HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE

177

respect to the pecuniary contributions which they afforded towards the supportand maintenance of the war. While Heraclius, the praefect, landed on thecoast of Tripoli, and subdued the whole country through which he advanced,Marcellinus who, from a subject, had raised himself into the character of anindependent prince, or potentate, became suddenly reconciled to his imperialmasters, and joining his army in the common cause, as it then appeared to beconsidered, threw a weight into the scale which could not fail to create addi-tional terror in the heart of the Vandal.

The efforts of the reclaimed revolter were amply successful. Genseric wasforcibly driven from the island of Sardinia, which was justly considered asone of the most important posts he held ; and the naval glory of the westappeared, for a moment, to rise in competition with the consequence of theeastern empire. The expence incurred by the equipment of this armament,and the extent of it, which, fortunately for the satisfaction of posterity, havebeen preserved with no inconsiderable degree of precision, afford some pointsof information rather interesting in respect to the maritime history of that time.While the emperor on his part contributed out of his private income and pro-perty, a sum which, added to such part of the public treasure as was subject tohis disposal, equalled seven hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling, thecontributions voluntarily given or levied on the subject, amounted to no lessthan two millions five hundred thousand pounds, making in the aggregate theimmense total of three millions and a quarter sterling, according to the presentcomputation : an amount almost exceeding credibility, when the difference inthe value of money at that time of day and the present is fairly considered. Itmust, however, be observed, that the cities, and indeed the whole empire, werereduced, some few individuals excepted, to a state of extreme poverty in con-sequence of this very extensive gift *.

The force is said (a corroborative proof that the account of the expenditureis by no means incorrect) to have amounted to eleven hundred and thirteensail of vessels, on board w'hich were embarked upwards of an hundred thou-sand men ; so that when the army under Heraclius, with the auxiliary fleet and

* Mr. Gibbon calculates it to have amounted to five millions two hundred thousand pounds, butthis is certainly far over-rated : the more moderate account is sufficiently immense to excite the wonderpf the modern enquirer, if not his hesitation and doubt of its authenticity. Of this, however, thereappears, from the concurrent evidence of manifold testimony, but little, or, to say the truth, no reasonto doubt.

Yol. I. A a

army