LX. CHA P. Innocent the third. Two thoufand marks were borrowed of the merchants for the first expences of the armament. Of the fix deputies, two repaffed the Alps to announce their fuccefs, while their four companions made a fruitless trial of the zeal and emulation of the republics of Genoa and Pifa. Affembly and depar ture of the crufade from Ve nice, A. 1). 1202, October 8. The execution of the treaty was ftill oppofed by unforefeen difficulties and delays. The marshal, on his return to Troyes, was embraced and approved by Thibaut count of Champagne, who had been unanimoufly chofen general of the confederates. But the health of that valiant youth already declined, and foon became hopeless; and he deplored the untimely fate, which condemned him to expire, not in a field of battle, but on a bed of fickness. To his brave and numerous vaffals, the dying prince distributed his treasures they fwore in his prefence to accomplish his vow and their own; but fome there were, fays the marfhal, who accepted his gifts and forfeited their word. The more refolute champions of the crofs held a parliament at Soiffons for the election of a new general; but fuch was the incapacity, or jealoufy, or reluctance, of the princes of France, that none could be found both able and willing to affume the conduct of the enterprife. They acquiefced in the choice of a stranger, of Boniface marquis of Montferrat, defcended of a race of heroes, and himself of confpicuous fame in the wars and negociations of the times (44); nor could the piety or ambition of the Italian chief decline this honourable invitation. After visiting the French court, where he was received as a friend and kinfman, the marquis, in the church of Soiffons, was invested with the cross of a pilgrim and the staff of a general; and repaffed the Alps, to prepare for the diftant expedition of the Eaft. About the feftival of the Pentecost, he difplayed his banner, and marched towards Venice at the head of the Italians: he was preceded or followed by the counts of Flanders or Blois, and the most respectable barons of France; and their numbers were fwelled by the pilgrims of Germany (45), whofe object and motives were fimilar (44) By a victory (A. D. 1191) over the citizens of Afti, by a crufade to Palestine, and by an embaffy from the pope to the German princes (Muratori, Annali d'Italia, tom. x. p. 163. 202.) (45) See the crufade of the Germans in the Hiftoria C. P. of Gunther (Canilii Antiq. Lect. tom. iv. p. v.-viii.), who celebrates the pilgrimage of his abbot Martin, one of the preaching rivals of Fulk of Neuilly. His monaftery, of the Ciftercian order, was fituate in the diocese of Bafil. LX. fimilar to their own. The Venetians had fulfilled, and C HAP even furpaffed, their engagements: ftables were conftructed for the horses, and barracks for the troops; the magazines were abundantly replenished with forage and provifions; and the fleet of transports, fhips, and gallies, was ready to hoift fail, as foon as the republic had received the price of the freight and armament. But that price far exceeded the wealth of the crufaders who were affembled at Venice. The Flemings, whofe obedience to their count was voluntary and precarious, had embarked in their veffels for the long navigation of the ocean and Mediterranean; and many of the French and Italians had preferred a cheaper and more convenient paffage from Marfeilles and Apulia to the Holy Land. Each pilgrim might complain, that after he had furnished his own contribution, he was made refponfible for the deficiency of his abfent brethren the gold and filver plate of the chiefs, which they freely delivered to the treafury of St. Mark, was a generous but inadequate facrifice; and after all their ef forts, thirty-four thousand marks were ftill wanting to complete the stipulated fum. The obftacle was removed by the policy and patriotifm of the doge, who proposed to the barons, that if they would join their arms in reducing fome revolted cities of Dalmatia, he would expofe his per-` fon in the holy war, and obtain from the republic a long indulgence, till fome wealthy conqueft fhould afford the means of fatisfying the debt. After much fcruple and hefitation they chofe rather to accept the offer than to relinquifh the enterprise; and the firft hoftilities of the fleet Siege of and army were directed against Zara (46), a ftrong city Nov. 10. of the Sclavonian coaft, which had renounced its allegiance to Venice, and implored the protection of the king of Hungary (47). The crufaders burst the chain or boom of the harbour; landed their horfes, troops, and military (46) Jadera, now Zara, was a Roman colony, which acknowledged Auguftus for its parent. It is now only two miles round, and contains five or fix thousand inhabitants; but the fortifications are strong, and it is joined to the main land by a bridge. See the travels of the two companions, Spon and Wheeler (Voyage De Dalmatie, de Grèce, &c. tom. i. p. 64-70. Journey into Greece, p. 8-14); the laft of whom, by miftaking Seftertia for Seftertii, values an arch with ftatues and columns at twelve pounds. If, in his time, there were no trees near Zara, the cherry-trees were not yet planted which produce our incomparable marafquin. (47) Katona (Hift. Critica Reg. Hungariæ, Stirpis Arpad. tom. iv. p. 536-558.) collects all the facts and teftimonies moft adverfe to the cons. querors of Zara, Zara, L.X. CHA P. military engines; and compelled the inhabitants, after a defence of five days, to furrender at difcretion; their lives. were fpared, but the revolt was punished by the pillage of their houses, and the demolition of their walls. The feafon was far advanced; the French and Venetians refolved to pafs the winter in a secure harbour and plentiful country; but their repofe was disturbed by national and tumultuous quarrels of the foldiers and mariners. The conqueft of Zara had fcattered the feeds of difcord and scandal: the arms of the allies had been stained in their onset, with the blood, not of infidels, but of Chriftians: the king of Hungary and his new fubjects were themfelves enlisted under the banner of the cross; and the fcruples of the devout, were magnified by the fear or laffitude of the reluctant, pilgrims. The pope had excommunicated the falfe crufaders who had pillaged and maffacred their brethren (48), and only the marquis Boniface and Simon of Montfort efcaped these fpiritual thunders; the one by his abfence from the fiege, the