Kings & rulers > History of the reign of the Emperor Charles V. > Volume 1

PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. 247
nances. Guibert. Abbas, p. 4B0. When we behold
the civil and ecclefiaftical powers vying with each other,
and ftraining their invention in order to devife expe.
dients for encouraging and adding ftrength to the fpirit
of fuperftition, can we be furprifed that itlhould become
fo general as to render it infamous, and a mark of cow¬
ardice, to decline engaging in the holy war ? Wiilierm
Tyrienfis ap Bongarf. vol. ii. p. 641. The hiftories
of the Crufades, written by modern authors, who are
apt to fubflitute the ideas and maxims of their own age
in the place of thofe which influenced the perfons whofe
adlions they attempt to relate, convey a very imperfeft
notion of the fpirit at that time predominant in Europe.
The original hiftorians, who were animated themfelves
with the fame pafl'ions which polTefled their contempo¬
raries, exhibit to us a more ftriking pidlure of the times
and manners which they defcribe. The enthufiaftic
rapture with which they account for the effefts of the
pope’s difcourfe in the council of Clermont; the exul¬
tation with which they mention the numbers who de¬
voted themfelves to this holy warfare ; the confidence
with which they exprefs their reliance on the divine
proteftion 5 the extacy of joy with which they defcribe
their taking pofleflion of the boiy city, will enable us to
conceive, in fome degree, the extravagance of that zeal
which agitated the minds of men with fuch violence,
and will fuggeft as many lingular refledlions to a philo-
fopher, as any occurrence in the hiflory of mankind.
It is unnecelfary to feleft the particular pafiages in the
feveral hiftorians, which confirm this obfervation. But
left thofe authors may be fufpefted of adorning their
narrative with any exaggerated defcription, I lhall ap¬
peal to one of the leaders who conduced the enterprize.
There is extant a letter from Stephen, the earl of Char¬
tres and Blois, to Adela his wife, in which he gives her
an account of the progrefs of the Crufaders. He de-
fcribes the Crufaders as the chofen army of Chrift, as
the fervants and foldiers of God, as men who marched
under the immediate protettion of the Almighty, being
conduced by his hand to yiflory and conqueft. He
fpeaka