[Footnote22:IntheirletterstotheemperorFredericIII。theHungariansslay80,000Turksinonebattle;butthemodestJulianreducestheslaughterto6000oreven2000infidels,AeneasSylviusinEurop。c。5,andepist。44,81,apudSpondanum。]
[Footnote23:SeetheoriginoftheTurkishwar,andthefirstexpeditionofLadislaus,inthevthandvithbooksoftheiiiddecadofBonfinius,who,inhisdivisionandstyle,copiesLivywithtolerablesuccessCallimachusl。iip。487—496isstillmorepureandauthentic。]
Duringthewholetransaction,thecardinallegatehadobservedasullensilence,unwillingtoapprove,andunabletooppose,theconsentofthekingandpeople。ButthedietwasnotdissolvedbeforeJulianwasfortifiedbythewelcomeintelligence,thatAnatoliawasinvadedbytheCaramanian,andThracebytheGreekemperor;thatthefleetsofGenoa,Venice,andBurgundy,weremastersoftheHellespont;andthattheallies,informedofthevictory,andignorantofthetreaty,ofLadislaus,impatientlywaitedforthereturnofhisvictoriousarmy。\"Andisitthus,\"exclaimedthecardinal,^24\"thatyouwilldeserttheirexpectationsandyourownfortune?Itistothem,toyourGod,andyourfellow—Christians,thatyouhavepledgedyourfaith;andthatpriorobligationannihilatesarashandsacrilegiousoathtotheenemiesofChrist。HisvicaronearthistheRomanpontiff;withoutwhosesanctionyoucanneitherpromisenorperform。InhisnameIabsolveyourperjuryandsanctifyyourarms:followmyfootstepsinthepathsofgloryandsalvation;andifstillyehavescruples,devolveonmyheadthepunishmentandthesin。\"Thismischievouscasuistrywassecondedbyhisrespectablecharacter,andthelevityofpopularassemblies:warwasresolved,onthesamespotwherepeacehadsolatelybeensworn;and,intheexecutionofthetreaty,theTurkswereassaultedbytheChristians;towhom,withsomereason,theymightapplytheepithetofInfidels。ThefalsehoodofLadislaustohiswordandoathwaspalliatedbythereligionofthetimes:
themostperfect,oratleastthemostpopular,excusewouldhavebeenthesuccessofhisarmsandthedeliveranceoftheEasternchurch。Butthesametreatywhichshouldhaveboundhisconsciencehaddiminishedhisstrength。Ontheproclamationofthepeace,theFrenchandGermanvolunteersdepartedwithindignantmurmurs:thePoleswereexhaustedbydistantwarfare,andperhapsdisgustedwithforeigncommand;andtheirpalatinesacceptedthefirstlicense,andhastilyretiredtotheirprovincesandcastles。EvenHungarywasdividedbyfaction,orrestrainedbyalaudablescruple;andtherelicsofthecrusadethatmarchedinthesecondexpeditionwerereducedtoaninadequateforceoftwentythousandmen。AWalachianchief,whojoinedtheroyalstandardwithhisvassals,presumedtoremarkthattheirnumbersdidnotexceedthehuntingretinuethatsometimesattendedthesultan;andthegiftoftwohorsesofmatchlessspeedmightadmonishLadislausofhissecretforesightoftheevent。ButthedespotofServia,aftertherestorationofhiscountryandchildren,wastemptedbythepromiseofnewrealms;andtheinexperienceoftheking,theenthusiasmofthelegate,andthemartialpresumptionofHuniadeshimself,werepersuadedthateveryobstaclemustyieldtotheinvinciblevirtueoftheswordandthecross。AfterthepassageoftheDanube,tworoadsmightleadtoConstantinopleandtheHellespont:theonedirect,abrupt,anddifficultthroughthemountainsofHaemus;
theothermoretediousandsecure,overalevelcountry,andalongtheshoresoftheEuxine;inwhichtheirflanks,accordingtotheScythiandiscipline,mightalwaysbecoveredbyamovablefortificationofwagons。Thelatterwasjudiciouslypreferred:
theCatholicsmarchedthroughtheplainsofBulgaria,burning,withwantoncruelty,thechurchesandvillagesoftheChristiannatives;andtheirlaststationwasatWarna,nearthesea—shore;
