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HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

floating houses (for they could scarcely be said to merit any other appellation)did the Goths, with apparent folly, or rather rashness, commit themselves to themercy of a sea totally unknown to them, under the conduct of navigatorscompulsively brought into their service, and whose skill as well as fidelity wereboth equally suspicious. It has indeed been most shrewdly remarked, the hopesof plunder had banished every idea of danger, and a natural fearlessness oftemper supplied in their minds the more rational confidence, which is theresult of knowlege and experience. Warriors of such daring spirit, must havefrequently murmured against the cowardice of their guides, who required thestrongest assurances of a settled calm before they would venture to embark,and would scarcely ever be tempted to lose sight of land. Such at least is thepractice of the modern Turks, and they are most probably not inferior in theart of navigation to the ancient inhabitants of the Bosphorus.

This uncouth and ill equipped fleet, formidable only on account of thesavagely daring spirit of those who were embarked on board it, fell first onTityus, the frontier town of the Roman provinces in that quarter. Thisimportant post they succeeded, after a temporary discomfiture, in forcing, andderiving new spirit from this omen of success, they next attacked the infinitelymore formidable fortress of Trebizond, the fortifications of which were notonly deemed at that time impregnable, but had recently received a reinforce-ment of ten thousand veteran soldiers, in addition to the garrison, which hadbefore that time been considered sufficient to defend it. This apparent powerof resisting attack, proved the very means which rendered it successful. TheGoths, taking advantage of the blind security of the besieged, scaled the wallsin the dead of the night, massacred all who presumed to oppose them, andmade themselves complete masters of the place, together with the immense trea-sure that it contained, all which had been deposited there from the neighbour-ing provinces as in a place of the most perfect security. A considerable num-ber of merchant vessels, laden with the spoils, were carried off by the victors ;but, as might naturally have been expected, their avarice was whetted by theirsuccess, and not glutted.

A second expedition quickly followed the former, in the hope of a stillencreasing success. It was undertaken in far greater force, both in respect toshipping and soldiers. From the account given of the fleet employed by themon this occasion, some estimate may be formed of the terror which the veryname of these barbarians carried with them into the provinces destined to be

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