Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/351

The Crusades 315 "This royal city, however, situated at the center of the earth, is now held captive by the enemies of Christ and is subjected, by those who do not know God, to the worship of the heathen. She seeks, therefore, and desires to be liberated and ceases not to implore you to come to her aid. From you especially she asks succor, because, as we have already said, God has conferred upon you above all other nations great glory in arms. Accordingly, undertake this journey eagerly for the remission of your sins, with the assurance of the reward of imperishable glory in the king- dom of heaven." When Pope Urban had urbanely said these and very many similar things, he so centered in one purpose the desires of all who were present that all cried out, " It is the will of God ! It is the will of God ! " When the venerable Roman pontiff heard that, with eyes uplifted to heaven, he gave thanks to God and, commanding silence with his hand, said: " Most beloved brethren, to-day is manifest in you what the Lord says in the Gospel, ' Where two or three are gath- ered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them ' ; for unless God had been present in your spirits, all of you would not have uttered the same cry; since, although the cry issued from numerous mouths, yet the origin of the cry was one. Therefore I say to you that God, who implanted this in your breasts, has drawn it forth from you. Let that then be your war cry in combats, because it is given to you by God. When an armed attack is made upon the enemy, let this one cry be raised by all the soldiers of God: 'It is the will of God! It is the will of God!' [Deus vult I Deus vultf} " And we neither command nor advise that the old or feeble, or those incapable of bearing arms, undertake this journey. Nor ought women to set out at all without their husbands, or brothers, or legal guardians. For such are more of a hindrance than aid, more of a burden than an advantage. Let the rich aid the needy ; and according to their wealth let them take with them experienced soldiers. The priests and other clerks, whether secular or regular,