The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (NSW : 1803 - 1842), Saturday 8 January 1831, page 3

CRUSADES

No
'By
tlie

JUSTIFIED.

is just vrhich is nojt defensive.

that principio the expedition for
the recovery of
war

Holy Land* must, like all otbor wars, ho triod.

It must
bo owned, al tho outset, that tho
Europoans
of that ago did not conform to
the technical

rulos of
did
not make a formnl
They
demand of reparation for
wrong, and of security
against danger.
They did nst inquire whether tho
possession of Palestino could directly
add to their
means
of dofenco. Nor did they
content tbomsolvos
with a moderato succour
to the Greek
empiio, ns
some
philosophers hnvo required.
modem
But, is
tho disregard of technical rulos
always attended by
violation of the:r principio 1
Tliero was
no doubt,
that embassy and negotiation
would bo vain. It was
lawful for timm to defend tho safo
oxorciso of their
roligious worship in Palestine;
and it was for them
to dstormino whore
they could best dofond
nny of
their rights which were
either violated or threatonod.
The avowed principle of all
Mahometans, that thoy
aro ontitled to nnivorgal
monarchy, n principio consecrated by their religion, and onforcod
hy their
law, might, in itself, be considered
aa a
porpotual
declaration of war agninst states of
different
faith.
a
Butin the eleventh contury this insolent
pretension
our

international laws.

was

mnintiiiuod

iiiDr

to

hy.nims, with a success

very nlnrm
Christondom. About that timo Europe, in

different

pnrts of her fiontior,

showed

'the

sinso

danger by beginning to rosjst the invaders.

expditions

of

The

'

ngrinst the northern and

Snrmatinn
manifestod
the Uko vacuo and confused fear
pagans
in nn
miwnrrantahlo
form.
Tho tottering state of
the Greek empire, and the
succes<ive invasion from
Tartars, which ronowed tho va'our
and barbarism of
tho southern Mahomotans,
combined to threaten tho
eastern fi on tier of Christondom.
The Mahometans
acted on one principle, mid
ns
ona
body.
The
Christians worp justified iu acting,
act

with the like union. According-

principles of

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and compolled to
to

the

most

rigjd

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article2198318

international law,

Mahometan
tho

territory

was

an

act

an
attack on
any
of self-dufenco': it

of securing themselves against

atThe European rulers could undertake no
such
perilous onterpriso without tho
hearty and enthusiastic concurrence
of thoir people.
Nothing but n
strong fueling could have hound togethor all
the
scattered power
of feudal force. It was
lawful
was

means

tack.

rouse

cite

their spirit against the

zeal
neoossary for tho

to

wrong-doors, and

ox

effectual

exercise of
just dofonce. Tho only moans
hy which thoso ends
could be reached,'were nn appeal te tho fellow-feel-

ing and

rolisioiis

subjects.
wero

made

sentimonts of the body of their

-of human
notion

Theso grand springs

to

act by an expoditio'i for tho safety

of
tho pilgrims of Jerusalem, who could
not be roally
safe without the
establishment of n Christian authority in Palostine.
No cold representation of distant and disputable dangora could
Have put such
in motion.
masses
But woro not the feelings of the
people perfectly justifiable 1 fs it truo that nations,
while they may
maintain at the point of tho sword
every rock and islet of thoir old psssossions, are
forbidden to defend tho undisturbed
oxercUe of religion, which
it be real,
if
(and
may
must) be thoir
dearest and most precious interest 1
The assault on

their

territory

cannot
more
wound- and degrade
thom than outrncro towards what they
mo3trovoronce.
They had acquired, by an usage older than Mahometan potter, a right peaceably to visit
Bethlehem
and Cu'vary, aud their rulers were
morally bound to
protect that right. 'As
every state may maintain its
honour because-it is essential to its snfoty,
so Europe
hud a right'to defend her common
honour,

consisted materially in resisting,

chastisement, attacks on her

common

Ltir-duer's

or

or

which
averting by

religion.-Dr.

Cabinet Cjclapccdia, Vol. VIII.