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 THE PLOT. 201 of tho Yenetians, in return for their support of Pliilip's designs in fjivor of 3'oung Alexis. It is probable that the proposals for a truce among the AVestern princes made by Innocent at this time were due to his desire to place difficulties in the way of the execution of these designs. If Otho could gain time by means of such a truce, he could form a league which might be sufficiently strong to occupy all the energy of Philip. Ac- cordingly, when Bishop I^ivelon and John de ]^oyon arrived in Eome, in the early part of February, the pope was ready to hear their news. Before their arrival he had sent to Peter Capuano, who was in the neighborhood of Zara, a solemn bull of excommunication against the Yenetians, together with a letter which he was directed to forward to the army. " Satan," said he, " has pushed you to flesh your swords upon a Christian people. You have offered to the devil the first- fruits of your pilgrimage. You have not directed your ex- pedition against Jerusalem or against Egypt. Loyalty to the Cross 3"ou bear, respect for the King of Hungary and his brother, and to the authority of the apostolic see, which gave you on this subject precise orders, ought to have prevented you from doing such wickedness. We exhort you to put a stop to the destruction, and to restore all the plunder to the envoys of the King of Hungary. Unless this be done you will be liable to the excommunication which you have in- curred, and you will be deprived of all the benefits of the crusade which have been promised you." The letter further required that the Crusaders should give written declarations under seal that they would not again attack Christian nations. The pardon granted to them was to be conditional on such declarations being made and observed. In particular they were to pledge themselves not to attack Greece, either under pretext that they would thus be able to bring about the union of the churches or to punish the crimes committed by Alexis the Third. When the messengers arrived from the army, they did their Report made ^^st to oxcuso the couduct of the Crusadcrs, but they to Innocent. gpQJ.Q ^o a man who was their superior in intelli- gence, and who probably was to a considerable extent behind