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.Ah! the loss anddar.,iage! for the city was one of the best in Roumania, and of the best situated.JOHANNIZZA CONTINUES HIS CONQUESTS AND RAVAGESNear there was another citv called Panedor, which surrendered to him; and he caused it to be utterlydestroyed, and the people to be led captive to Wallachia like the people of Rodosto.Afterwards he rode to thecity of Heraclea, that lay by a good seaport, and belonged to the Venetians, who had left in it but a weakgarrison; so he assaulted it, and took it by force.There aain was a mighty slaughter, and the remnant thatescaped the slaughter he caused to be led captive to Wallachia, while the city itself he destroyed, as lie haddestroyed the others.Thence he marched to the city of Daonium, which was very strong and fine; and thepeople did not dare to defend it.So he caused it to be destroyed and rased to the ground.Then he marched tothe city of Tzurulum, which had already surrendered to him, and caused it to be destroyed and rased to theground, and the people to be led away captive.And thus he dealt with every castle and city that surrendered;even though he had promised them safety, he caused the buildings to be destroyed, and the men and women tobe led away captive; and no covenant that he made did he ever keep.Then the Comans and Wallachians scoured the land up to the gates of Constantinople, where Henry theRegent then was, with as many men as he could command; and very dolorous was he and very wroth, becauseDESTRUCTION OF RODOSTO 65Villehardouin: Memoirs or Chronicle of The Fourth Crusade and The Conquest of Constantinoplehe could not get men enough to defend his land.So the Comans seized the cattle off the land, and took captivemen, women, and children, and destroyed the cities and castles, and caused such ruin and desolation thatnever has man heard tell of greater.So they came to a city called Athyra, which was twelve leagues from Constantinople, and had been given toPayen of Orléans by Henry, the emperor's brother.This city held a very great number of people, for thedwellers in the country round about had fled thither; and the Comans assaulted it, and took it by force.Therethe slaughter was so great, that there had been none such in any city where they had been.And you mustknow that all the castles and all the cities that surrendered to Johannizza under promise of safety weredestroyed and rased to the ground, and the people led away captive to Wallachia in such manner as you haveheard.And you must know that within five days' journey from Constantinople there remained nothing to destroysave only the city of Bizye, and the city of Selymbria, which were garrisoned by the French.And in Bizyeabode Anseau of Cayeux, with six score knights, and in Salymbria abode Macaire of Sainte-Menehould withfifty knights; and Henry the brother of the Emperor Baldwin remained in Constantinople with the remainderof the host.And you may know that their fortunes were at the lowest, seeing that outside of Constantinoplethey had kepl& possession of no more than these two cities.THE GREEKS ARE RECONCILED TO THE CRUSADERS JOHANNIZZADESIEGES DEMOTICAWhen the Greeks who were in the host with Johannizza the same who had yielded themselves up to him, andrebelled against the Franks when they saw how he destroyed their castles and cities, and kept no covenantwith them, they held themselves to be but dead men, and betrayed.They spoke one to another, and said that asJohannizza had dealt with other cities, so would he deal with Adrianople and Demotica, when he returnedthither, and that if these two cities were destroyed, then was Roumania for ever lost.So they took messengers privily, and sent them to Vernas in Constantinople.And they besought Vernas to cryfor pity to Henry, the brother of the Emperor Baldwin, and to the Venetians, so that they might make peacewith them; and they themselves, in turn, would restore Adrianople and Demotica to the Franks; and theGreeks would all turn to Henry; and the Greeks and Franks dwell together in good accord.So a council was held, and many words were spoken this way and that, but in the end it was settled thatAdrianople and Demotica, with all their appurtenances, should be bestowed on Vernas and the empress hiswife, who was sister to the King Philip of France, and that they should do service therefor to the emperor andto the empire.Such was the convention made and concluded, and so was peace established between theGreeks and the Franks [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]