LX. CHA P. images, that were fcattered by this revolution over the churches of Europe; and fuch was the encreafe of pilgrimage and oblation, that no branch, perhaps, of more lucrative plunder was imported from the Eaft 102. Of the writings of antiquity, that ftill existed in the twelfth century are many now loft. But the pilgrims were not folicitous to fave or tranfport the volumes of an unknown tongue the perishable fubftance of paper or parchment can only be preferved by the multiplicity of copies; the literature of the Greeks had almoft 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 Constantinople 103. 102 Fleury, Hift. Ecclef. tom. xvi. p. 139-145. 103 I fhall conclude this chapter with the notice of a modern hiftory, 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 translates fequitur ad unguem, a MS. of Villehardouin, which he poffeffed; but he enriches his narrative with Greek and Latin mateų rials, and we are indebted to him for a correct ftate 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. CHAP. 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 Grecks.-Weakness and Poverty of the Latin Empire.-Recovery of Conftantinople by the Grecks.-General Confequences of the Crufades. A1 FTER the death of the lawful princes, the CHAP. LXI. of the em peror A. D. 1204, May 9 16. and victory, agreed to divide and regulate their Election future poffeffions. It was ftipulated by treaty, that twelve electors, fix of either nation, fhould Baldwin L be nominated; that a majority fhould chuse 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 fubfequent clection in Villehardouin, N° 136-140. with Ducange in his Cbfervations, and the ist book of his Hiftoire de Conftantinople fous Pumpire des François. R 2 form LXI. CHAP. form the duties of homage and military service to the fupreme head of the empire: that the nation which gave an emperor, should resign to 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 executed; 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 Pale- • ftine, and the bishops 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 best qualified to be the authors, of the choice. The fix Venetians were the principal fervants of the state, and in this lift the noble families of Querinį and Contarini are ftill proud to difcover their ancestors. The twelve affembled in the chapel of the palace; and after the folemn invocation, of the Holy Ghost, they proceeded to deliberatę and vote. A juft impulfe of refpect and gratitude prompted them to crown the virtues of the doge; his wifdom had infpired their enterprife; 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 mischiefs that might arise 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 wifhes 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 defcendant 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, these barons, with the doge and marquis at their head, expected the decifion of the twelve electors. It was 2 After mentioning the nomination of the doge by a French elector, his kinfman 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. Mauraps διαν δε οικεισθαι παράλιον. Was he deceived by the Byzantine theme of Lombardy, which extended along the coast of Calabria ? LXI. CHA P. announced by the bishop of Soiffons, in the name of his colleagues: "Ye have fworn to obey the "prince whom we should chufe; by our unani66 mous fuffrage, Baldwin count of Flanders and "Hainault is now your fovereign, and the em peror of the Eaft." He was faluted with loud applaufe, and the proclamation was re-echoed through the city by the joy of the Latins and the trembling adulation of the Greeks. Boniface was the firft to kifs the hand of his rival, and to raife him on the buckler; and Baldwin was tranfported to the cathedral, and folemnly invefted with the purple bufkins. At the end of three weeks he was crowned by the legate, in the vacancy of a patriarch; but the Venetian clergy foon filled the chapter of St. Sophia, feated Tho mas Morofini on the ecclefiaftical throne, and employed every art to perpetuate in their own nation the honours and benefices of the Greek church. Without delay, the fucceffor of Conftantine inftructed Palestine, France, and Rome, of this memorable revolution. To Palestine he fent, as a trophy, the gates of Conftantinople, and the chain of the harbour'; and adopted, from the Affife of Jerufalem, the laws or customs beft adapted to a French colony and conqueft in the Eaft. In his epiftles, the natives of France 4 They exacted an oath from Thomas Morofini to appoint, no canons of St. Sophia, the lawful electors, except Venetians who had lived ten years at Venice, &c. But the foreign clergy was envious, the pope disapproved this national monopoly, and of the fix Latin patriarchs of Conftantinople, only the first and the laft were Venetians. 5. Nicetas, p. 383. are |