volume one

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niSTOKY OF THE CEUSADE3. 25
\ip in the monastery of Eedon,* and died regretted by the
eenobites whom he had edified by the relation of his pilgrimages.
Many years after the death of Protmonde, Centius,
prefect of E-ome, who had nsed violence to the Pope in the
chnrch of St. Mary the G-reat, who had dragged him from
the altar, and placed him in a dungeon, needed nothing more
to expiate this sacrilege than to perform the pilgrimage to
the Holy Land. Poulque-jSTerra, count of Anjou, charged
with crimes, and stained with blood, thought to eftace all his
cruelties by a voyage to Jerusalem. His brother, whom he
had caused to perish in a dungeon, presented himself
wherever he went, before his eyes ; it appeared to him that
the numerous victims sacrificed to his ambition in unjust
wars issued from their tombs to disturb his sleep, and
reproach him for his barbarity. Pursued everj^diere by
these frightful images, Poulque left his states, and repaired
to Palestine, in the gaib of a pilgi-im. When he arrived at
Jerusalem, he passed through the streets of the holy city
with a cord about his neck, beaten with rods by his domestics,
repeating in a loud voice these words : " Lord, have
pity on a perjured and fugitive Christian." During his
abode in Palestme,t he bestowed numerous benefactions,
comforted the miseries of the pilgrims, and left everywhere
testimonials of his devotion and charity. He returned to
his duchy, bringing with him a portion of the true cross, and
* The account of the pilgrimage of Frotmonde, drawn up by an
anonymous monk of Redon, is inserted in the " Acta Sanctorum Ordin.
Sanct. Ben." sseculi 4, part. 2.
f The aggregated history of the annals and chronicles of Anjou, which
describes tlae pilgrimages of Foulque, relates an incident which appears
to deserve to be known, for the full relation of which we refer to the
Appendix.
A Latin chronicle, entitled " Gesta. Consulum Andegav. Spicilegium,"
torn. X. p. 465, relates the same fact, with more brevity and some circum-
stantial differences :
Dixerunt, nuUo modo ad sepulcrum optatum pervenire posset nisi
super illud et crucem Dominicam mingeret ; quod vir prudens licet
invitus annuit. Qusesita igitur arietis vesic4, purgata atque mundata, et
Optimo vino repleta, quae etiam apte inter ejus femora posita est, et
comes discalciatus ad sepulcrum Domini accessit, vinumque super sepulcrum
fudit, et sic ad libitum cum sociis omnibus intravit, et fusis multis
lacrymis peroravit.