Chap. II. 
of the East Indie 
s. 
inclined to wonder how, under fuch Circumftances, this 
Empire could fubfift fo long. 
On the whole, there is no room to doubt, that the Ruin 
of the Greek Power was not owing fo much to the Force of 
its barbarous Enemies, as to the Weaknefs of its Govern- 
ment, and the diflfolute Manners of the People. The ex- 
cellent Situation of its Provinces, and their happy Commu- 
nication with the Capital of the Empire, rendered the Greeks , 
in times of Peace, incredibly rich, as appears from what 
the Hiftorian Zonaras informs us, with refpedt to the Trea- 
fure of the Emperor Bajihus , who reigned in the middle 
of the ninth Century ; and who, befides vaft Heaps of 
Silver, was poffeffed of two hundred thoufand Talents in 
Gold, which at the loweft Eftimation amounts to upwards 
of thirty-eight Millions of our Money. 
As the Empire diminiiTied, its Trade and Riches muff 
fink of courfe ; but even long after this, they were fo con- 
fiderable, that a Traveller, who will be hereafter mentioned, 
reports in the thirteenth Century, that the Cuftoms and 
Excife of Corf antino fie amounted to twenty thoufand 
Crowns a Day, at the very time that it was deflroyed. ; and 
when the People refufed to furnifh the Emperor with Mo- 
ney to defend the City and themfelves, they were fo im- 
menfely rich, that the Fleet, which was laden with the 
Plunder, was fcarce able to keep the Sea, the Ships being 
fo overcharged with their Riches. 
All this fufficiently fhews what prodigious Wealth had 
accrued to them by their Commerce. To fay the Truth, 
it was this Abundance that proved the Ruin of the Greeks ; 
for what between the vaft Riches that flowed in upon them 
from all Parts of the World, for to the very laft their 
City was the Centre of the Trade of Europe , and the 
mighty Plenty they had of all forts of Provifions and rich 
Wines in their own Neighbourhood ; they grew fo infolent 
and ungovernable, that the ill ufe of their Profperity ren- 
dered the Prefervation of it impoffible. 
The Venetians and the Genoefe aggrandized themfelves by 
the Fall of the Greeks , and preferved for a long time the 
Fragments of that Empire of which they made themfelves 
Matters. By this means, like wife, the Europeans became 
better acquainted with the Eaftern Nations, found lefs Dif- 
ficulty in vifiting their Countries ; fo that by degrees a De- 
Are of penetrating by Land into the molt remote Parts of 
the Eaft, and which had fcarce been thought on in former 
Ages, came to diffufe itfelf through all Europe ; the Power 
of the Turks likewife excited great Jealoufies in the Chriftian 
Princes, who were their Neighbours, and the Wars that 
thefe occafioned, afforded new Opportunities of looking 
into the State of thefe diftant Countries, by thofe who re- 
mained long Prifoners amongft them, fo that thouo-h at 
firft Sight it may feem a Paradox, yet we may with Reafon 
affirm, that the Ruin of the Eaftern Empire by the Moham- 
medans , contributed not a little to the Eftablilhment of that 
Empire which the feveral -Nations of Europe now poffefs in 
the Eaft. 
This Obfervation is of greater Confequence than may at 
firfl Sight appear ; for whoever looks into almoft all the 
great Events that have fallen out in the feveral Ages of the 
World, will very plainly perceive that they have been 
brought about by the moft unlikely Means. The fudden 
Rife of the Saracen Empire threatened all Europe with an 
Inundation of barbarous Tyranny ; but the Humour of 
undertaking the Holy War, as it was called, for the Reco- 
very of the City of Jerufalem from the Infidels, proved the 
moft effectual means of preventing that Misfortune, by 
occupying the Mohammedans in the Defence of the Countries 
which they had already acquired, at the fame time that it 
excited fuch a martial Spirit in almoft all the Nations of 
Europe, as rendered' them capable of fuftaining that Shock, 
by which otherwife they muft have been overpowered. 
One may carry this Reflection ftill farther, if we advert 
to that maritime Power which has been raifed in Europe 
by the Difcovery of the Eaft and Weft- Indies, and which 
has viflbly fet Bounds to the Ambition of all the Mohamme- 
dan Princes, who, notwithftanding the vaft Dominions 
they poffefs, and the prodigious Armies they are able to 
y^ife, are, notwithftanding* very apprehenfive of the Power 
of the Chriftians by Sea, who are indeed able to make them 
extremely uneary upon any Quarrel, notwithftanding their 
Numb. 35. 
