n of such a treasure!"--"It is your own," replied a
Greek attendant, who watched the motions of his soul; and Bohemond,
after some hesitation, condescended to accept this magnificent
present. The Norman was flattered by the assurance of an independent
principality; and Alexius eluded, rather than denied, his daring
demand of the office of great domestic, or general of the East. The two
Roberts, the son of the conqueror of England, and the kinsmen of three
queens, [68] bowed in their turn before the Byzantine throne. A private
letter of Stephen of Chartres attests his admiration of the emperor, the
most excellent and liberal of men, who taught him to believe that he was
a favorite, and promised to educate and establish his youngest son.
In his southern province, the count of St. Giles and Thoulouse faintly
recognized the supremacy of the king of France, a prince of a foreign
nation and language. At the head of a hundred thousand men, he declared
that he was the soldier and servant of Christ alone, and that the Greek
might be satisfied with an equal treaty of alliance and friendship. His
obstinate resistance enhanced the value and the price of his submission;
and he shone, says the princess Anne, among the Barbarians, as the sun
amidst the stars of heaven. His disgust of the noise and insolence
of the French, his suspicions of the designs of Bohemond, the emperor
imparted to his faithful Raymond; and that aged statesman might clearly
discern, that however false in friendship, he was sincere in his enmity.
[69] The spirit of chivalry was last subdued in the person of Tancred;
and none could deem themselves dishonored by the imitation of that
gallant knight. He disdained the gold and flattery of the Greek monarch;
assaulted in his presence an insolent patrician; escaped to Asia in the
habit of a private soldier; and yielded with a sigh to the authority
of Bohemond, and the interest of the Christian cause. The best and
most ostensible reason was the impossibility of passing the sea and
accomplishing their vow, without the license and the vessels of
Alexius; but they cherished a secret hope, that as soon as they trod
the continent of Asia, their swords would obliterate their shame, and
dissolve the engagement, which on his side might not be very faithfully
performed. The ceremony of their homage was grateful to a people who
had long since considered pride as the substitute of power. High on his
throne, the emperor sat mute and