by the solicitations of Alexius, who took care, it has
been since observed, to guard his capital from the presence of any two of
the crusading hosts at one time.
Boemond, prince of Tarentum, and son of the famous Guiscard, had quitted
Italy shortly after the departure of Godfrey from Loraine. Various tales
are told of the manner in which he first declared his purpose of joining
the crusade. Some have asserted, that on hearing of the expedition, while
engaged in the siege of Amalfi, he dashed his armour to pieces with his
battle-axe,[169] and caused it to be formed into small crosses, which he
distributed among his soldiery. Others reduce the anecdote to a less
chivalrous but perhaps more civilized degree of energy, and state, that
he caused his mantle to be cut into crosses for his troops.[170]
As many relate the tale, it is likely to have had some foundation; and
there is no doubt that Boemond abandoned all his vast possessions in
Italy, with the reserve only of Tarentum, and devoted himself to the wars
of the Cross. His presence might have proved more generally advantageous
to the cause, had he not, by this enthusiastic renunciation, given himself
other motives in the warfare before him, besides those of religion and
humanity. He had naturally in his veins quite sufficient of the blood of
Guiscard to require no additional stimulus to the desire of conquering for
himself. He was nevertheless one of the best soldiers of the Cross, so far
as military skill availed--bold, powerful, keen, and active; and
possessing that sort of shrewd and even wily art, which, joined with his
other qualities, formed an enterprising and successful leader, more
perhaps than a distinguished knight.
With him, however, came the noblest of all the Christian Chivalry,
Tancred--whose valour, generosity, enthusiasm, and courtesy have been the
theme of so many a song--of whom Tasso, in seeking to describe him in the
highest language of poetry, could say nothing more than truth,
Vien poi Tancredi, e non è alcun fra tanti
Tranne Rinaldo--O feritor maggiore,
O più bel di maniere e di sembianti
O più eccelso ed entrepido di core.[171]
Few characters can be conceived more opposed to each other than those of
the relations,[172] Tancred and Boemond; and yet we find Tancred willingly
serving in the army of the Prince of Tarentum, as second to that chief.
The same unambitious modesty is to be discovered throughout the whole
history of the young knight; and though we ever behold him opposed to
meannesses, by whomsoever they may be adopted, we still see him willing to
take upon himself the danger and labour of an inferior station.
Under the banners of these chiefs marched a host of Italian and Norman
nobles; the army, it is said, amounting to ten thousand horse,[173] and an
immense multitude of foot, in which view of the forces we must remember
that only men of noble birth were usually admitted to fight on
horseback.[174] These troops were even increased as they marched to the
seacoast of Apulia; and the great body of those Normans who, not a century
before, had taken complete possession of the country, now left it for the
Holy Land.
Mills,[175] following his particular theory, supposes Urban the pope to
smile with triumphant self-gratulation on seeing the army of Boemond
depart; but it seems strange, that the prelate should rejoice in the
absence of the very men by whom he had been always protected, while his
enemies remained, and were even in possession of the old church of St.
Peter[176] at Rome, as we learn by a contemporary crusader.
The forces of Boemond and Tancred landed at Durazzo, and made their way,
with much more regularity than could have been expected, through
Epirus.[177] They were harassed, however, on their march by various
skirmishes with the Greek troops, who did every thing in their power to
destroy the crusading army, although Alexius[178] had sent messengers to
Boemond himself congratulating him on his arrival, and promising every
kind of assistance. These attacks, nevertheless, only amounted to a petty
degree of annoyance, till the host of the Cross came to the passage of
the Axius. Here, a part of the forces having traversed the river with
almost the whole of the cavalry, the rear of the army was suddenly
attacked by an infinitely superior body of Greeks.[179]
Tancred, already on the other side, lost not a moment, but, spurring his
horse into the water, followed by about two thousand knights, he charged
the Greeks so vigorously as to drive them back with considerable loss in
killed and prisoners. When brought before Boemond, the captives justified
themselves by avouching the commands of the emperor, and Tancred would
fain have pursued and exterminated the forces of the perfidious Greek.
Boemond, however, more prudently forbore, and, without retaliation of any
kind, advanced to Adrianople.
I see no reason to qualify this moderation as subtilty, which Mills has
not scrupled to do. Boemond was artful beyond all doubt, but this was not
a fair instance of any thing but wisdom and self-command. At Adrianople,
well knowing the character of Alexius, to whom he had frequently been
opposed, and foreseeing that his troops might be irritated by various acts
of annoyance,[180] Boemond drew up his army, and, in a calm and temperate
speech, represented to them that they had taken up arms in the cause of
Christ, and therefore that it was their duty to refrain from all acts of
hostility towards their fellow-christians.