SH 
feeming Superiority. This ftifficiently fhews the Solidity 
of that Maxim, that whoever is Matter at Sea, nluft be 
likewife Mailer on Land, or which is the fame thing, have 
the Power of controuling fuch as efteem themfelves Matters. 
Thefe Remarks arife naturally from the Subjedl, and there- 
fore claim the Attention of every Reader, efpecially in a 
Country like ours, which has always affedled. the Domini- 
on of the^ Sea, and never can be deprived of it but by 
want of Attention. 
13. We have now run through the Hiftory of the Com- 
merce between the Weftern Parts of the World and the 
Eaft- Indies . from the earl i eft Accounts, and this with- 
out ever lofing the Connexion, or leaving the Subjedc 
untraced through any Period of Time. The Bifcuffion of 
this Point has indeed taken up a great deal of Time, and 
or Room ; but in return, it has iurnifhed us with a great 
deal of ufeful Knowledge ; tor the Reader will eafily /per- 
ceive, that in purfuing this Topic, we have been Jed into 
a kind of Universal Hiftory of Commerce, a thing of far 
greater Confequence, and infinitely more iifftruaive than 
the tacking together an incoherent Colledlion of Voyages, 
which, however, has been the Scheme of almoft all former 
Writers, who perceiving their Error too late, have endea- 
voured to mend it by Prefaces, Differtations, and Extradls 
from ancient Writers ; whereas by purfuing a right Me- 
thod, and being content to take the Pains of bringing what 
is fcattered, through aDiverfity of Authors, into its proper 
Order, we have furnifhed the Reader with the Means of 
underftanding this Subjedl perfedlly, and of being able to 
pronounce, with Certainty, how and by whom this advan- 
tageous Commerce was managed at any Time given. 
We have indeed infilled fomewhat largely on the Hiftory 
of the feveral Empires, which we were obliged to mention 
in the Courfe of this Work j but befides, that in doing this, 
we have relieved the Reader from the Fatigue of reading a 
dry Narration of Fads, unenlivened by Circum fiances, ° it 
will be found that we have mentioned nothing that does not 
contribute to the better apprehending the principal Subjedl, 
and to the rendering the following Voyages and Travels 
perfedlly intelligible, which never could have been done 
any other way. A particular Writer, who fits down to 
give the World an Account of what he has feen abroad in 
a certain Number of. Years, never propofes, and indeed it 
cannot be expedled, he fhould propofe delivering a general 
Hiftory of the Countries and Kingdoms through which he 
patted and yet without a competent Knowledge of thefe, 
his Accounts can never be thoroughly underftood. But 
when we undertook to give not only a Series of the beftand 
moft authentick Pieces of this kind, but alfo to furnifli the 
World with a Hiftory of the Difcovery and Settlement of 
the Eaft- Indies . It was requifite to provide againft all thefe 
Inconveniencies, which induced us to be more copious in 
thefe Sedlions than otherwife we fhould have been, that the 
Reader may come prepared in fuch a manner for the Perufal 
of the reft or this Work, as not to be interrupted at every 
Turn with critical Remarks, which always diftrad and con- 
found the Narrations with which they are intermixed. 
It is with the fame View, that after fo large a Detail of 
the Progrefs of this Commerce in the Elands of its principal 
Poflfefibrs, we have added yet another SccMon to explain 
the feveral Routs, by which, when the principal Channel 
of this Trade was interrupted, it was ftill in feme meafure 
preferved and carried on. 
This will be found extremely ufeful for two very impor- 
tant Purpofes; for in the firft place, it will explain 'the 
Means by wfiich fo many different Nations came one way 
or other to have a Share in the Commerce of the Indies , 
and by whamAccidents they have been deprived of that 
Share ; how rar it is, and how far it is not, poflible to re- 
trieve the Methods of carrying on this Trade, which have 
been formerly in ufe, or to fupply them by linking out new 
Routs.. Secondly, in. giving us great Light into the Means 
by wnich fo many Strangers found their way into, and fet- 
tled themfelves in the Indies , as were met with there by the 
moft ancient Travellers, whofe Writings have reached our 
Times, and whofe Accounts might have been fufpedted, 
ir from the Knowledge of thele Routs the Probability of all 
that they relate did not manjfeftiy appear. 
6 P 
Wc 
