HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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have been insignificant in the extreme, for in the year 1372, war having com-menced with Castile, the fleet of that country entered the Tagus, and madeitself master of the whole Portuguese navy at one stroke, as well ships as gal-lies, four of the latter description only excepted.

A considerable part of the Neapolitan history has been already given underanother title, that of the Normans: the remainder forms only a repetition ofevents before recorded in the history of Arragon, or other countries, and form-ing a circuitous detail of victories and disputes, such as were common in thecotemporary histories of all the neighbouring states, from Venice, the proudmistress of the Mediterranean, down to the most inferior follower in her train.It must, however, be remarked, that the Neapolitan navy appears to have beenalmost entirely composed of gallies : its force was proportioned to the extent ofthe country from whence it issued, and the services on which it was employed,,proved such as were consonant to the disputes of a people somewhat indifferentto the advantages of commerce, but attached with enthusiasm to the pursuit ofthat glory which is supposed to result from victory and conquest.

The Saracens, who from the humblest origin acquired ultimately so high apolitical rank as to make not only the adjacent nations, and the empire of theeast itself, but all Christendom tremble, and though occasionally worsted, inthe end overthrew all opposition that could be made to their progress, comenext in historical rotation. The growth of this people, together with the rapidextension of their faith and power, might, in ages far remote, excite incredulity,,were they not established on grounds too solid to be shaken by scepticism.The second sovereign of the Saracens in descent from Mahomet, who assumedthe character of a prince, or leader, when at the head of no more than thirtysubjects, subdued Persia, and extended his levies of tribute even into Egypt.Syria, Mesopotamia, Chaldea, with a considerable part of the African coast as faras Tripoli in Barbary, very soon afterwards owed submission to the Mahometans.These people, who from their intermixture are frequently confounded with,,and whose history is extremely difficult to be separated from, that of the Turks,,under which appellation, after a very few centuries, they completely invelopedthe Othmans, or Ottomans, and in some respects even the Arabs themselves,became so formidable to all Christendom on account of the rapid propagation oftheir tenets, and the means by which they effected it, as to call forth a generalconfederacy against them, which, though entered into with much zeal, provedin the end unable to effect that purpose for which it was first set on foot..

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