[Footnote103:SeeDeGuignes,Hist。GeneratedesHuns,tom。i。
p。369—373andCardonne,Hist。del'Afrique,&c。,souslaDominationdesArabestom。ii。p。70—144。TheircommonoriginalappearstobeNovairi。]
[Footnote104:TripolisaystheNubiangeographer,ormoreproperlytheSherifalEdrisiurbsfortis,saxeomurovallata,sitapropelittusmarisHancexpugnavitRogerius,quimulieribuscaptivisductis,virosperemit。]
[Footnote105:SeethegeographyofLeoAfricanus,inRamusiotom。i。fol。74verso。fol。75,recto,andShaw'sTravels,p。
110,theviithbookofThuanus,andthexithoftheAbbedeVertot。ThepossessionanddefenceoftheplacewasofferedbyCharlesV。andwiselydeclinedbytheknightsofMalta。]
[Footnote106:PagihasaccuratelymarkedtheAfricanconquestsofRogerandhiscriticismwassuppliedbyhisfriendtheAbbedeLongueruewithsomeArabicmemorials,A。D。1147,No。26,27,A。D。1148,No。16,A。D。1153,No。16。]
[Footnote107:AppulusetCalaber,SiculusmihiservitetAfer。
Aproudinscription,whichdenotes,thattheNormanconquerorswerestilldiscriminatedfromtheirChristianandMoslemsubjects。]
[Footnote108:HugoFalcandusHist。Sicula,inMuratori,Script。
tom。vii。p。270,271ascribestheselossestotheneglectortreacheryoftheadmiralMajo。]
SincethedeceaseofRobertGuiscard,theNormanshadrelinquished,abovesixtyyears,theirhostiledesignsagainsttheempireoftheEast。ThepolicyofRogersolicitedapublicandprivateunionwiththeGreekprinces,whosealliancewoulddignifyhisregalcharacter:hedemandedinmarriageadaughteroftheComnenianfamily,andthefirststepsofthetreatyseemedtopromiseafavorableevent。Butthecontemptuoustreatmentofhisambassadorsexasperatedthevanityofthenewmonarch;andtheinsolenceoftheByzantinecourtwasexpiated,accordingtothelawsofnations,bythesufferingsofaguiltlesspeople。
^109Withthefleetofseventygalleys,George,theadmiralofSicily,appearedbeforeCorfu;andboththeislandandcityweredeliveredintohishandsbythedisaffectedinhabitants,whohadyettolearnthatasiegeisstillmorecalamitousthanatribute。Inthisinvasion,ofsomemomentintheannalsofcommerce,theNormansspreadthemselvesbysea,andovertheprovincesofGreece;andthevenerableageofAthens,Thebes,andCorinth,wasviolatedbyrapineandcruelty。OfthewrongsofAthens,nomemorialremains。Theancientwalls,whichencompassed,withoutguarding,theopulenceofThebes,werescaledbytheLatinChristians;buttheirsoleuseofthegospelwastosanctifyanoath,thatthelawfulownershadnotsecretedanyrelicoftheirinheritanceorindustry。OntheapproachoftheNormans,thelowertownofCorinthwasevacuated;theGreeksretiredtothecitadel,whichwasseatedonaloftyeminence,abundantlywateredbytheclassicfountainofPirene;animpregnablefortress,ifthewantofcouragecouldbebalancedbyanyadvantagesofartornature。Assoonasthebesiegershadsurmountedthelabortheirsolelaborofclimbingthehill,theirgeneral,fromthecommandingeminence,admiredhisownvictory,andtestifiedhisgratitudetoHeaven,bytearingfromthealtarthepreciousimageofTheodore,thetutelarysaint。
Thesilkweaversofbothsexes,whomGeorgetransportedtoSicily,composedthemostvaluablepartofthespoil;andincomparingtheskilfulindustryofthemechanicwiththeslothandcowardiceofthesoldier,hewasheardtoexclaimthatthedistaffandloomweretheonlyweaponswhichtheGreekswerecapableofusing。Theprogressofthisnavalarmamentwasmarkedbytwoconspicuousevents,therescueofthekingofFrance,andtheinsultoftheByzantinecapital。Inhisreturnbyseafromanunfortunatecrusade,LouistheSeventhwasinterceptedbytheGreeks,whobaselyviolatedthelawsofhonorandreligion。ThefortunateencounteroftheNormanfleetdeliveredtheroyalcaptive;andafterafreeandhonorableentertainmentinthecourtofSicily,LouiscontinuedhisjourneytoRomeandParis。
