volume one

HISTOKY or THE CKUSADES. 507
the route of Germany, concealed under the hahit of a simple
pilgrim. His liberality betrayed the monarch, and as he
had enemies everyAvhere, he was seized bv the soldiers of
the duke of Austria. Leopold had. not sutiicient generosity
to forget the outrages received from Eichard at the siege of
Ptolemais, and detained him prisoner. It was not known
in Europe what had become of King Eichard, when a gentleman
of Arras, named Blondel, set out in search of his
master, and traversed Germany in the dress and with the
lyre of a minstrel. On his arrival before a castle, in which,
it was said, languished an illustrious captive, Blondel began
to sing the first couplet of a song which he had composed
in conjunction with Eichard. Erom the top of a high tower
a voice answered him, and sang the second couplet.* Then
the faithful troubadour returned into England to announce
that he had discovered the prison of the king. The duke of
Austria, terrified at this discovery, did not dare to detain
longer his redoubtable captive in his own hands, and gave
him up to the emperor of Germany. Henry VI., who had
likewise insults to revenge, was rejoiced to get Eichard in
his power, and kept him in chains, as if he had made him a
prisoner in the field of battle. The hero of the crusade,
who had filled the world with his renown, Avas cast iuto a
dark dungeon, and rem.ained a long time a victim to the
vengeance of his enemies—and they were Christian princes.
He was brought before the German diet, assembled at
Worms, where he was accused of all the crimes that hatred
and envy could invent. But the spectacle of a king in
chains was so affecting, that no one durst condemn Eichard,
* Our author bas given an extract from the interesting manuscript
which has furnished him with this account ; but it is so hjng, the French
is so old, and the story so well known, I have thought best to omit it—
translation would spoil it. It is remarkable that the manuscript chronicle
makes Richard see Blondel, and sing Jirs-t—our author reverses this :
Ensi com il estoit en cctte pensee, li rois regarde et vie Blondel, et pensa
comment li se feroit a lui connoistre, et li souvint d'une canchon que ils
avoient fait entre aus deux que nus ne savoit fois que il roi. Si commencha
haut et clerement a canter le premier vier, car il cantoit tres
bien. There appear to me discrepancies in the language of this manuscript
chronicle, which make the date of it, the thirteenth century, very
apocryphal.
—
Trans.
23*
— a