h, Duke of Suabia,
fell in that decisive encounter. Godfrey's sword, swayed by his young
and powerful wrist, is said to have shorn off the right arm of Rudolph
at a single stroke. For this valiant deed, Henry IV. created Godfrey
Duke of his province of Bouillon; or, according to some historians,
Lower Lorraine. At the subsequent siege of Rome, Godfrey made himself
again prominent by scaling the city walls among the first. This action
colored his whole life. All his contemporaries portray his nature as
displaying the loftiest integrity and deepest piety. Sound and clear
as his intellect was, he yet shared in the superstition of his times,
and was led by reflection to believe that, in bearing arms against
God's vicegerent, and attacking a city where so many apostles and
martyrs lay buried, he had been guilty of a heinous sin. Remorse
worked on his mind so heavily that he took a vow to join in the
Crusade, from a conviction that his glaring crime could only be
blotted out by a heroism equally conspicuous. His noble birth, and yet
nobler character, won for him so high a place in the estimation of his
fellows, that, on announcing his intention of undertaking the Crusade,
hundreds flocked to his standard. A worthy general, truly, of soldiers
thus ardent in a cause which they deemed divine! To the qualities of
bodily strength and beauty, which in those days were chiefly valued in
the head of an army, Godfrey happily united the more durable strength
of intellect and beauty of soul. His knightly heart and statesman's
mind never ran counter, and whatever generous policy the one dictated,
was carried into effect by the wisdom of the other. Although averse to
distinction, it was thrust upon him by the votes of his fellow-chiefs,
and their decision was gladly hailed by the common soldiers, who loved
Godfrey as a father. He would not, therefore, refuse the post of
general, but applied himself to its duties with activity. He first set
an example of unselfish zeal to his brother nobles, by disposing of
his duchy for the purpose of his expedition,--an example faithfully
followed by the leading nobility of France and the Rhine. He then
summoned his army to join him in August, 1096, on the banks of the
rivers Meuse and Moselle. At the appointed time, a force of 80,000
foot and 10,000 horse assembled under his banner, and set out on its
march through Germany,--the two other divisions of the Christian army
taking a different route. On reachi