demanded an extortionate price; but as Venice was the only power possessing the necessary ships, a contract was made with her for the service in 1201.  Immediately the Venetians, by a secret treaty with Egypt, for the sake of commercial privileges, betrayed the crusaders to the Moslems.  Embarkation from Venice in the summer of 1202 was made very difficult, and many intending crusaders went home in disgust.  Still Venice insisted upon the full price; but money to pay it was wanting; and in spite of the Pope and many of the bitter spirits, a bargain was struck—­the crusaders agreed to help the Venetians in taking and plundering Zara, a rival Christian city on the eastern coast of the Adriatic.  Zara was accordingly captured—­ultimately to be destroyed by the Venetians, who next drew some of the crusaders into a plot to overthrow the Byzantine emperor Alexius IV, and place his son on the throne.  By this means the Venetians thought to make good their promise to frustrate the crusade, and at the same time to obtain great commercial advantages at Constantinople.  Thus was the pilgrim host “changed from a crusading army into a filibustering expedition.”

Having wintered at Zara, the crusaders were landed, in June, 1203, under the walls of Constantinople.  The Emperor was deposed by his own people, and his son, Alexius V, crowned during a revolution in the city, which followed an unsuccessful attack by the crusaders in July.  The second and successful assault, in April, 1204, with its sequel of pillage and debauchery, forms the subject of Pears’ brilliant narrative.  The city, during these troubles, suffered from two fires, of which the second, in July, 1203, deserves to be reckoned among the great historic conflagrations of the world.

The preparations which the leaders had been pushing on during several weeks were completed in April, 1204, and that day was chosen for an assault upon Constantinople.  Instead of attacking simultaneously a portion of the harbor walls and a portion of the landward walls, Venetians and crusaders alike directed their efforts against the defences on the side of the harbor.  The horses were embarked once more in the huissiers.[39] The line of battle was drawn up; the huissiers and galleys in front, the transports a little behind and alternating between the huissiers and the galleys.  The whole length of the line of battle was upward of half a league, and stretched from the Blachern to beyond the Petrion.[40] The Emperor’s vermilion tent had been pitched on the hill just beyond the district of the Petrion, where he could see the ships when they came immediately under the walls.  Before him was the district which had been devastated by the fire.