СНАР. XVI. FROM THE YEAR 1097, FIRST CRUSADE, TO THE MIDDLE OF THE TWELFTH CENTURY, A. D. 1150. A ND now the troubled waters, which had deluged our world with barbarism, like those that drowned it in the days of Noah, subfided not all at once. A rushing and a mighty wind drove them into a new current, and its fupernatural impetuofity was reasonably enough ascribed to the immediate hand of God. Gregory the feventh's powerful and perfifting ambition first dug the channel; but the breath of a mean fanatick was employed to blow forward the tide that filled it. Peter the Hermit, born at Amiens in Picardy, made, as did many more, a devotional pilgrimage to Jerufalem, where it began to be fuppofed in Europe that Chrift would, at the clofe of the thousand years mentioned by Saint John, appear once more on earth and judge the world. He saw there how the Turks, after wresting Syria from the Saracens, treated our brethren with peculiar cruelty upon that spot where their great Saviour's fufferings led many to contemplate the scene of their completion; nor will I much extend myfelf in arguments to prove, what in this day none will difpute, how men had better serve the Lord at home, obeying his precepts, and imitating his example; than by undertaking a tedious journey for the fake. of feeing the place where his crofs was firft erected. Manners must in fome measure change with times. There were then no fcriptures publickly read and known, nor were the limits of duty ascertained as now, within the well-known precincts of the gospel; but piety delighted to warm warm her languid virtue by clofer approaches to the Sun of Righteoufnefs, and forrow haftened to that hallow'd fpot, where first she rofe with healing in her wings. Curiosity, eldest child of learning, was not then born, to turn the traveller's attention upon objects which, to the minds of pilgrims in those centuries, had no attractive power; nor did they dream, in the year 1100, of fimpling upon Mount Sinai, where carly man received the law from everlafting God, in thunderings, and lightnings, and voices. Peter the Hermit then returned to Europe, flufh'd with a generous and natural indignation at feeing that his Redeemer's fervants were infulted, his holy fepulchre profaned, and all the myfteries of our religion derided, where their facred inftitution first began. Hafting to Rome, where Urban II. filled the papal chair, he poured forth his torrent of complaints before it, and the pope called a council at Piacenza: no hall however was found that could contain the flocking multitudes, and their convention was held upon a plain. Such were the transports excited by one pilgrim's warm pathetick eloquence, that all prefent devoted themfelves folemnly, though fuddenly, to rescue Jerufalem from Turkish tyranny and vile oppreffion : and Urban, (whom Hume and Goldsmith call Martin, by mistake) defirous to engage the rich and powerful in fuch a caufe, fummon'd another council at Clermont d'Auvergne. Peter, whofe vigour felt like that of fabled Antæus, renewed by touch of his own parent earth, there still more loudly reiterated his exhortations to a crowd of listening princes, prelates, nobles, knights, and pious women, who with one accord, as if inspired, cried out all at once "God wills it fo, God wills it." Words from that hour confecrated as a signal of rendezvous and battle, whilst all united and prepared for war under the bloody crofs, fixed as a badge upon the right shoulder, and painted on every standard through the continent. Artizans, priefts, peasants, enrolled their names; and although our iflanders feemed the leaft heated by this contagious calenture of enthusiasm of any European inhabitants, many barons and nobility, high in both power and wealth through England, fold their pof feffions feffions off, broke up houfe-keeping, and away for the Holy Land. Thofe who declined the fervice were foon branded with ignominy as avaricious, heretical, or pufillanimous. Nidings perhaps, till in thofe days of fcanty population, when Domefday-book declares York to have contained but 1418 families, Norwich 738 houfes, only, with others in proportion, an army of 700,000 combatants from all countries were collected, fighting men: thofe who affumed the crofs, and followed as affiftant reinforcements, &c. were fix millions. Of thefe, 300,000 troops went first with Peter to conduct them; while Godfrey, of Boulogne, who commanded 400,000 more, began to feel uncafy left the armament should by its magnitude defeat its own great purpose. "All 66 66 Europe (fays the Princess Anna Comnena) torn up from the foundation, seemed ready to precipitate itself on Afia in one united mass. Gibbon derides the female eloquence which thus expreffes itself in warmth, yet figure; but fuch occurrences defcribed by thofe who faw and felt them, will feldom be related neatly or terfely, or with that French tournure and delicacy of quick finish, that is no lefs remote from manly character and unaffected fimplicity, than is the natural fublimity of the princefs. Europe did indeed precipitate itself on Afia, like a vast avalanche tumbling from her fnowy Alps; like that it fuffocated for a time, but not destroyed, the foes on which it fell; like that too, it in due