252

THE HISTORY OF THE ORDER OF [book i.

whose husbands and fathers are alive . 1 Many arethe historians of the first crusade, but of the

second, only three; and these three all

1147 y

break off suddenly at Damascus. Theirsilence shows what people thought then of thatcrusade . 2

Of such wonderful strength was Raymond dePoitiers, then, by marriage, Prince of Antioch, andby birth uncle to the Queen of France, that hecould bend an iron stirrup, and, one day passingon horseback under a gateway, whence hung achain, he took the chain in both hands, and withhis legs pressed the horse so prodigiously, that hestopped the animal at full gallop, and kept it therestock still, without its being able to move an inchin any direction. But he died soon, and only lefta boy of the name of Bohemond, and his widow, tohave some one to hold the rudder of governmentduring the minority, and lead the troops, marriedRenard de Chatillon, of whom, soon again, saysthe Moslem ; 3 but Christian chroniclers give her aless honourable motive . 4

In Palestine, the immediate effect of the secondcrusade had been to show at once that there were

1 Michaud: Hist., ii. 132. 2 Id.: Id., 191.

3 Arab. Chron., 98.

4 W. of Tyro: 16.—Bib. Crois., i. 144.