"TH

HE extreme length of the Euxine fea, from Conftantinople to the mouth of the Phafis, may be computed as a voyage of nine days, and a measure of feven hundred miles. From the Iberian Caucafus, the most lofty and craggy mountains of Asia, that river defcends with fuch oblique vehemence, that in a fhort space it is traverfed by one hundred and twenty bridges. Nor does the stream become placid and navigable, till it reaches the town of Sarapana, five days journey from the Cyrus, which flows from the fame hills, but in a contrary direction, to the Cafpian lake. The proximity of these rivers has fuggefted the practice, or at least the idea, of wafting the precious merchandise of India down the Oxus, over the Cafpian, up the Cyrus, and with the current of the Phafis into the Euxine and Mediterranean fras. As it fucceffively collects the streams of the plain of Colchos, the Phafis moves with diminished peed, though accumulated weight. At the mouth it is fixty fathom deep, and half a league broad, but a small woody ifland is interpofed in the midst of the channel: the water, fo foon as it has depofited an earthy or metallic fe

diment, floats on the furface of the waves, and is no longer fucceptible of corruption. In a courfe of one hundred miles, forty of which are navigable for large vetfels, the Phafis divides the celebrated region of Colchos, or Mingrelia, which, on three fides, is fortified by the Iberian and Armenian mountains, and whofe maritime coaft extends about two hundred miles, from the neighbourhood of Trebizond to Diofcurias, and the confines of Circaffia. Both the foil and climate are relaxed by exceffive moisture: twenty-eight rivers, befides the Phafis and his dependent ftreams, convey their waters to the fea; and the hollowness of the ground appears to indicate the fubterraneous channels between the Euxine and the Cafpian. In the fields where wheat or barley is fown, the earth is too foft to fuftain the action of the plough; but the go, a finall grain, not unlike the millet or coriander-feed, fupplies the ordinary food of the people; and the ufe of bread is confined to the prince and his nobles. Yet the vintage is more plentiful than the harvest; and the bulk of the ftems, as well as the quality of the wine, difplay the unaffifted powers of nature.The fame powers continually tend

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to overfhadow the face of the country with thick forefts; the timber of the hills, and the flax of the plains, contribute to the abundance of naval ftores; the wild and tame animals, the horse, the ox, and the hog, are remarkably prolific, and the name of the pheafant is expreffive of his native habitation on the banks of the Phafis. The gold mines to the fouth of Trebizond, which are still worked with fufficient profit, were a fubject of national difpute between Juftinian and Chofroes; and it is not unreasonable to believe, that a vein of precious metal may be equally diffufed through the circle of hills, although thefe fecret treasures are neglected by the lazinefs, or concealed by the prudence, of the Mingrelians. The waters, impregnated with particles of gold, are carefully ftrained through sheepskins or fleeces; but this expedient, the ground-work perhaps of a marvellous fable, affords a faint image of the wealth extracted from a virgin earth, by the power and induftry of ancient kings. Their filver palaces and golden chambers furpafs our belief; but the fame of their riches is faid to have excited the enterprifing avarice of the Argonauts. Tradition has affirmed, with fome colour of reafon, that Egypt planted on the Phafis, a learned and polite colony, which manufactured linen, built navies, and invented geographical maps. The ingenuity of the moderns has peopled, with flourifhing cities and nations, the ifthmus between the Euxine and the Cafpian; and the lively writer, obferving the resemblance of climate, and in his apprehenfion, of trade, has not hefituated to pronounce Colchos the Holland of antiquity.

history presents an uniform scene of rudeness and poverty. If one hundred and thirty languages were spoken in the market of Diofcurias, they were the imperfect idioms of fo many favage tribes or families, fequeftered from each other in the vallies of mount Caucafus; and their feparation, which diminished the importance, must have multiplied the number, of their ruftic capitals. In the present state of Mingrelia, a village is an affemblage of huts within a wooden fence; the fortreffes are feated in the depth of forefts; the princely town of Cyta, or Cotatis, confifts of two hundred houfes, and a ftone edifice appertains only to the magnificence of kings. Twelve fhips from Conftantinople, and about fixty barks, laden with the fruits of induftry, annually caft anchor on the coaft; and the lift of Colchian exports is much increased, fince the natives had only flaves and hides to offer in exchange for the corn and falt which they purchased from the fubjects of Juftinian. Not a veftige can be found of the art, the knowledge, or the navigation, of the ancient Colchians: few Greeks defired or dared to pursue the footfteps of the Argonauts; and even the marks of an Egyptian colony, are loft on a nearer approach. The rite of circumcifion is practifed only. by the Mahometans of the Euxine; and the curled hair and fwarthy complexion of Africa no longer dif figure the most perfect of the human race. It is in the adjacent climates of Georgia, Mingrelia, and Circaffia, that nature has placed, at leaft to our eyes, the model of beauty, in the fhade of the limbs, the colour of the fkin, the fymmetry of the features, and the expreffion of the countenance. According to the deftination of the two fexes, the men feem forn.ed for action, the women

