THE CRUSADES.
Warm thanks and much praise were bestowed upon Cuthbert for his share in
the capture of the castle, and the earl, calling the foresters round
him, then and there bestowed freedom upon any of them who might have
been serfs of his, and called upon all his knights and neighbors to do
the same, in return for the good service which they had rendered.
This was willingly done, and a number of Cnut's party, who had before
borne the stigma of escaped serfs, were now free men.
We are too apt to forget, in our sympathy with the Saxons, that, fond as
they were of freedom for themselves, they were yet severe masters, and
kept the mass of the people in a state of serfage. Although their laws
provided ample justice as between Saxon man and man, there was no
justice for the unhappy serfs, who were either the original inhabitants
or captives taken in war, and who were distinguished by a collar of
brass or iron round their neck.
Cnut's party had indeed long got rid of these badges, the first act of a
serf when he took to the woods being always to file off his collar; but
they were liable when caught to be punished, even by death, and were
delighted at having achieved their freedom.
"And what can I do for you, Cuthbert?" Sir Walter said, as they rode
homeward. "It is to you that I am indebted: in the first place for the
rescue of my daughter, in the second for the capture of that castle,
which I doubt me much whether we should ever have taken in fair fight
had it not been for your aid."
"Thanks, Sir Walter," the lad replied. "At present I need nothing, but
should the time come when you may go to the wars I would fain ride with
you as your page, in the hope of some day winning my spurs also in the
field."
"So shall it be," the earl said, "and right willingly. But who have we
here?"
As he spoke a horseman rode up and presented a paper to the earl.
"This is a notice," the earl said, after perusing it, "that King Richard
has determined to take up the cross, and that he calls upon his nobles
and barons to join him in the effort to free the holy sepulcher from the
infidels. I doubt whether the minds of the people are quite prepared,
but I hear that there has been much preaching by friars and monks in
some parts, and that many are eager to join in the war."
"Think you that you will go to the war, Sir Walter?" Cuthbert asked.
"I know not as yet; it must much depend upon the king's mood. For myself
I care not so greatly as some do about this question of the Holy Land.
There has been blood enough shed already to drown it, and we are no
nearer than when the first swarms of pilgrims made their way thither."
On Cuthbert's returning home and telling his mother all that had passed,
she shook her head, but said that she could not oppose his wishes to go
with the earl when the time should come, and that it was only right he
should follow in the footsteps of the good knight his father.
"I have heard much of these Crusades," he said; "canst tell me about
them?"
"In truth I know not much, my son; but Father Francis, I doubt not, can
tell you all the particulars anent the affair."
The next time that Father Francis, who was the special adviser of Dame
Editha, rode over from the convent on his ambling nag, Cuthbert eagerly
asked him if he would tell him what he knew of the Crusades.
"Hitherto, my son," he said, "the Crusades have, it must be owned,
brought many woes upon Europe. From the early times great swarms of
pilgrims were accustomed to go from all parts of Europe to the holy
shrines.
"When the followers of the evil prophet took possession of the land,
they laid grievous burdens upon the pilgrims, heavily they fined them,
persecuted them in every way, and treated them as if indeed they were
but the scum of the earth under their feet.
"So terrible were the tales that reached Europe that men came to think
that it would be a good deed truly to wrest the sepulcher of the Lord
from the hands of these heathens. Pope Urban was the first to give
authority and strength to the movement, and at a vast meeting at
Claremont of thirty thousand clergy and four thousand barons, it was
decided that war must be made against the infidel. From all parts of
France men flocked to hear Pope Urban preach there; and when he had
finished his oration the vast multitude, carried away by enthusiasm,
swore to win the holy sepulcher or to die.
"Mighty was the throng that gathered for the First Crusade. Monks threw
aside their gowns and took to the sword and cuirass; even women and
children joined in the throng. What, my son, could be expected from a
great army so formed? Without leaders, without discipline, without
tactics, without means of getting food, they soon became a scourge of
the country through which they passed.
"Passing through Hungary, where they greatly ravaged the fields, they
came to Bulgaria. Here the people, struck with astonishment and dismay
at this great horde of hungry people who arrived among them like
locusts, fell upon them with the sword, and great numbers fell. The
first band that passed into that country perished miserably, and of all
that huge assembly, it may be said that, numbering at the start not less
than two hundred and fifty thousand persons, only about one hundred
thousand crossed into Asia Minor. The fate of these was no better than
that of those who had perished in Hungary and Bulgaria. After grievous
suffering and loss they at last reached Nicaea. There they fell into an
ambuscade; and out of the whole of the undisciplined masses who had
followed Peter the Hermit, it is doubtful whether ten thousand ever
returned home.
