Part 28

In the year of our Lord Christ 1096, when _Henry_ the fourth was Emperor of the west, and _Alexius_ the _Grecian_ Emperor at _Constantinople_ in the east, Pope _Urban_ the second call’d a council at _Claremont_ in _France_, where they consulted together which way the Land of Promise might be deliver’d again from the hands of the Infidels. Where it was concluded and agreed upon, to take the field in common, and for their general they chose _Gottefrid de Boulion_, Count of _Bononia_ in _France_. Along with him went many Princes, Counts and Noblemen, _viz._ _Baldwin_ and _Eustachius_ his brethren, and many more, and brought together an army of six hundred thousand foot, and one hundred thousand horse; so they went in several parties through _Hungaria_, _Greece_, _&c._ till they had passed the _Hellespont_, and came into _Asia the Less_, now call’d _Natolia_, and belonging to the _Turks_, where they joined again, and took some towns, to wit, _Nicea_, _Tarsis_, and also _Antiochia_ situated in _Cælosyria_. Yet in these actions were a great many Christians slain by the way, others were taken prisoners, some were starved, a great many dy’d of sicknesses, that came by changing of the air in these hot countries; so that in three years time, for so long dured this march, there were hardly forty thousand men (as some write) left, of the afore-named sum that did arrive in the Land of Promise. These went with their master and general _Gottefrid de Boulion_ before the city of _Jerusalem_, wherein were a great number of the infidels, to defend it; yet they surrounded the city, and took it in a little time, and kill’d a great number of them. When they had taken the town on the fifteenth day of _July_, in the year 1099, and had reduced it, they laid down their armors and arms, and went to visit the holy Sepulchre with great devotion, and chose there unanimously their general King of _Jerusalem_, who at their request undertook the government, would not be call’d King, nor crown’d with a golden crown in that place, where our Saviour that Arch-King had worn one of thorns. After he had obtained this victory, he also subdued some adjacent towns, _viz._ _Joppe_ call’d _Jaffa_, _Porphria_ situated at the foot of mount _Carmel_, the _Arabians_ and _Turks_ call’d _Hayphe_, _Tiberias_ and the confines of _Galilea_. He also overcame with a handful of his men, the Captain of the Sultan, who had a great number of men with him, and kill’d above thirty thousand of them. But as nothing is lasting in human affairs, he dy’d in the eleventh month of his reign, and was bury’d in the above-mention’d chapel, and upon his tomb-stone is still to be read this following epitaph.

_Hic jacet inclitus dux ~Gottefridus de Boulion~, qui totam istam terram acquisivit cultui Christiano: cujus anima regnet cum Christo. ~Amen.~_

After his decease the Christians unanimously chose his brother _Baldewin_ King of _Jerusalem_ in his place; he overcame with a small number of men the King of _Egypt_, that was twenty two thousand strong, and kill’d the greatest part of his men. And when he dy’d in the eighteenth year of his reign, they chose his cousin _Baldewin_ of _Burgo_, the second of that name, King. This was a great warrior, and did many heroick deeds with few men against the Heathens; he overcame and took prisoner _Gatzim_ the _Turkish_ Prince of the _Lesser Asia_, with a great number of men; but soon after in the fifth year of his reign, he was beaten in a battle by the King of the _Parthians_, and carry’d away prisoner. In the mean time the _Venetians_ and _Genoese_ came with two hundred and seventy ships, and dispersed and beat the Armada of the _Saracens_, and sunk many of their ships and took also the strong town of _Tyrus_, so that both by sea and land there was abundance of blood shed. When the enemies saw this, that they set the King at liberty again in the eighteenth month of his imprisonment, for a sum of money; after that he did execute in the six following years of his reign, in order to an enlargement of his kingdom, many glorious and famous deeds. He overthrew the King of the _Ascalonites_, who was assisted by the _Egyptians_, and fell upon _Jerusalem_ in one single battle, and also beat the King of _Damascus_ in three several ones, as you may see by his epitaph here underneath written:

