Page:Readings in European History Vol 1.djvu/355

The Crusades 319 to interweave an account of a few of these signs, although it would carry us too far to enumerate them all. For exam- ple, we beheld a comet on the 7th of October to the south, and its brilliancy slanting down seemed like a sword. . . . A few years ago a priest of honorable reputation, by the name of Suigger, about the ninth hour of the day beheld two knights, who met one another in the air and fought long, until one, who carried a great cross with which he struck the other, finally overcame his enemy. . . . Some who were watching horses in the fields reported that they had seen the image of a city in the air and had observed how various troops from different directions, both on horse- back and on foot, were hastening thither. Many, moreover, displayed, either on their clothing, or upon their forehead, or elsewhere on their body, the sign of the cross, which had been divinely imprinted, and they believed themselves on this account to have been destined to the service of God. Others likewise were -induced, through some sudden change of spirit or some nocturnal vision, to sell all their property and possessions and to sew the sign of mortification on their mantles. Among all these people who pressed into the churches in incredible numbers, swords were distributed with the priestly benediction, according to the new usage, along with the pilgrim's staff and wallet. I may also report that at this time a woman after two years gestation finally gave birth to a boy who was able to talk ; and that a child with a double set of limbs, another with two heads, and some lambs with two heads were also born ; and that colts came into the world with great teeth, which we ordinarily call horses' teeth and which nature only grants to three-year old horses. While through these and similar signs the whole creation Bad men seemed to offer its services to the Creator, the watchful and women , , . join the enemy, who takes occasion when others sleep to sow his crusaders, tares amongst the good seed, raised up also false prophets and mixed false brethren and degraded women among the Lord's host under the appearance of religion. In this way the armies of Christ were defiled not only through hypocrisy