LX. racter of the martial maid. Before we accufe the CHA P. Latins, it is just to remark, that this Pallas was destroyed after the firft fiege, by the fear and fuperftition of the Greeks themfelves 98. The other ftatues of brafs which I have enumerated, were broken and melted by the unfeeling avarice of the crufaders: the coft and labour were confumed in a moment; the foul of genius evapo rated in smoke; and the remnant of base metal was coined into money for the payment of the troops. Bronze is not the most durable of monuments from the marble forms of Phidias and Praxiteles, the Latins might turn afide with stupid contempt"; but unless they were crushed by fome accidental injury, those useless stones stood fecure on their pedestals . The most enlightened of the ftrangers, above the grofs and fenfual pursuits of their countrymen, more piously exercised the right of conqueft in the search and feizure of the relics of the faints I Immenfe was the supply of heads and bones, croffes and ICO 98 Nicetas in Ifaaco Angelo et Alexio, c. 3. p. 359. The Latin editor very properly obferves, that the hiftorian, in his bombaft ftyle, produces ex pulice elephantem. 99 In two paffages of Nicetas (edit. Paris, p. 360. Fabric. p. 408.), the Latins are branded with the lively reproach of Te nano avegaço Bagßagon and their avarice of brafs is clearly expreffed. Yet the Venetians had the merit of removing four bronze horses from Conftantinople to the place of St. Mark (Sanuto, Vite del Dogi, in Muratori, Script. Rerum Italicarum, tom. xxii. p. 534.). 100 Winckleman, Hift. de l'Art, tom. iii. p. 269, 270. 101 See the pious robbery of the abbot Martin, who transferred a rich cargo to his monaftery of Paris, diocese of Bafil (Gunther, Hift. C. P. c. 19. 23, 24.). Yet in fecreting this booty, the faint incurred an excommunication, and perhaps broke his oath. VOL. XI. R images, LX. CHAP. images, that were scattered by this revolution over the churches of Europe; and fuch was the encrease of pilgrimage and oblation, that no branch, perhaps, of more lucrative plunder was imported from the Eaft 10. Of the writings of antiquity, many that still existed in the twelfth century are now loft. But the pilgrims were not folicitous to fave or transport the volumes of an unknown tongue: the perishable substance of paper or parchment can only be preferved by the multiplicity of copies; the literature of the Greeks had almost centered in the metropolis; and, without computing the extent of our lofs, we may drop a tear over the libraries that have perished in the triple fire of Conftantinople 03. 102 Fleury, Hift. Ecclef. tom. xvi. p. 139-145. 103 I fhall conclude this chapter with the notice of a modern history, which illuftrates the taking of Conftantinople by the Latins; but which has fallen fomewhat late into my hands. Paolo Ramufio, the fon of the compiler of voyages, was directed by the fenate of Venice to write the hiftory of the conqueft; and this order, which he received in his youth, he executed in a mature age, by an elegant Latin work, de Bello Conftantinopolitano et Imperatoribus Comnenis per Gallos et Venetos reftitutis (Venet. `1635, in folio). Ramufio, or Rhamnufus, tranfcribes and tranflates fequitur ad unguem, a MS. of Villehardouin, which he poffeffed; but he enriches his narrative with Greek and Latin materials, and we are indebted to him for a correct state of the fleet, the names of the fifty Venetian nobles who commanded the gallies of the republic, and the patriot oppofition of Pantaleon Barbus to the choice of the doge for emperor. CHA P. LXI. Partition of the Empire by the French and Venetians.-Five Latin Emperors of the Houfes of Flanders and Courtenay.-Their Wars against the Bulgarians and Greeks.-Weakness and Poverty of the Latin Empire.-Recovery of Conftantinople by the Greeks.