"This first attempt to rescue the holy sepulcher was followed by others
equally wild, misguided, and unfortunate. Some of them indeed began
their evil deeds as soon as they had left their home. The last of these
bodies fell upon the Jews, who are indeed enemies of the Christian
faith, but who have now, at least, nothing to do with the question of
the holy sepulcher. As soon as they entered into Germany the Crusaders
put them to death with horrible torture. Plunder and rapine indeed
appeared to be the object of the Crusaders. On this as well as on most
other preceding bands, their misdeeds drew down the vengeance of the
people. At an early period of their march, and as soon as they reached
Hungary, the people fell upon them, and put the greater portion to the
sword.
"Thus, in these irregular expeditions no less than five hundred thousand
people are supposed to have perished. Godfrey de Bouillon was the first
who undertook to lead a Crusade according to the military knowledge of
the day. With him were his brothers Eustace and Baldwin, the Counts of
Anault and St. Paul, and many other nobles and gentlemen, with their
retainers, well armed and under good order; and so firm was the
discipline of Duke Godfrey that they were allowed to pass freely by the
people of the countries who had opposed the previous bands.
"Through Hungary, Bulgaria, and Thrace he made his way; and though he
met with many difficulties from Alexius, the crafty and treacherous
Emperor of the Greeks, he at last succeeded in crossing into Asia. There
he was joined by many from England, as well as from France and other
countries. Duke Robert, the son of our first William, led a strong band
of Normans to the war, as did the other great princes of France and
Spain.
"The army which crossed the narrow passage of the Hellespont is
estimated at no less than seven hundred thousand fighting men. Of these
one hundred thousand were knights clad in complete armor, the remainder
were men-at-arms and bowmen.
"Nicaea, the place which had been the scene of the massacre of Peter the
Hermit's hosts, was taken after a desperate conflict, lasting for many
weeks, and the Crusaders afterward defeated the Turks in a great battle
near the town of Doryleum. After these successes disputes arose among
the leaders, and Count Baldwin, brother of Duke Godfrey, left the main
body with about fifteen hundred men, and founded a kingdom for himself
in Mesopotamia.
"The main body, slowly and painfully, and suffering from disease,
famine, and the heat, made its way south. Antioch, a city of great
strength and importance, was besieged, but it proved so strong that it
resisted for many months, and was at last only taken by treachery.
"After the capture of this place the sufferings of the Crusaders so far
from being diminished were redoubled. They themselves during the siege
had bought up all the food that could be brought from the surrounding
country, while the magazines of the town were found, when an entry was
effected, to be entirely deserted. The enemy, aided by a great Persian
host, came down, and those who had been the besiegers were now besieged.
However, when in the last strait the Christian army sallied out, and
inspired with supernatural strength, defeated the Turks and Persians,
with a slaughter of one hundred thousand men. Another slow movement to
the south brought them into the Holy Land, and pressing forward, they
came at last within sight of Jerusalem itself.
"So fearful had been the losses of the Crusaders that of seven hundred
thousand who crossed the Hellespont, not more than forty thousand
reached the end of the pilgrimage. This fragment of an army, which had
appeared before a very strongly fortified town, possessed no means of
capturing the place--none of the machines of war necessary for the
purpose, no provisions or munitions of any kind. Water was scarce also;
and it appeared as if the remnant of the great army of Godfrey de
Bouillon had arrived before Jerusalem only to perish there.
"Happily just at this time a further band of Crusaders from Genoa, who
had reached Jaffa, made their appearance. They were provided with
stores, and had skilled workmen capable of making the machines for the
siege. On July 14, 1099, the attack was made, and after resistance
gallant and desperate as the assault, the Crusaders burst into the city,
massacred the whole of the defenders and inhabitants, calculated at
seventy thousand in number, and so became masters of the holy sepulcher.
"The Sultan of Egypt was meanwhile advancing to the assistance of the
Mohammedans of Syria; but Godfrey, with twenty thousand of his best men,
advanced to meet the vast host, and scattered them as if they had been
sheep. Godfrey was now chosen King of Jerusalem, and the rest of his
army--save three hundred knights and two hundred soldiers, who agreed to
remain with him--returned to their home. The news of the victory led
other armies of Crusaders to follow the example of that of Godfrey; but
as these were almost as completely without organization or leadership as
those of Peter the Hermit, they suffered miserably on their way, and few
indeed ever reached the Holy Land. Godfrey died in 1100, and his brother
Baldwin succeeded him.
"The history of the last hundred years has been full of fresh efforts to
crush the Moslem power, but hitherto it cannot be said that fortune has
attended the efforts of the Christians. Had it not been indeed for the
devotion of the Knights of St. John and of the Templars, two great
companies formed of men who devoted their lives to the holding of the
sepulcher against the infidel, our hold of the Holy Land would have been
lost.
"Gradually the Saracens have wrested post after post from our hands.
Edessa was taken in 1144, and the news of this event created an intense
excitement. The holy St. Bernard stirred up all France, and Louis VII.
himself took the vow and headed a noble army. The ways of God are not
our ways, and although the army of Germany joined that of France, but
little results came of this great effort.
