Be thou accursed like a Frank

When it rains in the evening, or the weather is foul by night, they wrap themselves round in their cloaks, and take the bits out of their horses’ mouths, and leave their horses to browse near. When the morrow comes, they spread out their cloaks to the sun, and rub and cure them; nor does it afterwards appear as if the cloaks had been wetted. Their belief is that no one can die save on the day appointed, and for this reason they will not wear armour; and when they wish to curse their children they say to them: “ Be thou accursed like a Frank, who puts on armour for fear of death! ” In battle they carry nothing but sword and spear.

Nearly all are clothed in a surplice, like priests. Their heads are all bound round with cloths, that go beneath their chins, wherefore they are an ugly people, and hideous to behold, and the hairs of their heads and of their beards are all black. They live on the milk of their beasts, and purchase, in the plains belonging to wealthy men, the pastor age on which their beasts subsist. Their number no man can tell; for they are to be found in the kingdom of Egypt, in the kingdom of Jerusalem, and in all the other lands of the Saracens, and of the misbelievers to whom they pay, every year, a great tribute.

I have seen in this country, since I came back from the land oversea, certain disloyal Christians, who hold the faith of the Bedouins, and say that no man can die save on the day appointed; and their belief is so disloyal that it amounts to saying that God has no power to help us. For those would indeed be fools who served God if we did not think he had power to prolong our lives, and to present e us from evil and mischance. And in Him ought we to believe, seeing He has power to do all things.

THE CAMP ATTACKED DUPING THE NIGHT JOINVILLE’S PRIEST PUTS EIGHT SARACENS TO FLIGHT

Now let us tell that at nightfall we returned, the king and all of us, from the perilous battle aforementioned, and lodged in the place from which we had driven our enemies. My people, who had remained in the camp whence we started, brought me a tent which the Templars had given me, and pitched it before the engines taken from the Sara cens; and the king set sergeants to guard the engines.

When I was laid in my bed where indeed I had good need of rest because of the wounds received the day before. no rest was vouchsafed to me. For before it was well day a cry went through the camp: “ To arms! to arms’ ” I roused my chamberlain, who lay at my feet, and told him to go and see what was the matter. He came back in terror, and said: “ Up, lord, up! for here are the Saracens, who have come on foot and mounted, and discomfited the king’s sergeants who kept guard over the engines, and driven them among the ropes of our pavilions.”

WILLIAM BISHOP OF PAMS

WILLIAM, BISHOP OF PAMS, COMFORTS A CERTAIN THEOLOGIAN

He told me that the bishop, William of Paris, had related how a great master of divinity had come to him and told him he desired to speak with him. And the bishop said to him: “ Master, say on.” And when the master thought to speak to the bishop, he began to weep bitterly. And the bishop said: “ Master, say on; be not discomfited; no one can sin so much but that God can forgive him more.” “ And yet I tell you,” said the master, “ that I cannot choose but weep; for I fear me I am a miscreant, inasmuch as I cannot so command my heart as to believe in the sacrifice of the altar, like as holy Church teaches; and yet I know well that this is a temptation of the Enemy.”

“ Master,” said the bishop, “ pray tell me, when the Enemy sends you this temptation, does it give you pleasure?” And the master said: “Sir, far from it; it troubles me as much as anything can trouble me.” “ Now,” said the bishop, “ I will ask you whether, for gold or silver you would utter anything out of your mouth that was against the sacrament of the altar, or the other holy sacraments of the Church? ” “ Sir! ” said the master, “ be it known to you that there is nothing in the world that would induce me so to do; I would much rather that every member were tom from my body than that I should say such a thing.”

“ Now I will say something more,” said the bishop. “ You know that the King of France is at war with the King of England, and you know too that the castle that lies most exposed in the border-land between the two is the castle of la Rochelle in Poitou. Now I will ask you a question: lithe king had set you to guard la Rochelle, which is in the danger our border-land, and had set me to guard the castle of Montiheri, which is in the heart of France, where the land is at peace, to whom, think you, would the king owe most at the end of the war to you who had guarded la Rochelle without loss, or to me, who had guarded the castle of Montiheri without loss ? ” “ In God’s name, sir,” said the master, “ to me. who had guarded la Rochelle without losing it.”