onwhichthedefeatanddeathofLadislaushavebestowedamemorablename。^25
[Footnote24:IdonotpretendtowarranttheliteralaccuracyofJulian\'sspeech,whichisvariouslywordedbyCallimachus,l。
iii。p。505—507,Bonfinius,dec。iii。l。vi。p。457,458,
andotherhistorians,whomightindulgetheirowneloquence,whiletheyrepresentoneoftheoratorsoftheage。Buttheyallagreeintheadviceandargumentsforperjury,whichinthefieldofcontroversyarefiercelyattackedbytheProtestants,andfeeblydefendedbytheCatholics。ThelatterarediscouragedbythemisfortuneofWarna]
[Footnote25:Warna,undertheGreciannameofOdessus,wasacolonyoftheMilesians,whichtheydenominatedfromtheheroUlysses,Cellarius,tom。i。p。374。D\'Anville,tom。i。p。312。
AccordingtoArrian\'sPeriplusoftheEuxine,p。24,25,inthefirstvolumeofHudson\'sGeographers,itwassituate1740
stadia,orfurlongs,fromthemouthoftheDanube,2140fromByzantium,and360tothenorthofaridgeofpromontoryofMountHaemus,whichadvancesintothesea。]
ChapterLXVII:SchismOfTheGreeksAndLatins。
PartII。
Itwasonthisfatalspot,that,insteadoffindingaconfederatefleettosecondtheiroperations,theywerealarmedbytheapproachofAmurathhimself,whohadissuedfromhisMagnesiansolitude,andtransportedtheforcesofAsiatothedefenceofEurope。Accordingtosomewriters,theGreekemperorhadbeenawed,orseduced,tograntthepassageoftheBosphorus;
andanindeliblestainofcorruptionisfixedontheGenoese,orthepope\'snephew,theCatholicadmiral,whosemercenaryconnivancebetrayedtheguardoftheHellespont。FromAdrianople,thesultanadvancedbyhastymarches,attheheadofsixtythousandmen;andwhenthecardinal,andHuniades,hadtakenanearersurveyofthenumbersandorderoftheTurks,theseardentwarriorsproposedthetardyandimpracticablemeasureofaretreat。Thekingalonewasresolvedtoconquerordie;andhisresolutionhadalmostbeencrownedwithagloriousandsalutaryvictory。Theprinceswereoppositetoeachotherinthecentre;andtheBeglerbegs,orgeneralsofAnatoliaandRomania,commandedontherightandleft,againsttheadversedivisionsofthedespotandHuniades。TheTurkishwingswerebrokenonthefirstonset:buttheadvantagewasfatal;andtherashvictors,intheheatofthepursuit,werecarriedawayfarfromtheannoyanceoftheenemy,orthesupportoftheirfriends。
WhenAmurathbeheldtheflightofhissquadrons,hedespairedofhisfortuneandthatoftheempire:aveteranJanizaryseizedhishorse\'sbridle;andhehadmagnanimitytopardonandrewardthesoldierwhodaredtoperceivetheterror,andarresttheflight,ofhissovereign。Acopyofthetreaty,themonumentofChristianperfidy,hadbeendisplayedinthefrontofbattle;anditissaid,thatthesultaninhisdistress,liftinghiseyesandhishandstoheaven,imploredtheprotectionoftheGodoftruth;andcalledontheprophetJesushimselftoavengetheimpiousmockeryofhisnameandreligion。^26Withinferiornumbersanddisorderedranks,thekingofHungaryrushedforwardintheconfidenceofvictory,tillhiscareerwasstoppedbytheimpenetrablephalanxoftheJanizaries。IfwemaycredittheOttomanannals,hishorsewaspiercedbythejavelinofAmurath;
^27hefellamongthespearsoftheinfantry;andaTurkishsoldierproclaimedwithaloudvoice,\"Hungarians,beholdtheheadofyourking!\"ThedeathofLadislauswasthesignaloftheirdefeat。Onhisreturnfromanintemperatepursuit,Huniadesdeploredhiserror,andthepublicloss;hestrovetorescuetheroyalbody,tillhewasoverwhelmedbythetumultuouscrowdofthevictorsandvanquished;andthelasteffortsofhiscourageandconductwereexertedtosavetheremnantofhisWalachiancavalry。TenthousandChristianswereslaininthedisastrousbattleofWarna:thelossoftheTurks,moreconsiderableinnumbers,boreasmallerproportiontotheirtotalstrength;yetthephilosophicsultanwasnotashamedtoconfess,thathisruinmustbetheconsequenceofasecondandsimilarvictory。AthiscommandacolumnwaserectedonthespotwhereLadislaushadfallen;butthemodestinscription,insteadofaccusingtherashness,recordedthevalor,andbewailedthemisfortune,oftheHungarianyouth。^28
