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
standing before the walls, about to climb up, shouted the same thing
with all their might. With great competitiveness each tried to climb
the wall first; once up the ladder, they took over the towers, and
others, as quickly as possible. Whoever stood in their way was
put to death; among those who died was Pyrrus' brother. Meanwhile a
ladder broke, and the great crowd of our men below, and those who had
preceded them, were sorely troubled; those on the top of the wall
feared that they were cut off from aid, and those at the bottom
feared that those who had climbed up could not receive support. But
great effort quickly made a way. There was a hidden gate to their
left; it was not remarkable that it could not be seen at night; even
during the day it was hardly ever seen, since it was located in a
place where there was little traffic. By tapping the wall, however,
impelled by urgent need, they found it; immediately they ran up to it,
and opened it by breaking the hinges and locks, making an entry for
the Franks, who rushed in.
You would have heard the whole city shaken with terrible roar. While
some rejoiced in the completion of such a task, others wept at the
unlooked-for destruction of their prospects. Neither the victors nor
the vanquished showed any moderation or self-control. Bohemund
ordered his standard, easily recognized by the Turks, to be placed on
top of a certain mountain, in full view of the citadel, which was
still resisting, to make the city aware of his presence. Wailing and
shrieking filled the city; while throngs pressed through the narrow
streets, the brutal, bloody shouts of the victors, eager to kill,
resounded. As they recalled the sufferings they had endured during
the siege, they thought that the blows that they were giving could
not match the starvations, more bitter than death, that they had
suffered. The same punishment inflicted upon the hordes of pagans
was justly meted out to the treacherous Armenians and Syrians, who,
with the aid of the Turks, had eagerly and diligently pursued the
destruction of our men, and our men were, in turn, unwilling to spare
them painful punishment. And yet I say that they would have spared
many of them, had they known how to make a distinction between the
natives pagans and those of our own faith. In the confusion of the
moment and of the action (it was night, and eagerness to capture the
town and impatience with delay incited everyone), perhaps nothing
permitted distinguishing foreigners by their clothing or beards. A
terrible neglect covered the thinness of the weary cheeks of our men,
who, continually prepared for battle, worn out by continual traveling,
had stopped shaving their beards in the Franks' manner. The bishop
of Puy noticed this, and to prevent mutual slaughter in case they
confronted each other in battle, (each thinking the other a Turk
because of the beard), ordered them to shave often, and to hang on
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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