He preserved your seed in the ark of Noah, that your race might not perish out of the world; still more are ye beholden to Him for the element of the air which He hath appointed for you; beyond all this, ye sow not, neither do you reap; and God feedeth you, and giveth you the streams and fountains for your drink; the mountains and the valleys for your refuge and the high trees whereon to make your nests; and because ye know not how to spin or sew, God clotheth you; wherefore your Creator loveth you much, seeing that He hath bestowed on you so many benefits; and therefore, my little sisters, beware of the sin of ingratitude and study always to give praises unto God."

When St. Francis spoke these words to them, the birds began to open their beaks, and stretch their necks, and spread their wings, and reverently bend their heads down to the ground, and by their acts and by their songs to show that the holy friar gave them joy exceeding great. And St. Francis rejoiced with them, and was glad, and marveled much at so great a company of birds and their most beautiful diversity and their good heed and sweet friendliness, for which things he devoutly praised their Creator in them.

CHAPTER XII

RICHARD THE LION-HEARTED AND THE THIRD CRUSADE

MANY European chroniclers, English, French, and German, have described the Third Crusade and have related the exploits of its principal hero, Richard the Lion-hearted. One of the most important accounts is the Itinerary of King Richard. It is believed to have been composed by a certain Richard de Templo, canon of Holy Trinity Church, London. The author of the Itinerary declares that the notes for his book were drawn up amid the din of battles and the stir of martial camps. The work professes, therefore, to be a narrative by an eye-witness to the things mentioned in it. This statement must be received with caution, for Richard de Templo appears to have borrowed heavily from an Anglo-Norman poem dealing with the deeds of the English king in the Holy Land.

54. Personality of Richard 2

4

He had the courage of Hector, the magnanimity of Achilles, and was equal to Alexander and not inferior to Roland3 in valor; nay, he outshone many illustrious characters of our own times. The liberality of a Titus was his, and, which is so rarely found in a soldier, he was gifted with the eloquence of Nestor and the prudence of Ulysses; and he showed himself preeminent in the conclusion and transaction of business, as

1 Chronicles of the Crusades. London, 1848. George Bell and Sons.

2 Itinerarium Regis Ricardi, bk. ii, ch. 5.

4 Roman emperor, 79-81 A.D.

3 See page 160.

one whose knowledge was not without active goodwill to aid it, nor his goodwill wanting in knowledge. Who, if Richard were accused of presumption, could not readily excuse him, knowing him for a man who never acknowledged defeat, impatient of an injury, and impelled irresistibly to vindicate his rights, though all he did was characterized by innate nobleness of mind. Success made him better fitted for action; fortune ever favors the bold, and though she works her pleasure on whom she will, Richard was never overwhelmed with adversity. He was tall of stature and graceful in figure; his hair between red and auburn; his limbs were straight and flexible; his arms rather long, and not to be matched for wielding the sword or for striking with it; and his long legs suited the rest of his frame; while his appearance was commanding, and his manners and habits suitable; and he gained the greatest celebrity, not more from his high birth than from the virtues that adorned him. But why need we take much labor in extolling the fame of so great a man?

55. Capture of Acre 1

The Third Crusade (1189-1192) was a joint undertaking on the part of the three most powerful states of Europe Germany, France, and England. The German contingent, under Frederick Barbarossa, followed a land route through the territories of the Roman Empire in the East and reached southern Asia Minor. Here Frederick perished by accident; and of all his fine army scarcely a thousand men succeeded in joining the other crusaders before Acre. The siege of this important city was conducted by the Anglo-French contingent under Richard the Lion-hearted and Philip Augustus.

By the conjunction of the retinues of the two kings, an immense army of Christians was formed . . . . There was not a man of influence or renown in France who came not, then or afterwards, to the siege of Acre. And when King Richard arrived with an army, the flower of war, and learned that the king of France had gained the goodwill and favor of all, by

1 Itinerarium Regis Ricardi, bk. ii, chs. 4, 19.

giving to each of his soldiers three aurei a month, not to be outdone or equaled in generosity, he proclaimed by mouth of herald that whosoever was in his service, no matter of what nation, should receive four aurei a month for his pay. By these means his generosity was extolled by all, for he outshone every one else in merit and favors, as he outdid them in gifts and magnificence. "When," exclaimed they, "will the first attack take place, by a man whom we have expected so long and anxiously? A man, the first of kings, and the most skilled in war throughout Christendom? Now let the will of God be done, for the hope of all rests on King Richard."

After a two years' siege Acre surrendered to the crusaders in 1191.

From the day on which the Saracens first got possession of the city of Acre, to that on which it was restored, was a space of four years. . . . The state of the churches within the city. was not beheld without horror, and it is not without grief that we relate the unseemly things that had been perpetrated within them. For who could behold, without tears, the countenances of the holy images of the crucifixion of the Son of God, and of many saints, defiled or disfigured in one way or another? Who would not shudder at the horrible sight of altars overthrown, and of crucifixes cast to the earth and beaten in contempt by that insulting and impious nation, the Saracens, and their own rites exhibited in holy places? All the relics of man's redemption and the Christian religion had been effaced, and the corruption of the Mohammedan superstition had been introduced.

56. Richard's Deeds in the Holy Land 1

Philip soon returned to France, but Richard stayed in the Holy Land for another year. During this time he had much hard fighting and met many thrilling adventures.

The sultan Saladin, hearing that his choice troops, in whom he had placed so much confidence, were being defeated by the

1 Itinerarium Regis Ricardi, bk. iv, chs. 22, 28, 30; bk. v, ch. 54; bk. vi, ch. 28.

Christians, was filled with anger. Calling together his commanders, he said to them, "Are these the deeds of my brave troops, whom I have loaded with gifts? Lo! the Christians traverse the whole country at their pleasure, for there is no one to oppose them. Where now are all your boasts, those swords and spears with which you threatened to do such execution? Where is that prowess which you promised to put forth against the Christians, to overthrow them utterly? You have fought the battle which you desired, but where is the victory you promised? You have degenerated from your noble ancestors, who performed such exploits against the Christians and whose memory will endure forever."

...

The commanders held down their heads at these words; but one of them returned this answer, "Most sacred sultan, this charge is unjust, for we fought with all our strength against the Franks and did our best to destroy them. We met their fiercest attacks, but it was of no avail; they are armed in impenetrable armor which no weapon can pierce, so that all our blows fell as it were upon a rock of flint. And, further, there is one among their number superior to any man we have ever seen. He always charges before the rest, slaying and destroying our men. He is the first in every enterprise, and is a most brave and excellent soldier; no one can resist him or escape out of his hands: they call him Melech Ric.1 Such a king as he seems born to command the whole earth; what more then could we do against so formidable an enemy?"

Richard on one occasion was very nearly captured by the Saracens. King Richard once went out hawking with a small escort and intended, if he saw any small body of Saracens, to fall upon them. Fatigued with his ride, he fell asleep, and a force of Saracens rushed suddenly upon him to make him prisoner. The king, awakened by the noise, had hardly time to mount his horse, and his attendants were still getting on their horses also, when the enemy came upon them and tried to take him.

1 King Richard.