BYWAYS OF HISTORY.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18674, 24 April 1926, Page 13

BYWAYS OF HISTORY.

jjgIAtARIWXE.

'„theKiog« * ho havc reigoCd Hi B £7k»o™to the average raeC<EuraeLiong T fita contemporary his roman he and escape, and the P>cJE incident, of hi. great adver, £&»ofall who love adventure; W,« nee. Sir Walter Scott chose ?TV,» , n d "The Talisman," and ggf&'tl-. M-rice Hewlett in and Nay," completed by 'SSd-piCtoro of hi. strenuous youth SSrir.it which Scott, who dealt only S,Bith«d'. visit to England, and JeveiH* of the third Crusade, had 1 eft "ftlM will "P 8 " 0 " 1h " T,Mdneßß ° f of the almost legendTjliehsrd who ha. served for so long XjltiM>» liero, Nor need one accuse Ji, piasters of fiction of more than XTronuucer's J*»tw» te lu T, CO , ~ n t tZ with the fact, of Richard's life. Slll'that, tbe Bichard of Scott seems I fain different ui mnn> fundamental ! Si from th' Bichard of such contem i MIJ WW I " M * e BtiU Poa9CM- » 1, ii *; .The JticAard of Scott. | !ffo Biehard of Scott seems to mc to ' ifrft* » flme re ' at * on to tne Bicnßr d of uLv as the King Arthur of Tennyson Mto the Ktdg Arthur of the authpnWjtmit'ttom which Tennyson drew jJlMtMial. Neither Scott nor Tcnny *»a» free from the obsession of the ttforlaa ,Age, which compelled them ttydkat all thing, from the gentle, re MjUhle viewpoint of the Victorian ftp) hum." The Middlo Ages wero fcnein Barely a storehouse of romantic Spot The feudal system v,ns re pttOted' In'their minds by a strange ■jtor'of pageantry, tyranny, and ad whITM. Beligjon, tho religion of Cath ilffflitiltendom, was unknown to them,. it, if known, Imperfectly understood. H 4», then, cbold even the great Sir TftUfi all his gifts, draw truly ttijfho, like King Bichard, was a typiprince, to whom a definite, A»tor!.cii(}'a'l gystem, and.an equally |M| »H all embracing religion -were WWandining, factors of every action |JV period of history known as the fcdflfttl period was jjerhaps the most PW4 period of European civilifca* p, With the exception of a few. conevery man was, a wan 'of •JWW Life was moreover intensely Vfmr'ti' fabt. ' The feudal system ra'ajl ita implication* was accepted tfpart of «the law of the dinners*. Witjliose vrho from time to time reJsjjjf'fjjau>st its abuses larelv qticsWft hi dhuie 'sanction! ' Religion jnediipval mind no .matter #«nMn v M s a matter of absolute *Sr " v<en am< "'F Tn<> heretics j i. JP/J'riMn time to time' protested pn*t certain details of the Church's ' r «i(Wng or practice 1 I can find none Wfetftafli, Wwlif cin««tioned Mttl&Waujfchoritv. 'And 'Richard TO I man .typical of his time—obodiPti ftfUWc arid faith were the qualibo <A wnloh. he endeavoured to base w character, and demanded ' with whdm he lived. The of hig' life, the Crusoe" *al no random seeking after JWt"b°t.wa« ■ doftnite endeavour |to»»,i (if* in T bich for the most j Mjfch» Ijtd, atriveD for hi* own ends, RlgrWt'Act of self-sacrifice in obedJptotto«aUoftheChnrch. 3*\ read the record no man. except iTwaflfrlotfie, entered on a Crnsade W'a'wrier purriose and a more M\fm than swg Richard. For Jjfgwjl * n A his contemporaries the the ' <ffiffi!!<- an<l JSeathendom. the jEPSlJjflt'tlJ* devil, the one waging wMVS#f«wlenting war against J WaBE*MSr* w * r » . to fl» lam«Mm« men, the heathen , WBffUm(a the 'Hely Gty and . JM»W* from the Army of s^™whack 'ihi hosts'of the the frontiera of Christian , SKw 2!* *. ttUnortal f«»* hy freeand reooTeruiip; the ' wew the> ob J«° ts 'i'tKP^? K;liard « lad| y risked the HNNiilor'*UQb he-had so hardly , Wilf^ , i'' <, . as * bw D « fi «t took Iff *W«t«. .Of the mbrkl earn'sSH: ( W ou,hi.* BHLSJt ,p?fi • J find „ l,tt,c *«t Chronicles. HBl,rT Wi,i «» ll ' looks flnffi!* . nd b y man y of re mMIiSSftTC?* * ichard wa » lK£ *# »"» that hj, was SSaMEnrlr 7i r e P* ,a « of Beauoutalde fi. ■ mm . King., that .ho HEI&; 1 V? 16 ala <> tha t BB*Vwith\i B J, 6at ?ep«tation toIreaMaAWtJ^L l ? o **^ o * well ra^Pmni.«Sj* lpl ' oTW England, «nd when he EwMT i s , i »n.Ponte- * nd IT U,W i of the, strong

