They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.
Richard the Lionheart didn’t seem so stout as his name when he wrote this lament after he found himself imprisoned by Duke Leopold of Austria, during his would-be-clandestine return from the Third Crusade, and none of his friends would ransom him.
Richard finally was ransomed after about 14 months for 100,000 marks – roughly twice the gross domestic product of England at the time. For his part, Leopold was excommunicated by Pope Celestine III for molesting a Crusader (and you can take that as you will).
Poor Richard – in like a lion, out like a lamb.
