Heg. 857 diers, who kept up a brifk fire with fmall arms, I.C.1453- What foldiers there were in Conftantinople, animated by religion and the fear of falling into the hands of Mahomet, fought with a courage, approaching defpair. The emperor was always at the head of his troops; but, as the attacks multiplied every moment, he appointed a noble Genoefe, well experienced in the defence of places, for his lieutenant. The garrifon was not fufficiently numerous, in proportion to the befiegers, to make fallies; this Genoefe lieutenant, called Juftiniani, confined the defence to repairing, during the night, the breaches made by the machines or batteries in the day. promptitude of his operations aftonished the befiegers, and always prefented new fortifications to them. Their batteries were often difmounted by thofe in the place. The wild fire and floods of boiling oil, which the befieged threw from the walls, fet on fire thefe wooden towers, in which, as we have faid, foldiers were put, in order to approach the rampart on the fide next the fea. The .3 J.C. 1453 vainly en burn thefe perishes in the attempt. This fleet, arrived as by a miracle in the port, difquieted the befieged infinitely more than all the other efforts of the Turks. The emperor's fleet had attempted to engage it, but had been less fortunate in attacking than in defending; the Turks had funk two veffels, which had kept AVenetian the others in awe. A brave Venetian, called deavours to Cop, undertook to burn the fleet in the night; veffels, and he communicated his defign to Constantine, demanding only three barks and forty determined men for the execution. This courageous enterprise would have perhaps faved Conftantinople, but it was discovered by a Genoefe, the enemy of Cop, who, through animosity and the hope of a reward, informed the Turks of all the Venetian's proceedings. He conveyed his letter at the end of an arrow into one of the Turkish galleys, which was foon carried to Mahomet, who kept upon his guard. The three barks were purpofely permitted to approach, when they were attacked in the moment of execution; this was perfectly unexpected to the Venetian, who had no other arms than the combuftibles intended for the enemy's fleet, and which were foon turned against himself. They difcharged a shower of arrows at him, each of which carried a lighted match the three barks were in flames in an inftant. They were not fufficiently near the Turkish fleet to communicate the fire. Cop and his companions threw themselves into L the the fea, rather than be burnt alive. The Turks J.C.1453. faved them all; but this was only to butcher them the next day in fight of the befieged, who, by way of retaliation, hanged two hundred and fixty Turkifh prifoners on the ramparts. The Genoefe, who had accompanied those whom he betrayed, abjured his religion, and received a confiderable recompenfe. between being the be fieged. The The Greek em peror buys with intelli gence in army. The mifcarriage of this enterprife terrified the Divifion befieged. The confequences were near more fatal than the execution had been. Venetians bitterly reproached the Genoefe the perfidy of their countryman. The great Mahomet's duke or admiral, the firft officer of the empire, was jealous of the authority which Conftantine had given Juftiniani, the chief of the Genoefe, who commanded next to the emperor, and poffeffed all his confidence. Thefe inteftine divifions increased to fuch a degree in a few days, that the two oppofite parties were like to flaughter one another within the walls. Constantine prevented the difafter which menaced him, by mixing authority with prayers, and by conjuring his fubjects and the foldiers come to defend him, not to do him more mifchief than his greatest enemies. This prince, who poffeffed by nature both talents and courage, was deferving of a better fate; but he was unable to ftop the destiny of the empire, or the torrent which was hurrying it away. Conftantine feemed to be born S J.C. 1453 to the throne, only to experience at once all the Heg. 857. misfortunes which menace fovereigns. He kept off for fome weeks the blow which he was unable to avoid, by procuring intelligence with the enemy. The treasures accumulated by his predeceffors amidst the miseries of the empire, were employed in corrupting Mahomet's minifters. Ali, grand vizier to that prince, promised, for a fum of money, to traverse the operations of the fiege. The confidence which his mafter had always placed in him, enabled him to defeat his defigns. It is impoffible to account otherwife for the length of the fiege of Constantinople, defended against three hundred thousand men, folely by eight thousand, particularly after Mahomet had found means to batter the place on the fide next the fea, and to multiply his attacks. The breaches were open on every fide, and the befieged, who had already loft a great number of men, were infufficient to repair them. The different works of the Turks menaced the place more and more; the ditches were half filled up, courage failed a people who were strangers to toil, who, as we shall see presently, were abused by fuperftitions, and whom the profpect of an approaching famine filled with despair. The ram Conftantine made a last effort; he fent an emforced, and baffy to the Turk to offer him any tribute that parts are the empe roz killed, he fhould demand, and to reprefent to him the ΣΟΣ injustice of invading a country which consented to J.C. Heg. 857. to fubmit. But Mahomet wished to efface every C. 1453. trace of the Greek dominion. He replied, that Conftantinople was already his conqueft; that, if Conftantine would furrender it to him without resistance, he would spare much blood: he even offered him the enjoyment during his life of that part of the Morea which yet belonged to the Greek empire, in order that the last emperor might not entirely lose the state of fovereign. Whatever the Turkish hiftorians may have faid, whose recitals, copied from each other, are beyond all credibility, Conftantine refolved to defend to the last moment this precious remnant of the Roman empire, and to die with it. This was what Mahomet had expected; he had difpofed every thing for a general affault; he furrounded the place on every fide that was open, and promised the pillage to the foldiers, abandoning to them, without referve, all the effects and all the inhabitants, solely reserving to himself the territory and buildings. Mahomet diftributed at each breach his worst troops, compofed of foldiers collected in hafte, and who knew not how to fight; they were fuftained or rather conftrained by the janiffaries, who, with sticks or fwords in their hands, forced thefe wretches to place ladders and mount the first to the affault. Mahomet calculated men in the chances of war with more exactnefs than humanity; numerous as were these troops, he confidered them |