other by his final departure from the camp. Innocent might abfolve the fimple and fubmiffive penitents of France; but he was provoked by the stubborn reafon of the Venetians, who refused to confefs their guilt, to accept their pardon, or to allow, in their temporal concerns, the interpofition of a priest. Alliance of the crufaders with the Greek The affembly of fuch formidable powers by fea and land, had revived the hopes of young (49) Alexius; and both at Venice and Zara, he folicited the arms of the crusaders, prince, the for his own restoration and his father's (50) deliverance. The royal youth was recommended by Philip king of Germany his prayers and prefence excited the compaffion of the camp; and his caufe was embraced and pleaded by the marquis of Montferrat and the doge of Venice. A double alliance, young Alexius. (48) See the whole tranfaction, and the fentiments of the pope, in the Epiftles of Innocent III. Gefta, c. 86, 87, 88. (49) A modern reader is surprised to hear of the valet de Conftantinople, as applied to young Alexius, on account of his youth, like the infants of Spain, and the nobiliffimus puer of the Romans. The pages and valets of the knights were as noble as themfelves (Villehardouin and Ducange, N° 36.) (50) The emperor Ifaac is ftyled by Villehardouin, Surfac (No 35, &c.), which may be derived from the French Sire, or the Greek Kup (xupios) melted into his proper name; the farther corruptions of Turfac and Con ferac will inftruct us what licence may have been used in the old dynasties of Affyria and Egypt. LX. alliance, and the dignity of Caefar, had connected with the CHAP. Imperial family the two elder brothers of Boniface (51): he expected to derive a kingdom from the important fervice; and the more generous ambition of Dandolo was eager to fecure the ineftimable benefits of trade and dominion that might accrue to his country (52). Their influ ence procured a favourable audience for the ambaffadors of Alexius; and if the magnitude of his offers excited fome fufpicion, the motives and rewards which he displayed might juftify the delay and diverfion of thofe forces which had been confecrated to the deliverance of Jerufalem. He promised, in his own and his father's name, that as foon as they should be feated on the throne of Conftantinople, they would terminate the long fchifm of the Greeks, and fubmit themselves and their people to the lawful fupremacy of the Roman church. He engaged to recompence the labours and merits of the crufaders, by the immediate payment of two hundred thousand marks of filver; to accompany them in perfon to Egypt; or, if it should be judged more advantageous, to maintain, during a year, ten thoufand men, and, during his life, five hundred knights, for the service of the Holy Land. These tempting conditions were accepted by the republic of Venice; and the eloquence of the doge and marquis perfuaded the counts of Flanders, Blois, and St. Pol, with eight barons of France, to join in the glorious enterprise. A treaty of offenfive and defenfive alliance was confirmed by their oaths and feals; and each individual, according to his fituation and character, was fwayed by the hope of public or private advantage; by the honour of restoring an exiled monarch; or by the fincere and probable opinion, that their efforts in Palestine would be fruitless and unavailing, and that the acquifition of Conftantinople muft precede and prepare the recovery of Jerufalem. But they were the chiefs or equals of a valiant band of freemen and volunteers, (51) Reinier and Conrad; the former married Maria, daughter of the emperor Manuel Comnenus; the latter was the husband of Theodora Angela, filter of the emperors Ifaac and Alexius. Conrad abandoned the Greek court and princefs for the glory of defending Tyre against Faladin (Ducange, Fam. Byzant. p 187.203.). (52) Nicetas (in Alexio Comneno, l. iii. c. 9.) accufes the doge and Venetians as the first authors of the war against Conftantinople, and confiders only as a nuμa væρ xvμaт the arrival and fhameful offers of the royal exile. LX. CHA P. volunteers, who thought and acted for themfelves: the foldiers and clergy were divided; and if a large majority fubfcribed to the alliance, the numbers and arguments of the diffidents were ftrong and refpectable (53). The boldeft hearts were appalled by the report of the naval power and impregnable ftrength of Conftantinople; and their apprehenfions were difguised to the world, and perhaps to themfelves, by the more decent objections of religion and duty. They alledged the fanctity of a vow, which had drawn them from their families and homes to the rescue of the holy fepulchre; nor fhould the dark and crooked counfels of human policy divert them from a purfuit, the event of which was in the hands of the Almighty. Their first offence, the attack of Zara, had been feverely punished by the reproach of their confcience and the cenfures of the pope; nor would they again imbrue their hands in the blood of their fellow-chriftians. The apostle of Rome had pronounced; nor would they ufurp the right of avenging with the fword the fchifm of the Greeks and the doubtful ufurpation of the Byzantine monarch. On thefe principles or pretences, many pilgrims, the most diftinguished for their valour and piety, withdrew from the camp; and their retreat was lefs pernicious than the open or fecret oppofition of a difcontented party, that laboured, on every occafion, to feparate the army and disappoint the enterprise. Voyage April 7 June 24. Notwithstanding this defection, the departure of the from Zara fleet and army was vigoroufly preffed by the Venetians to Conftan- whofe zeal for the service of the royal youth concealed a sinople, A.D. 1203, juft refentment to his nation and family. They were mortified by the recent preference which had been given to Pifa the rival of their trade; they had a long arrear of debt and injury to liquidate with the Byzantine court; and Dandolo might not difcourage the popular tale, that he had been deprived of his eyes by the emperor Manuel, who perfidiously violated the fanctity of an ambaffador. A fimilar armament, for ages, had not rode the Adriatic : it was compofed of one hundred and twenty flat-bottomed veffels (53) Villehardouin and Gunther reprefent the fentiments of the two parties. The abbot Martin left the army at Zara, proceeded to Palestine, was fent ambaffador to Conftantinople, and became a reluctant witness of she fecond fiege, ་་་ |