“ Master,” said the bishop, “ my heart is like the castle of Montiheri; for I have neither temptation nor doubt as to the sacrament of the altar. For which thing I tell you that for the grace that God owes to me because I hold this firmly, and in peace, He owes to you four-fold, because you have guarded your heart in the war of tribulation, and have such good-will towards Him that for no earthly good, nor for any harm done to the body, would you relinquish that faith. Therefore I tell you, be of good comfort, for in this your state is better pleasing to our Lord than mine.” When the master heard this, he knelt before the bishop, and held him self for well appeased.

FAITH OF THE COUNT OF MONTFORT ONE MUST NOT ENTER INTO CONTROVERSY WITH JEWS

The sainted king told me that several people among the Albigenses came to the Count of Montfort, who was then ;guarding the land of the Albigenses for the king, and asked him to come and look at the body of our Lord, which had become blood and flesh in the hands of the priest. And the out of Montfort said, “ Go and look at it yourselves, you who do not believe it. As for me, I believe it firmly, holding to holy Church teaches of the sacrament of the altar. And to you know what I shall gain,” said the count, “ in that luring this mortal life I have believed as holy Church reaches? I shall have a crown in the heavens, above the angels, for the angels cannot but believe, inasmuch as they are God face to face.”

He told me that there was once a great disputation between clergy and Jews at the monastery of Cluny. And there was at Cluny a poor knight to whom the abbot gave bread at that place for the love of God; and this knight asked the abbot to suffer him to speak the first words, and they suffered him, not without doubt. So he rose, and leant upon his crutch, and asked that they should bring to him the greatest clerk and most learned master among the Jews; and they did so. Then he asked the Jew a question, which was this: “ Master,” said the knight, ’ I ask you if you believe that the Virgin Mary, who bore God in her body and in her arms, was a virgin mother, and is the mother of God? customized guided tour”

And the Jew replied that of all this he believed nothing. Then the knight answered that the Jew had acted like a fool when neither believing in her, nor loving her he had yet entered into her monastery and house. “ And verily,” said the knight, “ you shall pay for it! ” Whereupon he lifted his crutch and smote the Jew near the ear, and beat him to the earth. Then the Jews turned to flight, and bore away their master, sore wounded. And so ended the disputation.

The abbot came to the knight and told him he had com mitted a deed of very great folly. But the knight replied that the abbot had committed a deed of greater folly in gathering people together for such a disputation; for there were a great many good Christians there who, before the dis potation came to an end, would have gone away misbelievers through not fully understanding the Jews. “ And I tell you,” said the king, “ that no one, unless he be a very learned clerk, should dispute with them; but a layman, when he hears the Christian law missaid, should not defend the Christian law, unless it be with his sword, and with that he should pierce the masseter in the midriff, So far as the sword will enter.”

City of Modon

But events happen as God pleases; for our people fought with the Greeks, and discomfited and conquered them. And the Greeks lost very heavily, while those on our side gained horses and arms enough, and other goods in very great plenty, and so returned very happy, and very joyously, to the city of Modon.

Afterwards they rode to a city called Coron, on the sea, and besieged it. And they had not besieged it long before it surrendered, and William gave it to Geoffry of Villehardouin (the nephew) and he became his liegeman, and set therein a garrison of his men. Next they went to a castle called Chaiemate, which was very strong and fair, and besieged it. This castle troubled them for a very long space, but they remained before it till it was taken. ‘Then did more of the Greeks of that land surrender than had done aforetime.

SIEGE OF NAPOLI AND CORINTH; ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE GREEKS AND JOHANNIZZA

The Marquis of Montferrat besieged Napoli, but he could there do nothing, for the place was too strong, and his men suffered greatly. James of Avesnes, meanwhile, continued to besiege Corinth, where he had been left by the marquis. Leon Sgure, who was in Corinth, and very wise and wily, saw that James had not many people with him, and did not keep good watch. So one morning, at the break of day, he issued from the city in force, and got as far as the tents, and killed many before they could get to their armour city tours istanbul.

James of Avesnes

There was killed Dreux of Estruen, who was very honour- \ able and valiant, and greatly was he lamented. And James of Avesnes, who was in command, waxed very wroth at the j death of his knight, and did not leave the fray till he was [ wounded in the leg right grievously. And well did those who were present bear witness that it was to his doughtiness that I they owed their safety; for you must know that they came very near to being all lost. But by God’s help they drove ^ the Greeks back into the castle by force.

