and it did not seem to him that the conquest of all Barbary would be a difficult task if the Pope would only furnish sufficient money to pursue the undertaking to a successful issue. Accordingly he sent an ambassador to Rome to secure this necessary financial assistance. Let us quote a few lines of the ambassador's petition to the Pope:
[1] Pare sanct, mon senyor lo rey En Pere Darago
vos fa saber quell es en Barbaria en un lloch qui
ha nom Alcoyll, e troba que per aquell lloch pot
auer tota la Barbaria. Si vos, pare sanct, li
volets fer ajuda de diners e de perdonança,
sera aço complit de la major part auans que
llonch temps sia. E la Barbaria es aytal, que qui
haura les marines si haura tota la Barbaria. E
son gents qui tantost com vejen lo gran destret
que hauran se faran chrestians la major part.
In the meantime ambassadors came from the island of
Sicily to implore King Peter to come thither and free them
from the oppressive rule of Charles of Anjou. But the
king's heart was so firmly set upon this conquest that he
gave no heed to their entreaties. But when another
embassy came, and when he was informed that his petition
to the Pope had met with failure, he embarked with
all his forces and sailed for Sicily. And thus the high
purpose of lo Senyor rey En Pere to conquer and christianize
all Barbary came to naught.
This undertaking of the King of Aragon furnished the
historical background for Tirant's wonderful campaign
against the Moors in Barbary. Martorell did not make
use of the details of the Aragonese expedition, but he
- ↑ Holy Father, my lord king Peter of Aragon informs you that he is in Barbary in a certain place called Alcoyll and finds that with that place as base of operations, he can conquer all Barbary. If you, Holy Father, will aid him with money and indulgences, this will be accomplished within a short time. The situation of Barbary is such that he who has possession of the littoral will also hold all Barbary. And they are people who as soon as they see the great distress that they will have to endure will for the greater part become Christians. Muntaner, op. cit.; chap. lii.
