Heg.1127. Notwith offices of VI. the clare war republic of going to attack Hungary and the dominions of 1.C. 1715. the emperor Charles VI. the grand vizier was afraid that this power would arm for its own ftanding fafety and afterward lend its forces as auxiliaries the good to the republic of Venice; he perfuaded the ful- Charles tan to fend an ambaffador to Charles VI. to affure that prince of the fidelity of the Porte to all its against the engagements, and the defire which it had to con- Venice. tinue on good terms with Germany. The emperor feemed fatisfied with these proteftations. But the report having spread throughout Europet hat the Turks were preparing to make a defcent upon the Morea, Charles VI. offered his mediation to engage the Venetians to fatisfy the Porte for the complaints which that court fo loudly made. The Turks, who feared confederates, were ftill lefs defirous of mediators. In vain did Charles VI. caufe the fultan to be told, that, as guarantee of the treaty of Carlowitz, it belonged to him to know the difference that had arifen between the Venetians and the Porte: he could get no other reply from the divan than an affurance of inviolable fidelity. Coumourgi, believing himself fure that the German monarch, more interested in repairing his provinces than in protecting his allies, would not be fo foon in a fituation to begin a war, fent for the Venetian ambaffador, Andrew Memmo, and, after making fevere complaints against the fenate of Venice, whom he accused of having affifted the rebels who had been punished more Ff than VOL. IV. J.C. 1715 than three months before, declared plainly to the The grand vizier ac this decla an apo logue. The Vene tian am- Two able boxers, faid he to the ambaffador, companies having challenged each other, ftripped to be ration with more at their ease. The brother of one of them, who was a child without ftrength, but not without malice, took advantage of the combat to off the clothes of the adverfary. The two carry champions fhewed nearly equal force. But when the battle was over, one of them found himself deprived of his best garments. As he was croffing the town, almost naked, he met his robber impudently dreffed in the theft which he had thought he might make without any rifk. The boxer, irritated, feized the robber, ftripped him, not without well beating him, and recovered with joy the clothes which he had loft. This is what the emperor my mafter hopes to do foon, added he; and he gives you twenty days to go and warn your republic of it. The ambaffador withdrew confused, congratulating himself however, that, contrary to the ufage of the Turks, he was to be fent back into his own country instead of being imprisoned; but his joy was but of fhort duration; for the fecond day after the audience, he was arrested, with most of his retinue, in order, as they told him, that he might answer for the fubjects of the grand feignior who might happen happen to be in the Venetian dominions. This J.C. 1715. Heg.1127. ambaffador was conducted, firft to the prifon in the arsenal, and afterward to the caftle of the Dardanelles. the Otto Weakness Achmet, befides ninety fultanas and fixty gal- State of leys which he had in the port of Conftantinople, manforces. and of which he had caufed more than the half of the to be recently built, had had time to affemble Venetians. two hundred thousand men, in Afia and Europe. He divided his troops into three corps, one of which, confifting of feventy thoufand men, was to make war with the Venetians; another to cover the frontiers of Hungary, Transylvania, and Poland, in cafe any motions were made by the ancient allies; and the third was intended to remain in the plains of Adrianople, under the eyes of the monarch, both to recruit that which was fent against the enemy, and to accompany the prince in cafe circumftances should oblige him to take the field. Venice, which was lulled into a fatal fecurity, had not time to levy troops fufficient to refift the firft efforts. Hierome Delphino, proveditor general of the Morea, had only eight thousand men to defend all that country. As foon as he learned that the Turkish fleet was approaching, he diftributed thefe few forces in the places of most importance in his government, fuch as Corinth, Napoli di Romania, Malvafia, and Modon the caftle of the Morea. His whole naval force confifted only of eleven galleys very badly equipped, and eight veffels. Ff2 VOL. IV. Fourteen Venetian J.C.1715. Venetian and Genoese men of war, and fix Mal- The Morea is tak Whilft the proveditor was waiting with his en in one fleet in the port of Elfimino, to be in readiness to campaign. cover which either fide fhould be most in need, the captain bafhaw arrived before Cerigo, the ancient Cytherea. He found but little obftacle to his debarcation. The governor furrendered the place on the firft fummons. The captain bafhaw caused it to be dismantled as foon as it had furrendered, and he transported two hundred families to Africa. Meanwhile the grand vizier, with seventy thoufand men, entered the ifthmus of Corinth, and took that place while the captain bafhaw made himself master of Napoli di Romania. All the towns of the Morea had foon the fame lot. Never was there a conqueft more fudden or more eafy. It was principally owing to the flowness of the fenate of Venice, who would never believe that the preparations of the Turks menaced the Morea, and to the refentment of the Greek Christians against the Latins. As the Greeks were greatly perfecuted by the latter for the exercife of their rite, they wifhed to change mafter; -and Heg.1127. and they gave the Turks all the information in J.C. 1715. their power for attacking the places, furprising the magazines, and penetrating into the country. The advantages of the Turks in the Morea were feebly balanced by the bad fuccefs which the bashaw of Bofnia had in Dalmatia. Four fieges of fmall places, which he attempted fucceffively, were all raised. Heg.1128. folves to Venetians. The winter was employed by the Venetians in J.c. 1716. foliciting the protection and fuccour of their an- Charles cient allies, and in getting fome regiments from VI. rethe Swifs, Grifons, and princes of Germany, affift the They obtained no other fuccour from the pope, than permiffion to raise a tenth on their own clergy. With this money, and what they found in the public treasury, they raised thirty thousand troops; but the most important step was to make Charles VI. declare himfelf, as guarantee of the treaty of Carlowitz, which the Turks had infringed the first. The emperor of the West, whom the Venetian ambaffador earneftly preffed to declare himself, confulted his council feveral times. Prince Eugene was ftrongly against abandoning the Venetians. He faid, that the glory of the houfe of Auftria was interested in the defence of allies who had faithfully fulfilled the conditions of the treaty with Leopold, and that the hereditary dominions of Charles VI. muft neceffarily be expofed by the progress of the Turks. It was clear that these Infidels, heretofore overcome by the confederate powers, were feeking |