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.

And then, the empire being fairly parcelled out, the Marquis of
Montferrat took his knights and men-at-arms to establish his own
kingdom of Thessalonica. Other chiefs, who had obtained each his own
part of the Byzantine territories, went off to conquer them for
themselves; and the Greeks began to perceive that they were ruled by a
mere handful of Latin adventurers, only to be dreaded when they were
together, and now scattered in small garrisons and feeble bands all
about the country. When this knowledge was thoroughly acquired,
troubles began to befall the new empire.

These troubles were originated, however, not by the Greeks, but by the
Bulgarians, and were due to the arrogance and pride of Baldwin. John,
King of this savage people, was of the Latin Church. Being as orthodox
as he was barbarous, he rejoiced mightily at the fall of the Greeks,
and sent an embassy of congratulation to the new Latin Emperor. Weak
as he was upon his unstable throne, Baldwin actually had the folly and
impudence to assault these ambassadors, to treat them as rebels, and
to send a message to their master that, before his servants could be
received at the Byzantine court, he must first deserve pardon by
touching with his forehead the footstool of the imperial throne. It
was not likely that a high-spirited and independent sovereign would
brook such a message.

He instantly threw the whole weight of his influence and strength into
the cause of the Greeks, and with their leaders concerted a scheme of
general and simultaneous massacre worthy of his barbarism and their
treachery. The secret was well kept; the conspirators were in no hurry
to strike the blow. They waited patiently till a time when it seemed
as if the force of the Latins was at the lowest; that is, when Prince
Henry, brother of the Emperor, had crossed the Hellespont with the
flower of the troops. The empire in Europe was covered with thin and
sparse garrisons; there were no forces in Constantinople to come to
their succor should they try to hold out; they might be taken in
detail and at once. And then those Byzantine Vespers began. It was a
revolt of thousands against tens; there was a great slaughter, a rush
of the little bands who escaped upon Adrianople, where there was a
fresh slaughter; and while the Greeks were