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LIX.

his commands; and in his own kingdom, the CHAP.
emperor was forced to confent that the orders of
the camp fhould be iffued in the name of God
and of the Chriftian republic. Frederic entered
Jerufalem in triumph; and with his own hands
(for no prieft would perform the office) he
took the crown from the altar of the holy
fepulchre. But the patriarch caft an interdict on
the church which his prefence had profaned;
and the knights of the hofpital and temple in-
formed the fultan how eafily he might be surprised
and flain in his unguarded vifit to the river Jor-
dan. In fuch a state of fanaticifm and faction,
victory was hopeless and defence was difficult;
but the conclufion of an advantageous peace may
be imputed to the difcord of the Mahometans,
and their perfonal esteem for the character of
Frederic. The enemy of the church is accused of
maintaining with the mifcreants an intercourfe of
hospitality and friendship, unworthy of a Chrif
tian; of defpifing the barrenness of the land; and
of indulging a profane thought, that if Jehovah
had feen the kingdom of Naples, he never would
have felected Paleftine for the inheritance of
his chofen people. Yet Frederic obtained from
the fultan the reftitution of Jerufalem, of Bethlem
and Nazareth, of Tyre and Sidon: the Latins
were allowed to inhabit and fortify the city; an
equal code of civil and religious freedom was
ratified for the fe&taries of Jefus and thofe of
Mahomet; and, while the former worship-
ped at the holy fepulchre, the latter might pray

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LIX.

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CHAP. and preach in the mosch of the temple "°, from whence the prophet undertook his nocturnal journey to heaven. The clergy deplored this

fcandalous toleration; and the weaker Moflems were gradually expelled; but every rational object of the crufades was accomplished without bloodshed; the churches were restored, the monafteries were replenished; and, in the space of fifteen years, the Latins of Jerufalem exceeded the number of fix thoufand. This peace and profperity, for which they were ungrateful to their benefactor, was terminated by the irruption of the Invafion of ftrange and favage hords of Carizmians". Flying the Cariz- from the arms of the Moguls, thofe fhepherds of the Cafpian rolled headlong on Syria; and the union of the Franks with the fultans of Aleppo, Hems, and Damafcus, was infufficient to ftem the violence of the torrent. Whatever flood against them, was cut off by the fword, or dragged into captivity; the military orders were almost exterminated in a fingle battle; and in the pillage of the city, in the profanation of the holy fepulchre, the Latins confefs and regret the modesty and difcipline of the Turks and Saracens.

mians,

A. D. 3243.

St. Louis, and the

fixth crufade,

Of the feven crufades, the two laft were undertaken by Louis the ninth, king of France; who loft his liberty in Egypt, and his life on the coast

90 The clergy artfully confounded the mofch or church of the temple with the holy fepulchre, and their wilful error has deceived both Vertot and Muratori.

91 The irruption of the Carizmians, or Corafmins, is related by Matthew Paris (p. 546, 547.), and by Joinville, Nangis, and the Arabians (p. 111, 112. 191, 192. 528. 530.)

of

LIX.

A. D. 12481254.

of Africa. Twenty-eight years after his death, CHAP. he was canonized at Rome; and fixty-five miracles were readily found, and folemnly attested, to justify the claim of the royal faint "2. The voice of history renders a more honourable teftimony, that he united the virtues of a king, an hero, and a man; that his martial fpirit was tempered by the love of private and public juftice; and that Louis was the father of his people, the friend of his neighbours, and the terror of the infidels. Superftition alone, in all the extent of her baleful influence", corrupted his understanding and his heart; his devotion ftooped to admire and imitate the begging friars of Francis and Dominic; he pursued with blind and cruel zeal the enemies of the faith; and the beft of kings twice defcended from his throne to feek the adventures of a spiritual knight-errant. A monkish hiftorian would have been content to applaud the most despicable part of his character; but the noble and gallant Joinville, who fhared the

friend

92 Read, if you can, the life and miracles of St. Louis, by the *confeffor of queen Margaret (p. 291-523. Joinville, du Louvre). 93 He believed all that mother church taught (Joinville, p. 1o.), but he cautioned Joinville against difputing with infidels. "L'omme lay (faid he in his old language) quand il ot medire de "la loy Chreftienne, ne doit pas deffendre la loy Creftienne ne "mais que de l'espée, dequoi il doit donner parmi le ventre de"dens, tant comme elle y peut entrer" (p. 12.).