[Footnote26:SomeChristianwritersaffirm,thathedrewfromhisbosomthehostorwaferonwhichthetreatyhadnotbeensworn。TheMoslemssuppose,withmoresimplicity,anappealtoGodandhisprophetJesus,whichislikewiseinsinuatedbyCallimachus,l。iii。p。516。Spondan。A。D。1444,No。8。]
[Footnote27:Acriticwillalwaysdistrustthesespoliaopimaofavictoriousgeneral,sodifficultforvalortoobtain,soeasyforflatterytoinvent,Cantemir,p。90,91。Callimachusl。
iii。p。517moresimplyandprobablyaffirms,supervenitibusJanizaris,telorummultitudine,nonjamconfossusest,quamobrutus。]
[Footnote*:CompareVonHammer,p。463。—M。]
[Footnote28:BesidessomevaluablehintsfromAeneasSylvius,whicharediligentlycollectedbySpondanus,ourbestauthoritiesarethreehistoriansofthexvthcentury,PhilippusCallimachus,deRebusaVladislaoPolonorumatqueHungarorumRegegestis,libriiii。inBel。Script。RerumHungaricarum,tom。i。p。433—
518,Bonfinius,decad。iii。l。v。p。460—467,andChalcondyles,l。vii。p。165—179。ThetwofirstwereItalians,buttheypassedtheirlivesinPolandandHungary,Fabric。Bibliot。Latin。Med。etInfimaeAetatis,tom。i。p。324。
Vossius,deHist。Latin。l。iii。c。8,11。Bayle,Dictionnaire,Bonfinius。AsmalltractofFaelixPetancius,chancellorofSegnia,adcalcemCuspinian。deCaesaribus,p。716—722,
representsthetheatreofthewarinthexvthcentury。]
BeforeIlosesightofthefieldofWarna,Iamtemptedtopauseonthecharacterandstoryoftwoprincipalactors,thecardinalJulianandJohnHuniades。Julian^29CaesariniwasbornofanoblefamilyofRome:hisstudieshadembracedboththeLatinandGreeklearning,boththesciencesofdivinityandlaw;
andhisversatilegeniuswasequallyadaptedtotheschools,thecamp,andthecourt。NosoonerhadhebeeninvestedwiththeRomanpurple,thanhewassentintoGermanytoarmtheempireagainsttherebelsandhereticsofBohemia。ThespiritofpersecutionisunworthyofaChristian;themilitaryprofessionillbecomesapriest;buttheformerisexcusedbythetimes;andthelatterwasennobledbythecourageofJulian,whostooddauntlessandaloneinthedisgracefulflightoftheGermanhost。
Asthepope\'slegate,heopenedthecouncilofBasil;butthepresidentsoonappearedthemoststrenuouschampionofecclesiasticalfreedom;andanoppositionofsevenyearswasconductedbyhisabilityandzeal。AfterpromotingthestrongestmeasuresagainsttheauthorityandpersonofEugenius,somesecretmotiveofinterestorconscienceengagedhimtodesertonasuddenthepopularparty。ThecardinalwithdrewhimselffromBasiltoFerrara;and,inthedebatesoftheGreeksandLatins,thetwonationsadmiredthedexterityofhisargumentsandthedepthofhistheologicalerudition。^30InhisHungarianembassy,wehavealreadyseenthemischievouseffectsofhissophistryandeloquence,ofwhichJulianhimselfwasthefirstvictim。Thecardinal,whoperformedthedutiesofapriestandasoldier,waslostinthedefeatofWarna。Thecircumstancesofhisdeatharevariouslyrelated;butitisbelieved,thataweightyencumbranceofgoldimpededhisflight,andtemptedthecruelavariceofsomeChristianfugitives。
[Footnote29:M。LenfanthasdescribedtheoriginHist。duConciledeBasle,tom。i。p。247,&c。andBohemiancampaignp。
