Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/301

THE TLOT. 283 its two chiefs, one in temporal and the other in spiritual things, were absent. Eonifacc appears to liavc won over the cardinal entirely to liis views. In spite of the 'way in which Teter Innocent i i i -rr uigedtoac- Capnano Iiad been treated by tiie Venetians, he ap- cept them, ^ , . . . ^ i i i • i pears on this visit to Innocent to have made light of the expedition to Zara ; to have spoken of it as a merely temporary incident, the pnnishment of a half-heretical people hf" the occupation of their citj^, and as a punishment which would not entail the shedding of Christian blood. What is perhaps more remarkable is that in this visit to the pope the cardinal rather than Boniface seems to have been the chief advocate in favor of the proposal to help Alexis.^ It is easy to see what would be the arguments used. The Crusaders w^ere short of money : had spent what they had, had been un- able to borrow more, and had been compelled to agree to the Zara arrangement in order to get rid of their obligations to the Venetians. Boniface would be careful to point out that the arrangement with Venice expired in June, and to urge that an expedition to Constantinople, w^ith the object merely of restoring young Alexis, would be the only means of sup- plying money for the expedition ; the only means of buying over the aid of the Venetians, without whom it could never reach either Egypt or Syria, and, in short, the only means of preventing the crusade from absolute failure. Innocent remained firm ; refused to give any approval to the Zaran expedition, disavowed the lecjate's ap- aud refuses. . ' ' . . *" . probation, and sent to the army an injunction to restrain them from accomplishing their unrighteous purpose. In reference, however, to the project for giving aid to young Alexis the arguments of Cardinal Peter and of Boniface made more impression. The pope, indeed, formally refused to sanc- tion the proposal. lie did more. Knowing that the cardinal agreed with Boniface, he forbade him to return to the army. But, notwithstanding this attitude of opposition, he appears to have thought it desirable at this time to keep the question in suspense. An embassy had been sent to Venice by the Em- Unno.in."Epist." viii.