270

TREATY WITH THE EMPEROR OF CYPRUS.

Isaac, had induced the English king to determine upon completing the subjugation of Cyprus, and he was preparing to execute this intention, when, by the intervention of some of the nobles of the land, and, it would appear, of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, negotiations were opened between Richard and the emperor, who expressed sorrow for the acts he had committed, and proposed a voluntary submission and atonement. A meeting was appointed between the two princes, in a plain not far from Limesol, and upon this occasion we have the most perfect description of the dress and personal appearance of the lion-hearted monarch

which has come down to our times.

Richard, clothed in his royal robes, proceeded to the conference, riding a magnificent horse of Spanish race, all glittering with trappings ornamented with jewels and gold. The beauty of the charger, we are told, no pen could describe nor limner paint he champed his golden bit, and seemed indignant at being restrained from putting forth the rapid powers which his limbs displayed. The tunic of the king was of rose-coloured satin, and his mantle was striped with straight lines of silver half-moons, and spotted with small shining orbs, compared by the historian to the solar system. On his feet were spurs of gold, and on his head a scarlet cap or hood, embroidered in gold with figures of birds and beasts, and by his side, in a belt of silk, hung his golden-hilted sword in a silver scabbard. In his hand he carried his leading-staff, as if about to command his army in battle, and thus accoutred, he rode slowly forth to meet the subtle descendant of the Comneni.

After long discussions, Isaac offered to hold his dominions as a vassal of the king; to give up to the custody of the English monarch all the strong places of his dominions, and to lead a body of troops to the Holy Land, to serve in its defence under Richard's command. Moreover, he offered to pay a large sum of money, as compensation for the goods of the crusaders who had been plundered by his subjects. On the other part, Richard promised, if Isaac and the force he was to bring into the field served him faithfully in the crusade, to restore to him his dominions and the fortresses which were ceded for the time. All these particulars having been agreed upon, the two monarchs embraced, and swore to

observe the terms of the treaty; and Richard, on his return to Limesol, sent back to the emperor the tents which had been taken by the crusaders some days before, together with all the plate which had been found therein.

In the middle of the night, however; either regretting the humiliating convention he had entered into, or alarmed for his personal safety, Isaac mounted a horse, and fled at full speed to Famagusta. He afterwards attempted to excuse the act, by declaring that a certain knight, named Pagan de Cayphas, had assured him that it was Richard's intention to cast him into prison; but Richard, seeing in his conduct not only a breach of the oath he had just taken, but an indication of further treachery, immediately prepared to pursue him, and to bring the whole island under his own dominion. Leaving the King of Jerusalem to lead the greater part of his land forces to the attack of Famagusta, Richard put to sea in his galleys; and dividing them into two parts, in order to place all the ports of the island in a state of blockade, he took the command of one division, and left the other to the guidance of Robert de Torneham. After having used every pre

66

* The whole of this account is taken from Vinesauf, who was present; but in one passage which seemed somewhat obscure, "se juraturum obtulit imperator fidelem fore regi per omnia," I have been guided by Hoveden and Bromton, who express the sense of the emperor's offer more clearly. Hoveden says, he became homo regis Angliæ;" and Bromton says, that Isaac swore fidelity to Richard and his heirs, "sicut ligio domino suo contra omnes homines." I must remark, however, that both Hoveden and Bromton state the terms of Isaac's submission very differently from Vinesauf, who seems to have written them down carelessly from recollection, and their account explains several things which the other leaves in obscurity. They say, that the sum to be paid by Isaac was twenty thousand marks of gold; that the emperor promised immediately to liberate the shipwrecked crusaders; to hold his empire of the English king for ever, and not to retire from his army till all the terms were fulfilled. Hoveden says further, that he agreed to give his only daughter as a hostage; and Bromton adds, that Richard was to be at liberty to give her in marriage, as his ward, to whomsoever he pleased. It would seem, also, from the account of these two authors, that the King of England, fearful of treachery, had taken especial pains to stipulate that Isaac should not retire from his court.

+ Hoveden asserts positively that, not contented with flying, Isaac sent to inform Richard that he would keep no peace with him for the future.

Hoveden. Bromton. These two authors explain Vinesauf, who merely says that the king committed his land army to Guy of Lusignan, and went himself by sea to Famagusta, giving strict orders that the ports should be watched, lest the emperor should escape him. No foundation for the assertion that Richard had only four galleys with him, is to be found in any contemporary historian that I have met with.

caution to prevent the monarch's escape, Richard himself entered the harbour of Famagusta nearly at the same time that Guy of Lusignan approached it by land, but the place was found deserted. Notwithstanding its great strength, which was proved by the long siege it afterwards sustained against the Turks, Isaac did not venture to wait in Famagusta the attack of the English king, but fled into the woods and fastnesses of the interior, taking his course towards Nicosia. Probably unable to obtain intelligence of Isaac's movements, and satisfied that the ports of Cyprus were well guarded by his galleys, Richard remained for three days at Famagusta, and was there visited by envoys from the King of France, who had already been some time before Acre. It is probable that the message of Philip was courteous, and that in moderate and gentle terms he pressed Richard to abandon his enterprise against the Emperor of Cyprus, and hasten to aid in the siege of Acre; but we are assured that the envoys, not finding the King of England prepared to accompany them at once, added a great number of insolent and contumelious expressions, which raised the monarch's wrath to a very high degree.

