9. This was his son, entitled Louis the Mild. I know not wherefore he was called the Mild, for one of the acts of his reign was to put out the eyes of another king, whom he had taken prisoner. When Louis died, he left his dominions to his three sons, who immediately went to war with each other, and it is said that a hundred thousand men were slain in one of their battles.

10. Some of the succeeding kings of France were Charles the Bald, Louis the Stammerer, Charles the Fat, Charles the Simple, Louis the Foreigner, and Hugh Capet. These sovereigns performed no actions that need be recorded in my book.

QUESTIONS. 1. Who was Charlemagne ?- -2. What of his dress? That of his courtiers? -3. What of Charlemagne ? Over -4. What did -6. When did Charlemagne die? -8. What was put over

what countries did he reign? What did he wish? he do? Describe his coronation.

How was his body dressed for his burial ?the sepulchre?-9. Who was Louis the Mild? What of him? What of his three sons ?-10. Who were some of the succeeding kings of France ?

CHAPTER CVII. EUROPE Continued.

Crusades, or Holy Wars.

-About the

1. I MUST now give you some account of the Crusades, or Holy Wars, undertaken by the European nations for the recovery of Jerusalem, which was in the hands of the Turks. The Christians had a great reverence for this city, for here Christ preached, here he performed many miracles, here he was buried, and here he rose again from the dead.

2. On account of the pious reverence entertained for Jerusalem, which was called the Holy City, many Christian pilgrims went on foot to visit it. It was very common for the Roman Catholic priests to impose this pilgrimage on persons who had committed some sin, and they were made to believe that in this way alone they could receive pardon of God.

3. Now the pilgrims to Jerusalem were often treated with cruelty and scorn by the Turks, who held possession of Jerusalem and the country around it. The pilgrims returned to Europe, and gave an account of the treatment they received. This excited the indignation of the Christians, and they were easily induced to unite in a great effort for taking the Holy Land from the infidel Turks. 4. The pope of Rome at this time had vast influence, and he wished to acquire more. When this project was proposed, therefore, he gave it his sanction, thinking that he should extend his dominion over the Holy Land, if the country should be taken.

5. Peter the Hermit was the principal agent in exciting the people to the first crusade. He was a half-starved monk, and went about bareheaded, with a rope round his waist, and wearing a garment of coarse cloth. This was so short that it barely covered his body, leaving his arms and legs naked.

6. It might seem that such a figure as this would But Peter rather have excited ridicule than reverence. had been to Jerusalem, and had experienced the insults of the Turks. He therefore spoke of things he had seen, and the people listened with a willing sympathy.

7. Thus Peter went from city to city, and everywhere crowds came to hear him. There was soon such a state of excitement, that the princes assembled, and armies were speedily gathered for the enterprise. In the year 1096, Peter set out, in company with an army of two hundred thousand men. He occasionally bore a ponderous cross upon his shoulders, and all his followers wore crosses of red cloth upon their clothes.

8. But scarcely had this army reached Asia, when the Turkish sultan attacked them, and made a terrible slaughter; as a trophy of his victory he built a pyramid of the bones of the Christians. Other armies of crusaders afterwards met with similar misfortunes.

9. It is computed that eight hundred and fifty thousand Christians lost their lives in the course of this first crusade ; and all this slaughter took place before they had even come in sight of Jerusalem.

10. There was another army, however, belonging to the This consisted of first crusade, that had better success. eighty thousand men, led by a French prince called Godfrey of Bouillon. He proceeded through Asia Minor, took several cities, and captured Jerusalem in 1099; the kingdom of Jerusalem was then founded, and Godfrey was elected king, but he refused the regal title, and called himself only "Baron of the Holy Sepulchre." From this period till the year 1187 the Holy City remained in the hands of the Christians, when it was again captured by the Turks, in whose hands it has since remained.

11. No less than five other crusades took place; the last commenced in 1248, and, like most of the others, proved

unsuccessful. The whole number of men who lost their lives in these wild expeditions, was not less than two millions.

12. Many of the crusaders were good and pious men, and some, perhaps, were wise ones. Several of the leaders were brave knights, and they went forth clad in bright armour, and mounted upon fine horses; but a large portion of the armies were of a different character. Some were half crazy people filled with a bigoted fury, some were needy and unprincipled adventurers, and a large portion were thieves and robbers, who joined the expeditions that they might share in the plunder of cities that should be taken.

13. But although the motives of many of the crusaders were selfish, though the great object of these expeditions was not accomplished, and though much slaughter and bloodshed flowed from them; still the half-barbarous

inhabitants of Europe received from the East many arts that tended to refine and civilize them. In this, and other ways, the crusades produced some good results.

QUESTIONS. 1. What were the crusades? Why were they undertaken? Why did the Christians reverence Jerusalem ?2. What of pilgrimages to Jerusalem? -3. How were the pilgrims treated? What did they do? What was the consequence of their representations?-4. What of the pope of Rome? -5. Describe Peter the Hermit.- -6. What of him? -7. What effect had his preaching? What took place in 1096 ?- -8. Who attacked the army in Asia? What did the sultan do? What of other crusaders ? 9. What of the first crusade ?- -10. What of the army under Godfrey of Bouillon? What title did he take? When did the Turks retake Jerusalem ?—11. How many crusades were there? When was the first crusade began? The last? How many men lost their lives in the crusades ?- -12. What appears concerning many of the crusaders? Their leaders? What of a large portion of the armies? -13. What good results did the crusades produce?

CHAPTER CVIII. EUROPE continued.

Feudal System.

-About the

1. I SUPPOSE you think it is now time to proceed with the history of France; but do not be impatient. It is not right for one who undertakes to tell the history of mankind, to speak only of kings and the great battles which they fight. We must not forget to consider how the people lived, and what they were about while their rulers were thus engaged.

2. If I were only to speak of little King Pepin and Charlemagne, and the popes and other rulers, and tell you what they did, you might still be ignorant of what their subjects were doing. You might not know whether they were happy or unhappy, whether they were in a state of poverty or plenty, whether they were in the enjoyment of freedom, or suffering the miseries of despotism.

3. I trust you will therefore excuse me for talking a little about the Feudal System, Chivalry, and a few other