ALE 



along reign of 37 years, Alexins died, A. D. iii3, and 

 was fucceedcd in the empire by his Ion John Comnemis. 



or the charatler of this emperor the Greek and Latin 

 writers have given a very different account. In the biography 

 of his daughter, the celebrated Anna Comnena, it is loit in 

 a vatrue conllelhtion of virtues, and the perpetual (train of 

 panegyric and apolirry awakens our jealoufy to quedion tlie 

 veracity of the hiilorian and the merit of the hero. On the 

 other lunid, the Latin writers, who have written thehiftoiy 

 of tlie holy war, reprefenthim as a monllcr of pcrfidv. The 

 circumllances of the times in which he lived, whilft they 

 afford a dilplay of his pohtieal wifdom and niilitai-y valour, 

 funiidi fome apology for the difTimulation and artifice to 

 which he occafionally recurred. To his relations and friends 

 he was grateful and liberal ; and to his enemies tolerant and 

 forgiving. 7Vt tlie head of his armies he was bold in aftion, 

 flciltul in ftratagem, patient of fatig\ie, ready to improve his 

 advantages, and capable of riling from his defeats with in- 

 exhiuftible vigour. The difcipline of the army was revived, 

 and a new generation of men and foldiers was created by the 

 example and precepts of their leader. In his intereourfe 

 with the Latins, lie was patient and artful; and he contrived 

 with fuperior policy to balance the interells and pafiions of 

 the champions of the firil Crufade. In a long reign of 37 

 years, he luhdued and pardoned the envy of his equals ; the 

 laws of public and private order were reflored ; the arts of 

 wealth and fcience were cultivated ; the limits of the empire 

 in Europe and Afia were enlarged ; and the Comnenian 

 fceptre was tranfmitted to his children of the third and 

 fourth generation. Yet the difRculties of the times betrayed 

 fome dcfefts in his charafler ; and have cxpofed his memory 

 to fome iuft or ungenerous reproach. His happinefs was 

 interrupted, and his health was impaired by public cares ; 

 the patience of Conflantinople was fatigued by the length 

 and feverity of his reign ; and before he expired, he had lod 

 the love and reverence of his fnbjefts. Although he had 

 applied the riches of the church to the fervice of the ftate, 

 and thus incurred the difpleafure of the clergy ; yet they 

 applauded his theological learning and ardent zeal for the 

 orthodox faith, which he defended with his tongue, his pen, 

 and his fword. His charafter was degraded by the fuper- 

 ftition of the Greeks ; and whilll he founded an hofpital for 

 the poor and infirm, he ordered the execution of an heretic, 

 who was burnt alive in the fquare of St. Sophia. The fm- 

 cerity of his moral and religious virtues was fufpefted by his 

 intimate affociates. In his lail hours, when he was prefTed 

 by his wife Irene to alter the fuceeffion, he raifed his head, 

 and breathed a pious ejaculation on the vanity of the world. 

 The indignant reply of the emprefs, fays a popular hiftorian, 

 may be infcribed as an epitaph upon his tomb : " You die, 

 as you have lived — an hypocrite." Anc. Un. Hill. vol. xv. 

 p. 136 — 151. Gibbon's HilL vol. ix. p. 83, &c. vol. x. 

 p. 294^ vol. xi. p. 45, ?<.c. 



Alexius II. fucceeded his father Manuel, as emperor 

 of the Eall, in 1180, at the age of 12 years. His mother 

 Maria, a princcfs of Antioch, alfumed the government 

 during the minority of her fon, and his education was ne- 

 glefted, that (lie might retain her abfolute authority. During 

 this period, Andronicus, who had long afpired to the 

 empire, attempted to attain the objeft of his ambition. Hav- 

 ing, notwithftanding the profligacy of his charafter, gained 

 a confiderable degree of popularity, he was declared pro- 

 teftor of the empire during the minority of Alexius ; and 

 when he had caufed the young prince to be iolemnly crowned, 

 he contrived to be chofen his colleague in the empire. Not- 

 withftanding a iolemn oath, that he accepted the dignity 



ALE 



merely for the purpofe of protefting the young cmjjeror and 

 fiipporting his authority, he foon taiifed him to be mur- 

 dered ; and ftrangling him with a bow-llring, terminated his 

 life in the third year of his reign, and 15th of his age. Anc. 

