volume one

74 IIISTOBT OF THE CBrSADES.
them, and retaliated upon tliem all the evils they had inflicted
upon Christians.
They had established their camp in the fertile plains which
border the Gulf of Xicomedia. Every day parties strayed
into the neighbourhood, and returned loaded -with booty.
The partition of the spoil excited frequent quarrels among
them. The French, of an assuming and bantering character,
attributed to themselves all the success of this commencement
of the war, and treated the Itahans and G-ermans with
contempt. The latter separated themselves from the army,
and under the conduct of a chief named Rinaldo,* advanced
towards the mountains which border upon Nicea. There
they rendered themselves masters of a fort, whose garrison
they massacred, and although their troop was not numerous,
and stood in great want of provisions, they were bold enough
to await the army which was approaching to besiege them.
They were not able to resist even the first attacks of the
Turks, and were almost all put to the sword ; their general,
and some few of his soldiers, onlv saved their lives by
embracing the faith of Mahomet, and by taking a disgraceful
oath to fi2:ht ai3^ainst the Christians.
"WTien the news of this disaster reached the camp of the
Crusaders, it brought with it agitation and trouble. The
French, who, a few days before, could not endure the Germans
and the Italians.wept over their tragical fate, and were
eager to march to avenge them. In vain Walter, who com-
•nanded them, represented to them that the Crusaders whose
OSS they deplored had fallen sictims to their own imprudence,
and that their principal duty was to avoid their example
nothing could restrain the impatience and the blind ardour
of his soldiers. The latter beheved that they already saw
the Turks flying before them, and feared they should not be
able to overtake them. Murmurs arose in the Christian
spits, and exercised all sorts of cruelties against aged persons. (See the
Alexiad, book i.) We have no need to repeat our caution against the
exaggeration of Anna Coranena, who is always pleaised with an opportunity
of accusing the Crusaders.
* This Rinaldo, of whom nothing else is known, except that he was an
Italian, is the only personage so called who has any event of importance
in the first crusade attached to his name. Tasso, who has taken most of
his characters from history, has borrowed the person and character of
Rinaldo, in the " Jerusalem Delivered," entirely from his imagination.
;