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 THE PLOT. 271 the departure of the expedition, then to divert it towards Zara, and afterwards to keep it there during the winter. We have seen that lie entirely succeeded. From the ratification of the treaty with the Sultan of Egypt, in July, 1202, the in- tention was to divert the expedition from its intended attack upon Egypt, the weakest and at the same time the most im- portant point under Moslem sway. The evidence in support of an understanding between Venice and the sultan, by which Venice was to prevent an attack upon Egypt, is already weighty, and will probably be conclusive when a more careful examination has been made of the Venetian archives. Charles Ilopf, the greatest of Ger- man authorities on all that relates to the history of the East during the Middle Ages, and who had amassed large stores of materials for his historical works, appears to have had a copy of this treaty in his possession.^ The treaty is mentioned by one of the earliest historians of the crusade. Arnold of Ibelino, the probable author of the " Continuation of the History of William of Tyre," ^ gives an account which is full of detail and which there is no reason to regard as seriously inaccurate. He says that when the Sultan of Babylon, as the ruler of Egypt was then generally called, from the fortified town on the Nile which he usually occupied, heard that a great fleet had been chartered by the Christians to proceed to Egypt, he sent for the cadis and priests to take counsel with him how he should save his country from the Christians who were coming. He made various proposals for the defence of the country. Then he sent messengers to Venice with rich presents to the doge and the inhabitants. The messengers were charged to ask for the friendship of the ^ He gives an analysis of it in vol. Ixxxv. of the " Encyclop6clie d'Ersch et Gruber " (Leipzig, 18G7), p. 188. Unfortunately on his death Iiis collec- tion was cither dispersed or, at any rate, has not been made available to historical students. See a very valuable examination of the -whole sub- ject in the appendix to Comte Riant's " Innocent HI, Philippe de Souabc, et Boniface," Paris, 1875. -Known as "L'Estoire de Eraclcs Empereur," pp. 250-253. "Rec. des Croisades," ii.