Geoffry of Villehardouin, who makes this book, that more than forty
people told him for sooth that they saw the standard of St. Mark of
Venice at the top of one of the towers, and that no man knew who bore
it thither.

Now hear of a strange miracle: those who are within the city fly and
abandon the walls, and the Venetians enter in, each as fast and as
best he can, and seize twenty-five of the towers, and man them with
their people. And the Doge takes a boat, and sends messengers to the
barons of the host to tell them that lie has taken twenty-five towers,
and that they may know for sooth that such towers cannot be retaken.
The barons are so overjoyed that they cannot believe their ears; and
the Venetians begin to send to the host in boats the horses and
palfreys they have taken.

When the Emperor Alexius saw that our people had thus entered into the
city, he sent his people against them in such numbers that our people
saw they would be unable to endure the onset. So they set fire to the
buildings between them and the Greeks; and the wind blew from our
side, and the fire began to wax so great that the Greeks could not see
our people who retired to the towers they had seized and conquered.

THE EMPEROR ALEXIUS COMES OUT FOR BATTLE, BUT RETIRES WITHOUT ATTACKING

Then the Emperor Alexius issued from the city, with all his forces, by
other gates which were at least a league from the camp; and so many
began to issue forth that it seemed as if the whole world were there
assembled. The emperor marshalled his troops in the plain, and they
rode towards the camp; and when our Frenchmen saw them coming, they
ran to arms from all sides. On that day Henry, the brother of Count