Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/387

 RELICS FROM CONSTiVNTINOPLE. 309 In 1205 there were received at Soissons, from its bishop, Niveloii, who was at Constantinople, the head of St. Stephen, the finger which St. Thomas tlirust into the side of Christ, the crown of the head of St. Mark, a thorn from the crown worn by Christ, a hirge portion of the sleeveless shirt of the Virgin Mary, a portion of the garment with which the Lord girt himself at the Last Supper, the girdle of the Virgin, and the arm of John the Baptist; and a few months after the arrival of these a further consignment containing the bead of St. John the Baptist, the head of St. Thomas, two great crosses made out of the true cross of our Lord, the liead of St. James, with two other crosses made out of the true cross, the head of St. Thaddeus, and three other relics of lesser importance which are specified, together with a large number of others which are not specially mentioned, but which were distributed among the parish churches and con- vents mostly in the diocese of Soissons.^ An anonymous ac- count, probably written about 120S, by a clerk of Halberstadt, tells another story of the bringing of certain relics from Con- stantinople. The whole of the population, laymen and clergy, and an immense number of people even from adjacent dio- ceses, came together on the occasion of the reception of these relics, which were borne by Conrad the bishop, who had him- self come from Constantinople. Such a concourse, says the chronicler, was never seen before, and the rejoicing at the reception of the relics was such as might have been expected, seeing that they were destined to bring peace and safety to the country. If any relics could do this, surely those brought home by Conrad ought to have sufficed, since among them was some of the blood of Jesus from the true cross, from the sepulchre, from the crown of thorns, from his agony and bloody sweat, from his purple robe, from the sponge and reed, and from seven other sources ; the head of James the brother of Christ, and thirty other relics which are specially mentioned, besides many others, says the narrative, of mar- tyrs, confessors, and vii-gins, which it would take long to 1 Anonymi Suessionensis, "Exuv. Sac." i. p. 8. 24