CHAP. have promised to display the banner of the crofs, LVI. and he accomplished with ardour a vow so propitious to his intereft and revenge. The recent injuries of Sicily might provoke a just retaliation on the heads of the Saracens: the Normans, whose blood had been mingled with so many subjec ftreams, were encouraged to remember and emulate the naval trophies of their fathers, and in the maturity of their ftrength they contended with the decline of an African power. When the Fatimite caliph departed for the conqueft of Egypt, he rewarded the real merit and apparent fidelity of his fervant Jofeph, with a gift of his royal mantle, and forty Arabian horfes, his palace, with its fumptuous furniture, and the government of the kingdoms of Tunis and Algiers. The Zeirides 103, the defcendants of Jofeph, forgot their allegiance and gratitude to a diftant benefactor, grafped and abufed the fruits of profperity; and after running the little courfe of an Oriental dynafty, were now fainting in their own weakness. On the fide of the land, they were preffed by the Almohades, the fanatic princes of Morocco, while the feacoaft was open to the enterprises of the Greeks and Franks, who, before the close of the eleventh century, had extorted a ranfom of two hundred thousand pieces of gold. By the firft arms of Roger, the island or rock of Malta, which has been fince ennobled by a military and religious colony, was infeparably annexed to the crown 103 See de Guignes, Hift. Generale des Huns, tom. i. p. 369– 373. and Cardonne, Hift. de l'Afrique, &c. fous la Domination des Arabes, tom. ii. p. 70-144. Their common original appears to be Novairi. of LVI. of Sicily. Tripoli 104, a strong and maritime city, CHAP. was the next object of his attack; and the flaughter of the males, the captivity of the females, might be justified by the frequent practice of the Moslems themselves. The capital of the Zeirides was named Africa from the country, and Mahadia os from the Arabian founder: it is ftrongly built on a neck of land, but the imperfection of the harbour is not compenfated by the fertility of the adjacent plain. Mahadia was befieged by George the Sicilian admiral, with a fleet of one hundred and fifty gallies, amply provided with men and the inftruments of mifchief: the fovereign had fled, the Moorish governor refused to capitulate, declined the last and irresistible assault, and fecretly escaping with the Moslem inhabitants, abandoned the place and its treasures to the rapacious Franks. In fucceffive expeditions, the king of Sicily or his lieutenants reduced the cities of Tunis, Safax, Capfia, Bona, and a long tract of the fea-coaft 106; the fortreffes were garrisoned, the country was tributary, and a boaft, that it held Africa in subjection, might be infcribed with 104 Tripoli (fays the Nubian geographer, or more properly the Sherif al Edrifi) urbs fortis, faxeo muro vallata, fita prope littus maris. Hanc expugnavit Rogerius, qui mulieribus captivis ductis, viros peremit. 105 See the geography of Leo Africanus (in Ramufio, tom. i. fol. 74. verfo, fol. 75. recto), and Shaw's Travels (p. 110.), the viith book of Thuanus, and the xith of the Abbé de Vertot. The poffeffion and defence of the place was offered by Charles V. and wifely declined by the knights of Malta. 106 Pagi has accurately marked the African conquests of Roger; and his criticism was fupplied by his friend the Abbé de Longuerue, with fome Arabic memorials (A. D. 1147, No 26, 27. A. D. 1148, N° 16. A. D. in53, No 16.). fome LV. 108 CHAP. fome flattery on the sword of Roger 107. After his death, that fword was broken; and these tranfmarine poffeffions were neglected, evacuated, or loft, under the troubled reign of his fucceffor 'o. The triumphs of Scipio and Belifarius have proved, that the African continent is neither inacceffible nor invincible: yet the great princes and powers of Christendom have repeatedly failed in their armaments against the Moors, who may ftill glory in the eafy conqueft and long fervitude of Spain. His inva- Since the decease of Robert Guifcard, the Normans had relinquifhed, above fixty years, their hoftile defigns against the empire of the Eaft. The policy of Roger folicited a public and private union with the Greek princes, whofe alliance would dignify his regal character: he demanded in marriage a daughter of the Comnenian family, and the first steps of the treaty feemed to promife a favourable event. But the contemptuous treatment of his ambaffadors exafperated the vanity of the new monarch; and the infolence of the Byzantine court was expiated, according to the laws of nations, by the fufferings of a guiltless people 1oo With a fleet of seventy gallies, 107 George Appulus et Calaber, Siculus mihi fervit et Afer. A proud inscription, which denotes, that the Norman conquerors were still discriminated from their Christian and Moflem fubjects. 