volume one

HISTORY OF THE CRUSADES. 23
provinces of Asia Minor, a great number of asylums raised
by charity.
Christians established at Jerusalem went to meet the
pijo-rims, and often exposed themselves to a thousand dangers
whilst conducting them on their route. The holy city contained
hospitals for the reception of all travellers. In one
of these hospitals the women who performed the pdgrmiage
to Palestine, were received by religious females devoted to
the offices of charity. The merchants of Amalfi, Venice,
and Genoa, the richest among the pilgrims, and several
princes of the West, fuimished, by their benevolence, the
means of keeping these houses open for all poor travellers.*
Every year monks from the East came into Europe to collect
the self-imposed tribute of the piety of the Christians. A
pilgrim was a privileged being among the faithful. When
he had completed his journey, he acquired the reputation of
particular sanctity, and his departure and his return were
celebrated by religious ceremonies. ^Hien about to set out,
a priest presented to him his scrip and staff, together with a
gown marked with a cross ; he sprinkled holy water over his
vestments, and accompanied him, at the head of a proces-
sion, as far as the boundaries of the liext parish. On his
return to his country, the pilgrim gave thanks to God, and
presented to the priest a palm-branch, to be depositedon
the altar of the chui^ch, as an evidence of his imdertakmg
being happily terminated.
The poor, in their pilgrimages, found certain resources
against misery ; when coming back to their country, they
received abundant alms. Vanity sometimes induced the
rich to undertake these long voyages, which made the monk
Glaber say, that many Christians went to Jerusalem to make
themselves admired, and to be enabled, on their return, to
relate the wonders they had seen. Many were influenced
by the love of idleness and change, others by curiosity and
an inclination to see various countries. It was by no means
rare to meet with Christians who had spent their lives m
holy pilgrimages, and had visited Jerusalem several times.
Every pilgrim w^as obhged to carr}^ with him a letter from
* William, duke of Normandy (917), Richard I. (943), and Richard II
sent considerable sums into Syria.—See Glabeu, lib. i. cap. 4 ; Dv
CHENE, vol. iv.