THE DIARY OF A CRUSADER.*

THE "Itinerary of King Richard" and his fellow-pilgrims lute been extensively consulted, though perhaps in somewhat imper- fect copies, by English chroniclers and historians, and is called by Gibbon "the most complete and original account of this holy war," i. e., of the Third Crusade. Only the name of the author appears to have been misconceived from the time when he was edited in "Gale's Collection" (Scriptores Hist. Anglicance, 1687), and there identified with Geoffrey Vinisauf, who was a flourishing Latin poet soon after the commencement of the thirteenth cen- tury. The latter's " Ars Poetica" contained two passages in verse in honour of King Richard, which were appositely transcribed with Vinisauts name at the end of a Cambridge copy of the " Rine- 'when," and it was thus, according to Mr. Stubbs' view, that this mistake originated. There has been another error about one por- tion of the narrative, which was included in a French historical col- lection dated 1607. But the testimony of Trivet in the fourteenth century, and various other considerations into which we need not enter, have convinced the present editor that the author of the " Itinerary " was a "Richard, Canon of time Holy Trinity in London," who perhaps figures at a later period as prior of the same monastery. It is most likely, however, that lie was a man of Norman family, and had little connection with England, or at all events little national feeling for it, when he followed the ex- pedition of Coeur de Lion, of whom he was evidently a loyal • Itinerarium Peregrinorum et &eta Regis auclore fig eidetur Ricardo,. Canonico Sancta Trinitatis Londonienda Edited by William Stubbs, M.A., Published under the direction of the ?dinner of the Bolls. London: Longman. 1884.

subject and an intense admirer. One of these points we gather from his saying, in reference to the squabbles of the Crusaders with the people of Messina, that the latter "had learnt from their ancestors that they were formerly subdued by our

nation," i. e., the Normans (Book II., 0. 14), and from his elsewhere speaking of the prior of Hereford (who was among the mes- sengers sent to recall the King from Palestine) as belonging to a " certain English priory of that name " (Book V., c. 22), as if his

readers could scarcely have heard of the existence of the place. Altogether the writer's prejudices are much more those of a Churchman than of a patriot. It is sufficiently proved that his Latin work is original and no translation, as some have stated.

His diction is remarkably pure, if we make fair allowances for mediaeval topics and for his fondness for citing the Vulgate ; and his style, though somewhat sentimental, has real elegance and a fine pervading rhythm. It is liberally sprinkled with quotations of classical poetry, and with a number of original hexameters, perfect and imperfect, which confirm a statement of Trivet's that the Canon wrote •a duplicate " Itinerarium" in the form of an epic poem. To this fact we may possibly owe the plan by which he has introduced us to the antecedents of the Crusade, which are so arranged and divided as much less to fatigue the attention than the proems of many modern historians. We cannot except from this contrast the introduction to the present volume, though it may be excused by the restrictions imposed on all the "Rolls publications," these having obliged Mr. Stubbs to write his editorial notices in a single treatise with his reflections

on the philOsophy of the Solymman history, and with a valuable collation-.of authorities on the details of the war, and especially

qn the conduct of the final negotiations.

But to return to the style of the Canon; he •Seems to have restrained himself with difficulty on coming to the subject of the siege of Acre from indulging in a lower kind of poetical effusion, narnely,.a satire in doggrel rhymes, such as the accom- plished scholar would doubtless in a cooler moment have con- sidered infinitely beneath his dignity. Here the object of his attack is Conrade, Marquis of Montferrat, whose unscrupulous conduct and sinister influence in causing dissensions among the Crusaders are everywhere the more eagerly dwelt on by our author, because his feelings will not let him justify to men the ways of Providence in allowing the failure of the great Christian confederacy otherwise than by representing it as a judgment upon the princes and people of the State founded by Godfrey do Bouillon. A very different view of the matter suggested itself to a Greek monk of the period, author of a pamphlet on the calamities of Cyprus, which Mr.• Stubbs copies in order to show how readily King Richard was received as a deliverer in that island. This impar- tial moralist just observes that " Providence was not pleased to expel the dogs [Mohammedans] from the Holy Land in order that the wolves [Latin Catholics] might take their place." A sub- lime demonstration of truly Catholic sympathies ! Mr. Stubbs is content to study the historical causes of the same phenomenon which present themselves in the jealousies and rivalries of the Christian princes. These are also severely censured by Richard the Canon, though he probably felt their influence more deeply than he liked to own to himself. Hence in part his constant inclination to draw comparisons between the great invasion of Syria and the siege of Troy, another enterprise which well nigh miscarried through the strife of the leaders. One parallel suggests another, and the Crusade had its frail Helen and impudent Paris, as our Canon intimates in one of the most lively passages of Book I.

