Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/425

 CONCLUSION. 407 was carried on by sea; but the dangers which beset maritime commerce now that the shadow of the pax llomana had passed away caused a considerable portion of the valuable and less bulky products of India and Central Asia to be taken up the Indus, thence by camels to the Caspian, and then partly over- land and partly by rivers to Venice or other European states. The great bulk of the trade between Asia and Europe was diverted from the Bosphorus into the Adriatic. Venetian ships for a time replaced in the Black Sea, not only those of Constantinople, but even those of Genoa. The Tartar races in the Euxine, as well as the Saracens in Egypt and Syria, traded almost exclusively with the citizens of Venice. Innocent continued to condemn the conduct of the Crusaders Evil results of ^^^^ ^hc Venetians in terms which show that they thecouquest. ^^^ ^^^ expression of his deliberately formed opin- ion and that of the great churchmen by whom he was sur- rounded. "We have seen that at times his language is that of profound indignation at the iniquities which have been committed ; at other times it is that of expostulation and of calm reasoning. But throughout the many letters in which he addresses the actors in this huge fiasco or alludes to their conduct, the sentiment most predominant is one of sadness that the Crusaders should have abandoned the object for which they were brought together, llis letters leave the impression that he never ceased to regret the failure of the crusade, which had been so carefully organized and from which so much miglit reasonably have been expected. lie appears on many occa- sions to feel that it is impossible to make those whom he ad- dresses understand what is the greatness of the opportunity which they had missed. In the comprehension of the East- ern question of his day and of what statesmanship required for the interests of Europe and civilization, he seems to stand at the opening of the thirteenth century head and shoulders above all other kings and potentates. The tone of his letters, their gloom, when speaking of the prospects of Romania, of Asia Minor, and of Syria, almost appear as if he alone in his generation foresaw how disastrous the conquest of the impe- rial city would be ; as if he alone recognized that it was the