HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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merits in that quarter. A second defeat, however, though less consequentialthan the former, inasmuch as the force engaged was very far inferior, servedto humble still lower, the pride and haughtiness of Venice. Although the Ge-noese appeared to triumph almost without competition, and had even acquiredsuch an ascendancy as enabled them to make various attacks on different portsbelonging to Venice, yet the latter did not yet abandon herself to despair, andgive up her cause as desperate. An armament was ordered to be equipped,and various conflicts took place with varied success, but all indecisive as to thefate of the war : at length the rivals by mutual consent, not owing to anyrelaxation of animosity, but to the mere want of ability in both parties tocontinue the contest, yielded to the necessity which their situation imposed onthem, and for a time ceased to be enemies.

Various internal feuds continued to disturb the tranquillity of Venice fornearly seven years subsequent to the cessation of hostilities, but the almostequally distressed state of the Genoese, prevented them from taking that ad-vantage which the political code of law might probably have pretended to jus-tify. Not so the ancient rebels of Zara ; but Venice was in this instance suc-cessful enough to bring them back to their allegiance, and no naval event suffi-ciently consequential to attract the notice of the historian, took place for morethan thirty years after hostilities had ceased with its ancient rivals. At length,the Turks, who had long been gaining ground against the crusaders, owing tothe intestine disputes which prevailed among some of them,, and the causes, aswas the case of the Venetians in particular, which not only diverted the attention,of others, but prevented them from affording that succour to the common cause,,which their zeal prompted them to, were not content with having obtainedpossession of Syria, and deriving confidence from success, aimed at erectingthemselves into maritime consequence. So supine were their foes, or so greatwere their own exertions, that the trade to the Levant was completely de-.stroyed, and the coasts of Rhodes, of Cyprus, and of Candia, became the con-tinued scene of plunder and devastation for the Mahometan gallies. To check,,and destroy, if possible, this rapidly encreasing evil, a league was entered into*under the auspices of the pope, between the king of France and the Venetians..The terms of it fully prove the naval consequence of the latter; for it wasatipulated, that as their quota, to the naval and military force of the latter, theyshould furnish a fleet consisting of no less than one hundred ships of war and 1gallies, exclusive of transports for the soldiers, store-ships, and other attendant

vessels..