The Venetians, however, immediately took
an exception, which everyone who knew Constantinople would at once
recognize as unanswerable. On that side the current is always much too
strong to allow vessels to be anchored with any amount of steadiness
or even safety. There were some present who would have been very well
content that the current or a wind--no matter what--should have
dispersed the vessels, provided that they themselves could have left
the country and have gone on their way.
It was at length decided that the two following days, the 10th and
11th, should be devoted to repairing their damages, and that a second
assault should be delivered on the 12th. The previous day was a
Sunday, and Boniface and Dandolo made use of it to appease the
discontent in the rank and file of the army. The bishops and abbots
were set to work to preach against the Greeks. They urged that the war
was just; that the Greeks had been disobedient to Rome, and had
perversely been guilty of schism in refusing to recognize the
supremacy of the Pope, and that Innocent himself desired the union of
the two churches. They saw in the defeat the vengeance of God on
account of the sins of the crusaders.
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