statesmen, masters of intrigue; others fought for thei» rights with the straightforward simplicity £of a man at arms, -but they . all were each in his way. able administrators. More thin tnis, in an age of tyranny, the Angevins, who were admittedly tyrants, showed a real feeling for the welfare of those whom they held under their strong hand. The valley of the Loire is full, even to-day, of witnesses to their public munificence Besides the noble churches which most of the princes of their time gave to God And to their people, there are tangible evidences of a care for their subjects which at that time was found only in Anjou. At Angers and Le Ma'u' remains exist of two noble hospitals built by Henry, Richard's father, and further down the river may still be seen the Levee, a gigantic embankment by which Henry saved the valley of the Loire from inundation. !Of Richard it may be said that although his life was too short and too disturbed to allow of much constructive public work in Anjou, yd in England he showed something of the public spirit of his family, when he granted to the English towns charters which made possible the future development of their full civic life. It is true that in return for these charters he received the money which be needed for the expense of the Crusade, but it is harci to escape from the conclusion that "i jzrantiiJK these cities their rights he was following the policy of his ancestor, who in 1070 supported the "commune" of Le Maus in its struggle against the lawlessness of the loc.u baronage. . , With * the personal characteristics ot Richard as a' Knight,- and a Leaner of Chivalry, I propose to deal in a future article on the third Crusade. It niav 1* of interest., however, to attempt some slight sketch of him as lie ap peared to those who knew him in n.« youth and eirly middle age. personal AJ>P earanc ®: Of his personal appearance we may judge from the two sculptured efii at Rouen and Fontevraud, supplemented bv incidental notes which appear .111 the Chronicle of the time. He is described as tall, above the height, well shaped, and strong. His head was crowned with a profusion <■ hair ."of. a colour midway between reel and vellow." "No arm," we are toi'l, "was"better adapted than his for drawiiiir sword, nor more powerful to striKS with it." "He had." , says a.e Chronicle, "a form worthy to occupj a place of high, command." In ins dress he was ever splendid and princely. ■ When at Corfu 011 his way to Palestine he rod® out to meet Una: Comnenos ."in a garden of figs between the shpre' ahd the , Limasnl road", he was attired in "a tunic of rose-coloured samite and n mantle bcdight With small half-moons of solid silver set,in- rows, interspersed ,wifh shining orbs like, sups; on his head was a scarlet,cap; hfe "was girt with a* sword with a golden -hilt,'a' silkferi-belt, and a finely-chased scabbard edged with, silver: his'.spurs were golden: his saddle was red studded .with little golden and bright-coloUred'stars, and having on its hinder part ; two golden lion cubS rampant, .as if snarling at each other." He lyas fond of horses; the Chronicles are, full of references to ".Spanish horses of great beauty;" and throughout the campaign in Palestine "wfl'-can follow the. career, of; his, f iyqurite horse, Fauyel. His .naipe' Cosift de Lion accords well •both with '.his known firmness ,of character/ and. with' ' the 'stories of ' his gigantic strength'Wh'ich .occur' 'in. the chronicles • of the Crusade. • He is also called by Bertrand de Byn "Oc e No/' that is, "Yea and Nay." This title, in the opinion of the best historians, was not an indication *of an' impulsive or vacillating character, but bore witness to thi fact that a simple statement from him of his will or purpose, "Yea or Nay," was rfecognised as being 110 less positive fti) d' find tliaii 'if he had confirmed it.with an oath. \ • Three Outstanding Virtues. A Flemish chronicler describes his character thus: "Among the virtues in which ha excels, three