_Rex ~Baldewinus~, ~Judas~ alter ~Machabæus~,_ _Spes patriæ, vigor ecclesiæ, virtus utriusque_ _Quem formidabant, cui dona, tributa ferebant_ _~Cedar~, & ~Ægyptus~, ~Dan~, & homicida ~Damascus~_ _Proh, dolor, in modico clauditur hic tumulo._

In the year 1131, the crown was presented to _Fulcon_, count of _Andegavia_, and son-in-law to the before-said _Baldewin_, who also obtain’d several victories against the _Persians_ and _Turks_. But in his time there arose some differences among the Christians, and some conspiracies, which proved afterwards very disadvantageous to him; he lost also _Edessa_, a city in _Mesopotamia_, which King _Baldewin the first_ had conquer’d before, which the _Turks_ took by force from him. This King left two sons, _Baldewin_ and _Alamric_, and after he had reigned eleven years, he fell dead when he hunted a hare on full speed. After him his Son _Baldewin the third_ was crown’d, who also dy’d in the twenty fourth year of his reign, after he had fought several battles, and taken some towns. Then his brother _Alamric_ came to the crown, who was a great warrior, so that he was very fit for this dignity, he obtain’d many victories against Sultan _Saladin_. But afterwards when the scales were turn’d, he dy’d also after his return from _Egypt_ in the year 1178, his son _Baldewin the fourth_, and the seventh King, undertook the government of the Kingdom in the thirteenth year of his reign. This, although he was leprous, yet he manag’d his business very well, and defended his dominions courageously and gloriously against the infidels. And because he would not be marry’d by reason of his distemper, therefore he marry’d his sister _Sibylla_ to a Marquis of _Monteferrato_, call’d _William_. She was brought to bed in the first year of a son, and call’d him after his uncle _Baldewin_. But when _William_ dy’d, he marry’d her again to _Guido_ of _Lusignan_, Count of _Joppe_; with this condition, that after his decease he should rule the kingdom for his son-in-law, and be his guardian so long until he came at age. But he behaving himself very ill in the mean while, the King grew so angry with him, that he would by no means suffer him to live in his dominions, and order’d another to fill up his place, one _Raymond_, a Count of _Tripoli_. Soon after the King dy’d before his son was quite twenty years old, and was also bury’d in the temple of the holy Sepulchre. Within eight months after, did also die the true heir of the crown, the son of _Sibylla_ his sister, and was also bury’d by the other Kings; so that we find still on three several tomb-stones that stand close one behind the other, _viz._

_Septimus in tumulo puer hic regnum tumulatus_ _Est, ~Baldewinus~ regum de sanguine natus._ _Quem tulit è mundo sors primæ conditionis_ _Ut Paradysiacæ loca possideat regionis._

So by the incitation of his mother, _Guido_ was proclaim’d the last King.

_Raymund_ the Count of _Tripoli_, was extremely disgusted at this election, being that the Kingdom was already recommended to him, wherefore he resolved to go to war with him, and that he might be strong enough for him, he made a league with Sultan _Saladin_, to his own grief and ruin; for when the Sultan saw these differences between them two, he raised suddenly a great army, and took _Jerusalem_, and the whole country by force of arms. So the kingdom of _Jerusalem_, after the Christians had been possessed of it eighty eight years and nineteen days, was re-taken again by the infidels, not without great loss and damage.

Not long after, the infidels did pull down the walls of the city, turn’d the churches into stables, saving the temple of _Solomon_, and spoiled the holy Sepulchre of our Lord Christ, which in all the other wars did still remain intire, so that only one side of the rock thereof is now to be seen. This was done by the infidels on purpose to shew us the foolish zeal we have to conquer and visit the holy grave and city, as if Christ were still in it. This and other places had been quite demolish’d also, had it not been for the eastern Christians, the _Armenians_, _Syrians_, _&c._ which did stop their fury, by giving of them a great sum of money, and so redeem’d it.

