The History of the Holy War, Book 3 · Chapter 22 – Chapter 23
Chap. 22. Simon Earl of Montfort chosen Captain of the Holy warre; He conquereth the King of Aragon, prevaileth against the Albingenses, and at last is killed by a woman.
HItherto this warre was managed by the Popes Legate:See the substance of this following slory, in Io. Paul Perin. lib. 1. cap. 6. & deinceps. But now it was concluded that a secular captain should be adjoyned to him, in whose person the chief command should reside over Martiall affairs; and for his pains, by the Popes donation, he was to enjoy all countreys that should be conquered from the Albingenses or their favourers. The place was offered to the Duke of Burgundy; who refused it, saying, He had lands and Lordships enow of his own, without spoiling others of their goods. It was waved also by the Earls of St-Paul, and Nevers, whether out of conscience or policie; because though the Pope gave them the bears skinne, they must first kill and slay him themselves.1210. At last Simon of Montfort, nigh Paris, accepted of it, swearing to vex the Lords enemies. And for a breakfast to begin with, he was seised of the Vicecounty of Besiers, proceeding from hence to take many castles and cities.
One grand inconvenience attended on this armie of Pilgrimes: For when their quarantine, or fourty dayes service, was expired (the term the Pope set them to merit Paradise in) they would not stay one whit longer: Like post-horses they would runne to their set stage, but could not be spurred one foot further; contenting themselves they had already purchased heaven, and fearing they should be put in possession thereof too soon, by losing their lives in that service. And though the Bishops perswaded some few to stay, that so the surplusage of their merits might make up the arrerages of their friends which wanted them, yet could they not prevail to any purpose. Nor could they so cast and contrive their matters, the tide of peoples devotion being uncertain, but that betwixt the going out of the old and coming in of the new store of Pilgrimes, there would be a low ebbe, wherein their armie was almost wasted to nothing: whereof the Albingenses made no small advantage.
However, the Earls of Tholose, Foyx, and Comminge, and Prince of Berne, the patrones of the Albingenses, finding they were too weak for this Holy armie, sheltered themselves under Peter King of Aragon; whose homagers they were, receiving investiture from him, though their dominions lay on this side of the Pyrenean hills. This King had the greatnesse of the Earl of Montfort in suspicion; fearing lest these severall Principalities, which now were single arrows, should be bound in one sheaf, conquered and united under Earl Simon. Wherefore he fomented a faction in them against the Holy armie; publickly protesting against the proceedings of Earl Simon; charging him to have turned the bark of Gods Church into a pirates ship, robbing others and enriching themselves under the pretense of Religion, seising on the lands of good Catholicks for supposed hereticks, using Gods cause as hunters do a stand, in it the more covertly to shoot at what game they please: Otherwise, why was the Vicecount of Beziers, who lived and died firm in the Romish faith, lately trained into the Legates hand, and against oathes and promises of his safe return, kept close prisoner till his death, and his lands seised on by Earl Simon?
At last the King of Aragon taking the Earl of Montfort on the advantage (shooting him as it were betwixt wind and water, the ending of the old and beginning of new Pilgrimes) forced him to a battel. The King had thirty thousand foot and seven thousand horse; but the Earl, of both foot and horse not above two thousand two hundred. They closed together neare the castle of Moret: And the King, whether out of zeal of conquest and thirst of honour, or distrust of under-officers, or desire to animate others, or a mixture of all, ranne his curvets so openly, and made his turns and returns in the head of the army, that so fair a mark invited his enemies arrows to hit him; by whom he was wounded to death, and fell from his horse; to lesson all Generals to keep themselves, like the heart, in the body of the army, whence they may have a virtuall omnipresence in every part thereof; and not to expose their persons (which, like crystall viols, contain the extracted spirits of their souldiers spilled with their breaking) to places of imminent danger. With his bodie fell the hearts of his men:1212. And though the Earls of Tholose, Foyx, and Comminge, perswaded, entreated, threatned them to stay, they used their oratorie so long till their audience ranne all away, and they were fain to follow them, reserving themselves by flight to redeem their honour some other time.
Simon improving this victorie, pursued them to the gates of Tholose, and killed many thousands. The Friars imputed this victory to the Bishops benediction, and adoring a piece of the Crosse, together with the fervency of the Clergies prayers, which remaining behind in the castle of Moret, battered heaven with their importunity. On the other side, the Albingenses acknowledged Gods justice in punishing the proud King of Aragon; who, as if his arm had been strong and long enough to pluck down the victory out of heaven without Gods reaching it to him, conceived that Earl Simon came rather to cast himself down at his feet then to fight. But such reckonings without the host are ever subject to a rere-account.
Yet within few yeares the face of this warre began to alter: (With writers of short-hand we must set a prick for a letter, a letter for a word, marking onelyonly the most remarkables.) For young Reimund Earl of Tholose, exceeding his father in valour and successe, so bestirred himself, that in few moneths he regained what Earl Simon was many yeares in getting: And at last Earl Simon besieging Tholose,1118 with a stone which a woman let flie out of an engine, had his head parted from his body.
