Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/73

 LOMBARDS AND AVAKS. 55 emperor, and left for Gallipoli, on the Hellespont, ^vllere barges had been prepared for his crossing. His march through the empire had left a broad tract of wasted territory and of burned villages. Bela kept the field against the empire after Frederic had passed into Asia, and until 1196, when he died, treated it always as hostile. The history of the Huns is, gen- erally speaking, that of the various other races which entered the empire. At first they came on with a rush which appeared almost irresistible. They were defeated, were too numerous to be expelled, and were allowed to settle in the empire; be- came troublesome subjects, and, as the empire became weak, acquired independence, while always retaining an attitude of hostility towards the empire. Shortly after, or almost contemporaneously with, the ar- First appear- ^'i^al of the Huus, a first detachment of the Bulga- garfausKii- ^iaus movcd westward from the Dniester, and, pass- pire. ^j^g |.|jg Danube, established themselves in the coun- try which now bears their name. In the sixth century a band of Slavic origin had pushed on to within sight of the Marmora, committing every kind of horror. As, however, they failed in obtaining a permanent settlement in the empire, they need not be further mentioned. In the same century the Lombards had swept across the peninsula, and bands of Yisigoths had in their passage left colonies which settled around Salonica. The Avars had crossed the Danube, and had been permitted to settle in the empire after their king had passed like a scourge through the peninsula and had been defeated by Belisarius. The Avar invasion had destroyed nearly every trace of civilization in Bosnia, Servia, Bulgaria, and Al- bania. The devastation caused by these enemies was com- plete. They had swept away the Bulgarians. They had destroyed all the buildings in the districts through which they passed. Buins of well -constructed temples, churches, aque- ducts, and other buildings are to be found at every step south of the Ehodope ; north of it the Avars have destroyed every such sign of civilization. The Slavs who are now found in Dalmatia and in Lower The Slavs. Illyria are the descendants of men who were driven