Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/385

 RELICS FUOM CONSTANTINOPLE. 3G7 barked. The devil, from jealousy, sent a hurricane, but the tears and prayers before the relic defeated him, and the knight arrived safely home. The monks of Cluny received the pre- cious treasure with every demonstration of reverent joy, and in the fullest coniidence that they had secured the ])erpctual intercession of St. Clement on behalf of themselves and those who did honor to liis head.* The relics most sought after were those which related to the events mentioned in the New Testament, especially to the infancy, life, and passion of Christ, and to the saints popular in the AVest. But the mass possessed by the imperial city ranged from the stone on which Jacob had slept, and from the rod of Moses which changed into a serpent, down to that of the latest opponents of heresy in Constantinople. Those connected with the life of Christ and his Mother existed in great number, and com- prised objects supposed to be connected with almost every event of his life. There was the cross on which the Saviour had been crucified, the great drops of blood which he had shed in Gethsemane, one of his first teeth, and some of the hair of his childhood. The devout had venerated the pur- ple robe, and could reverence also a portion of the bread which he had blessed at the Last Supper. But besides these there was hardly a disciple, a saint, or a martyr of whom some relic did not exist. The greater portion of these ob- jects formed part of the plunder of the city which was col- lected during the first few days after its capture, and which was ofiicially divided among the invaders. Three eighths were allotted to the clergy and mordcs who accompanied the Crusaders; the remainder were bought or otherwise acquired subsequently, mostly by private persons. The officially cer- tified relics first mentioned seemed to have come chiefly from the imperial palaces of Bucoleon and Blachern. Many of those which were collected after the scramble of the first few days were certified with imperial golden bulls. AVhen they reached their destination they were received with great honor ' I have taken this account from Ilurtcr, whose authority is Dahuatius de Scrgy himself. " Bibl. Cluniac."