^110Intheabsenceoftheemperor,ConstantinopleandtheHellespontwereleftwithoutdefenceandwithoutthesuspicionofdanger。TheclergyandpeopleforthesoldiershadfollowedthestandardofManuelwereastonishedanddismayedatthehostileappearanceofalineofgalleys,whichboldlycastanchorinthefrontoftheImperialcity。TheforcesoftheSicilianadmiralwereinadequatetothesiegeorassaultofanimmenseandpopulousmetropolis;butGeorgeenjoyedthegloryofhumblingtheGreekarrogance,andofmarkingthepathofconquesttothenaviesoftheWest。Helandedsomesoldierstoriflethefruitsoftheroyalgardens,andpointedwithsilver,ormostprobablywithfire,thearrowswhichhedischargedagainstthepalaceoftheCaesars。^111ThisplayfuloutrageofthepiratesofSicily,whohadsurprisedanunguardedmoment,Manuelaffectedtodespise,whilehismartialspirit,andtheforcesoftheempire,wereawakenedtorevenge。TheArchipelagoandIonianSeawerecoveredwithhissquadronsandthoseofVenice;butIknownotbywhatfavorableallowanceoftransports,victuallers,andpinnaces,ourreason,orevenourfancy,canbereconciledtothestupendousaccountoffifteenhundredvessels,whichisproposedbyaByzantinehistorian。Theseoperationsweredirectedwithprudenceandenergy:inhishomewardvoyageGeorgelostnineteenofhisgalleys,whichwereseparatedandtaken:afteranobstinatedefence,Corfuimploredtheclemencyofherlawfulsovereign;norcouldaship,asoldier,oftheNormanprince,befound,unlessasacaptive,withinthelimitsoftheEasternempire。TheprosperityandthehealthofRogerwerealreadyinadecliningstate:whilehelistenedinhispalaceofPalermotothemessengersofvictoryordefeat,theinvincibleManuel,theforemostineveryassault,wascelebratedbytheGreeksandLatinsastheAlexanderortheHerculesoftheage。
[Footnote109:ThesilenceoftheSicilianhistorians,whoendtoosoon,orbegintoolate,mustbesuppliedbyOthoofFrisingen,aGerman,deGestisFredericiI。l。i。c。33,inMuratori,Script。tom。vi。p。668,theVenetianAndrewDandulus,Id。tom。xii。p。282,283andtheGreekwritersCinnamusl。
iii。c。2—5andNicetas,inManuel。l。iii。c。1—6。]
[Footnote110:TothisimperfectcaptureandspeedyrescueI
applyCinnamus,l。ii。c。19,p。49。Muratori,ontolerableevidence,Annalid'Italia,tom。ix。p。420,421,laughsatthedelicacyoftheFrench,whomaintain,marisquenulloimpedientepericuloadregnumpropriumreversumesse;yetIobservethattheiradvocate,Ducange,islesspositiveasthecommentatoronCinnamus,thanastheeditorofJoinville。]
[Footnote111:Inpalatiumregiumsagittasigneasinjecit,saysDandulus;butNicetasl。ii。c。8,p。66transformsthem,andadds,thatManuelstyledthisinsult。Thesearrows,bythecompiler,VincentdeBeauvais,areagaintransmutedintogold。]
ChapterLVI:TheSaracens,TheFranksAndTheNormans。
PartV。
AprinceofsuchatempercouldnotbesatisfiedwithhavingrepelledtheinsolenceofaBarbarian。Itwastherightandduty,itmightbetheinterestandglory,ofManueltorestoretheancientmajestyoftheempire,torecovertheprovincesofItalyandSicily,andtochastisethispretendedking,thegrandsonofaNormanvassal。^112ThenativesofCalabriawerestillattachedtotheGreeklanguageandworship,whichhadbeeninexorablyproscribedbytheLatinclergy:afterthelossofherdukes,ApuliawaschainedasaservileappendagetothecrownofSicily;thefounderofthemonarchyhadruledbythesword;andhisdeathhadabatedthefear,withouthealingthediscontent,ofhissubjects:thefeudalgovernmentwasalwayspregnantwiththeseedsofrebellion;andanephewofRogerhimselfinvitedtheenemiesofhisfamilyandnation。