THE SECOND FIRE. 327 chiefs at the Blacherii palace in the west. They were re- ceived, to the disgust of the Romans, says Nicetas, as saviours of the empire and as benefactors. The emperor melted down the statues, and even the sacred vessels of the chnrciies, in or- der to supply their insatiable greed. For a few days the growing hostility between the citizens and the invaders was restrained ; but on the 19th of August an incident occurred which gave the spark necessary to cause an explosion. Some of the Flemish soldiers, accompanied by Venetians and Pisans, crossed the harbor in order to pillage the Saracens. Under the system of capitulations, which has always prevailed in Constantinople, these Arab and other Mos- lem traders were allowed to have their own quarters and their ^ , own mosque even within the city. This bnildinir Attack upon i i t-»« a saraceu stood near the Fisan quarter, on the northern slope, and between the Church of the Divine Peace' and the sea. Probably the Crusaders regarded the existence of such a building as a cause of offence, just as a London mob in the seventeenth century so regarded the existence of a Ro- man Catholic chapel in their midst. We may fairly conject- ure, also, that the Pisans regarded it as a special object of de- testation, because it had been built in the neighborhood of their khans for the use of rival traders as well as miscreants. The Flemings and Crusaders looked upon the wealth of the Mos- lems as their lawful prey. The Saracens were found in their mosque and w^ere surprised. The Christian mob rushed in upon them, and at once, at the point of their swords, made them give up all the property that could be found. Their Roman neighbors came, however, to their assistance. A dis- graceful riot took place, in the course of which the robbers set fire to the city in several places. The fire commenced near the mosque, and was carried by a strong nortli wind^ across the peninsula to the Marmora. Then the wind changed, and a new district was devastated. The fire lasted two days and nights.' A large portion of the richest and most tliickly pop- ' Nicctas, p. 733. ^ Ibid. ' So says Villebardouin. Others say eight days, and the continuator
