THE DECLINE AND FALL

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(;ij\p. the primate of Russia represented a nationall.wi. ant ] the Greeks might contend with the

Latins in the extent of their spiritual empire.The precious vases of St. Sophia were exposedto the winds and waves, that the patriarch mightofficiate with becoming splendour; whatever goldthe emperor could procure, was expended in themassy ornaments of his bed and chariot-/ andwhile they affected to maintain the prosperity oftheir ancient fortune, they quarrelled for the di-vision of fifteen thousand ducats, the first almsof the Roman pontiff. After the necessary pre-parations, John Palaeologus, with a numeroustrain, accompanied by his brother Demetrius,and the most respectable persons of the churchand state, embarked in eight vessels with sailsand oars, which steered through the Turkishstraits of Gallipoli to the Archipelago , the Mo-rea, and the Adriatic gulf.*

Hi» trium- After a tedious and troublesome navigation ofat'venice 3 ! seventy-seven days, this religious squadron castFeb. sf 8 ’ anchor before Venice; and their reception pro-claimed the joy and magnificence of that power-ful republic. In the command of the world, themodest Augustus had never claimed such ho-nours from his subjects, as were paid to his

f Syropulus (p. 63) simply expresses his intention »v’ arot r<ta» v//u.sy<x? Ban'htv; icap* exto-wv vc/txj^oiro j and the Latin of Creyghtonmay afford a specimen of his florid paraphrase. Ut pomp& circumduc-tus noster imperator Italia populis aliquis deauratus Jupiter credere-tur, ant Croesus ex opulenta Lydia.

8 Although I cannot stop to quote Syropulus for every fact, I willobserve that the navigation of the Greeks from Constantinople to Ve-nice and Ferarra is contained in the fourth section (p. 67-100), andthat the historian has the uncommon talent of placing each scene be-fore the reader’s eye.