possession and government of the place. To this they eventually agreed.* Phirouz was accordingly informed that Boemond was about to take advantage of his offer, and a chosen band of about seven hundred knights advanced in the silence of the night close to the walls. A trusty soldier was sent forward to confer with the Armenian traitor. The plot being ripe, ropes and ladders were lowered from the battlements. But now the Crusaders, apprehending treachery, refused to mount. At length Boemond himself ascended. None, however, ventured to follow him; nor was it till his return assured them of safety, that they were emboldened to proceed. Impatience now succeeded to reluctance, and the ladder broke when only sixty had reached the walls. But the damage was speedily repaired, and the rest followed. Scarcely were they on the top, when the lighted torch of the patrol was seen advancing towards them. The darkness of the night favoured their concealment, and calmly waiting his approach, they sealed his lips in the silence of death, before he could sound the alarm. They then seized the towers, and slew the sleeping guards. The crimson standard of Boemond was now hoisted; and, on the gates being thrown open, the whole army of to Crusaders entered with triumphant shouts oL "God wills it! God wills it!" The Turks suddenly awaking from their slumbers, took to * Robertus Monachus, lib. v. flight; but, unable to escape the vengeance of their pursuers, ten thousand were slain in that single night, and their bodies left unburied in the highways.* Scarcely, however, had the exultations of victory subsided, before the Christians found themselves in the very position of those in whose conquest they had been rejoicing. The citizens of Antioch, perceiving that nothing daunted the Crusaders, had sent, during the siege, imploring the aid of all Mussulman princes.† Accordingly, Carboran, a Persian nobleman, had now arrived with an army of 300,000 men, under twenty-seven commanders, and, settling down with these in the neighbouring hills, and beneath the walls of the city, the besieged became the besiegers. All the precautions which the Crusaders had taken against the enemy were turned against themselves. The Turks, moreover, having been so long blockaded, had begun to suffer want, and had left but little behind to satisfy the cravings of hunger. § Famine, therefore, speedily ensued; and the distresses of the Christians before the walls of Antioch were nothing, compared with the horrors which they now suffered in possession of the city. They were compelled to kill their horses for food, and not only was their flesh eaten, but their blood was drunk. Even the leather of the military accoutrements, as well * Gulielmus Tyrii, lib. v. caps. xi.-xxii. † Ibid. lib. v. cap. i. William of Malmesbury, p. 431. § Albertus, lib. iv. caps. xxv. xxix. as the skins of animals, were stewed down, and the leaves of trees, and the most nauseous vegetables were boiled, and greedily devoured. * All the customary concomitant miseries of famine were present. Every distinction was levelled. Order and decency were abandoned; vice and debauchery were rife. The modesty of the virgin, and the dignified virtue of the matron, were alike laid aside. Despair took possession of the hearts of all, except a few hardy knights, among whom Godfrey and Tancred were the most conspicuous. Desertions again became numerous, and at one time the necessity of flight was seriously discussed in a council of the chiefs.† In the siege of the city, stratagem came to the aid of the Crusaders; now superstition lent them its assistance. Visions were said to be seen, and voices to be heard, which were reported by the priests and others, to keep alive the dying hopes of the famishing people. The last and most successful attempt of this kind is known as "the invention of the lance"-the fraud of which was afterwards detected. A man named Peter, a native of Provence, affirmed that Andrew the apostle had appeared to him in a dream, and revealed to him the fact, that in a certain spot within the principal church of the city was deposited the lance with which the soldiers had pierced the Saviour's side, assuring *Gulielmus Tyrii, lib. vi. cap. vii. † Robertus Monachus, lib. vi.; Baldricus, lib. iii.; Gulielmus Tyrii, lib. vi. cap. xiii. him that if the weapon were found, and carried along with the army, it would ward off the attacks of the enemy, and secure a victory. At first, the story was discredited, but at length, it was resolved that the spot described should at all events be searched. A procession was formed, and the search was made with the most imposing solemnity. The lance was found, the vision was believed, and the exhibition of the sacred instrument had a remarkable effect. The enthusiasm of the people knew no bounds, and all now, in the full confidence of victory, became eager to go out and meet the foe.* Peter the Hermit, however, was first sent in the character of an ambassador to the Persian camp, but Corboran treated him with the utmost scorn. On his return, the account of the manner of his reception increased the indignation of the Crusaders, and they at once commenced preparations for their departure from the city, and the encounter with the enemy. They polished their shields, sharpened their swords, and divided their last stock of provisions to recruit their wasted strength. The eucharist was administered, and other services performed, every method being employed to increase the ardour and to embolden the courage of the soldiers.† On the following morning, the Crusaders went forth in the array of battle, their numbers greatly diminished, and their wan countenances testifying *Gulielmus Tyrii, lib. vi. cap. xiv. to the horrors of the famine which they had endured. The van was preceded by the priests and monks, with crucifixes in their hands, praying aloud for the protection of Heaven. The sacred lance was borne by the venerable bishop of Puy, who sought to encourage the army by the assurance of God's favour and victory. * The fury with which the Christian soldiery rushed to the encounter filled the Turks with surprise and consternation. Still their numbers, and the superiority of their cavalry, gave them incalculable advantage, and the Latins met with a fierce and determined resistance; but nothing could repress the ardour or repel the courage of the Crusaders. They imagined, at one time, that they saw the ancient martyrs, who had formerly been soldiers, hastily approaching, with upraised banners, from the mountain districts, hurling darts against the enemy. Then they pressed to the charge with redoubled vigour. The Persians were dismayed, and took to flight. The Latins, exhilarated with unexpected joy, slew them as they were flying, as far as the strength of the infantry, or the exertion of the cavalry, would permit.† The battle being over, the chiefs of the Crusaders returned to the camp of the enemy to take possession of the spoils. It seemed as though the wealth of Persia had been transported with its armies, such was the profusion *Gulielmus Tyrii, cap. xvii.; Robertus Monachus, lib. vii. † William of Malmesbury, p. 431. |