315,&c。ofCardinalJulian。HisservicesatBasilandFerrara,andhisunfortunateend,areoccasionallyrelatedbySpondanus,andthecontinuatorofFleury]
[Footnote30:Syropulushonorablypraisesthetalentofanenemy,p。117:。]
Fromanhumble,oratleastadoubtfulorigin,themeritofJohnHuniadespromotedhimtothecommandoftheHungarianarmies。HisfatherwasaWalachian,hismotheraGreek:herunknownracemightpossiblyascendtotheemperorsofConstantinople;andtheclaimsoftheWalachians,withthesurnameofCorvinus,fromtheplaceofhisnativity,mightsuggestathinpretenceforminglinghisbloodwiththepatriciansofancientRome。^31InhisyouthheservedinthewarsofItaly,andwasretained,withtwelvehorsemen,bythebishopofZagrab:thevalorofthewhiteknight^32wassoonconspicuous;heincreasedhisfortunesbyanobleandwealthymarriage;andinthedefenceoftheHungarianbordershewoninthesameyearthreebattlesagainsttheTurks。Byhisinfluence,LadislausofPolandobtainedthecrownofHungary;andtheimportantservicewasrewardedbythetitleandofficeofWaivodofTransylvania。ThefirstofJulian\'scrusadesaddedtwoTurkishlaurelsonhisbrow;andinthepublicdistressthefatalerrorsofWarnawereforgotten。DuringtheabsenceandminorityofLadislausofAustria,thetitularking,HuniadeswaselectedsupremecaptainandgovernorofHungary;andifenvyatfirstwassilencedbyterror,areignoftwelveyearssupposestheartsofpolicyaswellasofwar。Yettheideaofaconsummategeneralisnotdelineatedinhiscampaigns;thewhiteknightfoughtwiththehandratherthanthehead,asthechiefofdesultoryBarbarians,whoattackwithoutfearandflywithoutshame;andhismilitarylifeiscomposedofaromanticalternativeofvictoriesandescapes。BytheTurks,whoemployedhisnametofrightentheirperversechildren,hewascorruptlydenominatedJancusLain,ortheWicked:theirhatredistheproofoftheiresteem;thekingdomwhichheguardedwasinaccessibletotheirarms;andtheyfelthimmostdaringandformidable,whentheyfondlybelievedthecaptainandhiscountryirrecoverablylost。
Insteadofconfininghimselftoadefensivewar,fouryearsafterthedefeatofWarnaheagainpenetratedintotheheartofBulgaria,andintheplainofCossova,sustained,tillthethirdday,theshockoftheOttomanarmy,fourtimesmorenumerousthanhisown。AshefledalonethroughthewoodsofWalachia,theherowassurprisedbytworobbers;butwhiletheydisputedagoldchainthathungathisneck,herecoveredhissword,slewtheone,terrifiedtheother,and,afternewperilsofcaptivityordeath,consoledbyhispresenceanafflictedkingdom。ButthelastandmostgloriousactionofhislifewasthedefenceofBelgradeagainstthepowersofMahomettheSecondinperson。
Afterasiegeoffortydays,theTurks,whohadalreadyenteredthetown,werecompelledtoretreat;andthejoyfulnationscelebratedHuniadesandBelgradeasthebulwarksofChristendom。
^33Aboutamonthafterthisgreatdeliverance,thechampionexpired;andhismostsplendidepitaphistheregretoftheOttomanprince,whosighedthathecouldnolongerhopeforrevengeagainstthesingleantagonistwhohadtriumphedoverhisarms。Onthefirstvacancyofthethrone,MatthiasCorvinus,ayouthofeighteenyearsofage,waselectedandcrownedbythegratefulHungarians。Hisreignwasprosperousandlong:Matthiasaspiredtothegloryofaconquerorandasaint:buthispurestmeritistheencouragementoflearning;andtheLatinoratorsandhistorians,whowereinvitedfromItalybytheson,haveshedtheiustreoftheireloquenceonthefather\'scharacter。^34
[Footnote31:SeeBonfinius,decad。iii。l。iv。p。423。CouldtheItalianhistorianpronounce,orthekingofHungaryhear,withoutablush,theabsurdflatterywhichconfoundedthenameofaWalachianvillagewiththecasual,thoughglorious,epithetofasinglebranchoftheValerianfamilyatRome?]