Themajestyofthepurple,andaseriesofHungarianandTurkishwars,preventedManuelfromembarkinghispersonintheItalianexpedition。TothebraveandnoblePalaeologus,hislieutenant,theGreekmonarchintrustedafleetandarmy:thesiegeofBariwashisfirstexploit;and,ineveryoperation,goldaswellassteelwastheinstrumentofvictory。Salerno,andsomeplacesalongthewesterncoast,maintainedtheirfidelitytotheNormanking;buthelostintwocampaignsthegreaterpartofhiscontinentalpossessions;andthemodestemperor,disdainingallflatteryandfalsehood,wascontentwiththereductionofthreehundredcitiesorvillagesofApuliaandCalabria,whosenamesandtitleswereinscribedonallthewallsofthepalace。TheprejudicesoftheLatinsweregratifiedbyagenuineorfictitiousdonationunderthesealoftheGermanCaesars;^113butthesuccessorofConstantinesoonrenouncedthisignominiouspretence,claimedtheindefeasibledominionofItaly,andprofessedhisdesignofchasingtheBarbariansbeyondtheAlps。Bytheartfulspeeches,liberalgifts,andunboundedpromises,oftheirEasternally,thefreecitieswereencouragedtopersevereintheirgenerousstruggleagainstthedespotismofFredericBarbarossa:thewallsofMilanwererebuiltbythecontributionsofManuel;andhepoured,saysthehistorian,ariverofgoldintothebosomofAncona,whoseattachmenttotheGreekswasfortifiedbythejealousenmityoftheVenetians。^114ThesituationandtradeofAnconarendereditanimportantgarrisonintheheartofItaly:itwastwicebesiegedbythearmsofFrederic;theimperialforcesweretwicerepulsedbythespiritoffreedom;thatspiritwasanimatedbytheambassadorofConstantinople;andthemostintrepidpatriots,themostfaithfulservants,wererewardedbythewealthandhonorsoftheByzantinecourt。^115TheprideofManueldisdainedandrejectedaBarbariancolleague;hisambitionwasexcitedbythehopeofstrippingthepurplefromtheGermanusurpers,andofestablishing,intheWest,asintheEast,hislawfultitleofsoleemperoroftheRomans。Withthisview,hesolicitedtheallianceofthepeopleandthebishopofRome。SeveralofthenoblesembracedthecauseoftheGreekmonarch;thesplendidnuptialsofhisniecewithOdoFrangipanisecuredthesupportofthatpowerfulfamily,^116andhisroyalstandardorimagewasentertainedwithduereverenceintheancientmetropolis。^117
DuringthequarrelbetweenFredericandAlexandertheThird,thepopetwicereceivedintheVaticantheambassadorsofConstantinople。Theyflatteredhispietybythelong—promisedunionofthetwochurches,temptedtheavariceofhisvenalcourt,andexhortedtheRomanpontifftoseizethejustprovocation,thefavorablemoment,tohumblethesavageinsolenceoftheAlemanniandtoacknowledgethetruerepresentativeofConstantineandAugustus。^118
[Footnote112:FortheinvasionofItaly,whichisalmostoverlookedbyNicetasseethemorepolitehistoryofCinnamus,l。iv。c。1—15,p。78—101,whointroducesadiffusenarrativebyaloftyprofession,iii。5。]
[Footnote113:TheLatin,Otho,deGestisFredericiI。l。ii。c。
30,p。734,atteststheforgery;theGreek,Cinnamus,l。iv。c。
1,p。78,claimsapromiseofrestitutionfromConradandFrederic。AnactoffraudisalwayscrediblewhenitistoldoftheGreeks。]
[Footnote114:QuodAncontianiGraecumimperiumnimisdiligerent……VenetispecialiodioAnconamoderunt。Thecauseoflove,perhapsofenvy,werethebeneficia,flumenaureumoftheemperor;andtheLatinnarrativeisconfirmedbyCinnamus,l。
iv。c。14,p。98。]