Now the Greeks, who were very disloyal, still nourished treachery in their hearts. They perceived at that time that the Franks were so scattered over the land that each had his own matters to attend to. So they thought they could the more easily betray them. They took envoys therefore privily, from all the cities in the land, and sent them to Joharmizza, the King of Wallachia and Bulgaria, who was still at war with them as he had been aforetime. And they told Johannizza they would make him emperor, and give them selves wholly to him, and slay all the Franks. So they swore that they would obey him as their lord, and he swore that he would defend them as though they were his own people. Such was the oath sworn.

THE YOUNG ALEXIUS RETURNS TO CONSTANTINOPLE

THE YOUNG ALEXIUS RETURNS TO CONSTANTINOPLE HE FAILS IN HIS PROMISES TO THE CRUSADERS

The Emperor Alexius remained for a long time on progress, till St. Martin’s Day, and then he returned to Constantinople. Great was the joy at his home-coming, and the Greeks and ladies of Constantinople went out to meet their friends in great cavalcades, and the pilgrims went out to meet their friends, and had great joy of them. So did the emperor re-enter Constantinople and the palace of Blachernae; and the Marquis of Montferrat and the other barons returned to the camp.

The emperor, who had managed his affairs right well and thought he had now the upper hand, was filled with arrogance towards the barons and those who had done so much for him, and never came to see them in the camp, as he had done aforetime. And they sent to him and begged him to pay them the moneys due, as he had covenanted. But he led them on from delay to delay, making them, at one time and another, payments small and poor; and in the end the payments ceased and came to naught.

Marquis Boniface of Montferrat

The Marquis Boniface of Montferrat, who had done more for him than any other, and stood better in his regard, went to him oftentimes, and showed him what great services the Crusaders had rendered him, and that greater services had never been rendered to any one. And the emperor still entertained them with delays, and never carried out such things as he had promised, so that at last they saw and knew clearly that his intent was wholly evil.

Then the barons of the host held a parliament with the Doge of Venice, and they said that they now knew that the emperor would fulfil no covenant, nor ever speak sooth to them; and they decided to send good envoys to demand the fulfilment of their covenant, and to show what services they had done him; and if he would now do what was required, they were to be satisfied; but, if not, they were to defy him, and right well might he rest assured that the barons would by all means recover their due.

We pray you by God

And when they had heard him, they cried with one voice: “ We pray you by God that you consent, and do it, and that you come with us! ”

Very great was then the pity and compassion on the part of the people of the land and of the pilgrims: and many were the tears shed, because that worthy and good man would have had so much reason to remain behind, for he was an old man, and albeit his eyes were unclouded, yet he saw naught, having lost his sight through a wound in the head. He was of a great heart. Ah! how little like him were those who had gone to other ports to escape the danger.

Thus he came down from the reading-desk, and went before the altar, and knelt upon his knees greatly weeping. And they sewed the cross on to a great cotton hat, which he wore, in front, because he wished that all men should see it. And the Venetians began to take the cross in great numbers, a great multitude, for up to that day very few had taken the cross. Our pilgrims had much joy in the cross that the Doge took, and were greatly moved, because of the wisdom and the valour that were in him.

Thus did the Doge take the cross, as you have heard. Then the Venetians began to deliver the ships, the galleys, and the transports to the barons, for departure; but so much time had already been spent since the appointed term, that September drew near (1202).

MESSAGE OF ALEXIUS, THE SON OF ISAAC, THE DETHRONED EMPEROR OF CONSTANTINOPLE DEATH OF FULK OF NEU1LLV ARRIVAL OF THE GERMANS

Now give ear to one of the greatest marvels, and most wonderful adventures that you have ever heard tell of. At that time there was an emperor in Constantinople, whose name was Isaac, and he had a brother, Alexius by name, whom he had ransomed from captivity among the Turks. This Alexius took his brother the emperor, tore the eyes out of his head, and made himself emperor by the aforesaid

treachery. He kept Isaac a long time in prison, together with a son whose name was Alexius. This son escaped from prison, and fled in a ship to a city on the sea, which is called Ancona. Thence he departed to go to King Philip of Germany, who had his sister for wife; and he came to Verona in Lombardy, and lodged in the town, and found there a number of pilgrims and other people who were on their way to join the host.

And those who had helped him to escape, and were with him, said: “ Sire, here is an army in Venice, quite near to us, the best and most valiant people and knights that are in the world, and they are going oversea. Cry to them therefore for mercy, that they have pity on thee and on thy father, who have been so wrongfully dispossessed. And if they be willing to help thee, thou shalt be guided by them. Per chance they will take pity on thy estate.” And Alexius said he would do this right willingly, and that the advice was good.