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.THE EMPEROR ISAAC RATIFIES THE COVENANTS ENTERED INTO BYHIS SONThe envoys came before the Emperor Isaac, and the emperor and all those about him did them great honour.And the envoys said that they desired to speak to him privily, ,on the part of his son, and of the barons of thehost.And he rose and entered into a chamber, and took with him only the empress, and his chancellor, and hisdragoman (interpreter) and the four envoys.By consent of the other envoys, Geoffry of Villehardouin, theMarshal of Champagne, acted as spokesman, and he said to the Emperor Isaac: " Sire, thou seest the servicewe have rendered to thy son, and how we have kept our covenants with him.But he cannot come hither till hehas given us surety for the covenants he has made with us.And he asks of thee, as thy son, to confirm thosecovenants in the same form, and the same manner, that he has done." " What covenants are they? " said theemperor." They are such as we shall tell you," replied the envoys: " In the first place to put the whole empireof Roumania in obedience to Rome, from which it has been separated this long while; further to give 200,000marks of silver to those of the host, with food for one year for small and great; to send 10,000 men, horse andfoot many on foot as we shall devise and as many mounted-in his own ships, and at his own charges, to theland of Babylon, and keep them there for a year; and during his lifetime to keep, at his own charges, fivehundred knights in the land overseass so that they may guard that land.Such is the covenant that your sonmade with us, and it was confirmed by oath, and charters with seals appended, and by King Philip of Germanywho has your daughter to wife.This covenant we desire you to confirm."Certes said the emperor, " this covenant is very onerous, and I do not see how effect can be given to it;nevertheless, you have done us such service, both to my son and to myself, that if we bestowed upon you thewhole empire, you would have deserved it well." Many words were then spoken in this sense and that, but, inthe end, the father confirmed the 'covenants, as his son had confirmed them, by oath and by charters with goldseals appended.These charters were delivered to the envoys.Then they took their leave of the Emperor Isaac,and went back to the host, and told the barons that they had fulfilled their mission.ENTRY OF THE CRUSADERS INTO CONSTANTINOPLE CORONATIONOF THE YOUNG ALEXIUSThen did the barons mount their horses, and led the young man, with great rejoicings, into the city, to hisfather; and the Greeks opened the gate to him, and received him with very much rejoicing and great feasting.The joy of the father and of the son was very great, because of a long time they had not seen one another, andbecause, by God's help and that of the pilgrims, they had passed from so great poverty and ruin to such highestate.Therefore the joy was great inside Constantinople; and also without, among the host of the pilgrims,because of the honour and victory that God had given them.And on the morrow the emperor and his son also besought the counts and the barons, for God's sake, to go andquarter themselves on the other side of the straits, toward Estanor and Galata; for, if they quartered themselvesin the city, it was to be feared that quarrels would ensue between them and the Greeks, and it might wellchance that the city would be destroyed.And the counts and barons said that they had already served him inso many ways that they would not now refuse any request of his.So they went and quartered themselves onthe other side, and sojoumed there in peace and quiet, and with great store of good provisions.Now you must know that many of those in the host went to see Constantinople, and the rich palaces and greatchurches, of which there were many, and all the great wealth of the city-for never was there city thatpossessed so much.Of relics it does not behove me to speak, for at that day there were as many there as in allTHE EMPEROR ISAAC RATIFIES THE COVENANTS ENTERED INTO BY HIS SON 30 Villehardouin: Memoirs or Chronicle of The Fourth Crusade and The Conquest of Constantinoplethe rest of the world.Thus did the Greeks and French live in good fellowship in all things, both as regardstrafficking and other matters.By common consent of Franks and Greeks it was settled that the new emperor should be crowned on the feastof our Lord St.Peter (1st August 1203).So was it settled, and so it was done.He was crowned full worthilyand with honour according to the use for Greek emperors at that time.Afterwards he began to pay the moneysdue to the host; and such moneys were divided among the host, and each repaid what had been advanced inVenice for his passage
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