Men use not to be niggards of their censures on strange accidents: Some paralleled his life with Abimelech that tyrant-Judge; who with the bramble (fitter to make a fire then a King of) accepted of the woodden Monarchie, when the vine, olive, figge-tree declined it. They paired them also in their ends, death disdaining to send his summons by a masculine hand, but arresting them both by a woman. Some perswaded themselves they saw Gods finger in the womans hand; that because the greater part of his cruelty lighted on the weaker sex (for he had buried the Lady of laVaur alive, respecting neither her sex nor nobility) a woman was chosen out to be his executioner: though of himself he was not so prone to cruelty, but had those at his elbow which prompted him to it. The time of his death was a large field for the conceits of others to walk in; because even then when the Pope and three Councels, of Vaur, Montpelier, and Laterane, had pronounced him sonne, servant, favourite of the faith, the invincible defender thereof: And must he not needs break, being swoln with so many windie titles? Amongst other of his styles he was *See Camd. in Leicestershire.Earl of Leicester in England, and father to Simon Montfort the *Also in Worcestershire.Catiline of this Kingdome, who under pretense of curing this land of some grievances, had killed it with his physick, had he not been killed himself in the battel of Evesholm in the reigne of Henry the third.
And here ended the storm of open warre against the Albingenses, though some great drops fell afterwards. Yea, now the Pope grew sensible of many mischiefs in prosecuting this people with the Holy warre: First, the incongruity betwixt the Word and the Sword; to confute hereticks with armies in the field, opened clamourous mouthes. Secondly, *Perin, Of the Albingenses, lib. 2. cap. 4.three hundred thousand of these Croised Pilgrimes lost their lives in this expedition, within the space of fifteen yeares; so that there was neither citie nor village in France, but by reason hereof of had widows and orphanes cursing this expidition. And his Holinesse, after he had made allowance for his losse of time, bloud, and credit, found his gain de claro very small. Besides, such was the chance of warre,1206 and good Catholicks were so intermingled with hereticks, that in sacking of cities they were slain together. Whereupon the Pope resolved of a privater way, which made lesse noise in the world, attracted lesse envy, and was more effectuall; To prosecute them by way of Inquisition. Hereby he might single them out by retail, rooting out the tares without hurting the corn, and overthrowing them by piece-meal whom he could never stagger in grosse.
Dominick a Spaniard was first authour hereof. Well did his mother, being with child of him, dream that she had a dog *Martyrol. in vita Dominici.vomiting fire in her wombe. This ignivomous curre (sire of the litter of Mendicant Friars called Dominicanes) did bark at and deeply bite the poore Albingenses. After his death, Pope Honorius for his good service bestowed a Saintship on him: For he dreamed he saw the Church of Rome falling, and Dominick holding it up with his shoulders; wherefore he canonized this Atlas of their religion. The proceedings of this Inquisition were the abridgement of all cruelty, turning the sword of Justice into the butchers ax. But no doubt God, when he maketh *Psal. 9.12.inquisition for bloud, will one day remember this bloudy Inquisition. And who can but admire at the continuance of the doctrine of the Albingenses to this day, maugre all their enemies? Let those privy-counsellers of Nature, who can tell where swallows lie all winter, and how at the spring they have a resurrection from their seeming deadnesse, let those, I say, also inform us in what invisible sanctuaries this doctrine did lurk in spite of persecution, and how it revived out of its ashes at the coming of Luther. To conclude; it is observed, That in those parts of France where the Albingenses were most cruelly handled, now the Protestants (heirs to most of their tenets) flourish most: as in the countreys of Gascongne, Daulphine, and Languedoc.
Chap. 23. King Almerick for his lazinesse deposed by the Pope.
WElcome the Holy land, welcome Ptolemais: How shallow and almost quite dry is the stream of Pilgrimes grown here, since the Pope hath drained it with so large a by-chanel into France!
As for Almerick the idle King of Jerusalem, we find him as we left him, drowning his cares constantly in wine: his hands being lazier then those are printed in the margent of a book, which point what others should read; whilest he would neither do, nor order what should be done: So true was it of him, what is said *Of Chilperick King of France.of another, Titularis non tutelaris Rex; defuit non praefuit Reipublicae.
And now the warre betwixt Noradine Saladines sonne and Saphradine his uncle, about the sovereignty, lasting nine yeares, ended with Saphradines death; and Noradine contented himself with the government of Aleppo, whilest Saphradines two sonnes shared his dominions, Coradine commanding in Damascus and Syria, and Meladine in Egypt.
The former of these without any resistance built a fort in mount Tabor, to the great annoyance of the Christians. To prevent farther mischief arising from Almericks negligence, the Pope (who would have a finger in every Crown, and a hand in this) deposed him from the Kingdome. This Almerick, grieved to lose what he was never carefull to keep, soon after died for sorrow. But how doth this agree with Marinus Sanutus, who maketh him to die of a surfet of *A fish called Aurata, or Aurella.gilt-heads five yeares sooner, and saith there was five yeares interregnum in Palestine, wherein the Christians had no King at all?