190 
RELICS. 
head, which had been for ages in the possession of the emperors 
of Constantinople, and was sold by Baldwin II. as the true wea¬ 
pon to St. Louis, and so dispatched to France. But to our 
further astonishment, though such a relic was actually sent, 
and seen at Paris, another author virtually denies the facts, by 
asserting the presence of the holy spear at Constantinople, after 
the period of its alleged journey to the west. Besides the 
testimony of graver writers on these mysterious subjects, Sir 
John Maundeville may not be a very improper authority to 
quote in the case of a legend; and in his right-wonderful 
account of his Asiatic Travels, between the years 1322 and 
1371, he speaks of the holy spear being in France in his time, 
in these words : — 
44 A partie of the crowne of oure lord, where-with he was 
crowned, and one of the nayles, and the spere-head, and many 
other relikes, be in France, in the kinges chapelle. For a king 
of France boughte theise relikes sometyme of the Jewes, to 
whom the Emperour Baldwin had leyde hem to wedde, for a 
grete summe of sylore.” But he adds, in another page,— 
44 And the spere schaft hathe the Emperor of Almayne; but 
the heed is at Parys. And natheless, the Emperor of Constan- 
tynople scythe that he hathe the spere-heed; and I have often- 
tyme seen it, but it is grettere than that at Parys.” 
With regard to the spear-head that is preserved at Eitcii- 
mai-adzen, I could gather little of the particulars of its descent 
from past times to the present; the persons who have it in 
charge being delicate of communicating on the subject with 
strangers ; but, as Armenia used to be included by the emperors 
of Constantinople, within the pale of their empire, it is not 
unlikely, that on the subversion of that state and capital by the 
