HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE

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pared to retrieve his disgrace, and claim his revenge. After a long peace,Iaroslaus, the great grandson of Igor, resumed the same project of a navalinvasion. A fleet, under the command of his son, was repulsed at the entranceof the Bosphorus by the artificial flames ; but in the rashness of pursuit, thevanguard of the Greeks was encompassed by an irresistible multitude of boatsand men : their provision of fire was probably exhausted, and twenty-fourgallies were either taken, sunk, or destroyed.”

The example and the success which attended the enterprising spirit of theseliardy northern adventurers, stimulated their southern neighbours, certainlymore advantageously situated, but possessing less power of exertion, to engagein the same pursuits. Among these were the inhabitants of Croatia, a warlike,and, considering the extent of their country, a numerous people, possessing theeastern coast of the Adriatic, of considerable extent, and abounding in capa-cious harbours, two circumstances extremely favourable to their intended pur-pose. Their vessels are said to have been peculiar to themselves, by no meansconsiderable in respect to tonnage and dimensions, but deriving their conse-quence solely from their numbers, and constructed almost entirely on the sameprinciple with the ancient Liburni *. The account of their armaments, for thisreason, may receive the greater degree of credit, since the crews of a fleetamounting to one hundred sail, are not supposed, when fully manned, to haveconsisted of more than three thousand persons, including soldiers as well asseamen. There can scarcely be a greater satire on the term, than to apply thatof gallies to boats of such very inferior force; and their inequality to the task ofcontending even with such cotemporary vessels as either the navv of the Greekempire, or that of the Saracens, its foes, still continued to possess, most probablyinduced them to apply themselves to the less hazardous occupation of commerce,and to convert the warrior into the merchant. Still, however, there were certainheadstrong ferocious spirits among them, who, disdaining, as ignoble, any profes-sion but that of arms, refused to conform themselves to the easier, and perhapsnot less lucrative avocations, which general public tranquillity would have per-mitted them to pursue unmolested. Continuing to addict themselves entirely totheir favourite occupations of piracy and plunder, they became the terror of thoseseas, till the superior ascendancy of the Venetian republic enabled it, towards

* See page 6S, et seq.

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