--How now,
De Vaux, what news of the mad priest?"
"Mad priest, call you him, my lord?" answered De Vaux. "Methinks
he resembles more the blessed Baptist himself, just issued from
the wilderness. He has placed himself on one of the military
engines, and from thence he preaches to the soldiers as never man
preached since the time of Peter the Hermit. The camp, alarmed
by his cries, crowd around him in thousands; and breaking off
every now and then from the main thread of his discourse, he
addresses the several nations, each in their own language, and
presses upon each the arguments best qualified to urge them to
perseverance in the delivery of Palestine."
"By this light, a noble hermit!" said King Richard. "But what
else could come from the blood of Godfrey? HE despair of safety,
because he hath in former days lived PAR AMOURS? I will have the
Pope send him an ample remission, and I would not less willingly
be intercessor had his BELLE AMIE been an abbess."
As he spoke, the Archbishop of Tyre craved audience, for the
purpose of requesting Richard's attendance, should his health
permit, on a secret conclave of the chiefs of the Crusade, and to
explain to him the military and political incidents which had
occurred during his illness.
Pages:
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421