fight his troops. No wonder that he wrote to Godfrey at Constantinople to be on his guard, as he had to do " with the most ferocious wild beast and the most wicked man alive." But, in spite of his hatred, the fierce Norman found himself constrained to put off his resentment in the presence of Greek politeness; and the rich gifts with which Alexis loaded him, if they did not quiet his suspicions, at least allayed his wrath. Alexis got rid of his unwelcome visitors as speedily as he could. After going through the ceremony of adopting Godfrey as his son, and putting the empire under his protection, he received the homage of the princes, one after the other, with the exception alone of Tancred. And then he sent them all across the straits, to meet whatever fortune awaited them on the other side. The story of the First Crusade is an oft-told tale. But it is a tale which bears telling often. There is nothing in history which may be compared with this extraordinary rising of whole peoples. The numbers which came from Western Europe cannot, of course, be even approximately stated. Probably, counting the women, children, and camp-followers, their number would not be less than a •million. Of these, far more than a half, probably twothirds, came from the provinces of, France. The Germans were but slightly affected by the universal enthusiasm—the English not at all. Edgar Atheling brought a band of his countrymen to join -Bobert of Normandy ; but these were probably those who had compromised themselves in former attempts to raise Northumbria and other parts of England. The Italians came from the south, but not from the north ; and nearly the whole of Spain was occupied by the caliphat of Cordova. That all these . soldiers were fired with the same ardour, were led by the same disinterested hope, is not to be supposed ; but it is certain from every account, whether Christian or Arabic, that the main object of their enterprise was a motive power strong