And the city began to take fire,
and to burn very direfully; and it burned all that night and all the
next day, till vesper-time. And this was the third fire there had been
in Constantinople since the Franks arrived in the land; and more
houses had been burned in the city than there are houses in any three
of the greatest cities in the kingdom of France.
That night passed and the next day came, which was a Tuesday morning
(13th April 1204); and all armed themselves throughout the host, both
knights and sergeants, and each repaired to his post. Then they issued
from their quarters, and thought to find a sorer battle than the day
before, for no word had come to them that the emperor had fled during
the night. But they found none to oppose them.
THE CRUSADERS OCCUPY THE CITY
The Marquis Boniface of Montferrat rode all along the shore to the
palace of Bucoleon, and when he arrived there it surrendered, on
condition that the lives of all therein should be spared. At Bucoleon
were found the larger number of the great ladies who had fled to the
castle, for there were found the sister [Agnes, sister of Philip
Augustus, married successively to Alexius II., to Andronicus, and to
Theodore Branas] of the King of France, who had been empress, and the
sister [Margaret, sister of Emeric, King of Hungary, married to the
Emperor Isaac, and afterwards to the Marquis of Montferrat.
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