108 Hugo Falcandus (Hift. Sicula, in Muratori Script. tom. vii. p. 270, 271.) ascribes these loffes to the neglect or treachery of the admiral Majo. 109 The filence of the Sicilian historians, who end too foon or begin too late, must be supplied by Otho of Frifingen, a German (de Geftis Frederici I. 1. i. c. 33. in Muratori Script. tom. vi. p. 668.), the LVI. George the admiral of Sicily appeared before CHAP. Corfu and both the island and city were delivered into his hands by the difaffected inhabitants, who had yet to learn that a fiege is ftill more calamitous than a tribute. In this invafion, of fome moment in the annals of commerce, the Normans spread themselves by fea, and over the provinces of Greece; and the venerable age of Athens, Thebes, and Corinth, was violated by rapine and cruelty. Of the wrongs of Athens no memorial remains. The ancient walls, which encompaffed without guarding the opulence of Thebes, were fcaled by the Latin Chriftians; but their fole use of the gofpel was to fanctify an oath, that the lawful owners had not secreted any relic of their inheritance or industry. On the approach of the Normans the lower town of Corinth was evacuated: the Greeks retired to the citadel, which was feated on a lofty eminence, abundantly watered by the claffic fountain of Pirene; an impregnable fortrefs, if the want of courage could be balanced by any advantages of art or nature. As foon as the befiegers had furmounted the labour (their fole labour) of climbing the hill; their general, from the commanding eminence, admired his own victory, and testified his gratitude to heaven, by tearing from the altar the precious image of Theodore the tutelary faint. The filk weavers of both fexes, whom George tranfported to Sicily, compofed the Venetian Andrew Dandulus (Id. tom. xii. p. 282, 283.), and the Greek writers Cinnamus (1. iii. c. 2-5.) and Nicetas (in Manuel. 1. ii. c. I—6.). the LVI. ral delivers CHA P. the most valuable part of the spoil, and in comparing the skilful industry of the mechanic with the floth and cowardice of the foldier, he was heard to exclaim, that the diftaff and loom were the only weapons which the Greeks were capable His admi- of ufing. The progrefs of this naval armament Louis VII. was marked by two confpicuous events, the of France: rescue of the king of France, and the infult of the Byzantine capital. In his return by fea from an unfortunate crufade, Louis the feventh was intercepted by the Greeks, who bafely violated the laws of honour and religion. The fortunate encounter of the Norman fleet delivered the royal captive; and after a free and honourable entertainment in the court of Sicily, Louis continued his journey to Rome and Paris 10. In the abfence of the emperor, Conftantinople and the Hellespont were left without defence and without the fufpicion of danger. The clergy and people, for the foldiers had followed the ftandard of Manuel, were aftonished and difmayed at the hoftile appearance of a line of gallies, which boldly caft anchor in the front of the Imperial city. The forces of the Sicilian admiral were inadequate to the fiege or affault of an immense and populous metropolis but George enjoyed the glory of humbling the Greek arrogance, and of mark infults Conftantinople. 110 To this imperfect capture and speedy rescue, I apply the παρ' όλιγον ήλθε τα αλώναι, of Cinnamus, l. ii. c. 19. p. 49. Mura tori, on tolerable evidence (Annali d'Italia, tom. ix. p. 420, 421.), laughs at the delicacy of the French, who maintain, marifque nullo impediente periculo ad regnum proprium reverfum effe: yet I obferve that their advocate, Ducange, is lefs pofitive as the commentator on Cinnamus, than as the editor of Joinville. |