CHAP. X.

_A common account of several sorts of Christians, but chiefly of them that are always to be found in the temple of mount ~Calvaria~; and also how these, and many other strangers, are treated by the ~Turkish~ Emperor (as by their chief head, to whom they generally are subjected) and his officers._

In the temple of mount _Calvaria_ live Christians of several nations; as _Latins_ or _Italians_, _Abyssins_, _Græcians_, _Armenians_, _Georgians_, _Nestorians_, _Syrians_, _Jacobites_, &c. which for the most part are Priests and Friers, who are of so different opinions in many articles of faith, that many of them might sooner be reckon’d amongst the superstitious and hereticks than Christians; wherefore each of them have their peculiar habitation and chapel, that they may perform their devotion undisturbed by one another. The _Turkish_ Emperor also lets them alone, and doth not at all trouble them for their religion, nor endeavour to bring them over to the _Mahometan_ religion and _Koran_; and is very well contented to receive his yearly tribute, which is exactly demanded as it cometh to be due. I have seen many of them in the temple to go up and down in their peculiar habit, and once I did attend at their devotion, so that I easily passed away the times that the _Turks_ kept us locked up in it.

Their Pilgrims resort thither yearly, chiefly against the great feasts or the holy days, in great numbers to see the holy places, not only from the eastern, but also from the western countries: Those that are under the subjection of the _Sultan_, which they are almost all of them (except the _Latins_ and _Abyssins_) must pay him yearly the fourth part of all their revenues: He that hath four Olive, Almond, or Quince-trees, must yield one of them to be the Emperors. So in their harvest, every fourth sheaf is also his; their harvest beginneth in the beginning of _April_, and endeth in _May_, as you may see, _Deut._ chap. xvi. 9. ‘Seven weeks (that is from _Easter_ to _Whitsunday_) shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from such time as thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn.’ Besides this imposition, they have another; that is, They must pay yearly for every head that is male, the poor as well as the rich, one ducat, and sometimes two, chiefly when the _Sultan_ intendeth to go to war with the Christians; then he beginneth to lay these taxes upon them a year before-hand, and hath it gather’d in. He that hath not wherewithal to pay it, is forced either to sell one or the other of his children to perpetual slavery, or else to give one of them to the Grand _Turk_, according to his liking to be his own for ever: And what is more, he sendeth every fourth or fifth year through all his dominions his Emissaries, _viz._ _Wallachia_, _Servia_, _Bosnia_, _Albania_, _Colchid_, &c. to fetch away every third son of his Christian subjects, and they always chuse that which they like best; and so they bring together a great number, and call them _Azanoglans_, and give them to the _Janizaries_ to be their servants. These have in some chief places their exercises from their infancy, that in time they may be fit to be made Officers and Commanders in time of war. In this the _Turks_ exercise great cruelty and pride, they spare no body, for if a Christian doth possess some small matter of riches, he must either keep it very privately, or else with a great deal of discretion say, That it is all belonging to his Emperor and him. So if the _Grand Signior_ hath occasion for any thing of theirs whatsoever, it must be granted him without any refusal: But what a trouble and heart-breaking this must be to the poor parents, not only to have their children which are free by nature, forced to such a brutal way of life and education, but, what is more, taken away from baptism to circumcision, from the Christian congregation and faith, into a severe slavery and superstition, wherein they are brought from their duty to their parents, into a mortal enmity against them and their other relations, every Christian may with himself consider.

The _Turks_, where there is choice, take them that are single and young, because, they being still infirm, and but slightly grounded in their faith, they are the sooner seduced, chiefly if they are instructed in their _Mahometan_ laws, and educated therein for a while, for then they soon forget their own faith, and grow in theirs, and so as they grow up in years, they also grow in their malice, and become to be worse than they themselves, as daily experience doth sufficiently testify.