94 I have two editions of Joinville, the one (Paris, 1668) most valuable for the Obfervations of Ducange; the other (Paris au Louvre, 1761.) most precious for the pure and authentic text, a MS. of which has been recently difcovered. The laft editor proves, that the hiftory of St. Louis was finished A. D. 1309, without explaining, or even admiring, the age of the author, which must

LIX.

CHIA P. friendship and captivity of Louis, has traced with the pencil of nature the free portrait of his virtues as well as of his failings. From this intimate knowledge, we may learn to fufpect the political views of depreffing their great vassals, which are fo often imputed to the royal authors of the crufades. Above all the princes of the middle ages, Louis the ninth fuccefsfully laboured to reftore the prerogatives of the crown; but it was at home, and not in the Eaft, that he acquired for himself and his pofterity; his vow was the refult of enthufiafm and ficknefs; and if he were the promoter, he was likewife the victim, of this holy madnefs. For the invafion of Egypt, France was exhaufted of her troops and treafures; he covered the fea of Cyprus with eighteen hundred fails; the most modeft enumeration amounts to fifty thousand men; and, if we might trust his own confeffion, as it is reported by Oriental vanity, he difembarked nine thoufand five hundred horfe, and one hundred and thirty thoufand foot, who performed their pilgrimage under the shadow of his power ".

He takes

A. D.

1249.

In complete armour, the oriflamme waving beDamietta, fore him, Louis leaped foremost on the beach; and the strong city of Damietta, which had coft his predeceffors a fiege of fixteen months, was abandoned on the firft affault by the trembling Moflems. But Damietta was the first and the last of his conquests; and in the fifth and fixth cru

have exceeded ninety years (Preface, p.xi. Observations de Ducange, p. 17.).

95 Joinville, p. 32. Arabic Extracts, p. 549.

fades,

fades, the fame causes, almost on the fame ground, CH A P.
were productive of fimilar calamities 9.
After a

ruinous delay, which introduced into the camp
the feeds of an epidemical disease, the Franks ad-
vanced from the fea-coast towards the capital of
Egypt, and ftrove to furmount the unfeasonable
inundation of the Nile, which opposed their pro-
grefs. Under the eye of their intrepid monarch,
the barons and knights of France displayed their
invincible contempt of danger and discipline: his
brother, the count of Artois, ftormed with incon-
fiderate valour the town of Maffoura; and the car-`
rier pigeons announced to the inhabitants of
Cairo, that all was loft. But a foldier, who
afterwards ufurped the fceptre, rallied the flying
troops the main body of the Chriftians was far
behind their vanguard; and Artois was over-
powered and flain. A fhower of Greek fire was
inceffantly poured on the invaders; the Nile was
commanded by the Egyptian gallies, the open
country by the Arabs; all provifions were inter-
cepted; each day aggravated the ficknefs and fa-
mine;
and about the fame time a retreat was
found to be neceffary and impracticable. The
Oriental writers confefs, that Louis might have
escaped, if he would have deferted his fubjects :
he was made prifoner, with the greatest part of
his nobles; all who could not redeem their lives

96 The last editors have enriched their Joinville with large and curious extracts from the Arabic hiftorians, Macrizi, Abulfeda, &c. See likewife Abulpharagius (Dynaft. p. 322-325.), who calls him by the corrupt name of Redefrans. Matthew Paris (p. 683, 684.) has described the rival folly of the French and English who fought and fell at Maffoura.

VOL. XI.

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LIX.

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