The Deeds of God Through the FranksGuibert, Abbot of Nogent-sous-Coucy
History
The Deeds of God Through the Franks
Guibert, Abbot of Nogent-sous-Coucy
Crusades -- First, 1096-1099
the city for your return, ready to admit immediately into the towers
which seem to be under my control those whom you choose to send.
Bohemund eagerly hastened to carry out the plan he had heard;
summoning one of his retainers, he ordered him to carry out the
office of herald, circulating throughout the Franks' camp, telling
them to prepare themselves with the greatest care, as though they
were proceeding into the land of the Saracens. Without delay, the
wisdom of the servant carried out the command of the leader directly,
nor did the men of France refuse to comply. At last Bohemund told
the joy in his heart to duke Godfrey, to the count of Flanders, to
the count of Saint-Gilles, and to the bishop of Puy; trusting the
promises of Pyrrus, he said that Antioch would be surrendered to him
that night. Therefore, when the army was drawn up in the order we
have described, the knights were ordered to march through the plain;
the band of foot-soldiers marched through the mountains. Throughout
the night they marched, and before dawn offered its first rays, they
stood before the towers over which the blessed traitor vigilantly
stood watch.
When Bohemund got down from his horse, he spoke to the Franks with a
tone of unusual authority, "Go forward, and breathe free of the
anxiety which you have long endured; climb the ladder built for you;
let me detain you no longer--seize the city you have been hoping for
so long. Long under subjection to the Turks, it will now surrender,
God willing, to your custody." The Franks reached the ladder, which
was attached and very firmly tied to the walls of the city, offering
a way to ascend to the sixty men who, when they reached the towers,
were given authority over them. However, because so few Franks had
climbed up, Pyrrus, waiting, and anxious, not for our men but for
himself, as became very clear later, feared that the outcome of the
betrayal he had undertaken would lead to his own destruction, and he
cried out brusquely in Greek to those near him, "We have too few
Franks." With these words he eagerly called upon Bohemund to proceed
quickly, before the inhabitants knew that the Franks were assembling.
But certain Lombard servant, understanding that Pyrrus was
complaining about the absence of Bohemund, hastened as quickly as he
could to the man who was being sought, "Why," he said, "are you
behaving so foolishly? Why do you carry out such an arduous task so
slowly? See how we now have obtained control of three towers; why do
you watch the doubtful outcome of this affair from a distance? Wake
up, move your forces, place yourself in the midst of the action."
Very swiftly now he hastened with his men to the ladder, and he
revived the hopes both of the good traitor and of those who had
already climbed the wall. Immediately those who already occupied
Pyrrus' towers, waiting for the Franks to assemble from all sides,
began to shout with great joy, "God wishes it!" Those who were
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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