MUNRO— THE POPES AND THE CRUSADES. 355 



conditions spread to the West, to the great detriment of the Church. 

 The merchants carried back not merely Oriental wares, but also 

 Oriental heresies, which spread rapidly in the West along the com- 

 mercial highways. Soon crusades had to be preached against the 

 heresies which were mainly due to the crusades. All of these 

 factors detracted from the power of the Popes. 



It was easier for the heresies to spread because of a growing dis- 

 trust of the Church, due to many causes, e. g., all teaching in France, 

 Germany and England had been done by the clerics and the 

 crusaders found that many things which they had been taught were 

 untrue. One chronicler of the First Crusade naively expressed his 

 surprise at the bravery of the Turks who he had been taught to 

 believe were cowards. Possibly this idea was due to Urban's speech 

 at Clermont, for William of Malmesbury reports that the Pope 

 said : the Turks are 



" feeble men, who, not having courage to engage in close encounter, love 

 a flying mode of warfare. For the Turk never ventures upon close fight; 

 but, when driven from his station, bends his bow at a distance and trusts 

 the wind with his meditated wound ; and as he has poisoned arrows, venom, 

 and not valor, inflicts death on the man he strikes. Whatever he effects, 

 then, I attribute to fortune, not to courage, because he wars by flight, and 

 by poison. It is apparent, too, that every race, born in that region, being 

 scorched with the intense heat of the sun, abounds more in reflection, than 

 in blood ; and, therefore, they avoid coming to close quarters, because they 

 are aware how little blood they possess." 



Many another crusader learned that the information which he had 

 received had been misinformation, and began to doubt. The polit- 

 ical crusades brought discredit upon the Church and the Popes who 

 ordered them. Many men realized that the Popes were using their 

 power for worldly ends. In the thirteenth century it was ever more 

 difficult to induce men to take the Cross. In 1233 the Pope offered 

 an indulgence of 20 days to all who would listen to a sermon on the 

 crusades; in 1249 the indulgence was increased to 40 days, and in 

 1265 to 100 days, in the hope that some might be led to take the 

 Cross. 



Many of the preachers were charged with misappropriation of 

 the funds which they raised for the crusades. Walter von der 

 Vogelweide voices this feeling in his verses : 



