292 THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE. the scenes. One of the knights who accompanied Nivelon and John de Nojon refused to explain the matter as the majority wished ; in doing which, says Yillehardouin, he perjured him- self. The others excused themselves to the pope by saying that the Crusaders had done the best they could under the circumstances. They laid all the blame on those who had not come to Yenice, and had thus placed the army at the mercy of the republic. They declared that to help the Ve- netians against Zara was the only way of keeping the army together, and that in so doing they believed they had been acting in conformity with the pope's wish.^ Innocent ex- pressed to the deputies his deep grief at the conduct of the Crusaders. Probably there were many interviews and much long and He appeals to ^uxious Consideration on the part of the pope during the army. ^j^g ^^^^.g ^y^jicj^ followcd their arrival. They had left Zara, as we have seen, before the signature of the agreement for the restoration of Alexis (January 2), but they were prob- ably aware that such a convention was contemplated. The conditional form of the absolution shows that the pope had either heard from some other source of this pact, or believed it to be probable. After some time he addressed to the barons a second letter. This was especially intended to influence the great body of the army. The pope attempted indirectly to appeal to the rank and file against the leaders. The soldiers were not to be led away by any excuses. Innocent knew that they were not in the secret of the leaders. They at least had little to gain by the execution of Philip's projects, and cared nothing for political intrigues. Hence the pope's policy of making the absolution conditional npon their not again at- tacking a Christian country was likely to have, as we shall see that it had, a considerable measure of success. Pardon was to be granted provided they did not attack the Greeks. The pope, addressing the leaders, did not offer them the nsual salutations. He w^as perforce compelled to grant them abso- 1 "Epist." vi. 100: " Reminiscens de consilio vestro miilta dissimulauda fore loco ct tempore si Veneti ad dissolutionem stolii aspirarent."