Shortly after this, the Prince of Tarentum was met by deputies from the
emperor, inviting him to come on with all speed to Constantinople, leaving
his army behind, under the command of Tancred. Boemond at first refused to
trust himself in the power of his ancient enemy,[181] but Godfrey of
Bouillon having visited him in person, and guarantied his security, the
Italian chief agreed to the arrangement proposed, and accompanied the Duke
of Loraine to the imperial palace. Gold and dominion were always motives
of great force with the mind of Boemond, and Alexius did not spare such
temptations, either present or to come, for the purpose of inducing the
Prince of Tarentum to do homage to the eastern empire. His promises were
limitless, and the actual presents[182] which he heaped upon the
Normo-Italian immense. He also granted him, it is said, a territory in
Romania, consisting, in length, of as much ground as a horse could travel
in fifteen days; and, in breadth,[183] of as much as could be traversed in
eight; besides which, he loaded him with jewels and gold, and rich
vestments, till Boemond, from one of his most inveterate enemies, became
one of his firmest allies. This, indeed, proceeded from no confidence or
friendship on either side. Boemond still felt how little Alexius could
forgive the injuries he had in former days inflicted, and dared not trust
himself to eat of the meat set before him at the emperor's table.
Alexius, with all the penetration of his race, evidently dived into the
Norman's thoughts, and saw that he aspired even to the imperial crown
itself.[184] No reliance, therefore, existed between them; but, on the one
hand, Boemond, for considerations of interest, forgot his dignity, and did
homage to the emperor, while Alexius, on his part, agreed that the homage
should be void, if the promises he made were not exactly fulfilled.[185]
The news of his relation's humiliation soon reached Tancred, who was
leading on their united forces towards Constantinople; and though
unquestionably, the lamentation attributed to him by his biographer[186]
is somewhat more poetical than real, little doubt can be entertained that
the gallant prince was painfully struck by Boemond's disgraceful
concessions. Hugh of Vermandois had done homage to obtain his liberty;
Godfrey of Bouillon, to restore peace and unanimity between the Christian
emperor and the crusaders; Boemond _sold_ his homage, with no palliating
circumstance.
The determination of Tancred seems to have been taken almost immediately
on hearing this news, and marching upon Constantinople as if it were his
intention to follow exactly the course of his relation, he suddenly
crossed the Hellespont[187] without giving notice to any one, and joined
the army of Godfrey at Chalcedon.[188]
This conduct greatly irritated Alexius, and he made several efforts to
bring Tancred back without success; but the arrival of Raimond de St.
Gilles, Count of Toulouse, with the immense army of the Languedocian
crusaders, soon called the attention of the emperor in another direction.
The Count of Toulouse has been very variously represented, and no doubt
can exist that he was a bold and skilful leader, a courageous and resolute
man. He was, it is said, intolerant and tenacious of reverence, fond of
pomp and display, and withal revengeful, though his revenge was always of
a bold and open character. Not so his avarice, which led him to commit as
many pitiful meannesses as ever sprang from that basest of desires. He was
proud, too, beyond all question; but where his covetousness did not
overbalance the other great principle of his nature, he maintained, in
his general conduct, that line of moral firmness which dignifies pride,
and raises it almost to a virtue.
Under the banners of the Count of Toulouse marched the gay Chivalry of all
the south of France--Gascons, and Provençals, and Auvergnats--people, in
whose hearts the memory of Saracen invasions from Spain was still fresh;
and whose quick and passionate dispositions had at once embraced with
enthusiasm the holy war. A glorious train of lords and knights followed
their noble chief, and the legate of the pope, as well as several other
bishops, gave religious dignity to this body of the crusaders.
The count directed his course by Sclavonia towards Greece, notwithstanding
that the season was unfavourable, as he set out in winter.[189] During the
journey he displayed, in the highest degree, every quality of a great
commander. Innumerable difficulties, on which we cannot pause, assailed
him even during the first part of his march through the barren and
inhospitable passes which lay between his own fair land and Greece. When
he had reached the dominions of Alexius, whose call for aid he had not
forgotten, the count imagined, to use the words of his chaplain, that he
was in his native land, so much did he rely upon the welcome and
protection of the Greek emperor. But he, like the chiefs who had preceded
him, was deceived, and the same series of harassing persecutions awaited
him on the way. An act of seasonable[190] but barbarous vengeance,
however, in mutilating and disfiguring several of the prisoners, so much
frightened the savage hordes which the emperor had cast upon his track,
that the rest of the journey passed in comparative tranquillity. Like
those who had gone before, the count was permitted to enter the imperial
city with but few attendants.
Here the same proposal of rendering homage was made to Raimond which had
been addressed to the other leaders of the crusade, but he rejected it at
once with dignified indignation, and maintained his resolution with
unalterable firmness.[191] The means which had been tried with Godfrey of
Bouillon were now employed against the Count of Toulouse; and as no very
strong body of crusaders was soon expected from Europe, the emperor seems
confidently to have anticipated the destruction of the Languedocian force.
The Bosphorus lay between it and the armies of Godfrey, of Hugh, of
Boemond, and of Robert of Flanders,[192] whose arrival we have not thought
it necessary to dwell upon, as it was accompanied by no circumstance of
interest. Alexius had taken especial care, that no vessels should remain
on the other side of the Straits, which would facilitate the return of the
crusaders even if they should wish it,[193] and Boemond was devoted to his
cause from motives of interest.
