The age of the crusades . themiddle of the heap. When the wood had been fired,Peter appeared, bearing the Holy Lance. As he facedthe flames a herald cried, If this man has seen JesusChrist face to face, and if the Apostle Andrew didreveal to him the divine lance, may he pass safe andsound through the flames; but if, on the contrary,he be guilty of falsehood, may he be burned. Theassembled host bowed and answered, ran with his best speed down the fiery furious heat impeded him. He seemed to havefallen, and disappeared amid the crackling branchesand smoke. At length, however
The age of the crusades . themiddle of the heap. When the wood had been fired,Peter appeared, bearing the Holy Lance. As he facedthe flames a herald cried, If this man has seen JesusChrist face to face, and if the Apostle Andrew didreveal to him the divine lance, may he pass safe andsound through the flames; but if, on the contrary,he be guilty of falsehood, may he be burned. Theassembled host bowed and answered, ran with his best speed down the fiery furious heat impeded him. He seemed to havefallen, and disappeared amid the crackling branchesand smoke. At length, however, he emerged at theother end of the flaming avenue amid the cries of hispartisans, A miracle! a miracle! Yet the testwas indecisive, for, while Peter succeeded in runningthe gantlet, he was terribly burned, and was carriedin mortal agony to the tent of Raymond, where a fewdays later he expired. It is to be noted that fromthat time the Holy Lance wrought no more miracles,even in the credulity of its most reverent CHAPTER XVII. ON TO JERUSALEM. HE zeal of the mass of crusaders urgedthem to an immediate advance upon Jeru-salem. This, however, was opposed bythe discretion of Godfrey, who predictedthe hardship of the campaign in a Syrianmidsummer. The evident dissensions among theMoslems and their apathy in further warfare, if theygave opportunity for rapid conquest by the Christians,at the same time allayed the feeling of necessity forimmediate advance. It was therefore resolved topostpone the enterprise southward until waiting for the order to march, an epidemicbroke out in the camps, which was more fatal thanwould have been any perils of the journey. Upwardof fifty thousand perished in a month, among themAdhemar, Bishop of Puy, the special representativeof the Holy Father, and the spiritual head of thecrusade. Idleness also engendered strife amongbrethren. Bohemond and Raymond threatened eachother with the sword. Common soldiers fought inopposing bands fo
Size: 1407px × 1776px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookidageof, booksubjectcrusades