time diffolved away, leaving no trace of its own violence. That violence however, was not unprovoked: Fuller, whom we will not fufpect of foolish warmth in a caufe which he first ventured to ridicule, feels himself honeftly obliged to confefs that the Bofphorus was too narrow a ditch, and the Grecian empire too low a hedge for keeping out these astonishing invaders, who had already wafted Italy, conquered Spain, made inroads upon Aquitaine, and poffeffed many islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The war therefore (adds he) was partly offenfive, partly defenfive too, like a weapon fix'd in the boffe of a fhield. Silvefter II. tutor to Otho, had in the year 986, written a fort of pastoral letter, elegantly lamenting the fate of Jerufalem, but was VOL. I liften'd M m liften'd to by the inhabitants of Pifa alone, who armed against the Mahometans, but being fingle had no fuccefs. The truth is, Silvester poffeffed too much literature for the times he lived in the mafs of mankind did not understand him. Peter the Hermit's louder cries, and ruder manners, awakened those who flept at the call of rationaľ and well-informed piety: befides that, at the clofe of the tenth century, a sudden alarm feized people's fancy, and many thought the world was in its laft convulfions. L'Hiftoire de Languedoc, by Vaisette, preferves a French charter, beginning thus: Appropinquante mundi termino, &c. As the end of the world approaches, &c. and individuals made themselves fo certain that the clofing fcenes were near, it was a common practice to throw up all, and run to meet their Saviour where he fuffered. Such difinterefted conduct muft clear them at worst from all fufpicion of hypocrify; but what was begun in honour was continued afterwards by many, certainly through a spirit of mcan prudence, as coarfe fewel ferves to keep alive that flame which touch ætherial lighted. Those who affumed the cross were exempted from prosecutions for debt; they paid no taxes for a confiderable time: they were not bound to plead in civil courts, but were put wholly under care of the church, and thus almost emancipated from the then hard preffure of fome fuperior lord. These strange immunities were cause of temporary union; for debtor and creditor, plaintiff and defendant, baron and vaffal, took the common badge; and fhaking hands in friendship, set off together for Palestine. Our elegant historian Hume tells us befide, that the great nobles then poffeffed in every country the right of making peace and war, which above all other privileges they valued, and that they were engaged in perpetual hoftilities with each other. He might have added, that as marriage was then forbidden as far as to the seventh degree of confanguinity, and all within that pale were relations, bound by blood to fupport family quarrels, fo that the open champagnes were become theatres of conteft, between bands of fubje&s fighting in their own caufes, without the smallest regard to law, law, juftice, or kingly authority. Every man, popularly fpeaking, being by this fyftem dependant either on his own, or on a kinfman's fword-What wonder if valour was confidered as the only excellence? When civil sports were all connected too with mystick devotion, and feenick representation, returned to its first swaddling bands, attempted nothing but the narration of a facred ftory, oddly affifted by grimaces of the relator, and fighed for a long proceffion, not yet in use, but half in contemplation-what marvel, or what harm indeed, if fuperftitious phrenzy did for a moment feize upon mankind, and set on foot one vast one serious and fublime proceffion in order to regain the Holy Land ; the attendant multitude is at this distance of time difficult to conceive; women not mean of rank followed in the train for devotion's fake; and the word volunteer, then firft adopted, feemed to include every defcription of men, from pardon'd criminals to barons of high birth; giving for benefit of all at once, to every idle individual a centre of union, and binding the irregular and fhapeless mafs into a determined, though ill-fashioned form. Arpin now fold the Vicomté de Bourges to Philip I. king of France, in full perfuafion that our world was ending; but he who bought did homage to the Comte Sancerre, in whom 'tis plain piety had not deadened that fenfe of equality, as a knight and gentleman, in which nobles of thofe days ftood to their nominal fovereign, who was only, as it were in fome refpects, fuperior lord at home. Europe was broken into various but tyrannick ariftocracies, where the chieftain, whether king, duke, or baron, was judge in civil cafes, and the church in all the reft. Reading was yet of difficult attainment, and no written laws could have had much effect, so that barbarism would have lafted longer among us, had not this sudden impetus driven, they fcarce knew why, all conditions of humanity in one enormous aggregate to Afia. The Grecian Emperor there however, little delighting at fight of such a universal movement, began to fear -left they should lose their way, and fall upon Conftantinople instead of Jerufalem. Had he been fkilful in fuch things as we are now, he might have honeftly enriched himself by contract; for 'twas agreed |