148
CHAP.
LXVII.
THE DECLINE AND FALL
the trade of the janizaries; and those who sur-vived the peril, and divided the spoil, applaudedthe generous ambition of their sovereign. Topropagate the true religion, was the duty of afaithful mussulman: the unbelievers were hisenemies, and those of the prophet; and, in thehands of the Turks, the scimetar was the onlyinstrument of conversion. Under these circum-stances, however, the justice and moderation ofAmurath are attested by his conduct, and ac-knowledged by the Christians themselves; whoconsider a prosperous reign and a peacefuldeath as the reward of his singular merits. Inthe vigour of his age and military power, he sel-dom engaged in a war till he was justified by aprevious and adequate provocation: the victo-rious sultan was disarmed by submission; andin the observance of treaties, his word was in-violate and sacred.” The Hungarians werecommonly the aggressors : he was provoked bythe revolt of Scanderbeg ; and the perfidiousCaramanian was twice vanquished, and twicepardoned, by the Ottoman monarch. Before heinvaded the Morea, Thebes had been surprisedby the despot: in the conquest of Thessalonica ,the grandson of Bajazet might dispute the re-cent purchase of the Venetians ; and after thefirst siege of Constantinople , the sultan was nevertempted, by the distress, the absence, or the in-juries of Palsbologus, to extinguish the dyinglight of the Byzantine empire .