in duplicity could not, even in misfortune, trust one another, and Alexis III., the craftier, if not the stronger of the two vagabond usurpers, seized his ally, put out his eyes, and handed him over to the Latins. They went through the formality of a trial, and found him guilty of the murder of Alexis IV. He was sentenced to death, and after a good deal of discussion it was decided that the manner of his death should be by being hurled from the top of a lofty column, and this was accordingly done.
As for Alexis III., after a great variety of adventures he finally fell into the hands of his son-in-law, Theodore Lascaris, who shut him up in a monastery, where his troubled life came to an end.
Baldwin began his reign by sending a conciliatory letter to the pope. He had not, it is true, attempted to carry out the vows which he and his brother croisés had taken upon themselves. Palestine still groaned under the yoke of the infidel. At the same time, the Pope could not but feel gratified at the extinction of the Greek schism and the restoration of the unity of Christendom. That event was undoubtedly due to him, and the pope acknowledged it in a careful letter, which left him free at any time to express his disapprobation of the course pursued by the Crusaders. To the king of France Baldwin wrote, inviting the French knights to find their way to this new scene of conquest and glory. To Palestine he sent promises of assistance, with, as tokens of his power, the gates of Constantinople, and the chain which barred the port.
