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Parthia, where our general Marcus Crassus met with a premature death



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richard of holy trinity


Parthia, where our general Marcus Crassus met with a premature death,
Judea, Samaria, Maritima, Arabia, and Chald¾a, also Egypt, where, shame
to say! a Roman citizen, Antony, a man endowed with signal virtues,
passing the bounds of temperance, and acting otherwise than as became a
soldier sent from so great a state, submitted to the unchaste love of
Cleopatra Ñ do you pretend not to know that Armenia, and other
innumerable countries, have been subject to our sway? This is well known
9The allusion is to Psalm lxxviii. 12. The emperor seems to mean that he will attack
Saladin in Egypt.


Itinerary
24
to those kings in whose blood the Roman sword has been so often steeped;
and you, God willing, shall learn by experience the might of our victorious
eagles, and be made acquainted with our troops of many nations Ñ the
anger of Germany Ñ the untamed head of the Rhine Ñ the youth from the
banks of the Danube, who know not how to flee Ñ the towering Bavarian
Ñ the cunning Suabian Ñ the cautious Franconian Ñ Saxony, that sports
with the sword Ñ Thuringia Ñ Westphalia Ñ the active Brabantine Ñ the
Lorrainer unused to peace Ñ the fiery Burgundian Ñ the nimble
mountaineer of the Alps Ñ the Frison with his javelin and thong Ñ the
Bohemian ever ready to brave death Ñ Bolonia fiercer than her own fierce
beasts Ñ Austria Ñ Byria Ñ Ruwennia Ñ Istria Ñ Rocumphia Ñ Illyria Ñ
Lombardy Ñ Tuscany Ñ the march of Ancona Ñ the resolute Venetian
and the Pisan sailor Ñ and lastly, also, you shall assuredly be taught how
our own right hand, which you suppose to be enfeebled by old age, can
still wield the sword upon that day of reverence and gladness which has
been appointed for the triumph of ChristÕs cause.
We think it right to insert in our history the letter which Saladin sent
in reply to the foregoing. The proud boasting of the tyrant, which he had
conceived in his opposition, is sufficiently manifest in it. However, we give
it in the simple form of words in which it was written, without changing a
syllable of it.
To the great king, his sincere friend, the illustrious Frederic, king of
Germany: Ñ In the name of God the merciful: by the grace of the one God, the
powerful, the surpassing, the victorious, the everlasting, of whose kingdom there is
no end.
We give continual thanks to Him, whose grace is over all the world:
we pray that he may pour out his inspiration over all his prophets, and
especially on our teacher, his messenger the prophet, Mahomet, whom he
sent to teach the true law, which he will make to appear above all laws, But
we make it known to the sincere and powerful king, our great, amicable
friend, the king of Germany, that a certain man, named Henry, came to us,


Itinerary
25
professing to be your envoy, and he gave us a letter, which he said was
from your hand. We caused the letter to be read, and we heard him speak
by word of mouth, and to the words which he spake by word of mouth we
answered also in words. But this is the answer to your letter: Ñ You
enumerate those who are leagued with you to come against us, and you
name them and say Ñ the king of this land and the king of that land Ñ this
count and that count, and such archbishops, marquises, and knights. But if
we wished to enumerate those who are in our service, and who listen to
our commands, and obey our words, and would fight for us, this is a list
which could not be reduced to writing. If you reckon up the names of the
Christians, the Saracens are more numerous and many times more
numerous than the Christians. If the sea lies between us and those whom
you name Christians, there is no sea to separate the Saracens, who cannot
be numbered; between us and those who will come to aid us, there is no
impediment. With us are the Bedouins, who would be quite sufficient
singly to oppose our enemies; and the Turkomans, who, unaided, could
destroy them: even our peasants, if we were to bid them, would fight
bravely against the nations which should come to invade our country, and
would despoil them of their riches and exterminate them. What! have we
not on our side the warlike Soldarii by whom we have opened and gained
the land, and driven out our enemies? These, and all the kings of Paganism
will not be slow when we shall summon them, nor delay when we shall
call them. And whenever your armies shall be assembled, according to the
import of your letter, and you shall lead them, as your messenger tells us,
we will then meet you in the power of God. Nor will we be satisfied with
the land which is on the sea-coast, but we will cross over with GodÕs good
pleasure, and will take from you all your lands, in the strength of the Lord.
For if you come, you will come with all your forces, and will be present
with all your people, and we know that there will remain none at home to
defend themselves or fight for their country. And when the Lord, by his
power, shall have given us victory over you, nothing will remain for us to
do but freely to take your lands, by His power, and with His good
pleasure. For the union of the Christian faith has twice come against us in
Babylon; once at Damietta, and again at Alexandria: it was also in the coast



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