Here, when he has just filled several chapters with acts of heroes and martyrs during the siege of Acre, reported miracles, and the apparent judgments of Heaven, Ito turns with bitter mortification to the vile intrigues by which it was attempted that the gains of the contest should have been disposed of. It is known that when Sibylla died and left the crown of Jerusalem not to Guy

of Lusignan, who had enjoyed it as her husband, but to Isabella. her sister, the wife of Heinfred of Toron, Conrad° formed the design of getting the latter princess divorced and marrying her himself. He cajoled or bribed many of the nobles and clergy to support her rights, and circulated " a calumnious intimation " that

she had been married against her will and at a premature age. It is observed that,-

"Heinfred himself, who had conceived hopes of obtaining the kingdom in the right of his bride, was more like a woman than a man, 'being effeminate in his deportment, a lisper, and fairly describable by the poet's-

' Dum dubitat natural marem faoeretne plenum, Natus es, 0 pulcher I pone puella puer.' •

Such was the man who now set up to be heir of the kingdom, bat he maintained his conjugal claim with little prudence. For one day when, at the request of the nobles, he had brought his Queen before them, he lost both her and his kingdom together by the device of the Marquis. How deserving was this atrocity both of satirical castigation and of denunciation in the style of tragedy ; for if we condemn the abduction of Helen, we have here a fouler and more contumelious wrong, for Helen was carried away by stealth in the absence of her husband, and Isabella by arms and in her husband's presence."

The lady was placed under guardians apparently neutral, and easily persuaded to claim that her marriage might be declared invalid. The line " Varium et mutabile solver fcentina " is here quoted with alacrity (together with much misogynous ribaldry besides), and Isabella, we are told, soon blushed not to declare that she was not carried off by force but followed the Marquis willingly. Conrade, according to the Canon, was com- mitting a "threefold adultery ;" for he had another wife in his own country and another at Constantinople, and they were both "young, noble, and handsome." But this account is not fully admitted by modem critics. When the Marquis had procured the celebration of the new marriage he quitted Acre, to which ho promited to send provisions. This he neglected to do, and a famine set in, of which the ghastly incidents fill several chapters, in all which people die cursing the Marquis.

" Plebis vox maledicentis Marchisi perfidiam,

Qnod non curat tabeacentis Populi miseriam."

In the second book our pilgrim, who appears to have been a foot soldier, follows Richard from Vezelai to Marseilles, and thence after embarking with another division of the army re-meets the King at Messina. He relates with great zest the romantic Successes of Richard in Sicily and Cyprus, and describes his nuptials with Berengaria, as also the splendour of his appearance at a conference with the tyrant Isaac. Of this passage Miss Strickland has made use, taking it for granted that Richard wore nearly the same attire then as on his wedding day.

Book III. contains the taking of Acre and the return of Philip to France. Book IV. commences with the slaughter of the hostages, which the Canon rather unfeelingly justifies. After the battle of Arsuf, Richard, as we are told in Book V., might probably have taken Jerusalem by a sudden assault, but would have been unable to hold it, as his forces would have instantly dispersed themselves. The Canon follows Riohard to the close of the war, describes magnificently his prowess in the last battles, and briefly relates the visit of three bands of pilgrims to the Holy Sepulchre :- " On the return of the first pilgrims they met a second company on their way, led by Ralph Teissun, between Ramlah and Castel Arnald. Saladin, as we have mentioned, had stationed his troops to watch all the roads and avenues whenever any pilgrims approached Jerusalem ; so that we proceeded free and unhindered, and crossing the hills arrived at the Mount of Joy, from which, when we had seen Jerusalem at a distance, we rejoiced exceedingly, and knelt on the ground in the usual mode to return our humble thanks to God. Thence we also saw Mount Olivet. Afterwards we all went on briskly ; but those who had horses hastened to outstrip the rest, that they might have more leisure to salute the Lord's tomb according to their vow. Then, as we were told by the horsemen who preceded us, Saladin caused that True Cross of

the Lord which had before been brought to battle to be shown to them to kiss and reverence. But we that came last on foot saw but what we could, to wit, the tomb of the Lord, whereon some offerings were pre- sented. But because these were taken by the Saracens we were sparing of them, and divided our gifts to the Frank and Syrian captives whom we saw in chains and performing servile labour there. Then we went towards the right hand to Mount Calvary Then the church whence the blessed Mary departed this world to go to the Father, which having kissed with tears we hastened to see the hallowed holy table on which Christ deigned to eat bread Then we departed hastily in a cluster, for it was not safe to walk otherwise, owing to the ambuscades laid for us by the faithless people of the land, for where the Turks found two or throe or four pilgrims walking separately they drew them into the crypts and secretly smothered them Here again having wept and imprinted our kisses, the Turks thrusting us onwards, we de- parted in haste, much grieved to behold the pollutions which these holy places received from the horses that the Turks had irreverently stabled there."

The narrative hastily sums up the disasters that followed Richard's embarkation, and embraces (according to the M.S., which is possibly completed by another author) the reforms lie began to introduce into the English Government before his death. It is a work that may be read with deep interest by all who can desire to contemplate the Crusades, if only for a short season, through the medium of the faith and sentiments of the contemporary generation.