especially distinguish him beyond compare: .Superhieht Valour, and daring;; unbounded iibiralitty' ind bountifulness; steadfast constancy in holding to his purpose and to his word." We may add to this a zfeal for public law and order. His ruthless of the rigour of the law to those who in his eye deserved punishment laid him the charge of cruelty; but there is no valid reason to suppose that'he wept beyond the bounds of a wholesomfl and necessary discipline. His energy seems to have.been unbound-, ed. Geoffrey of Breuil,' in a list of kings and princes who were ruling the world in his own day, includes Richard in these words: "Richard, Who has never ' been slack (tardus) in deeds of prowess, and whose youth was distinguished' by great strenuousness of life.''. Bertrand de Born says of Richard—"Hunted and wounded wild bore saw we never more furious than be is yet he never swerves from his course." Such in youth and early middle-age was this great .'Angeviu Prince; of the development of his character in the last few years of his life we shall learn more when considering the history. of the third Crusade. It remains only to notiife his. points in which his character has Been often misjudged. He.has Weir accused '-of' unfilial conduct towards his terribie.old father Henry 11. It is true that fori great part of his life he was fighting against . liis; father in the interminable disputes . which' surrounded his succession to the inheritance which, he claimed. through his mother Eleanor, It is perhaps impossible .to justify wholely either Richard or Henry for their part in these wars. But it is a matter of .record that Richard fought against his father with great reluctance, and that in all the strife he preserved some measure of respect, and even perhaps of affection for the terrible old man who- even three days before his .death in his lodging in the house of the Templars-at Columbieres, whither Richard had come to receive the kiss of' peace which was to end their enmity, was heard to mutter as Richard left him: "The Lord grant that I may not die till I have my revenge of thee." ? = Again Richard js often accused of a careless and foolish good nature in his dealings with his brother John. It is probably true that contempt mingled with' something of compassion frbfti the strong to the weak, perhaps too,''some affection, from the elder brother to the younger, made Richard loath to beat John as he deserved. But the' typical instance of his foolish leniency, the gifts of land and money which he bestowed on John before setting out for the Crusade, was prompted by no foolish good nature. Imprudent and dangerous as Richard must have known his action to be, it was to him inevitable. When he made the gift he wfts fresh from the deathbed of his father, full of repentance for the sins ,of his turbulent life, and of regret for the bitterness that there : had been between himself and the liead of his race. ,What more natural than that he should have carried out to the letter Henry's latest.design for the provision for John. He-gave John, - as he knew his father had planned to give hinj. the Norman County of Mortmain, and lands in England to the value of four thousand pounds a year,, no more and no less. > Relations vith Women. . Of Richard'a. relations with women, around which Maurice Hewlett weaves his romance of "Richard Yea and Nay," this much may . be said-: The incident of Aloysia, sister of the French King, may be taken •as accurately presented by Hewlett. Itipay be granted that among sins'.confessed .bj'Richard before his natl; entry -.011,1 tfa» vOrusade many • may

have related to women, hut there is in all the record no trace of a master passion such as Hewlett portrays—on the contrary as far back as 1183 it is certain that Richard bad set his mind on Berengaria of Nararre as his future wife, and for anything that appears to the contrary from the time of their romantic marriage at Oorfp till Richard's death he was her faithful husband. • .