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.ARRIVAL AT ST.STEPHEN DELIBERATION AS TO PLAN OF ATTACKAll started from the port of Abydos together.Then might you have seen the Straits of St.George (as it were)in flower with ships and galleys sailing upwards, and the beauty thereof was a great marvel to behold.Thusthey sailed up the Straits of St.George till they came, on St.John the Baptist's Eve, in June (23rd June 1203)to St.Stephen, an abbey that lay three leagues from Constantinople.There had those on board the ships andgalleys and transports full sight of Constantinople; and they took port and anchored their vessels.Now you may know that those who had never before seen Constantinople looked upon it very earnestly, forthey never thought there could be in all the world so rich a city; and they marked the high walls and strongtowers that enclosed it round about, and the rich palaces, and mighty churches of which there were so manythat no one would have believed it who had not seen it with his eyes-and the height and the length of that citywhich above all others was sovereign.And be it known to you, that no man there was of such hardihood buthis flesh trembled: and it was no wonder, for never was so great an enterprise undertaken by any people sincethe creation of the world.ARRIVAL AT ST.STEPHEN DELIBERATION AS TO PLAN OF ATTACK 21Villehardouin: Memoirs or Chronicle of The Fourth Crusade and The Conquest of ConstantinopleThen landed the counts and barons and the Doge of Venice, and a parliament was held in the church of St.Stephen.There were many opinions set forth, this way and that.All the words then spoken shall not berecorded in this book; but in the end the Doge rose on his feet and said: "Signors, I know the state of this landbetter than you do, for I have been here erewhile.We have undertaken the greatest enterprise, and the mostperilous, that ever people have undertaken.Therefore it behoves us to go to work warily.Be it known to youthat if we go on dry ground, the land is great and large, and our people are poor and ill-provided.Thus theywill disperse to look for food; and the people of the land are in great multitude, and we cannot keep such goodwatch but that some of ours will be lost.Nor are we in case to lose any, for our people are but few indeed forthe work in hand."Now there are islands close by which you can see from here, and these are inhabited, and produce corn, andfood, and other things.Let us take port there, and gather the corn and provisions of the land.And when wehave collected our supplies, let us go before the city, and do as our Lord shall provide.For he that hassupplies, wages war with more certainty than he that has none."To this counsel the lords and barons agreed,and all went back to their ships and vessels.THE CRUSADERS LAND AT CHALCEDON AND SCUTARIThey rested thus that night.And in the morning, on the day of the feast of our Lord St.John the Baptist inJune (24th June 1203), the banners and pennants were flown on the castles of the ships, and the coveringstaken from the shields, and the bulwarks of the ships garnished.Every one looked to his antis, such as heshould use, for well each man knew that full soon he would have need of them.The sailors weighed the anchors, and spread the sails to the wind, and God gave them a good wind, such aswas convenient to them.Thus they passed before Constantinople, and so near to the walls and towers that weshot at many of their vessels.There were so many people on the walls and towers that it seemed as if therecould be no more people (in the world).Then did God our Lord set to naught the counsel of the day before, and keep us from sailing to the islands:that counsel fell to naught as if none had ever heard thereof.For lo, our ships made for the mainland asstraight as ever they could, and took port before a palace of the Emperor Alexius, at a place called Chalcedon.This was in face of Constantinople, on the other side of the straits,.towards Turkey.The palace was one of themost beautiful and delectable that ever eyes could see, with every delight therein that the heart of man coulddesire, and convenient for the house of a prince.The counts and barons landed and lodged themselves in the palace; and in the city round about, the main partpitched their tents.Then were the horses taken out of the transports, and the knights and sergeants got to landwith all their arms, so that none remained in the ships save the mariners only.The country was fair, and rich)and well supplied with all good things, and the sheaves of corn (which had been reaped) were in the fields, sothat all-and they stood in no small need-might take thereof [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]