Richard, indignant, returned a haughty answer, and subsequently marched for Nicosia, where it was supposed Isaac had found refuge. In the neighbourhood of that city the emperor once more appeared in arms, and the King of England again charged him with the lance; but the Greek still contrived to escape, and betook himself to an almost inaccessible fortress, called Candaria. Nicosia fell at once, the inhabitants receiving Richard with apparent joy as their lord and master. The only act of sovereignty which he thought fit to exercise was one of no great severity, indeed, but which probably mortified the citizens of Nicosia not a little. He commanded them to shave off their beards,* in token of having passed under the rule of a new lord; but this indignity was not followed by any bad consequences, and we find that every day the nobles and people of Cyprus came in crowds to offer submission, and do homage to the conqueror.t The progress of the enemy, and the falling away of the vassals and subjects over whom he had tyrannised, enraged the emperor to the highest degree; and whenever an unfor

SUBMISSION OF ISAAC.

273

tunate crusader strayed from the army and was taken, he either put out his eyes, cut off his nose, or mutilated his hands or feet. A short fit of sickness detained Richard in Nicosia for some time, but in the mean while his forces captured three strong places, in one of which, called Chermias, the well-beloved daughter, and only child of the emperor, was taken, as well as the immense treasure which he had amassed. Hitherto Isaac had resisted all the persuasions which were addressed to him by his friends, to make some effort towards obtaining terms from Richard; and on one occasion, when such advice was offered him at dinner, he had struck with a knife the nobleman who spoke, ordering his nose to be cut off upon the spot. The capture of his daughter, however, and the loss of all his treasure, plunged him at once into despair; and after sending envoys to mitigate the anger of the king, who still lay ill at Nicosia, he came down in person from his mountain fortress, and with a dejected countenance and mourning garments, cast himself at the feet of the conqueror, only entreating that he might not be fettered with chains of iron. Pity, anger, and contempt, all seemed to mingle in Richard's feelings, and to affect his conduct. He raised the suppliant from the ground, he placed his daughter in his arms, but he kept him in perpetual captivity, and, with a biting sarcasm, ordered his chains to be of silver, in consideration of his elevated birth.*

The whole island submitted, the nobles did homage to the King of England, the towns, fortresses, and castles opened their gates to him, and the immense treasures, collected by Isaac from an oppressed people, fell into the conqueror's hands. The catalogue of riches is vast, displaying a number of curious items, such as saddles and bits of gold, with gems and precious stones, many of which, we are assured, possessed peculiar virtues. In fifteen days the complete dominion of Cyprus was obtained, and Richard returned to Limesol to prepare for his departure. The daughter of the fallen emperor he gave into the charge of Berengaria, "to

Rex vero

* "Et cum in manu et potestate regis omnia jam essent à rege solum petiit, ne in compedibus et manicis ferreis permitteret eum poni. petitionem ejus audiens ait, Quia nobilis est et nolumus eum mori, sed ut vivat innoxius, cathenis argenteis astringatur."-Bromton, col. 1200. Hoveden mentions the same facts, in other words, and William of Newbury confirms them.

274

RICHARD'S CONCESSION TO THE CYPRIOTS.

cherish and instruct;' ;"* but the disposal of his island conquest was a more difficult question than that of providing for the child of his fallen adversary. To preserve it was important in every point of view, especially during the siege of Acre; for as the Mahommedan forces were in possession of a great part of Palestine, the supply of provisions for the Christian army was at all times scanty and uncertain. The fertility and great resources of Cyprus, which, under Isaac, had never been available to the crusaders in Syria, were now at the disposal of Richard; and Vinesauf assures us that the king placed in authority in the island warlike and industrious governors, who afterwards continued to furnish him with abundant supplies. Hoveden informs us that these governors were Richard de Camville and Robert de Torneham, but there is some confusion in the statements of contemporaries in regard to these facts.t

In making all these arrangements, and preparing for sea, Richard passed a short time at Limesol, receiving every day fresh proofs of the admiration which his valour and conduct had excited in the Cypriots. He granted to them, at their urgent request, as a perpetual code, the laws and ordinances which had been in use in the island in the reign of the Emperor Manuel. The price they paid for this concession was somewhat high, if we may trust to the account of Hoveden and Bromton, extending to not less than one-half of their goods. It would seem, indeed, that this was a free gift, and not, as Mills has erroneously stated, the produce of a tax levied by the English monarch; nor can we suppose that the amount was very large, for the oppressive hand of Isaac had already wrung from them the greater part of their moveable wealth: their fertile land, which was not included in the gift, was their principal property, and it is therefore probable that but little more than half of one year's produce made up the amount of their offering to the English king.

During Richard's residence in the island, the body of

* I will not perpetuate an idle scandal respecting the emperor's daughter and Richard, which has been repeated, if not invented, by modern authors, who should have known and felt better. She was at this time a child. Vinesauf, who saw her, calls her "juvencula parvula;" words which are not to be mistaken.

+ Bernard the Treasurer, in his continuation of William of Tyre, declares that when the king had conquered Cyprus, he offered to give it to the Knights of the Temple, but they refused to receive it, undertaking, however, to guard it.