The Holinshed Project

Holinshed Project Home

The Texts
1587

Previous | Next

12.28. The comming of Heraclius the patriarch into England. Chap. 28.

The comming of Heraclius the patriarch into England. Chap. 28.

WHile these things were dooing in Ire|land, Heraclius the reuerend patriarch of Ierusalem, hauing gone a long iourneie from the east to the west, came into Eng|land about the beginning of Februarie; who brought with him the keies of the holie citie and sepul|chre, with the kings ensigne and martiall signe, in the behoofe of all the states of the holie land, as well of the brethren of th'order of the temple as hospitall: and with the consent of all the cleargie and laitie, making supplication to king Henrie the second, falling at his féet with teares, and humblie desiring him, that he would be pitifullie mooued to the aid of the holie land, and Christes patrimonie, desperatlie afflicted by the infidels: otherwise affirming (which within two yeares happened) that the whole king|dome would fall shortlie into the hands of the Sol|dane of the Saracens and of Egypt. Oh what a glorie was it to this king and kingdome, that he passing so manie emperours, kings and princes, as though there were no helpe in the middle part of the world, should come into this corner of the earth, & as it were into an other world to require aid! O how worthie, perpetuall and incomparable had the kings glorie béene, if he setting aside other businesse, and forsaking his kingdoms, had taken without delaie (at this calling of Christ) Christes crosse, and haue followed him! Uerelie, he should haue receiued of him the euerlasting kingdome, if he had serued him in this necessitie of whom he receiued his kingdome, and so glorious a grace of gouernement on earth. Oh if he would haue defended here (for his abilitie) the patrimonie of so worthie a kingdome in this point of necessitie, and this triall of deuotion, he might haue béene worthilie fortified in earth by such a patrone and tutor in all his affaires and neces|sities whatsoeuer.

12.29. The answer of the king to the patriarch. Chap. 29.

The answer of the king to the patriarch. Chap. 29.

[...]Daie for answer herof being appointed at last by the king at London, manie as well knights as of common sort, by the admonish|ments of the patriarch, as the sermons of Baldwin the archbishop were croised to the seruice of Christ. At the last the patriarch receiued this an|swer of the king, that it was not good to leaue his realme without defense and gouernement, & leaue open his lands beyond sea to the rapacitie of the Frenchmen that hated him: but as concerning monie, he would giue both that which he sent thi|ther, to be reserued for him, and more also for the defense of the holie land. To whome the patriarch answered by following this aduise. O king you doo nothing: and by this meanes you shall neither saue your selfe, nor reserue Christes patrimonie. We come to séeke a prince, and not monie. Euerie part of the world almost sendeth vs monie, but none sen|deth vs a prince. Therfore we desire a man that may want monie, and not monie that may want a man. This was the saieng of The mis [...]o|cles. But, when the patriarch could get no other answer of the king, he taketh an other deuise: he desireth him to giue to their aid one of his sonnes, and if none other, yet his yoongest sonne Iohn, that the bloud descending from the An [...]owes might in a new branch raise vp the kingdome.

Iohn himselfe, albeit he was readie to passe into Ireland giuen him by his father, with a great armie, (prostrating himselfe at his fathers féet) desired (as they saie) that he might be sent to Ierusalem, but he obteined it not. So the patriarch séeing he could doo nothing, and draw no oile out of the hard stone, hée spake thus against the king, in th'audience of manie, with a threatfull and propheticall spirit. O glorious king, thou hast reigned hitherto among the princes of the world with incomparable glorie, and your princelie honour hath hither to dailie increased to the type of highnesse. But now doubtlesse is this triall being forsaken of God, whom you forsake, and desti|tute of all heauenlie grace. From hensefoorth shall your glorie be turned into sorrow, and your honor to reproch so long as you liue. I would to God the king had auoided this threat by penance, like the king of Niniuie, and had caused this sentence to be altered!

EEBO page image 50 The holie man spake this thing thrise, first at Lon|don, then at Douer, and lastlie at Chinon castell be|yond the sea. And I would to God the patriarch had béene a man without that propheticall spirit, & had ra|ther spoken a lesing, that we may for more euidence touch such things brieflie as were before spoken by that true forespeaker, which we saw shortlie to take effect. Whereas the king reigned thirtie and fiue yeares, thirtie years were granted him for worldlie glorie, expectation of his conuersion, & triall of his de|notion; but the last fiue years fell vpon him, as vpon an vngratefull, reprobate, and abiect seruant, in re|uengement, sorrow, & ignominie. For in the two and thirtith yeare of his reigne, immediatlie after the comming of the patriarch, his first enterprise of sen|ding his sonne Iohn into Ireland, both the labour and cost was frustrate and lost. The thrée and thir|tith yeare, whereas he neuer lost land before, he lost to king Philip (being but a child) almost all Aniou. The foure and thirtith yéere he lost the castell Rader, and welnéere all Be [...]ie. The fiue and thirtith yeare of his reigne, and the fourth yéere after the comming of the parriarch, not onelie king Philip of France, but his son Richard of Poitiers rising against him, he lost the cities of Towres and Maine, with manie castels, and himselfe also; according to that in saint Gregorie: Those that the Lord hath long forborne, that they might be conuerted, if they doo not conuert, he condemneth them the more greeuouslie.

12.30. The croising of kings. Chap. 30.

The croising of kings. Chap. 30.

BUt perchance the king was reserued by heauenlie disposition to the victorie of deser|ued loue. How much greater is it to repare things cast downe, than to vnderprop things likelie to fall? And who had knowne Hector, if Troie had continued in prosperitie? By so much as aduer|sitie is more instant and vrged, by so much the glorie of valiantnesse will shine the brighter. For by the se|cret iudgement of God, within two yeares after the victorie was giuen to the pagans and Parthians, a|gainst the christians, either to reuenge the cold deuo|tion of the east church, or to trie the deuout obedience of the westerne men; the worthie Richard earle of Poitiers hearing this ouerthrow, tooke deuoutlie the croisure vpon him at Towres, giuing an example to other princes in that matter. Whervpon the king of England, the earles father, and Philip king of France, who had bin before at variance (with Gods grace, and the archbishop of Towres persuasion) in that place and that houre, at their conference at Gui|sors were croised, with manie other great men of the clergie and laitie. And as kings folowed the example of the erle, so after their example the emperour Fre|derike, through the persuasion of the duke of Alba, with manie states of Almane were croised in the lords court at Mentz. So as it is thought, the king of England being reserued more than all other to the restoring of the decaied state of the holie land, if he had finished his life in this victorie; doubtlesse that famous prophesie of Merlin Ambrosius had beene verefied in him. His beginning (saith he) shall wauer A prophesie of Merlin tou|ching the king with wild affections, and his end shall mount to heauen.

Previous | Next