346

HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

among which that natural inertness of the Greeks was by no means the leastconsequential. The advantage taken by the Genoese and Venetians of thisdisposition, was extremely natural, and truly consonant to national policy.The benefits, however, which were derived by these rival states, proved by nomeans permanent, for it is historically remarked, that the increase of the ship-ping, and naval force of the Venetians, and of the states of Italy, was the mereeffects of their making a right use of the indolence and folly of the Greeks. Buttrusting too much to that power, and not considering enough the sources fromwhence it flowed, they did not assist the Greeks as they ought to have done,if they had been true to their own interests. They perceived, their error theless, because for a long time they were as great gainers by the Turks and Sara-cens, and afterwards by the Mamelukes, as they had been by the Greeks. Inthe end, however, they saw it sufficiently, yet then it was too late, for they hadit no longer in their power to give laws, or in a short time to avoid receivingthem.

The pressure of the Turks, and other foes, instead of rousing the efforts ofsinking dignity, serve only to depress it still lower* and with accelerated motion.Suspicious and jealous, not perhaps without reason in some instances, of everyproffered friendship and alliance, the emperor frequently found himself com-pelled, as it were, to trust his avowed foes, rather than those who were in thehabit of professing themselves his friends, and protectors. A very singular in-stance of this truth occurred soon after the commencement of the fifteenthcentury, when Timour, more commonly known by the name of Tamerla'ne,appeared to threaten the Ottoman power with almost total demolition. . Miser-able as the state of the eastern empire in respect to naval consequence was,, itwas infinitely superior to that of the conqueror of Bajazet. From the Irtish andVolga to the Persian gulph, says history, from the Ganges to Damascus and theArchipelago, Asia was in the hands of Timour. His armies were invincible,his ambition boundless, and his zeal might aspire to conquer and convert theChristian kingdoms of the west, which already trembled at his name. Hetouched the utmost verge of the land, but an insuperable though narrow searolled between the two continents of Europe and Asia, and the lord of so manymyriads of horse was not master of a single galley. T he two passages of theBosphorus and Hellespont, of Constantinople and Gallipoli, were possessed oneby the Christians, the other by the Turks. On this great occasion they forgot thedijfexence. of religion , to act with union and firmness in the common cause . The.. double