Encouraged by their success, not long afterwards, they, in their invincible confidence and force, decided to undertake another enterprise.  Urged thereto by their Archbishop Peter, they set out, partly for glory, partly in the hope of spoil to free the thousands of Christians held captive by the Arabs in the Balearic islands.  The fleet sailed on the 6th August 1114, the Feast of S. Sisto, the anniversary of other victories.  There were, it seems, some three hundred ships of diverse strength; and every sort of person, old and young, took part in this adventure.  Going astray, they first landed in Catalonia and did much damage; then, “acknowledging their unfortunate mistake,” they found the island, where, under Archbishop Peter and the Pope’s gonfalone, they were entirely successful.  They released the captives, and, amid the immense spoil, they brought away the son of the Moorish king, whom later they baptized in Pisa and sent back to the Moors.  The Pisan dead were, however, very many.  At first they thought to load a ship with the slain and bring them home again; but this was not found possible.  Sailing at last for Marseilles, they buried them there in the Badia di S. Vittore, later bringing the monks to Pisa.

Now, while the glory of Pisa shone thus upon the waters far away, the Lucchesi thought to seize Pisa herself, deprived of her manhood.  But the Florentines, who at this time were friends with Pisa, since their commerce depended upon the Porto Pisano, sent a company to guard the city, encamping some two miles off; for since so much loot lay to hand, to wit, Pisa herself, the Florentine captains feared lest they might not be able to hold their men.  And, indeed, one of their number entered the city intent on the spoil, but was taken, and they judged him worthy only of death.  But the Pisans, not to be outdone in honour, refused to allow him to be executed in their territory; then the Florentines bought a plot of ground near the camp, and killed him there.  When the fleet returned and heard this, they determined to send Florence a present to show their gratitude.  Now, among the spoil were some bronze gates and two rosy pillars of porphyry, very precious.  Then they besought the Florentines to choose one of these, the gates or the pillars, as a gift.  And Florence chose the pillars, which stand to-day beside the eastern gate of the Baptistery in that city.  But on the way to Florence they encountered the Mugnone in flood, and were thrown down and broken there.  Hence the Florentines, that scornful and suspicious folk, swore that the Pisans had cracked their gifts themselves with fire before sending them, that Florence might not possess things so fair.

Other jealousies, too, arose out of the success of Pisa, though indirectly.  For the Genoese, never content that she should have the overlordship of Sardinia, were still more disturbed when Pope Gelasius II., that Pisan, gave Corsica to Pisa, so that about 1125[24] they made war on her.  The war lasted many years, till Innocent II, being Pope and come to Pisa, made peace, giving the Genoese certain rights in Corsica.  About this time S. Bernard was in Pisa, where in 1134 Innocent II held a General Council; not for long, however, for in the same year he set out for Milan to reconcile that Church with Rome.