volume one

HISTOEY OF THE CEUSADES. 91
all they wanted by violence and Tictory. At tlie signal of
their leader, they dispersed themselves over the surrounding
country, pillaged the villages and the palaces near the
capital, and, by force, brought abundance to their camp. This
disorder lasted several davs ; but the festival of Christmas
vras approaching, and the epoch of the birth of Christ
revived generous sentiments in the breasts of the Christian
soldiers and the pious Godfrey. Advantage was taken of
these feelings to bring about peace. The emperor granted
provisions, and the Crusaders sheathed their swords.
But it was impossible for harmony to subsist long between
the Grreeks and the Latins. The Latins haughtily boasted
of having come to the rescue of the empire. On all occasions
they spoke and acted as masters. The Greeks despised
the barbarous courage of the Latins, and placing all their
glory in the refinement of their manners, believed that they
disgraced the language of Greece when pronouncing the
names of the warriors of the "West. The rupture which
had for a long time subsisted between the churches of Eome
and Constantinople, increased the antipathy which the
difference of manners and customs had given birth to. On
both sides anathemas were launched, and the theologians of
Greece and Italy detested each other more than they detested
the Saracens. The Greeks, who employed themselves in
nothing but vain subtleties, had never been willing to place
in the list of martyrs those who had died fighting against
the infidels. They abhorred the martial character of the
Latin clergy, boasted that they possessed in their capital all
the relics of the East, and could not understand what they
could be going to seek at Jerusalem. On their side, the
Franks could not pardon the subjects of Alexis for not partaking
in their enthusiasm for the crusade, and reproached
them with a culpable indifierence for the cause of God. All
these motives of discord and hatred provoked frequent scenes
of violence, in which the Greeks displayed more perfidy than
courage, and the Latins more valour than moderation.
Throughout all these divisions Alexis constantly sought to
obtain from Godfrey the oath of obedience and fidelity;
sometimes he employed protestations of friendship, sometimes
he threatened to exercise powers that he did not
possess. Godfrey braved his menaces, and placed no faith iu
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