The appearance of King Richard and Berengaria on this occasion was
very striking. King Richard wore a rose-colored satin tunic, which was
fastened by a jeweled belt about his waist. Over this was a mantle of
striped silver tissue, brocaded with silver half-moons. He wore also
a costly sword; the blade was of Damascus steel, the hilt of gold,
and the scabbard was of silver, richly engraved. On his head was a
scarlet bonnet, brocaded in gold, with figures of animals. He carried
in his hand a truncheon, which was a sort of sceptre, very elaborately
adorned. He was tall and well-formed, with yellow curls and a bright
complexion; and when mounted upon his magnificent charger, he appeared
a perfect model of military and manly grace. This horse was named
Faunelle, and became quite a historical character, acquiring great
fame by his strength and courage, and by the marvellous sagacity he
displayed in the various battles in which he was engaged with his
master. His trappings were very rich; the bit, stirrups, and all
the metallic mountings of the saddle and bridle were of gold, and
the crupper was adorned with two golden lions. The costume of Queen
Berengaria was equally magnificent. The veil was fastened to her head
by a royal diadem, resplendent with gold and gems, and was surmounted
by a _fleur de lis_, with so much foliage added to it that it had the
appearance of being a double crown, symbolizing her double queenship,
both of England and Cyprus.
The chief landing-point for expeditions of crusaders to the Holy Land
was Acre, called also St. Jean d’Acre. It received its name from
a military order, known as the Knights of St. John, who founded a
monastery there for the safety and entertainment of pilgrims. This
place was at this time in the hands of the Saracens; and Philip, the
French king, who arrived before Richard, had in vain tried to capture
it. King Richard, having left Cyprus, together with his bride and
sister, proceeded on his way to join Philip at Acre; but he met with
one adventure which is worthy of note. In sailing along, his fleet
fell in with a ship of large size. Richard ordered his galleys to
press on, as the ship seemed to be endeavoring to escape. As they
came nearer, they perceived that the strange ship was filled with
Saracens. King Richard thereupon ordered his men to board the ship and
capture it. The Saracens, feeling that escape was hopeless, scuttled
the ship, determined to sink with her rather than fall into the hands
of the Christians. Then a dreadful combat ensued. Each side fought
with ferocious energy; for although the Saracens expected to die, they
were resolved to first wreak their fury upon their foes. The Saracens
employed Greek fire, which was a celebrated means of warfare in those
days. It was some kind of combustible matter, which was set on fire
and thrown at the enemy. Nothing could extinguish it, and besides the
great heat it produced, it threw forth dense volumes of poisonous and
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account