156 THE DECLINE AND FALL leader of the third armament, Igor, the son of Ruric, had chosen a moment of weakness and decay, when the naval powers of the empire were employed against the Saracens. But, if courage be not wanting, the instruments of defence are seldom deficient. Fifteen broken and decayed galleys were boldly launched against the enemy ; but, instead of the single tube of Greek fire usually planted on the prow, the sides and stern of each vessel were abundantly supplied with that liquid combustible. The engineers were dexterous ; the weather was propitious ; manv thousand Russians, who chose rather to be drowned than burnt, leaped into the sea ; and those who escaped to the Thra- cian shore were inhumanly slaughtered by the peasants and soldiers. Yet one third of the canoes escaped into shallow water ; and the next spring Igor was again prepared to retrieve his disgrace and claim his revenge."* After a long peace, Jaros- laus, the great-grandson of Igor, resumed the same project of a The fourth, uaval invasion. A fleet, under the command of his son, was re- A D 1043 pulsed at the entrance of the Bosphorus by the same artificial flames. But in the rashness of pursuit the vanguard of the Greeks was encompassed by an irresistible multitude of boats and men ; their provision of fire was probably exhausted ; and twenty-four galleys were either taken, sunk, or destroyed. ""•• -j»e|otiations Yet the threats or calamities of a Russian war were more fre- prophecy q^gJ^^^y diverted by treaty than by arms. In these naval hos- tilities every disadvantage was on the side of the Greeks ; their savage enemy afforded no mercy ; his povei'ty promised no spoil ; his impenetrable retreat deprived the conqueror of the hopes of revenge ; and the pride or weakness of empire indulged an opinion that no honour could be gained or lost in the inter- course with barbarians. At first their demands were high and inadmissible, three pounds of gold for each soldier or mariner of the fleet ; the Russian youth adhered to the design of conquest and glory ; but the counsels of moderation were recommended [AD. &14] by the hoary sages. "Be content," they said, "with the liberal offers of Caesar ; is it not far better to obtain without a combat "^ Leo Grammaticus, p. 506, 507 [p. 323, ed. B.] ; Incert. Contin. p. 263, 264 [p. 424]; Simeon Logothet. p. 490, 491 [p. 746-7, ed. B. ] ; Georg. Monach. p. 588, 589 [p. 914, ed. B.] ; Cedren. torn. ii. p. 629 [ii. 316, ed. B.] ; Zonaras, torn. ii. p. 190, 191 [xvi. 19] ; and Liutprand, 1. v. c. 6 [ = c. 15], who writes from the nar- ratives of his father-in-law, then ambassador at Constantinople, and corrects the vain exaggeration of the Greeks. [Nestor, c. 26.] ™ I can only appeal to Cedrenus (torn. ii. p. 758, 759 [ii. 551, ed. B.]) and Zonaras (tom. ii. p. 253, 254 [xvii. 24]), but they grow more weighty and credible as they draw near to their own times. [Cp. Nestor, c. 56.]