 Un. H'll. vol. XV. p. 157 — i6o. 



Alexius III. Angelus, obtained the empire of the 

 Eall, A.D. 1195, by the exclufion of his brother Ifaac 

 Angelus, whom he threw into prifon and deprived of fight. 

 Indolent and devoted to pleafure, he committed the conduft 

 of public affairs to his wife Euplirofyne, who opprefl'i. .1 the 

 people,and fold the chief offices of flate to the highefl liidder. 

 In 1202 he releafed his brother Ifaac, and called iiis fon 

 Alexius, who was then about I 2 years of age, to the court, 

 and treated him as his child. But the young prince, aided 

 by his filler Irene, wife to Philip, emperor of Germany, 

 efcaped from Conllantinoplc, and landed fafe in Sicily. 

 Philip, by means of his ambafl'adors, engaged the French 

 and Venetians in his fupport. A treaty for this purpofe 

 having been concludrd between them and Alexias, the army 

 of thefe united powers embarked fin- Corfu, w hich was the 

 place of rendezvous ; and proceeded to Conflantiriople. 

 Upon their approach the ufnrper efcaped ; and in 1203 the 

 young prince was afTociated with his father Ifaac in the 

 empire, and crowned with extniordinai-y pomp and folemnity. 

 The ufnrper, who had fled to Zagora, a city of Thrace, at 

 the foot of mount Hi^mus, after various adventures, fell 

 into the hands of his fon-in-law, Theodore Lafearis, againft 

 whom he had inftigated the Turks, who put out his eyes, 

 and (hut him up in a prifon at Nice, in Afia, where he died 

 fome years after. Anc. Un. Hi(l. vol. xv. p. 195 — 168 — 

 173. Gibbon's Hift. vol. i. p. 185, Sec. 



Alexius IV., the fon of Ifaac Angelus, was crowned 

 affociate with his father in the empire in 1 203. The price 

 of his refcue and advancement to the throne involved him 

 in difficulties that were infuperable. This was no lefs than 

 the fubmiffion of the Eaflern empire to the pope, the 

 fuccour of the Holy Land, and a contribution, as foon as 

 he was invelled with the crown, of 200 thoufand marks of 

 filver. After his accclTion to the throne, he prevailed on 

 the Marquis of Montferrat, at the price of 1600 pounds of • 

 gold, to lead him with an army round the provinces of Eu- 

 rope ; but upon his return, as his father was dcfpifed on 

 account of his infirmities, he was hated as an apoflate, who 

 had renounced the manners and religion of his country. His 

 fecret covenant with the Latins was divulged or fufpecSled. 

 The people, and efpceially the clergy, were devoutly at- 

 tached to their faith and fuperftition ; and every convent, 

 and every fhop, refounded with the danger of the church 

 and the tyranny of the pope. Whilft complaints were mut- 

 tered aigainft tiic emperor and his government, and quarrels 

 were fomented between the Greeks andLalins, Conflantinople 

 was vifittd with a calamity which might be juflly imputed 

 to the zeal and indiferction of tlie Flemifh pilgrims. A 

 conflagration fpread, during eight days and nights, above a 

 league in front, from the harbour to the Propontis, over the 

 molt populous regions of the city. By this outrage the 

 name of the Latins became flill more unpopular. Upon 

 the return of Alexius, his youthful mind hefitated between 

 gratitude and patriotifm, between the fear of his fubjefts 

 and that of his allies. By his feeble and (luAuating conduft 

 he loit the ellecm and confidence of both ; and whilll he 

 invited the Marquis, of Montfeirat to occupy the palace, he 

 ftiffcrcd the nobles to confpire, and the people to arm, for 

 the deliverance of their countr)'. The Latins, regardlefs of 

 his critical fituation, repeated and enforced their demands, 

 and reminded the emperor, with menace and infult, of his 



own 



