194

HISTORY or MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

conveying himself and his treasure, together with the army of the empire, fromConstantinople to Carthage, where he intended to seek an asylum. A strangebut not unprecedented revolution in human affairs, that the very spot which hadbeen the object of the most inveterate hatred when Rome might be consideredas an infantine state, and which she ceased unremittingly to pursue, till shehad caused her final and total destruction, should be selected and chosen by oneof the emperors as the only spot in the world capable of affording him refuge.At the siege of Constantinople, which took place about the year 622, a fleet ofgallies, constructed with two and three tiers of oars, is said to have beenequipped by Heraclius, on the Bosphorus, and that the advantage he derivedfrom so tremendous a force, as, speaking comparatively, it then proved, enabledhim to destroy the inferior vessels of his Schlavonian besiegers, and save hiscapital from their ravages, as well as that of their allies, who were the prin-cipals in the dispute.

The reign of Constantine, son to Heraclius, and who was first knownby the name of Heraclius also, was too short to be productive of any eventworthy of particular notice. That of his son, who succeeded to the imperialthrone under the name of Constans, became much more interesting. Thefirst years of his reign, indeed, afford no very striking points ; but in 648,Mahias, or Mathuvias, a Saracen chief, having equipped a powerful fleet,attacked, and without any very great difficulty rendered himself completelymaster of the island of Cyprus. This enterprise becomes the better entitledto notice, on account of its having proved the 'immediate forerunner of thefinal destruction of that once celebrated Pharos, the Colossus of Rhodeswhither the Saracen next directed his arms, and where they proved as easily,and as rapidly successful, as they had done on the former occasion. Thesesplendid victories and conquests raised, as an almost natural consequence, the

* This stupendous monument of ancient labour, ingenuity, and expence, had been unfortunatelyoverturned soon after its erection by one of those grand and dreadful convulsions of nature calledan earthquake, which threatened almost the annihilation of the whole island. The inhabitants beingextremely addicted to superstition, pretended a prohibition, under an ancient oracular prophecy, fromever attempting its resuscitation, or re-erection, and considering the materials themselves as in greatmeasure applied to a sacred purpose, would never permit the destruction of the fallen statue, or theconversion of the materials which composed it, to any other use. The Saracen, however, entertainedno such scruples, but having caused it to be broken into small pieces, sold it to a merchant of theJewish nation, who loaded nine hundred camels with the metal.

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