"The Emperor Conrad, with the Germans, was attacked by the Turk Saladin
of Iconium, and was defeated with a loss of sixty thousand men. The King
of France, with his army, was also attacked with fury, and a large
portion of his force were slaughtered. Nothing more came of this great
effort, and while the first Crusade seemed to show that the men-at-arms
of Europe were irresistible, the second on the contrary gave proof that
the Turks were equal to the Christian knights. Gradually the Christian
hold of the Holy Land was shaken. In 1187, although fighting with
extraordinary bravery, the small army of Christian Knights of the Temple
and of St. John were annihilated, the King of Jerusalem was made
prisoner, and the Christian power was crushed. Then Saladin, who
commanded the Turks, advanced against Jerusalem, and forced it to
capitulate.
"Such, my boy, is the last sad news which has reached us; and no wonder
that it has stirred the hearts of the monarchs of Europe, and that every
effort will be again made to recapture the holy sepulcher, and to avenge
our brethren who have been murdered by the infidels."
"But, Father Francis, from your story it would seem that Europe has
already sacrificed an enormous number of lives to take the holy
sepulcher, and that after all the fighting, when she has taken it, it is
only to lose it again."
"That is so, my son; but we will trust that in future things will be
better managed. The Templars and Hospitalers now number so vast a number
of the best lances in Europe, and are grown to be such great powers,
that we may believe that when we have again wrested the holy sepulcher
from the hands of the infidels they will be able to maintain it against
all assaults. Doubtless the great misfortunes which have fallen upon the
Christian armies have been a punishment from heaven, because they have
not gone to work in the right spirit. It is not enough to take up lance
and shield, and to place a red cross upon the shoulder. Those who desire
to fight the battle of the Lord must cleanse their hearts, and go forth
in the spirit of pilgrims rather than knights. I mean not that they
should trust wholly to spiritual weapons--for in truth the infidel is a
foe not to be despised--but I mean that they should lay aside all
thoughts of worldly glory and rivalry one against another."
"And think you, Father, that such is the spirit with which King Richard
and the other kings and nobles now preparing to go to the Holy Land are
animated?"
Father Francis hesitated.
"It is not for me, my son, to judge motives, or to speak well or ill of
the instruments who have been chosen for this great work. It is of all
works the most praiseworthy, most holy. It is horrible to think that the
holy shrines of Jerusalem should be in the hands of men who believe not
in our Redeemer; and I hold it to be the duty of every man who can bear
arms, no matter what his rank or his station, to don his armor and to go
forth to battle in the cause. Whether success will crown the effort, or
whether God wills it otherwise, it is not for man to discuss; it is
enough that the work is there, and it is our duty to do it."
"And think you, Father, that it will do good to England?"
"That do I, my son, whether we gain the Holy Land or no. Methinks that
it will do good service to the nation that Saxon and Norman should fight
together under the holy cross. Hitherto the races have stood far too
much apart. They have seen each other's bad qualities rather than good;
but methinks that when the Saxon and the Norman stand side by side on
the soil of the Holy Land, and shout together for England, it must needs
bind them together, and lead them to feel that they are no longer
Normans and Saxons, but Englishmen. I intend to preach on the village
green at Evesham next Sunday morning on this subject, and as I know you
are in communication with the forest men, I would, Cuthbert, that you
would persuade them to come in to hear me. You were wondering what could
be found for these vagrants. They have many of them long since lost the
habits of honest labor. Many of them are still serfs, although most have
been freed by the good earl and the knights his followers. Some of those
who would fain leave the life in the woods still cling to it because
they think that it would be mean to desert their comrades, who being
serfs are still bound to lurk there; but methinks that this is a great
opportunity for them. They are valiant men, and the fact that they are
fond of drawing an arrow at a buck does not make them one whit the worse
Christians. I will do my best to move their hearts, and if they will but
agree together to take the cross, they would make a goodly band of
footmen to accompany the earl."
"Is the earl going?" Cuthbert asked eagerly.
"I know not for certain," said Father Francis; "but I think from what I
hear from his chaplain, Father Eustace, that his mind turns in that
direction."
"Then, Father, if he goes, I will go too," Cuthbert exclaimed. "He
promised to take me as his page the first time he went to war."
Father Francis shook his head.
"I fear me, Cuthbert, this is far from the spirit in which we awhile ago
agreed that men should go to the holy war."
Cuthbert hung his head a little.
"Ay, Father Francis, men; but I am a boy," he said, "and after all, boys
are fond of adventure for adventure's sake. However, Father," he said,
with a smile, "no doubt your eloquence on the green will turn me
mightily to the project, for you must allow that the story you have told
me this morning is not such as to create any very strong yearning in
one's mind to follow the millions of men who have perished in the Holy
Land."
"Go to," said Father Francis, smiling, "thou art a pert varlet. I will
do my best on Sunday to turn you to a better frame of mind."