-General Confequences of the Crufades. AFTER the death of the lawful princes, the CLX4." French and Venetians, confident of juftice the empe.. win I. A. D. 1204, May 9 16. and victory, agreed to divide and regulate their Election of future poffeffions'. It was ftipulated by treaty, ror Baldthat twelve electors, fix of either nation, fhould be nominated; that a majority should chufe the emperor of the Eaft; and that, if the votes were equal, the decifion of chance fhould afcertain the fuccefsful candidate. To him, with all the titles and prerogatives of the Byzantine throne, they affigned the two palaces of Boucoleon and Blachernæ, with a fourth part of the Greek monarchy. It was defined that the three remaining portions fhould be equally fhared between the republic of Venice and the barons of France; that each feudatory, with an honourable exception for the doge, fhould acknowledge and per See the original treaty of partition, in the Venetian Chronicle of Andrew Dandolo, p. 326-330. and the subsequent election in Villehardouin, No 136-140, with Ducange in his Obfervations, and the ist book of his Hiftoire de Conftantinople fous l'Empire des François. LXI. CHAP. form the duties of homage and military service to the fupreme head of the empire; that the nation which gave an emperor, fhould refign ta their brethren the choice of a patriarch; and that the pilgrims, whatever might be their impatience to vifit the Holy Land, fhould devote another year to the conqueft and defence of the Greek provinces. After the conqueft of Conftantinople by the Latins, the treaty was confirmed and exeeuted; and the first and most important ftep was the creation of an emperor. The fix electors of the French nation were all ecclefiaftics, the abbot of Loces, the archbishop elect of Acre in Paleftine, and the bishop of Troyes, Soiffons, Halberstadt, and Bethlehem, the laft of whom exercifed in the camp the office of pope's legate: their profeffion and knowledge were respectable; and as they could not be the objects, they were beft qualified to be the authors, of the choice. The fix Venetians were the principal fervants of the ftate, and in this lift the noble families of Querini and Contarini are ftill proud to discover their ancestors. The twelve affembled in the chapel of the palace; and after the folemn invocation of the Holy Ghoft, they proceeded to deliberatę and vote. A juft impulse of refpect and gratitude prompted them to crown the virtues of the doge; his wisdom had inspired their enterprise; and the moft youthful knights might envy and applaud the exploits of blindness and age. But the patriot Dandolo was devoid of all perfonal ambition, and fully fatisfied that he had been judged worthy to reign. His nomination was over-ruled by the Venetians LXI. Venetians themselves: his countrymen, and per- CHAP. haps his friends, reprefented, with the eloquence of truth, the mifchiefs that might arife to national freedom and the common caufe, from the union of two incompatible characters, of the first magistrate of a republic and the emperor of the Eaft. The exclufion of the doge left room for the more equal merits of Boniface and Baldwin; and at their names all meaner candidates refpectfully withdrew. The marquis of Montferrat was recommended by his mature age and fair reputation, by the choice of the adventurers and the wishes of the Greeks; nor can I believe that Venice, the mistress of the fea, could be seriously apprehensive of a petty lord at the foot of the Alps. But the count of Flanders was the chief of a wealthy and warlike people; he was valiant, pious, and chafte; in the prime of life, fince he was only thirty-two years of age; a descendant of Charlemagne, a coufin of the king of France, and a compeer of the prelates and barons who had yielded with reluctance to the command of a foreigner. Without the chapel, thefe barons, with the doge and marquis at their head, expected the decision of the twelve electors. It was * After mentioning the nomination of the doge by a French elector, his kinfiman Andrew Dandolo approves his exclufion, quidam Venetorum fidelis et nobilis fenex, ufus oratione fatis probabili, &c. which has been embroidered by modern writers from Blondus to Le Beau. 3 Nicetas (p. 384.), with the vain ignorance of a Greek, defcribes the marquis of Montferrat as a maritime power. Λαμπαρ διαν δε οικείσθαι παράλιον. Was he deceived by the Byzantine theme of Lombardy, which extended along the coaft of Calabria ? |