Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/137

 WEAKENIKG OF THE EMPIKE BY THE CRUSADES. HQ lation, the West with practice. The want of harmony between the two churches continually displayed itself; and in the twelfth century, with which we are most concerned, there took place the definite, formal separation between the Catholic and the Orthodox churches. Meantime in the West, and in the latter half of the twelfth Decline of the ccutury, the Spirit of chivalry and the religious en- u afmmg a'le" tliusiasui which had been the chief motive forces of Crusaders. ^j^^ £j,g|. j^^^j sccoud crusadcs wcre rapidly disap- pearing. The nobles of W^estern Europe were beginning to lind occupation at home. A movement had begun among them which spread to England, and in the time of John pro- duced lasting benefits at Runnymead. The barons of the West were beginning to make common cause with the peo- ple against incompetent sovereigns. The noble and lofty ideal which the early Crusaders had tried to realize, which a few years later was revived in Saint Louis, was in great part forgotten. These men, from Godfrey downwards, had dreamed of establishing Christ's kingdom, of trying to execute an almost impossible task, because it was that which God had given them.^ The Crusader affixed the cross to his shoulder in order that he might " offer to God cross for cross, passion for passion, and that by mortifying his desires and making himself like unto Christ he might share with him in the resurrection."^ To us Jerusalem is an ancient city with more or less sacred or archas- ological associations, to be reached easily by steam from Mar- seilles, and shortly by rail from Jaffa. To the Christian of the twelfth century it was very far distant, the marvel of the earth, and so filled with relics and other memorials of the Di- vine Life, that it was readily confounded with the lieavenly Jerusalem. The crusades, in their practical effect, helped the young nations of the West to shake off their provinciality, to ' The work of the crusades is repeatedly called opus Lei^ e. g., "Anon. Suessionensis," p. 5, "ExLivi^e Sacra?," and in many other places. The rec- ords of their work are Gesta Dei. The Crusaders themselves are JDeijxip- ulus. ("Recueil," i. 25G, and elsewhere.) They fought bravely pow le party de Dieu. — "Lect. Long. Exuv. Sac," ii. 14. "" " Lect. Long. Exuv. Sac." ii. 11.