Of the same stamp are also the Christians, that after they have been taken prisoners in the war, turn _Mamalucks_ (which they call in their language _Haracs_) and are circumcised. These are free from all imposition as well as the _Turks_, save only the tenth, but dare not go away without their master’s leave, upon pain of death; if they are taken, they are according to their law, without any tryal, sentenced and condemned to be burnt. And these also are confirm’d and obdurated in their impious and base life, that they forget God and themselves, never think of coming home again to hear the Gospel preached, or to see their friends and relations again. Yet the prisoners are not so very much pressed by the _Turks_ to deny their faith and turn, except there should be found one or more great persons among them, for such they always use to press more, and endeavour to turn them one way or other, and promise them great preferment if they will declare for their religion; for they are in hopes, that if they could persuade them, a great many more of the little ones would also come over with them. If such are persuaded by them and turn, they are entertained by the _Turks_ very honourably, and called _Tscheleby_, that is gentlemen, and endued with great revenues, but yet they do not easily confide in them, or put any trust into their hands, and do not esteem such inconstant and faltering men in their heart, although they carry themselves very friendly before their faces, for they make account, That he that will easily deny his religion, will also betray his Prince and country if occasion should serve. I have known in these countries some slaves, whom their masters that bought them as their servants, did very much press to be circumcised, but when they did mightily resist, and excuse themselves, and say, That they could not admit thereof with a safe conscience, and if by force, they should take away their prepuce and circumcise them, that notwithstanding all that, they could not circumcise their hearts, and therefore they desired them not to trouble themselves any farther with them, they were for all that ready and willing to serve them honestly and faithfully to the utmost of their power: So their masters have been satisfied with this answer, and have pressed them no more. But if it should happen that a Christian should be taken in one of their _Mosques_ (for they, as unclean men, are forbid to come there) or should dispute with them, or speak ill of their Prophet _Mahomet_ and his laws, or should pronounce these words, which are almost written every where in their churches, and underneath their gates, in their _Arabian_ language, _Leila hillalla Mahammet rasur alla_; that is to say, _O God, only God, and Mahomet a Prophet of God_, he must (because they are an epitome of their religion, confession, belief and laws) suffer himself to be circumcised, or else lose his life. For being that _Mahomet_ did defend his false doctrine described in the _Koran_, rather with the sword than with reason and true grounds, that it might not be discovered, and so his adherents leave him. _Mahomet_ to prevent this, by the devil’s inspiration, hath strengthen’d it with strong points and articles, _viz._ That no body shall discourse or dispute with any Sectaries whatsoever, much less believe them, or read their books, as such wherein is no ground to be found, because all that is good and true in the old Testament, testified by the _Jews_, and in the new one, by the Christians, is by him taken out and transcribed into his _Koran_, and therefore it must be believed and kept as the word of God, without any scruple or search; and he that speaketh or writeth against it, must fall by the sword, and besides be damned for ever.

