empted to
colonize the desert places with Italian farmers, but having failed on
account of malaria and the lack of water, she called in a more
vigorous element, the Slav from Dalmatia and Bosnia. Meanwhile the
towns, in which were the descendants of those who had come from Italy
in the days of the Roman Empire, fell more profoundly into decay.
Those western towns looked on the Slav with disdain, they would not
mingle with the rural population; but as these were much more active
and were often strengthened by fresh immigrants, one thought that they
would gradually swamp the more effete men of the towns. And, on the
other hand, the townsmen weakened their position by continually
breaking, on account of economic disputes, the ties between themselves
and Venice. And as example of their frequent attitude towards Venice,
we may take the words which the deputies of Triest used in 1518 in the
presence of the Emperor Maximilian: "We would all of us prefer to
die," they said, "rather than to fall under the domination of Venice."
Such language may, of course have been a compliment; and yet it does
not seem unlikely that the people of Triest had some knowledge of the
ruin and death that were overtaking all the Dalmatian towns with the
one exception of Dubrovnik, which was independent.

Allusion has been made to the Slavs who came from Bosnia; one may ask
how it was that the Turks allowed them to depart. On such an extensive
frontier it would not be difficult for people to escape; that they did
so is made evident by all the solemn treaty clauses which declared
that they should be forthwith delivered to their rightful owners. The
Turks were quite as ready to bind themselves in this fashion. There
is, for example, the treaty which settles what travelling expenses the
Venetians are to pay to the emissary of the Pasha of Travnik on his
way to Zadar, how much velvet, how many loaves of sugar and how many
pots of theriac must be provided for each member of his entourage; and
in the same treaty it is laid down that the Turks are to give up all
those who have deserted to them, yea even if they have become
Muhammedans. But the Turkish authorities never heard of any such
people. And the Slavs were passing to and fro from one Yugoslav land
to another, always thinking that in the new land life must be more
tolerable.

THE OPPRESSIVE OVERLORDS OF THE YUGOSLAVS

Now and then we hear of insurrections; thus the Serbs of the Banat
revolted in