Page:The Queens of England.djvu/85

BERENGARIA. 69 Richard arrived before Acre during, the siege of that city by the Crusaders, and contributed greatly to its capture. The subject of these pages, however, is Berengaria; and gladly would we give some details of her life and habits during this extraordinary siege; but history is dumb on the subject. The gentle lady seems to have been unnoticed in the glare which drew the universal and concentrated observation to her warlike husband. When Acre was taken, Richard established his queen and sister Joanna, Queen of Naples, safely there. They remained at Acre during the whole of the Syrian cam- paign, with the Cyprian princess ; and the ruins of a palace, to this day called King Richard's Palace, marks the spot of Berengaria's residence. It was at Acre that King Richard tore down the banner of Leopold, Archduke of Austria. The archduke was the uncle of the Cypriot princess, and it is said that her remaining in the train of Berengaria was the real cause of quarrel. No sooner was Acre taken than a quarrel also sprung up between Richard and the King of France, which proved fatal to the enterprise. Richard performed prodigies of valor, but he was by no means supported by his ill-affected allies. When Richard had arrived almost within sight of the Holy City, news was brought him that the Duke of Burgundy had re- treated, expressly to prevent Richard having the honor of taking it. On hearing this, he threw down his arms, crying, with tears in his eyes, and hands uplifted towards heaven, "Ah ! Lord God, I pray thee that I may never see thy holy city Jerusalem, since things thus happen, and since I cannot deliver it from the hands of thy enemies." He returned to Acre, made peace with Saladin, and set sail for Europe. Voltaire remarks, "If Richard returned to Europe with more glory than Philip obtained, at all events he returned less pru- dently." And nothing but the extraordinary character of this prince can explain the temerity with which he determined the mode of his return to his dominions. A mysterious estrange- ment is said by the chroniclers at this time to have existed between himself and Berengaria, and Richard's partiality towards the Cypriot princess is assigned as the cause. But the mode of their return renders this improbable. Berengaria, Joanna of Naples, and the Cypriot princess, embarked in the same vessel for Naples, where they safely arrived. Richard himself set sail in another vessel, which was wrecked on the