MUNRO— THE POPES AND THE CRUSADES. 349 



Without quoting farther from Fuller we may note that many 

 scholars have agreed with him that the main purpose of the Popes' 

 action was the desire to bring the Greek Church under the Roman 

 curia. The most notable exponent of this idea in recent years is 

 M. Kohler, the editor of the Revue de VOrient latin and of the 

 Armenian Documents in the Rectieil des Historiens des Croisades, 

 and one of the best informed scholars in this subject. 



Others have thought that Urban was moved by the appeal for aid 

 from the Emperor at Constantinople, and with the bread view of a 

 statesman realized the necessity of protecting Europe most effectively 

 by carrying the war into the enemy's country. It is possible that he 

 foresaw the gain in authority that would accrue to the papacy from 

 the leadership in a universal movement which would arouse religious 

 enthusiasm and be conducted under the guidance of the Church. 

 It is also possible that he was influenced mainly by the spirit of the 

 age, with its kindred virtues of asceticism and valor. As most of 

 his letters concerning the crusade have been destroyed, there is not 

 enough material to make it possible to dissect and weigh his motives. 

 It is easier to understand and explain why the succeeding Popes 

 should have continued to interest themselves in a movement which 

 they believed to be God's work and which was apparently bringing 

 such important results to the Church. 



In the first place the preaching of the crusades aroused great 

 religious enthusiasm and led many sinners to reform, at least tem- 

 porarily. Peter the Hermit preached right living as well as the 

 Crusade ; and, in particular we are told by one of those who had 

 seen him that " he led the prostitutes back to their husbands and 

 added to their dowries from his own resources." Some of the 

 preachers had many qualities of the modern evangelist: a biting wit, 

 a ready tongue, a keen sense of humor, a magnetic personality ; some 

 were accused of evil-living and greed. Fulk of Neuilly, who 

 claimed that he had given out 200,000 crosses with his own hands, 

 raised money to build a house for magdalens and for a church, as 

 well as for the cause of the crusades. He bandied jests equally 

 readily with Richard the Lion-Hearted and with the mob. When 

 the crowd pressed too closely upon him he would lay about him 

 vigorously with his staff and those who were hit felt honored by 



