400 THE FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE. marks and lands in the west of the Balkan peninsula, which produced annually 10,000 golden aspers, and which he was to hold in fee from the republic and not from the emperor. In return Boniface sold to the Venetians his rights over Crete, his claim to 100,000 golden aspers due from the empire on account of Alexis the Fourth, his late pupil, and the rights over the fiefs with which Manuel had invested Beynier in Sa- lonica. As the Venetians, in virtue of the agreement for the division of the empire, were under no obligation to do hom- age for the territory which they received in Bomania, Boni- face, by this agreement, withdrew himself from vassalage to Baldwin. The trick was worthy of Boniface, and it entirely succeeded in detaching Dandolo from the side of Baldwin.^ Meantime Baldwin had marched on Salonica. The inter- vening towns and fortresses had surrendered to him, and Salonica itself — then, as Villehardouin says, one of the best and richest cities of Christendom — surrendered on condition of retaining the privileges the city had enjoyed under the Greek emperors. Dandolo in Constantinople was still master of the situation, and appears to have had powers which made him something like a dictator. After taking counsel with the chief barons, he sent Villehardouin, who is careful to inform us on several occasions that he had great influence with Boniface, to Adria- nople. When he approached that city, Boniface, with the chiefs of his army, met him. In the interview the marshal re- proached the marquis with having attacked the territory of the emperor, and especially with having laid siege to Adria- nople without having submitted his grievances to Dandolo. Boniface laid all the blame on the emperor, but at length agreed to a truce. Boniface was to retire from Adrianople to Didymotica and place his case in the hands of Dandolo, Count Louis of Blois, Conon de Bethune, and the marshal. Boniface Proposals for withdrcw to Didymotica, where liis wife had re- arbitraiiou. niaincd, and the marshal returned to Constantinople. The next object was to obtain the consent of the emperor to 1 "Rcfutatio Cretce," Aug. 13; Taf. et Thorn, c. xxiii. p. 512 ; Phrant- zer, p. 106.
