whom he eagerly conversed on the existing distress of the faithful, the triumph of infidelity, the ancient grandeur, and the modern degradation of Jerusalem. With emotions of enthusiastic veneration he visited each spot of reputed holiness, going through the usual course of prayers and processions, till his imagination and his feelings were wrought up to almost frantic vehemence. But the sentiment which predominated over every other was that of indignant horror at the sacrilegious brutality of the Turks, and he at length demanded and obtained an audience of Simeon, the patriarch.

In the aged churchman, Peter found a kindred spirit. True he was a Greek, and consequently a heretic. Still the hermit regarded him as a Christian, and received the account which he gave of the afflictions of the people, not only with overflowing tears, but with the reiterated question, whether no way could be discovered to soften and to terminate them. 66 Write," " he at length said, "to my lord the pope, to the Romish church, and to the western kings and princes, and confirm the letters with the authority of your seal. And I," he added, "if it be only for the relief of my own spirit, will, by God's help, take upon myself the labour of waiting upon each of them, laying before them the extremity of your grief, and earnestly imploring from them the succour which you need." The proposal was accepted by the patriarch, who accordingly committed to the care of Peter the documents which he required.*

Gulielmus Tyrii, lib. i. cap. xi.

The Hermit now, if not before, began to conceive himself invested with a Divine commission, and various circumstances combined to strengthen him in the delusion. At one time, in the Church of the Resurrection, overcome by fatigue, said to have been occasioned by the offering of prayers, in which he had continued through the night, he stretched himself upon the pavement to seek repose by sleep, when, as he conceived, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him, and addressing him, said, "Arise, Peter, make haste, and execute with boldness the trust which has been committed to thee, and I will be with thee, for the time is come to purge my sanctuary, and to succour my servants." Peter, nothing doubting that the voice and the -vision were from heaven, though they were doubtless only a dream, the natural fruit of his over-heated imagination, instantly prepared for his departure, and having received the benediction of the patriarch, he journeyed to the coast, took ship, and sailed to Italy.'

On his arrival, the Hermit lost no time in seeking out the pope. Urban II., who then occupied the papal chair, received him kindly, and promised his hearty co-operation in the general scheme of the Crusade. Thus encouraged, and inflamed with what was mistaken for a Divine zeal, he quickly passed through Italy, crossed the Alps, and traversing all the countries of Europe, went from court to court, and from castle to castle, declaring the miseries of the holy city, imploring the needed succour, and * Gulielmus Tyrii, lib. i. cap. xi.

invoking vengeance on the Turks. Nor did he confine his appeals to princes and nobles. In all the towns and villages through which he passed, he sought to kindle the enthusiasm of the multitudes.*

There was everything in the character, the dress, and the deportment of the Hermit, to secure popular favour. He was the very embodiment of the spirit of his age, and the people saw in him a full combination of almost all the qualities which they had been accustomed to view with the highest admiration. He rode upon a mule, clothed in a woollen tunic, without sleeves, and a brown mantle, which fell down to his heels, his feet and arms being left bare. He is said to have been superior in piety to all the abbots or bishops of the day, eating neither flesh nor bread, and living only upon fish and wine, but professing to find his pleasure in the greatest abstinence. Wherever he went the populace surrounded him in crowds, loading him with presents, and eulogizing his sanctity. Nor was he wanting in generosity, which he discovered in the liberal distribution of the gifts which he received. His influence increased with almost every step he took, extending even to the domestic circle. He sometimes restored women to husbands whom they had abandoned, and reconciled those who had lived at variance. By some he was looked upon as more than human, the people plucking the hairs of his mule, and preserving them as sacred relics, * Gulielmus Tyrii, lib. ì. cap. xiij.

His preaching was most powerful. All the gates of the human heart were open to his eloquence. Nations rose at his word, and grasping the sword and the spear, commenced their preparations for the conflict to which he summoned them.*

Wonderful delusion of a dark and superstitious age! Who shall say that the former times were better than these? Happy we who have been taught, from the living oracles of God, to seek salvation, not by the merit of our .own performances, but by the merit of the one great sacrifice presented to God, when Jesus, in expiation of our guilt, offered up himself. Happy we who have learned, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, that the Christian pilgrimage consists not in toilsome journeyings to an earthly Canaan or a temporal city, but in a course of holy obedience and patient submission to the Divine will, animated by the prospect of a heavenly country, and "a city which hath foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God." Happy, too, if we have learned that our warfare is not in martial conflict with the powers of this world, by whatever name they may be called, but with the sinful corruptions of our own hearts, and with the great adversary of our souls. May it be ours to fight the good fight, to finish our course, to keep the faith, and to obtain the crown- -the crown of righteousness which the righteous Judge will give to all "who love his appearing."

* Guibertus, lib. ii. cap. viii. Robertus Monachus, lib. i. p. 5.

While Peter was successfully fulfilling his mission, Urban was not unmindful of his promise of co-operation. He summoned a council at Placentia, and subsequently determined on holding a second in the heart of Gaul. It was held at Clermont, and was composed of an unheard of multitude of priests, princes, and nobles, both of France and Germany, all eager to receive and obey the pope's injunctions. After having determined the less important affairs, Urban came forth from the church in which the principal ecclesiastics were assembled, and addressed the immense concourse, which had been gathered into one of the great squares, with all that persuasive eloquence which he above most men of his age had at command.

He related how their brethren in the east were trampled under foot by infidels, to whom God had not granted the light of his Holy Spirit-how fire, plunder, and the sword had completely desolated the fair plains of Palestine -how her children were enslaved or died under tortures too horrible to recount-how the women were subjected to the impure passions of the pagans-and how God's own altar, the symbols of salvation, and the precious relics of the saints, were all desecrated by the gross abominations of a race of heathens. 6 То whom then," he asked, "does it belong to avenge these crimes? to whom, unless to you, to whom God has given strength, and valour, and greatness of soul? Let the prowess of your