§ 53. THE THIRD CRUSADE. 265
ascribes to him the valor of Hector, the magnanimity of Achilles, the prudence of Odysseus, the eloquence of Nestor, and equality with Alexander. French writers of the thir teenth century tell how Saracen mothers, long after Richard had returned to England, used to frighten their children into obedience or silence by the spell of his name, so great was the dread he had inspired. Destitute of the pious traits of Godfrey and Louis IX., Richard nevertheless stands, by his valor, muscular strength, and generous mind, in the very front rank of conspicuous Crusaders.
On his way back to England he was seized by Leopold, duke of Austria, whose enmity he had incurred before Joppa. The duke turned his captive over to the emperor, Henry VI., who had a grudge to settle growing out of Sicil ian matters. Richard was released only on the humiliating terms of paying an enormous ransom and consenting to hold his kingdom as a fief of the empire. Saladin died March 4, 1193, by far the most famous of the foes of the Crusaders. Christendom has joined with Arab writers in praise of his chivalric courage, culture, and magnanimity.1 What could be more courteous than his granting the request of Hubert Walter for the station of two Latin priests in the three churches of the Holy Sepulchre, Nazareth, and Bethlehem?2
The recapture of Acre and the grant of protection to the pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem were paltry achievements
1 A western legend given by Vincent de Beauvais relates that as Saladin was dying he called to him his standard-bearer and bade him carry through the streets of Damascus the banner of his death as he had carried the banner of his wars ; namely, a rag attached to a lance, and cry out, " Lo, at his death, the king of the East can take nothing with him but this cloth only."
2 The Itinerary gives a story of Saladin and the notorious miracle of the holy fire until recently shown in the church of the Holy Sepulchre. It may well be true. When Saladin, on one occasion, saw the holy flame descend and light a lamp, he ordered the lamp blown out to show it was a fraud. But it was immediately rekindled as if by a miracle. Extinguished a second and a third time, it was again and again rekindled. " Oh, what use is it to resist the invisible Power ! " exclaims the author of the Itinerary, V. 16.
266 THE MIDDLE AGES. A.D. 1049-1294.
in view of the loss of life, the long months spent in making ready for the Crusade, the expenditure of money, and the combination of the great nations of Europe. In this case, as in the other Crusades, it was not so much the Saracens, or even the splendid abilities of Saladin, which defeated the Crusaders, but their feuds among themselves. Never again did so large an army from the West contend for the cross on Syrian soil.
§ 54. The Children s Crusades.
" The rich East blooms fragrant before us ; All Fairy-land beckons us forth, We must follow the crane in her flight o'er the main, From the posts and the moors of the North."
— CHARLES KINGSLEY, The Saint's Tragedy.
LITERATURE. — For the sources, see WJLKEX: Gesch. der Kreuzzuge, VI. 71-83. — DES ESSARDS : La Croisade des enfants, Paris, 1875. — ROHRICHT, Die Kinderkreuzzuye, in Sybel, Hist. Zeitschrift, vol. XXX VI., 1870. — G. Z. GRAY: The Childreifs Crusade, N.Y., 1872, new ed. 1800.— ISABEL S. STONE: The Little Crusaders, N.Y., 1901. — HURTER: In nocent III., II. 482-489.
The most tragic of the Crusader tragedies were the cru sades of the children. They were a slaughter of the innocents on a large scale, and belong to those mysteries of Providence which the future only will solve.
The crusading epidemic broke out among the children of France and Germany in 1212. Begotten in enthusiasm, which was fanned by priestly zeal, the movement ended in pitiful disaster.
The French expedition was led by Stephen, a shepherd lad of twelve, living at Cloyes near Chartres. He had a vision, so the rumor went, in which Christ appeared to him as a pil grim and made an appeal for the rescue of the holy places. Journeying to St. Denis, the boy retailed the account of what he had seen. Other children gathered around him. The enthusiasm spread from Brittany to the Pyrenees. In