[Footnote115:MuratorimentionsthetwosiegesofAncona;thefirst,in1167,againstFredericI。inpersonAnnali,tom。x。p。
39,&c。;thesecond,in1173,againsthislieutenantChristian,archbishopofMentz,amanunworthyofhisnameandoffice,p。
76,&c。Itisofthesecondsiegethatwepossessanoriginalnarrative,whichhehaspublishedinhisgreatcollection,tom。
vi。p。921—946。]
[Footnote116:WederivethisanecdotefromananonymouschronicleofFossaNova,publishedbyMuratori,Script。Ital。
tom。vii。p。874。]
[Footnote117:Cinnamusl。iv。c。14,p。99issusceptibleofthisdoublesense。AstandardismoreLatin,animagemoreGreek。]
[Footnote118:Nihilominusquoquepetebat,utquiaoccasiojustaettemposopportunumetacceptabileseobtulerant,Romanicoronaimperiiasanctoapostolosibiredderetur;quoniamnonadFredericiAlemanni,sedadsuumjusasseruitpertinere,Vit。
AlexandriIII。aCardinal。Arragoniae,inScript。RerumItal。
tom。iii。par。i。p。458。Hissecondembassywasaccompaniedcumimmensamultitudinepecuniarum。]
ButtheseItalianconquests,thisuniversalreign,soonescapedfromthehandoftheGreekemperor。HisfirstdemandswereeludedbytheprudenceofAlexandertheThird,whopausedonthisdeepandmomentousrevolution;^119norcouldthepopebeseducedbyapersonaldisputetorenouncetheperpetualinheritanceoftheLatinname。AfterthereunionwithFrederic,hespokeamoreperemptorylanguage,confirmedtheactsofhispredecessors,excommunicatedtheadherentsofManuel,andpronouncedthefinalseparationofthechurches,oratleasttheempires,ofConstantinopleandRome。^120ThefreecitiesofLombardynolongerrememberedtheirforeignbenefactor,andwithoutpreservingthefriendshipofAncona,hesoonincurredtheenmityofVenice。^121Byhisownavarice,orthecomplaintsofhissubjects,theGreekemperorwasprovokedtoarrestthepersons,andconfiscatetheeffects,oftheVenetianmerchants。
Thisviolationofthepublicfaithexasperatedafreeandcommercialpeople:onehundredgalleyswerelaunchedandarmedinasmanydays;theysweptthecoastsofDalmatiaandGreece:butaftersomemutualwounds,thewarwasterminatedbyanagreement,inglorioustotheempire,insufficientfortherepublic;andacompletevengeanceoftheseandoffreshinjurieswasreservedforthesucceedinggeneration。ThelieutenantofManuelhadinformedhissovereignthathewasstrongenoughtoquellanydomesticrevoltofApuliaandCalabria;butthathisforceswereinadequatetoresisttheimpendingattackofthekingofSicily。
Hisprophecywassoonverified:thedeathofPalaeologusdevolvedthecommandonseveralchiefs,alikeeminentinrank,alikedefectiveinmilitarytalents;theGreekswereoppressedbylandandsea;andacaptiveremnantthatescapedtheswordsoftheNormansandSaracens,abjuredallfuturehostilityagainstthepersonordominionsoftheirconqueror。^122YetthekingofSicilyesteemedthecourageandconstancyofManuel,whohadlandedasecondarmyontheItalianshore;herespectfullyaddressedthenewJustinian;solicitedapeaceortruceofthirtyyears,acceptedasagifttheregaltitle;andacknowledgedhimselfthemilitaryvassaloftheRomanempire。^123TheByzantineCaesarsacquiescedinthisshadowofdominion,withoutexpecting,perhapswithoutdesiring,theserviceofaNormanarmy;andthetruceofthirtyyearswasnotdisturbedbyanyhostilitiesbetweenSicilyandConstantinople。Abouttheendofthatperiod,thethroneofManuelwasusurpedbyaninhumantyrant,whohaddeservedtheabhorrenceofhiscountryandmankind:theswordofWilliamtheSecond,thegrandsonofRoger,wasdrawnbyafugitiveoftheComnenianrace;andthesubjectsofAndronicusmightsalutethestrangersasfriends,sincetheydetestedtheirsovereignastheworstofenemies。TheLatinhistorians^124expatiateontherapidprogressofthefourcountswhoinvadedRomaniawithafleetandarmy,andreducedmanycastlesandcitiestotheobedienceofthekingofSicily。
