volume one

358
HISTOEY OF THE CEUSADES.
Avliicli of you will not undergo ^vith me poverty and misery ?'*
The barons, touched v^ith this speech, swore to die with
their king, but were not willing to die without glory. Animated
by the example of Louis, they might triumph over
the Turks, over their misfortunes, and the rigours of winter ;
but they were without defence against famine and the perfidy
of the Grreeks. They reproached Louis YII. with not
having followed the counsels of the bishop of Langres, and
with having pardoned enemies more cruel than the Mussulmans,
more dangerous than the tempests or rocks of the
ocean.
As at the end of this council, strong murmurs against the
Greeks arose in the Christian army, the governor of Attalia
became fearful of the effects of despair, and came to offer
Louis vessels, in which to embark all the Crusaders. This
proposition was accepted ; but they had to wait for the promised
vessels more than five weeks. In so long a delay the
Crusaders consumed all the resoiu'ces they had left, and
many died of hunger and misery ; the vessels which at
length arrived in the ports of Attalia, were neither large
enough nor suflicient in number to embark the whole Christian
armv. The Crusaders then perceived the abyss of evils
into which they were about to fall; but such was their
resignation, or rather the deplorable state of the army, that
they committed no -v-iolence towards the Grreeks, and did not
even threaten a single city which refused to help them.
A crowd of poor pilgrims, among whom were barons and
knights, appeared before the king, and spoke to him in these
terms :— " We have not means wherewith to pay for our
we passage, and we cannot follow you into Syria ;
here victims to misery and disease ;
us, we shall be exposed to greater perils ;
remain
when you shall have left
and being attacked
by the Turks is the least of the misfortunes we have to
dread. Hemember that we are Franks, that we are Chris-
tians ;
give us leaders who may console us for your absence,
and assist us to endure the fatigue, the hunger, and the
death which await us." Louis, in order to reassure them,
spoke to them in the most feelmg terms, and distributed
considerable sums amongst them. He was as liberal in his
assistance, says Odo de Deud, as if he had lost nothing, or
wanted nothing for himself. He sent for the governor of