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248 THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE. had assembled. The Yenetians had kept their part of the bargain. "What a misfortune," exclaims the marshal, "that so large a portion of the Crusaders had sought other ports ! Had they come to Venice the Turks would have been put down ; Christendom would have been exalted." The Yenetians, having done their part, now asked for pay- cnisadersnu- "^cnt of the passage money according to the terms able to pay. ^£ ^.j^g contract. This, however, could not be raised. Many pilgrims had come without money ; others were already sick of the enterprise, and, according to Yillehardouin, hoped that the money would not be found. Baldwin of Flanders, Earl Louis, and the Marquis and the Earl of St. Paul did their utmost, by borrowing, to raise the amount promised. But when all was done, when many a beautiful vessel of silver and of gold had been taken to the doge's palace, when two collections had been made, 34,000 marks out of the 85,000 stipulated for were still wanting. So far we are on safe ground. All contemporary accounts agree that the contract with the Yenetians was broken ; that a.large amount was wanting to complete the sum agreed upon to be paid as freight ; and that, even after every effort had been made to raise this sum, about 35,000 marks still remained due. From this time forward we are upon doubtful ground. Official and ^hc authorities upon whom we have to rely differ xZ'iiso} widely. The account given by Geoffrey of Yille- the crusade. J^^rdouin, Marshal of Champagne, may be taken as the t^^pe of what has been aptly called the official versions of the expedition, and of these it ranks undoubtedly the first. Besides these versions, the labors of a number of historians, from Du Cange in the seventeenth century down to Count Hiant, who has ransacked, and is ransacking, the libraries of Europe in search of evidence relating to the fourth crusade, have brought a large amount of evidence to light which may be conveniently classed as that of the unofficial versions. The official version of what passed in Yenice is that which has been generally received by modern historians until our own time. Yillehardouin states in few words that the doge, when it had become clear that the Crusaders could not pay the stipu-