TheGreeks^125accuseandmagnifythewantonandsacrilegiouscrueltiesthatwereperpetratedinthesackofThessalonica,thesecondcityoftheempire。Theformerdeplorethefateofthoseinvinciblebutunsuspectingwarriorswhoweredestroyedbytheartsofavanquishedfoe。Thelatterapplaud,insongsoftriumph,therepeatedvictoriesoftheircountrymenontheSeaofMarmoraorPropontis,onthebanksoftheStrymon,andunderthewallsofDurazzo。ArevolutionwhichpunishedthecrimesofAndronicus,hadunitedagainsttheFranksthezealandcourageofthesuccessfulinsurgents:tenthousandwereslaininbattle,andIsaacAngelus,thenewemperor,mightindulgehisvanityorvengeanceinthetreatmentoffourthousandcaptives。SuchwastheeventofthelastcontestbetweentheGreeksandNormans:
beforetheexpirationoftwentyyears,therivalnationswerelostordegradedinforeignservitude;andthesuccessorsofConstantinedidnotlongsurvivetoinsultthefalloftheSicilianmonarchy。
[Footnote119:Nimisaltaetperplexasunt,Vit。AlexandriIII。
p。460,461,saysthecautiouspope。]
[Footnote120:Cinnamus,l。iv。c。14,p。99。]
[Footnote121:Inhisvithbook,CinnamusdescribestheVenetianwar,whichNicetashasnotthoughtworthyofhisattention。TheItalianaccounts,whichdonotsatisfyourcuriosity,arereportedbytheannalistMuratori,undertheyears1171,&c。]
[Footnote122:ThisvictoryismentionedbyRomualdofSalerno,inMuratori,Script。Ital。tom。vii。p。198。Itiswhimsicalenough,thatinthepraiseofthekingofSicily,Cinnamusl。
iv。c。13,p。97,98ismuchwarmerandcopiousthanFalcandus,p。268,270。ButtheGreekisfondofdescription,andtheLatinhistorianisnotfondofWilliamtheBad。]
[Footnote123:FortheepistleofWilliamI。seeCinnamusl。iv。
c。15,p。101,102andNicetas,l。ii。c。8。Itisdifficulttoaffirm,whethertheseGreeksdeceivedthemselves,orthepublic,intheseflatteringportraitsofthegrandeuroftheempire。]
[Footnote124:Icanonlyquote,oforiginalevidence,thepoorchroniclesofSicardofCremona,p。603,andofFossaNova,p。
875,astheyarepublishedintheviithtomeofMuratori'shistorians。ThekingofSicilysenthistroopscontranequitiamAndronici……adacquirendumimperiumC。P。Theywere……
decepticaptique,byIsaac。]
[Footnote125:BythefailureofCinnamustoNicetasinAndronico,l……c。7,8,9,l。ii。c。1,inIsaacAngelo,l。i。
c。1—4,whonowbecomesarespectablecontemporary。Ashesurvivedtheemperorandtheempire,heisaboveflattery;butthefallofConstantinopleexasperatedhisprejudicesagainsttheLatins。ForthehonoroflearningIshallobservethatHomer'sgreatcommentator,EustathiasarchbishopofThessalonica,refusedtodeserthisflock。]
ThesceptreofRogersuccessivelydevolvedtohissonandgrandson:theymightbeconfoundedunderthenameofWilliam:
theyarestronglydiscriminatedbytheepithetsofthebadandthegood;buttheseepithets,whichappeartodescribetheperfectionofviceandvirtue,cannotstrictlybeappliedtoeitheroftheNormanprinces。Whenhewasrousedtoarmsbydangerandshame,thefirstWilliamdidnotdegeneratefromthevalorofhisrace;buthistemperwasslothful;hismannersweredissolute;hispassionsheadstrongandmischievous;andthemonarchisresponsible,notonlyforhispersonalvices,butforthoseofMajo,thegreatadmiral,whoabusedtheconfidence,andconspiredagainstthelife,ofhisbenefactor。FromtheArabianconquest,SicilyhadimbibedadeeptinctureofOrientalmanners;