volume one

HISTOET OF THE CRUSADES. 337
This action of St. Bernard,* wMch was scarcely observed in
his own barbarous age, and which has been turned into ridicule
in ours, does honour to his character, and may excuse
the extravagant zeal he displayed for a disastrous war.
AVhen he arrived in Grermany, the Grermanic empire was beginning
to breathe after the long troubles that had followed
the election of Lothaii'e. Conrad III., clothed with the
purple, had just convoked a general diet at Spires. The
abbot of Clairvaux repaired thither with the intention of
preaching war against the Mussulmans, and peace among
Christian princes. St. Bernard pressed the emperor, Con-
he at first exhorted
rad, several times to take up the cross ;
him in private conferences, and afterwards renewed his
exhortations in sermons preached in public. Conrad could
not make up his mind to take the oath to go and fight
against the infidels in Asia, alleging the recent troubles of
the Grerman empires. St. Bernard replied that the Holy
See liad placed him upon the imperial throne, and that the
pope and the Church would support their work. " Whilst
you shall defend his heritage, God himself will take care to
defend yours ; he will govern your people, and your reign
will be the object of his love." The more hesitation the
emperor felt, the warmer became the zeal and eloquence of
St. Bernard to persuade him. One day as the orator of the
crusade was saying mass before the princes and lords convoked
at Spires, all at once he interrupted the service to
preach the war against the infidels. Towards the end of his
discourse, he transported the imagination of his auditors to
the day of judgment, and made them hear the trumpets
which were to call all the nations of the earth before the
tribunal of Grod. Jesus Christ, armed with his cross and
surrounded by his angels, addressing himself to the emperor
of Grermany, recalled to him all the benefits with which he
had loaded him, and reproached him with ingratitude. Conrad
was so much aflected by this vehement apostrophe, that
he interrupted the speaker, and, with tears in his eyes, cried
* The Abbe Velly thus relates the same fact:— "Satisfied mth the
character of preacher and thaumaturge (performer of miracles), St. Bernard
set out for Germany, where he put to silence another monk, who,
without having the authority of the pope, dared to exhort the Christian
nations to take up arms for the assistance of their brethren in Asia."