LVIII.

CHA P.rance of the Tranfalpine chiefs: the courage of the French was blind and headftrong; they might be tempted by the luxury and wealth of Greece, and elated by the view and opinion of their invincible ftrength; and Jerufalem might be forgotten in the profpect of Conftantinople. After a long march and painful abstinence, the troops of Godfrey encamped in the plains of Thrace; they heard with indignation, that their brother, the count of Vermandois, was imprifoned by the Greeks; and their reluctant duke was compelled to indulge them in fome freedom of retaliation and rapine. They were appeafed by the fubmiffion of Alexius; he promised to fupply their camp; and as they refused, in the midst of winter, to pass the Bosphorus, their quarters were affigned among the gardens and palaces on the shores of that narrow fea. But an incurable jealousy ftill rankled in the minds of the two nations, who defpifed each other as flaves and Barbarians. Ignorance is the ground of suspicion, and suspicion was inflamed into daily provocations: prejudice is blind, hunger is deaf; and Alexius is accused of a design to ftarve or affault the Latins in a dangerous poft, on all fides encompaffed with the waters (66). Godfrey founded his trumpets, burst the net, overfpread the plain, and infulted the fuburbs: but the gates of Conftantinople were ftrongly fortified; the ramparts were lined with archers; and after a doubtful conflict, both parties listened to the voice of peace and religion. The gifts and promifes of the emperor infenfibly foothed the fierce fpirit of the western strangers; as a Christian warrior, he rekindled their zeal for the profecution of their holy enterprife, which he engaged to fecond with his troops and treasures. On the return of spring, Godfrey was perfuaded to occupy a pleafant and plentiful camp in Afia; and no sooner had he paffed the Bofphorus, than the Greek veffels were fuddenly recalled to the oppofite fhore. The fame policy was repeated with the fucceeding chiefs, who were fwayed by the example, and weakened by the departure, of their foremost companions.

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(66) Between the Black Sea, the Bofphorus, and the river Barbyfes, which is deep in fummer, and runs fifteen miles through a flat meadow. Its communication with Europe and Conftantinople is by the ftone bridge of the Blacherne, which in fucceffive ages was restored by Juftinian and Bafil (Gyllius de Bofphoro Thracio, L. ii. c. 3. Ducange, C. P. Christiana, 1. iv. c. 2. p. 179 ).

LVIII,

By his fkill and diligence, Alexius prevented the union of C HA P. any two of the confederate armies at the fame moment under the walls of Conftantinople; and before the feast of the Pentecoft not a Latin pilgrim was left on the coast of Europe.

the homage

The fame arms which threatened Europe, might deliver He obtains Afia, and repel the Turks from the neighbouring fhores of of the cruthe Bofphorus and Hellefpont. The fair provinces from faders. Nice to Antioch were the recent patrimony of the Roman emperor; and his ancient and perpetual claim ftill embraced the kingdoms of Syria and Egypt. In his enthusiasın, Alexius indulged, or affected, the ambitious hope of leading his new allies to fubvert the thrones of the Eaft: but the calmer dictates of reafon and temper diffuaded him from expofing his royal perfon to the faith of unknown and lawlefs Barbarians. His prudence, or his pride, was content with extorting from the French princes an oath of homage and fidelity, and a folemn promife, that they would either restore, or hold, their Afiatic conquefts, as the humble and loyal vaffals of the Roman empire. Their independent fpirit was fired at the mention of this foreign and voluntary fervitude; they fucceffively yielded to the dextrous application of gifts and flattery; and the first profelytes became the most eloquent and effectual miffionaries to multiply the companions of their fhame. The pride of Hugh of Vermandois was foothed by the honours of his captivity; and in the brother of the French king, the example of fubmiffion was prevalent and weighty. In the mind of Godfrey of Bouillon every human confideration was fubordinate to the glory of God and the fuccefs of the crufade. He had firmly refifted the temptations of Bohemond and Raymond, who urged the attack and conquest of Conftantinople. Alexius efteemed his virtues, defervedly named him the champion of the empire, and dignified his homage with the filial name and the rites of adoption (67). The hateful Bohemond was received as a true and ancient ally; and if the emperor reminded him of former hostilities, it was only to praise the valour that he had dif VOL. VI. played,

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(67) There were two forts of adoption, the one by arms, the other by introducing the fon between the fhirt and the fkin of his father. Ducange (fur Joinville, dill. xxii. p. 270.) suppofés Godfrey's adoption to have been of the latter fort.

CHAP. played, and the glory that he had acquired, in the fields LVIII. of Durazzo and Lariffa. The fon of Guifcard was lodged

and entertained, and ferved with Imperial pomp: one day, as he paffed through the gallery of the palace, a door was carelessly left open to expofe a pile of gold and filver, of filk and gems, of curious and coftly furniture, that was heaped in feeming diforder, from the floor to the roof of the chamber. "What conquefts," exclaimed the ambititious mifer," might not be atchieved by the poffeffion of "fuch a treasure?" "It is your own," replied a Greek attendant who wached the motions of his foul; and Bohemond, after fome hesitation, condefcended to accept this magnificent prefent. The Norman was flattered by the affurance of an independent principality, and Alexius eluded, rather than denied, his daring demand of the office of great domeftic, or general, of the Eaft. The two Roberts, the fon of the conqueror of England, and the kinfman of three queens (68), bowed in their turn before the Byzantine throne. A private letter of Stephen of Chartres attefts his admiration of the emperor, the most excellent and liberal of men, who taught him to believe that he was a favourite, and promifed to educate and establish his youngest fon. In his fouthern province, the count of St. Giles and Tholoufe faintly recognized the fupremacy of the king of France, a prince of a foreign nation and language. At the head of an hundred thousand men, he declared, that he was the foldier and fervant of Chrift alone, and that the Greek might be satisfied with an equal treaty of alliance and friendship. His obftinate resistance enhanced the value and the price of his fubmiffion; and he fhone, fays the princefs Anne, among the Barbarians, as the fun amidft the ftars of heaven. His difguft of the noife and infolence of the French, his fufpicions of the defigns of Bohemond, the emperor imparted to his faithful Raymond; and that aged ftatefman might clearly difcern, that however false in friendship, he was fincere in his enmity (9). The spirit of chivalry was last fubdued in the perfon

(68) After his return, Robert of Flanders became the man of the king of England, for a penfion of four hundred marks. See the first act in Kymer's Fœdera.

