Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/144

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126 THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE. captured Jerusalem, and nearly all Palestine was again under Moslem rule. William, Archbishop of Tyre, the chronicler who has left us the most complete account of this crusade, was, with others, commissioned by the pope to preach a Holy War. He went to France, met Henry 11. of England and Philip Augustus of France, who laid down their arms on his invita- tion to join in a nobler warfare. He pointed out to them that the Christian states of the East, whose duty it was to protect the West from the invasions of the Saracens, were reduced to the cities of Tyre, Antioch, and Tripoli ; that the people of forty Christian cities had been chased from their homes, spoiled of their goods, and were wandering among the miscreants of Asia withoutfindinga stone whereon to lay their heads. Accord- ing to the Monk of Peterborough, lie preached so successfully that both kings determined to take up the cross, and from enemies became friends. A tax for the purpose of the crusade was levied both in England and France upon those who should not take part in the expedition, and was known as the Saladin tithe. The friendship of the two kings was of short duration ; but on the death of Henry his son Kichard entered heartily into the preparations for the crusade. The kings and the pope, warned by the disorders of the previous expedition, made stringent rules for the preservation of discipline. Gambling was forbidden. As the presence of women in the first crusade liad given rise to much trouble, orders were given that they should not be allowed to join the new expedition. Frederic Barbarossa, the nephew of Conrad, whom he had already accompanied into the Holy Land, took charge of the great German division of the Crusaders. It was this division of the army which passed through the dominions of the new em])eror, Isaac Angelos. Frederic had not only experience, but great natural ability. He was able to prevent some of the worst evils which had attended the march of the German army under Conrad. 'No pilgrim was allowed to accompany the army unless he could show that he possessed sufficient money to maintain him for two years. Discipline was fairly maintained. Careful dispositions were taken for the supply of food, and the emperor was liimself anxious to avoid any-