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The Turks conquered at Meander; The Dutch and French arrive in Palestine.
SCarce had the Dutch escaped the treachery of the Greeks, when they were encountred with the hostility of the Turks, who waited for them on the other side of Meander. The river was not fordable; ship or bridge the Christians had none: when behold Conrade the Emperour adventured on an action, which because it was successefull, shall be accounted valiant; otherwise
we should term it desperate. After an† 1.1 exhortation to his ar∣my, he commanded them all at once to flownce into the river. Meander was plunged by their plunging into it: his water stood † 1.2 amazed, as unresolved whether to retreat to the fountain, or proceed to the sea, and in this extasie afforded them a dry pas∣sage over the stream. An act which, like that of Horatius Cocles his leaping into Tiber,† 1.3 plus famae ad posteros habiturum quàm fidei, will find more admirers then believers with po∣sterity. The affrighted Turks on the other side, thinking there was no contending with them that did teach nature it self obe∣dience, offered their throats to the Christians swords, and were killed in such number, that whole piles of dead bones remain there for a monument▪ like those heaps of the Cimbrians slain by Marius near Marseils, where afterwards the inhabitants walled their vineyards with sculls, and guarded their† 1.4 grapes with dead men. Hence Conrade made forward to Iconium, now called Cogni, which he besieged in vain, to the great losse of his army.
The King of France followed after with great multitudes, and drank of the same cup at the Grecians hands, though not so deeply: till at last, finding that those who marched through the continent met with an ocean of misery, he thought better to trust the wind and sea then the Greeks; and taking shipping safely arrived in Palestine, where he was highly welcomed by Reimund Prince of Antioch. Some weeks were spent in com∣plying, entertainments, and visiting holy places; till at last, E∣lianor wife to the King of France, who accompanied her hus∣band, made religion her pander, and played† 1.5 bankrupt of her honour; under pretence of pilgrimage, keeping company with a base Saracen jester, whom she preferred before a King. Thus love may blindfold the eyes, but lust boreth them out. Yea, now she pleaded that she might be no longer wife to the King, be∣cause she was too near unto him, within the degrees forbidden. This new-started scruple never troubled her before: but some have sluces in their consciences, and can keep them open, or shut them as occasion requireth.
Knoll••, Turk. hist. pag. 33.
Nicetas in Man. Comn. lib. 1. Sect. 6.
Liv. lib. 2.
Munst. Cos∣mog. lib. 2. pag. 227.
Ser••es, (translated by Grims••on) in vita Lu∣dov. 7. & P. Aemylius, in ejusdem vita.