volume one

342 HISTORY or the cnrsADEs.
Lis place in the government of the kingdom. The pope,
who arrived a short time after in France, ordered Suger to
^ield to the wishes of the monarch, the nobles, and the
nation. The sovereign pontiff, in order to facilitate the
honom-able task which he imposed upon the abbot of St.
Denis, launched, beforehand, the thunders of the Church
against all who should make anv attempts against the regal
authority during the absence of the king.
The count de Xevers, who had likewise been pointed out
by the assembly of the barons and bishops, declmed, as the
abbot of St. Denis had done, the dangerous charge which
they offered him. When he was warmly pressed to accept
the government of the kingdom, he declared that he had
made a vow to enter into the order of St. Bruno. Such was
the spirit of the age, that this intention was respected as
the will of Grod ; and whilst the assembly congratulated
themselves upon inducing a monk to leave his cloister to
govern a kingdom, thev saw without astonishment a prince
take an eternal farewell of the world, and bury himself in a
monastery.
From this time preparations for departure were actively
commenced, and all the pro\'inces of France and Germany
were in motion. The same motives which had armed the
companions of Godfrey in the first expedition, inflamed the
courage of the new Crusaders. The eastern war held out
to their ambition the same hopes and the same advantages.
The greater part of the people were animated by the neverforgotten
remembrance of the conquest of Jerusalem. The
relations that this conquest had established between Syria
and Emope added still to the zeal and ardour of the soldiers
of the cross ; there was scarcelv a family in the West that
did not furnish a defender to the holy places, an inhabitant
to the cities of Palestine. The Christian colonies in the
East were to the Franks as a new country ; warriors who
assumed the cross appeared to be only arming themselves to
defend another France, which was dear to all Christians, and
which might be called the France of the East.
The example of two monarchs also necessarily influenced
many warriors when rang-ino: themselves under the banners
of the crusade. Many of those turbulent nobles, who were
then called prcedojies, must have had, as well as Louis YII.,