"But the riches of Colchos fhine only through the darkness of conjecture or tradition; and its genuine

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for love; and the perpetual fupply of females from mount Caucafus, has purified the blood, and improved the breed, of the fouthern nations of Afia. The proper diftrict of Mingrelia, a portion only of the ancient Colchos, has long fuftained an exportation of twelve thousand flaves. The number of prisoners or criminals would be inadequate to the annual demand; but the common people are in a state of fervitude to their lords; the exercise of fraud or rapine is unpunished in a lawless community; and the market is continually replenished by the abufe of civil and paternal authority. Such a trade, which reduces the hunan fpecies to the level of cattle, may tend to encourage marriage and population; fince the multitude of children enriches their fordid and inhuman parent. But this fource of impure wealth muft inevitably poifon the national manners, obliterate the fenfe of honour and virtue, and almost extinguish the instincts of nature. The Chriftians of Georgia and Mingrelia are the moft diffolute of mankind; and their children, who, in a tender age, are fold into foreign flavery, have already learnt to imitate the rapine of the father, and the proftitution of the mother.

Yet, amidst the rudeft ignorance, the untaught natives difcover a fingular dexterity both of mind and hand; and although the want of union and difcipline expofes them to their more powerful neighbours, a bold and intrepid fpirit has animated the Colchians of every age. In the hoft of Xerxes, they ferved on foot; and their arms were a dagger or a javelin, a wooden cafque, and a buckler of raw hides. But in their own country, the use of cavalry has more generally prevailed: the meaneft of the peasants difdain to walk; 'the martial nobles are poffeffed, perhaps, of two hundred horfes; and above five thousand are numbered in the train of the prince of Mingrelia. The Colchian government has been always a pure and hereditary kingdom; and the authority of the fovereign is only reftrained by the turbulence of his fubjects. Whenever they were obedient, he could lead a numerous army into the field; but fome faith is requifite to believe, that the fingle tribe of the Suanians was compofed of two hundred thousand foldiers, or that the population of Mirgre lia, now amounts to four millions of inhabitants.”

their gods for the God of the Chriftians; and the dukes of Normandy acknowledged themselves the valfals of the fucceffors of Charlemange and Capet. The favage fiercenefs which they had brought from the fnowy mountains of Norway, was refined, without being corrupted, in a warmer climate; the companions of Rollo infenfibly mingled with the natives; they imbibed the manners, language, and gallantry of the French nation; and, in a martial age, the Normans might claim the palm of valour and glorious atchievements. Of the fashionable fuperftitions, they embraced with ardour the pilgrimages of Rome, Italy, and the Holy Land. In this active devotion, their minds and bodies were invigorated by exercife: danger was the incentive, novelty the recompence: and the profpect of the world was decorated by wonder, credulity, and ambitious hope. They confederated for their mutual defence; and the robbers of the Alps, who had been allured by the garb of a pilgrim, were often chaftifed by the arm of a warrior. In one of thefe pious vifits to the cavern of mount Garganus in Apulia, which had been fanctified by the apparition of the archangel Michael, they were accofted by a stranger in the Greek habit, but who foon revealed himself as a rebel, a fugitive, and a mortal foe of the Greek empire. His name was Melo; a noble citizen of Bari, who, after an unfuccefsful revolt, was compelled to feek new allies and avengers of his country. The bold appearance of the Normans revived his hopes and folicited his confidence they liftened to the complaints, and ftill more to the promifes, of the patriot. The affurance of wealth demonftrated the justice of his cause; and they viewed as the inheritance of the brave,

