Deus Lo Volt!

insinuated himself, deceived the boy and got back to Constantinople. There he flattered young Alexius and gained his confidence, subtly, as serpents move at their own discretion. When the hour seemed ripe he had the boy stuffed into a sack and carried out to sea and hurled overboard. Next he summoned all those related to the house of Comnenus and they arrived at the palace not knowing what had occurred. He imprisoned them, scooped out their eyes, sliced off their lips, and crowned himself emperor. Next he raped as many beautiful women as he could find, nuns in abbeys, wives and daughters of lords, taking by force a huge number of women, so everyone longed for his death. Next he claimed the child empress for his wife. She was now twelve years old, Andronicus five times her age. He asked if any citizen of Constantinople bore him ill and so learned of three young men descended from Constantine Angelus, which is to say the noble lineage of Angeli. He therefore despatched his steward Langosse to catch them but Langosse caught only one, whom he blinded. Another escaped to Syria. Isaac, the last, fled to the land of Vlachia.

Isaac crept back into Constantinople because he was very poor and took refuge in the house of his widowed mother. It was about this time that soothsayers told Andronicus he had but five days to live, which terrified him. He asked who would become emperor after his death and they said the name of the man was Isaac. Then his steward Langosse found out that Isaac was hiding in Constantinople. If you kill him, said Langosse, you have nothing to fear.

Go at once, said Andronicus.

Langosse with a company of sergeants went to kill this last descendant of the Angeli. When he rapped on the door of the house where Isaac was concealed the widow pretended to be alone.

God’s mercy! cried she. No one hides within!

Langosse told her to make Isaac come out or she herself would be seized.

At this she became alarmed and went to speak with her son. Ah, fair lord, the emperor’s steward waits. You are a dead man.

Isaac went outside. Langosse struck him across the face with a whip and vowed he would hang. So then Isaac drew a sword from beneath his cloak and cleaved the steward’s head down the middle so his teeth and brains flew out and the sergeants ran away in all directions. Isaac mounted the steward’s horse and rode toward the church of Sancta Sophia shouting that he had slain a devil. When he got to the church he rushed inside to embrace the cross. Now here came citizens to throng the streets, exclaiming that Isaac was very brave and should be made emperor. They crowded into the church to admire him and sent for the patriarch to crown him. But the patriarch replied that he would not do as they wished. You act badly, said he. Besides, I dare not since Andronicus would have me torn apart. The people answered that if he did not do as they wished they would cut off his head. So the patriarch went to Sancta Sophia where he found Isaac gripping a bloody sword and his cheap garments splashed with blood. Then the patriarch vested himself as required for the ceremony and, though he did not want to, made Isaac the emperor.

Andronicus being told about this could not believe it. He ran through a passage to the church and climbed up to the vault where he could look down. At the altar stood Isaac. Andronicus asked his followers to give him a bow. He fitted an arrow and drew the bow, but the string snapped, snapped by the hand of our watchful Lord.

Andronicus fled to the palace, escaped through a postern with some of his followers and boarded a galley, thinking he would find safety at Trebizond. But who can escape from Almighty God? A storm arose, driving the galley backward. He sent men to explore the coast and they returned full of dismay. My lord, they said, we are near Constantinople. They led him to a hostel where they told him to hide among the wine casks. But the keeper looked suspiciously at these people seeking refuge from the storm and bade his wife go among the wine casks. There she found Andronicus wearing imperial robes. Then the keeper sent to a noble whose wife Andronicus had raped. The noble gathered his men, came to the hostel and seized the emperor. Next morning they took him to the palace where Isaac sat enthroned.

Andronicus, said he, why didst thou betray thy lord, the emperor Manuel? Why didst thou murder his son? Why didst thou ravish the queen of Jerusalem? Why dost thou delight in evil?

Against such charges Andronicus replied that he would not deign to speak.

Isaac gave him to the people, saying they should do as they wished since he could not administer justice that would satisfy them. The citizens were glad of this. Some wanted to burn him. Some wanted to boil him in a cauldron. Others wanted to drag him through the streets until he fell apart. Then a man said he had a camel that was the most loathsome beast on earth and they should strip Andronicus naked, bind him to this camel with his face in the creature’s ass, and lead him from one end of the city to the other. All the citizens thought this was good. So they tore away his clothes and shaved his head, leaving a cross of hair on top. They crowned him with a chaplet of garlic stalks. They plucked out one of his eyes but not the other because he should see what was done to him. They strapped him to the camel and went parading about the city. Women emptied buckets of urine and shit on his head. Some whose daughters he had ravished would scream and pull his beard. Some rushed up to stab him