[Footnote32:PhilipdeComines,Memoires,l。vi。c。13,fromthetraditionofthetimes,mentionshimwithhighencomiums,butunderthewhimsicalnameoftheChevalierBlancdeValaigne,Valachia。TheGreekChalcondyles,andtheTurkishannalsofLeunclavius,presumetoaccusehisfidelityorvalor。]
[Footnote33:SeeBonfiniusdecad。iii。l。viii。p。492andSpondanus,A。D。456,No。1—7。HuniadessharedthegloryofthedefenceofBelgradewithCapistran,aFranciscanfriar;andintheirrespectivenarratives,neitherthesaintnortheherocondescendtotakenoticeofhisrival\'smerit。]
[Footnote34:SeeBonfinius,decad。iii。l。viii。—decad。iv。l。
viii。TheobservationsofSpondanusonthelifeandcharacterofMatthiasCorvinusarecuriousandcritical,A。D。1464,No。1,1475,No。6,1476,No。14—16,1490,No。4,5。Italianfamewastheobjectofhisvanity。HisactionsarecelebratedintheEpitomeRerumHungaricarump。322—412ofPeterRanzanus,aSicilian。HiswiseandfacetioussayingsareregisteredbyGalestusMartiusofNarni,528—568,andwehaveaparticularnarrativeofhisweddingandcoronation。Thesethreetractsareallcontainedinthefirstvol。ofBel\'sScriptoresRerumHungaricarum。]
Inthelistofheroes,JohnHuniadesandScanderbegarecommonlyassociated;^35andtheyarebothentitledtoournotice,sincetheiroccupationoftheOttomanarmsdelayedtheruinoftheGreekempire。JohnCastriot,thefatherofScanderbeg,^36wasthehereditaryprinceofasmalldistrictofEpirusorAlbania,betweenthemountainsandtheAdriaticSea。
Unabletocontendwiththesultan\'spower,Castriotsubmittedtothehardconditionsofpeaceandtribute:hedeliveredhisfoursonsasthepledgesofhisfidelity;andtheChristianyouths,afterreceivingthemarkofcircumcision,wereinstructedintheMahometanreligion,andtrainedinthearmsandartsofTurkishpolicy。^37Thethreeelderbrotherswereconfoundedinthecrowdofslaves;andthepoisontowhichtheirdeathsareascribedcannotbeverifiedordisprovedbyanypositiveevidence。YetthesuspicionisinagreatmeasureremovedbythekindandpaternaltreatmentofGeorgeCastriot,thefourthbrother,who,fromhistenderyouth,displayedthestrengthandspiritofasoldier。ThesuccessiveoverthrowofaTartarandtwoPersians,whocarriedaprouddefiancetotheTurkishcourt,recommendedhimtothefavorofAmurath,andhisTurkishappellationofScanderbeg,Iskenderbeg,orthelordAlexander,isanindeliblememorialofhisgloryandservitude。Hisfather\'sprincipalitywasreducedintoaprovince;butthelosswascompensatedbytherankandtitleofSanjiak,acommandoffivethousandhorse,andtheprospectofthefirstdignitiesoftheempire。HeservedwithhonorinthewarsofEuropeandAsia;andwemaysmileattheartorcredulityofthehistorian,whosupposes,thatineveryencounterhesparedtheChristians,whilehefellwithathunderingarmonhisMussulmanfoes。ThegloryofHuniadesiswithoutreproach:hefoughtinthedefenceofhisreligionandcountry;buttheenemieswhoapplaudthepatriot,havebrandedhisrivalwiththenameoftraitorandapostate。IntheeyesoftheChristian,therebellionofScanderbergisjustifiedbyhisfather\'swrongs,theambiguousdeathofhisthreebrothers,hisowndegradation,andtheslaveryofhiscountry;andtheyadorethegenerous,thoughtardy,zeal,withwhichheassertedthefaithandindependenceofhisancestors。