(69) Senfit vetus regnandi, falfos in amore, odia non fingere, Tacit. vi. 44.

LVIII.

perfon of Tancred; and none could deem themselves dif- C H A P. honoured by the imitation of that gallant knight. He difdained the gold and flattery of the Greek monarch; affaulted in his presence an infolent patrician; escaped to Afia in the habit of a private foldier; and yielded with a figh to the authority of Bohemond and the intereft of the Christian cause. The best and most oftenfible reason was the impoffibility of paffing the fea and accomplishing their vow, without the licence and the veffels of Alexius; but they cherished a fecret hope, that as foon as they trod the continent of Afia, their fwords would obliterate their fhame, and diffolve the engagement, which on his fide might not be very faithfully performed. The ceremony of their homage was grateful to a people who had long fince confidered pride as the fubftitute of power. High on his throne, the emperor fat mute and immoveable: his majefty was adored by the Latin princes; and they fubmitted to kifs either his feet or his knees, an indignity which their own writers are ashamed to confess and unable to deny (70).

Private or public intereft fuppreffed the murmurs of the Infolence of dukes and counts; but a French baron (he is supposed to the Franke. be Robert of Paris) (71) prefumed to afcend the throne, and to place himself by the fide of Alexius. The fage reproof of Baldwin provoked him to exclaim, in his barbarous idiom, "Who is this ruftic, that keeps his feat, while "fo many valiant captains are ftanding round him?” The emperor maintained his filence, diffembled his indignation, and questioned his interpreter concerning the meaning of the words, which he partly fufpected from the uni verfal language of gefture and countenance. Before the departure

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(70) The proud hiftorians of the crufades flide and stumble over this humiliating ftep. Yet, fince the heroes knelt to falute the emperor as he fat motionless on his throne, it is clear that they must have kiffed either his feet or knees. It is only fingular, that Anna fhould not have amply fupplied the filence or ambiguity of the Latins. The abafement of their princes, would have added a fine chapter to the Ceremoniale Aulæ Byzantina.

(71) He called himself payyos xxxpos тwy evyevny (Alexias, 1. x. p. 301.). What a title of nobeffe of the 10th century, if any one could now prove his inheritance! Anna relates, with visible pleasure, that the fwelling Barbarian, ATIVO; TETUPWμEvos, was killed, or wounded, after fighting in the front in the battle of Dorylæum (l. xi. p. 317.). This circumftance may justify the fufpicion of Ducange (Not. p. 362.), that he was no other than Robert of Paris, of the district moft peculiarly styled the Duchy ør Island of France (L'Ile de France).

CHAP. departure of the pilgrims, he endeavoured to learn the LVIII. name and condition of the audacious baron. “I am "a Frenchman," replied Robert, "of the pureft and "moft ancient nobility of my country. All that I know is, that there is a church in my neighbourhood (72), "the resort of those who are defirous of approving their "valour in fingle combat. Till an enemy appears, they "addrefs their prayers to God and his faints. That "church I have frequently vifited, but never have I "found an antagonist who dared to accept my defiance." Alexius difmiffed the challenger with fome prudent advice for his conduct in the Turkifh warfare; and hiftory repeats with pleasure this lively example of the manners of his age and country.

Their review and

numbers,

Alay.

The conqueft of Afia was undertaken and atchieved by Alexander, with thirty-five thoufand Macedonians and A. D. 1097. Greeks (73); and his best hope was in the ftrength and difcipline of his phalanx of infantry. The principal force of the crufaders confifted in their cavalry; and when that force was muftered in the plains of Bithynia, the knights and their martial attendants on horseback amounted to one hundred thousand fighting men, completely armed with the helmet and coat of mail. The value of these foldiers deferved a strict and authentic account; and the flower of European chivalry might furnish, in a firft effort, this formidable body of heavy horse. A part of the infantry might be enrolled for the fervice of fcouts, pioneers, and archers; but the promifcuous crowd were loft in their own diforder; and we depend not on the eyes or knowledge, but on the belief and fancy, of a chaplain of count Baldwin (74), in the estimate of fix hundred thousand pilgrims able to bear arms, befides the priests and monks, the women and children, of the Latin camp. The reader ftarts;

(72) With the fame penetration, Ducange difcovers this church to be that of St. Draufus, or Drofin, of Soiffons, quem duello dimicaturi folent invocare pugiles qui ad memoriam ejus (his tomb) pernoctant invictos reddi:, ut et de Burgundiâ et Italiâ tali neceffitate confugiatur ad eum. Joan. Sariberichfis, epist, 139.

(73) There is fome diverfity on the numbers of his army; but no authority can be compared with that of Ptolemy, who ftates it at five thousand horfe and thirty thoufand foot (fee Ufher's Annales, p. 152.).

(74) Fulcher. Carnotenfis, p. 387. He enumerates nineteen nations of ferent names and languages (p. 389.); but I do not clearly apprehend his difference between the Frani and Galli, Ital. and Apuli. Elsewhere (p. 385.) he contemptuously brands the deferters.