Under these circumstances Alexius did not scruple to order a night attack
to be made upon the camp of the French knights. At first it proved
successful, and many fell under the treacherous sword of the Greeks. At
length, however, the Languedocians recovered from their surprise, repulsed
the enemy with great loss, and for some time gave full way to their
indignation. Raimond even resolved to declare war against the emperor, but
abandoned his intention on finding that the other princes would not
succour him, and that Boemond threatened to join his arms to those of
Alexius. Thus upheld, the emperor still continued to insist on the homage
of the count; but Raimond declared that he would sooner lay down his head
upon the block than yield to such an indignity.[194] "He had come,"[195]
he said, "to fight for one Lord, which was Christ, and for him he had
abandoned country, and goods, and lands, but no other lord would he
acknowledge; though, if the emperor would, in person, lead the host
towards Constantinople, he would willingly put himself and his troops
under his august command."
All that could ultimately be obtained from him, even at the intercession
of his companions in arms, was a vow that he would neither directly nor
indirectly do any act which could militate against the life or honour of
the emperor.[196]
This concession, however, seemed to satisfy Alexius, upon whose weakness
the ambitious spirit of Boemond was pressing somewhat too hard. The power
of Raimond of Toulouse, the monarch saw, might be used as a good
counterpoise to the authority which the Prince of Tarentum was inclined to
assume; and in consequence, Alexius soon completely changed his conduct,
and loaded the count with distinctions and courtesy. The pleasures of the
imperial palace, the rivalry which the artful emperor contrived to raise
up between him and Boemond, and the false but polished society of the
Greek court, excited and pleased the Count of Toulouse, who remained some
time in the midst of pomp and enjoyment.
His character, also, though it had much of the steady firmness of the
north, had, in common with that of his countrymen in general, a sparkling
and vivacious urbanity, a splendid yet easy grace, which suited the taste
of the Greeks much more than the simple manners of the northern crusaders.
Indeed, to judge from the terms in which she speaks of him, his handsome
person and elegant deportment seem to have made no small impression on the
imagination of the princess Anna,[197] although Raimond had already passed
the middle age.
Boemond, however, had by this time departed, and had marched from
Chalcedon with Godfrey and the rest of the crusading host[198] towards
Nice, the capital of the Turkish kingdom of Roum.[199] His honour demanded
the presence of the Count of Toulouse, and abandoning the pleasures of
Constantinople, he superintended the embarkation of his troops, and
hastened to join the rest of his companions in arms.
Scarcely had the forces of the count quitted Constantinople, when another
army appeared under the walls of that city. Its principal leader was
Robert, Duke of Normandy--a man, debauched, weak, and unstable; endowed
with sufficient talents to have dignified his illustrious station, had he
possessed that rare quality of mind which may be called _conduct_. He was
eloquent in speech, brave in the field, skilful in warlike dispositions,
and personally humane, even to excess;[200] but at the same time he was
versatile as the winds, and so easily persuaded, that the common
expression, _he had no will of his own_, was, perhaps, more applicable to
him than to any other man that ever existed.
On the first preaching of the crusade, he had caught the flame of
enthusiasm with others, and perhaps not more than those around him; for we
must not take the immediate sale of his dutchy of Normandy to William
Rufus as a proof of his zeal. It was, in fact, but a proof of that
wretched facility which ultimately brought about his ruin. The price he
obtained,[201] was only ten thousand marks of silver, but with so petty a
sum this modern Esau thought he could conquer worlds. With him was
Stephen, Count of Blois, more famous in the council than the field,[202]
while all the Norman and English crusaders of rank, together with Eustace,
brother of Godfrey of Bouillon,[203] joined themselves to his forces.
Thus, followed by a numerous and well-equipped army, Robert took the way
of Italy, and having encountered the pope at Lucca, proceeded to Apulia,
where he remained to pass the winter. Here, however,[204] many deserted
his army, and returned to their native land, and several were drowned,
subsequently, in their passage to Durazzo; but, on the whole, the march of
Robert of Normandy was more easy and less disastrous than that of any
other chief of the crusaders.
We find no mention of any attack or annoyance on the part of Alexius; and,
on the arrival of the Norman host at Constantinople, the oath of homage
seems to have been presented and received, with a sort of quiet
indifference well according with the indolent and careless character of
the Duke.[205] Alexius simply informed the leaders, that Godfrey, Boemond,
Hugh, and the rest had undergone the ceremony proposed. "We are not
greater than they,"[206] replied Robert, and the vows were taken without
hesitation.
Loaded with presents, and supplied with money and provisions, of both
which Robert stood in great want, the Norman crusaders now passed the
Hellespont, and marched towards Nice to join their companions. The timid
Alexius thus found himself delivered from the last body of these terrific
allies; and, indeed, the description given of their arrival, in rapid
succession, before Constantinople, is not at all unlike the end of
Camaralzaman's history in the Arabian Nights, where no sooner is one army
disposed of, than another is seen advancing towards the city from a
different quarter of the globe.