292
HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.
on her part smiled at the confederacy. A squadron considered adequate to thepurpose of convincing those united foes of their impotence, was fitted out: itnot only succeeded in totally destroying the confederate armament, but threwthe whole country, and even the inhabitants of Brundusium itself, into theutmost panic. They immediately concluded a separate peace ; and the Pisans,deprived of all extraneous assistance, gladly accepted of such terms as the su-periority of their victorious foes prompted them to dictate. This insignificantwarfare was scarcely settled, when an expedition, or armament, of greater ex-tent than had proceeded from Venice for many years, was ordered to be fittedout, in consequence of a treaty concluded between the republic, Alexis, orAlexius, son to the deposed Emperor of the East, and Baldwin, earl of Flan-ders. It consisted of sixty gallies, twenty ships of war , specifically so termed,with a very considerable number of transports for the conveyance of troops.The Istrians, who were destined to feel the first effects of this armament, wereso terrified by the very sight of it, that without waiting for attack, they sentambassadors, offering, as a preliminary to peace, to acknowlege themselvesvassals to the republic, and to submit to all such subsequent conditions as theirnew masters should think proper to prescribe. A number of petty states andindependant cities, were happy in purchasing their tranquillity on similarterms; and Zara alone, in conformity to her former conduct, presuming toresist, was assaulted, compelled to surrender after a brave defence, dismantled,and to crown the climax of misfortune, deprived of all the privileges attendanton political liberty and freedom.
The principal object of the confederacy, and this expedition, had not as yetdeveloped itself. It did, which very seldom proves the case in respect to suchundertakings, honour to humanity. The Emperor of the East had been, at avery advanced age, not only deposed, but thrown into prison, and his son ba-nished. The restoration of this much injured prince to- liberty, and to histhrone, was the cause of benevolence. The wrongs and the pathetic pleadingsof the young Alexis, accelerated the assault of Constantinople, which the con-federated powers purposed to have deferred till the ensuing spring. The citysurrendered almost without resistance. The usurper fled, but the joy whichthe success w'ould have occasioned, was in great measure clouded by theunfortunate death of the old emperor very soon after his restoration, and thesubsequent murder of his son by Mvrtillus, a person of very low origin, whohad heen raised from obscurity by the favour of the emperor. The usurper
derived-