HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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parties so uniformly displayed, that the contest was not only long, but theevent of it extremely doubtful, till the superior skill and knowlege which theVenetians possessed in naval tactics, gave them a complete, though hardlyearned victory. The Genoese armada was entirely broken and thrown intoconfusion, so that a considerable number of ships, or gallies, together withupwards of two thousand prisoners, fell into the hands of the conquerors.Elated with their success, the Venetians failed to use their victory w'ith thatmoderation which is the strongest characteristic of a great and noble mind,for they not only completely banished the Genoese from Aeon with everymark of tyranny and oppression, but even compelled the prisoners to row theirgallies in the quality of slaves, making no distinction between them and theMahometan captives who were unfortunate enough to fall into their hands,and whom it had long been the practice to treat with that dreadful and unchris-tian-like severity.

During the reign of the succeeding Doge, an alliance was entered into be-tween the feeble remnant of the Grecian empire, (happy in its adversity toembrace every possible chance of prolonging its political existence) and theGenoese; the Venetians, who had uniformly appeared in the character of sup-porters to the Constantinopolitan throne, having deserted the cause which theyhad so long espoused, and manifested no slight intention of extinguishing thatglimmering and tremulous ray of former grandeur, which seemed to wait, as itwere in anxiety, for that puff which would destroy in an instant every trace ofits former existence. Gilberto Dandolo, the Venetian admiral, soon fell inwith the combined force of his adversaries ; and as it rarely happens that themariners, or the soldiers of a state seemingly sinking into obscurity, are animatedwith the same degree of spirit which actuates the natives of a country elatedand arrogant in its prosperity, the Grecian vessels fled after a very trivial resist-ance, and their dismayed allies being consequently surrounded, only a verysmall number of them were able to make their escape. The resources of Genoaproved far superior to those of the empire : the latter sunk under the disgrace,apparently content and happy that its insignificance protected it from fartherhostile persecution ; but the republic, burning with rage at the discomfiture,fitted out, with the utmost expedition, a fleet far exceeding its former arma-ment, both in numbers and in strength. The Venetians, on their part, hadreceived a reinforcement of fifteen gallies ; but this augmentation of force w’asconsidered to be in great measure outweighed by the very elevated abilities of

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