Who doth not see that this subtile _Mahomet_ did this, that any body that he gets once into his snares, or that falls into his net, might be so entangled, that he must be forced to keep there to perish and to be damned for ever; notwithstanding all his sweet promises of great privileges, salaries, and permission of _sodomitish_ sins, robbing, burning, perjury, _&c._ which transgressions they regard but very little, seeing that according to their Prophet’s promise, if they pray but often, and wash themselves often, they do not only not hurt them, but by continual usage of the before-mentioned means, they become to be cleaner than we Christians from our sins, in the bath of regeneration. To these traditions of _Mahomet_, the _Turks_ and _Moors_ stick so close, and believe them implicitly, according to the commands of _Mahomet_; so that one, although he be of another opinion, because they will hear no contradiction nor objection, is forced to hold his tongue and say nothing. And in case you should ask them why they are forbid to eat pork, or drink wine? they answer and say, That their Parents did so before them, partly because they are unclean, and partly because they are forbid it in their _Koran_; or else that if they should over-fill themselves with it, so that they should bring it up again, it might contaminate their cloaths, and so they should commit a great rusticity; so that they know not how to give any reason concerning their religion. Wherefore their law ought to be called or reputed cruel, and a tyrannical one, that is rather upheld by the sword than by reason and justice; which also appeareth from thence, that they carry a naked scymiter before the noblemens sons, when they carry them about the streets in order to be circumcised; and also their Priests, chiefly those that are called _Antippi_, after prayers and sermon, shew unto the people from a high place, a burning torch in one hand, and a naked scymiter in the other, to encourage their own adherents, and to frighten those that are of a contrary opinion; and so _Mahomet_ pretends to his adherents, that God hath bidden him to conquer all other nations by the sword, until they confess that there is no other God besides God, and _Mahomet_ his Prophet; or else agree to pay him yearly tribute, and to be his obedient subjects; if they follow his directions, his laws will endure so long as they defend them by the sword. Now how strictly they have hitherto prosecuted these his commandments, the inhabitants of the eastern countries have formerly, to their grief, sufficiently experienced, _viz._ _Asia_, _Syria_, the _Land of Promise_, _Ægypt_, _Thracia_, _Greece_, &c. which they have not only conquered, and to their own great improvement subdued, but have also infected them with their poisonous doctrine to such a degree, that in these our times there are but very few to be found in those parts, that do adhere unto the true religion.

It being so then, that God Almighty hath visited them with these great punishments, by reason of their manifold sins and ingratitude, for his holy and sacred word, and that we also are guilty of these and the like sins and vices, we cannot wonder that the Almighty and Just God, should, according to our demerits, send also such a horrid tyrant against us, to terrify us very much, and come so near to us, that we must expect every moment (except we amend) the like punishments and executions. And so we hear daily, to our grief, that this potent tyrant is continually at work, and taketh one strong town after another; and what is more, they take often in their excursions, a great number of our brethren and sisters, part whereof they murder barbarously, others they carry away into perpetual slavery. When they have obtained a victory, and have got booty, there is ready, and at hand, several Sutlers, that drive a great trade by buying and selling poor prisoners; these buy them of the Soldiers, chain them (after they have given the Grand _Turk_ the tenths thereof, according to his choice and pleasure) together with long chains, and so drive them away miserably, as if they were beasts, to the chief trading towns, to sell them with profit again to others, that come thither from foreign countries. There you find weekly, in their _Batzars_ or Exchanges, many prisoners of several nations, viz. _Christians_, _Moors_, _Arabians_, _Indians_, _Abyssins_, and amongst them young and old, men and women, some whereof are white, and others black; thither come the chapmen and cheapen them; they have liberty to look upon their naked bodies, as if they were beasts, and to feel them, whether they are sound in their limbs, or whether they have any defect, which they always fear. If they like their bargain, the buyers take them home with them into their small habitations or tents, and put them (chiefly those that are given to idleness, and have learned no trade) to any sort of hard labour, and all that they get so belongeth to their master, who disposeth of it as he pleaseth. Wherefore those that keep many men and maids, esteem themselves richer for it; and sometimes they marry them together, and when they beget children, they are slaves as well as themselves, and he hath power to educate them, and to dispose of them as he pleaseth. Wherefore the Christians (that to their temporal punishment, they may not also acquire eternal ones, for their childrens sake) in these countries do seldom marry, but rather study how to make their escape, if they are not hindered for want of that language, and by unskilfulness of the roads; or else they go with their master before a Justice, in their language called _Cadi_, and there buy their liberty for a sum of money, or else agree with him for a certain time, and so make a contract with him concerning their liberty, which commonly those do that intend to persevere in their Christian religion, or undertake to get something by their handy-work, that when the time is past, or the money paid, the Justice may, according to the instrument before made by him at their request, declare him free, and give him a pass, to shew upon the road, that he may not be molested. Other ways to get their liberty there are but very few, except their master should happen to dye, which commonly in their last will, declare that their bought servants, after the opening of it, shall have their liberty. Sometimes it happens, that from others they buy false letters (which are soon found out in these countries) and so by the help of them get away clandestinely.