the fruitful land which was oppreffed by effeminate tyrants. On their return to Normandy, they kindled a fpark of enterprife; and a fmall but intrepid band was freely affociated for the deliverance of Apulia. They paffed the Alps by feparate roads, and in the difguife of pilgrims; but in the neighbourhood of Rome they were faluted by the chief of Bari, who fupplied the more indigent with arms and horfes, and inftantly led them to the field of action. In the first conflict, their valour prevailed; but in the fecond engagement they were overwhelmed by the numbers and military engines of the Greeks, and indignantly retreated with their faces to the enemy. The unfortunate Melo ended his life, a fuppliant at the court of Germany: his Norman followers, excluded from their native and their promifed land, wandered among the hills and vallies of Italy, and earned their daily fubfiftence by the fword. To that formidable fword, the princes of Capua, Beneventum, Salerno, and Naples, alternately appealed in their domeftic quarrels; the fuperior fpirit and difcipline of the Normans gave victory to the fide which they efpoused; and their cautious policy obferved the balance of power, left the preponderance of any rival state should render their aid lefs important and their fervice lefs profitable. Their firft afylum was a ftrong camp in the depth of the marfhes of Campania; but they were foon endowed by the liberality of the duke of Naples with a more plentiful and permanent feat. Eight miles from his refidence, as a bulwark against Capua, the town of Averfa was built and fortified for their ufe; and they enjoyed as their own, the corn and fruits, the meadows and groves, of that fertile diftrict. The report of D4

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their fuccefs attracted every year new fwarms of pilgrims and foldiers: the poor were urged by neceffity; the rich were excited by hope; and the brave and active fpirits of Normandy were impatient of eafe and ambitious of renown. The independent standard of Averfa afforded fhelter and encouragement to the outlaws of the province, to every fugitive who had efcaped from the injuftice or juftice of his fuperiors; and thefe foreign affociates were quickly affimilated in manners and language to the Gallic colony. The firft leader of the Normans was count Rainulf; and in the origin of fociety, pre-eminence of rank is the reward and the proof of fuperior merit.

"Since the conqueft of Sicily by the Arabs, the Grecian emperors had been anxious to regain that valuable poffeffion; but their efforts, however ftrenuous, had been opposed by the distance and the fea. Their coftly armaments, after a gleam of fuccefs, added new pages of calamity and difgrace to the Byzantine annals: twenty thoufand of their best troops were loft in a fingle expedition; and the victorious Moflems derided the policy of a nation, which entrusted eunuchs not only with the cuftody of their women, but with the command of their men. After a reign of two hundred years, the Saracens were ruined by their divifions. The emir difclaimed the authority of the king of Tunis; the people rofe against the emir; the cities were ufurped by the chiefs; each meaner rebel was independent in his village or caftle; and the weaker of two rival brothers ime plored the friendship of the Chriftians. In every fervice of danger, the Normans were prompt and ufeful; and five hundred knights, or warriors on horfeback, were enrolled

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by Arduin, the agent and interpreter of the Greeks, under the standard of Marriaces, governor of Lombardy. Before their landing, the brothers were reconciled; the union of Sicily and Africa was restored; and the ifland was guarded to the water's edge. The Normans led the the van, and the Arabs of Meflina felt the valour of an untried foe. In a fecond action the emir of Syracufe was unhorfed, and tranfpierced by the iron arm of William of Hauteville. In a third engagement, his intrepid companions difcomfited the hoft of fixty thousand Saracens, and left the Greeks no more than the labour of the purfuit: a fplendid victory; but of which the pen of the hiftorian may divide the merit with the lance of the Normans. It is, however, true, that they effentially promoted the fuccefs of Maniaces, who reduced thirteen cities and the greater part of Sicily 'under the obedience of the emperor. But his military fame was fullied by ingratitude and tyranny. In the divifion of the fpoil, the deferts of his brave auxiliaries were forgotten; and nei、 ther their avarice nor their pride could brook this injurious treatment. They complained, by the mouth of their interpreter: their complaint was difregarded; their interpreter was fcourged; the fufferings were his; the infult and refent, ment belonged to those whofe fentiments he had delivered. Yet they diffembled till they had obtained, or ftolen, a fafe paffage to the Italian continent: their brethren of Averfa fympathifed in their indignation, and the province of Apulia was invaded as the forfeit of the debt, Above twenty years after the first emigration, the Normans took the field with no more than feven hundred horfe and five hundred foot; and after the recall of the Byzantine legions,