In J.C. 1453. of no other ufe to him, than to fill up the ditches Heg. 857. by the number of dead bodies, and to fatigue the arms and blunt the fteel of the enemy. effect, they all mounted to the affault, and not one reached the breach. All these operations, commenced at the fame time, seemed to rouse the courage of the befieged, who precipitated from the tops of the ladders thousands of men, penetrated with terror, as foon as they were gotten up. But when the janiffaries, marching on the bodies of thefe wretches, mounted in their turn, with as much agility as courage, the Greeks experienced efforts, which they were unable to refift. The attack of these brave foldiers was covered by afhower of arrows discharged at a fmall distance, almost every one of which reached its deftination. The lieutenant Juftiniani received one of these arrows, which pierced his hand through the gauntlet with which it was covered, and another ftruck him in the fhoulder for want of his cuirass; forced by extreme anguish, he quitted his poft to feek relief. The Greek emperor learned at another breach, where he commanded in perfon, the discouragement which Juftiniani's retreat had spread along the ramparts. In effect, the janiffaries approached in greater number towards this place; they foon reached the top of the wall; and having redoubled the flaughter and enlarged the breach, whole battalions mounted by this opening, where they Heg. 857. they no longer faw any refiftance. They ran J.C. 1453. along the ramparts, and diftributed themselves at the different affaults where their comrades had not yet fucceeded. The unfortunate Conftantine, seeing himself between two fires, and knowing the enemy were spread over the city, exclaimed, Will no Chriftian deign, through pity, to take my life? To prevent his falling alive into the hands of the vanquisher, he laid afide his gilded arms, and precipitated himself into the middle of the janiffaries, who killed him without knowing him. Whilft the chiefs and foldiers were braving death on the breaches, the filly people ran to St. Sophia's to await the event of a pretended prediction. Some impoftor had prognofticated to them, a long time before, that the Turks fhould enter Conftantinople one day, and would penetrate as far as the column of Conftantine, where an Angel fhould defcend from Heaven, and put into the hands of a common man a fword and a fceptre, faying to him: "Avenge the people of the Lord;" that the Turks would immediately take to flight; that the Greeks fhould drive them in turn, under the command of this king, chofen by God himself, and that they would pursue them as far a place called Monardera on the frontiers of Perfia. The Greeks, on the faith of this abfurd prophecy, almoft rejoiced to fee their fellow citizens Daughtered: fhut up in the J.C. 1453 the churches, they were addreffing tumultuous Heg. 857. prayers to God, when the fhouts of victory, and the noise of the axes breaking open the doors, announced to them death or captivity. The janiffaries furrounded this unarmed multitude; avarice foftened their, barbarity; they bound them together two and two, choofing rather to fell or employ them in their fervice, than to maffacre them. Almost all the foldiers had perished by the fword of the conqueror. Conftantinople is Mahomet Greeks. The great duke or admiral was more unforpillaged. tunate than all the others. The magnificence of has his vi- his arms discovered him; he was conducted alive zier frangled, for to Mahomet, who treated him at firft with fome having fa vored the humanity. The conqueror afked him, why the Greeks had perfifted in defending Conftantinople. You have, faid he, loft your property and liberty, which I would have preferved you. The prifoner, who had no longer any thing to diffemble, replied: Your first officers encouraged us to hold out, averring that you would never be able to reduce us. This answer inftantly recalled to Mahomet's mind, fome advice, which his grand vizier, Ali, had prefumed to give him, against his interest and glory. The great duke, who named no one, confirmed by this reply all the fufpicions of the emperor, and the vizier was ftrangled immediately. The affault had been given in the evening, and the city was pillaged in the depth of the night. The torches and arms arms carried terror every where.* Notwith- J.C. 1453. Heg. 857ftanding the calamity of Conftantinople, there was still that magnificence, which the ancient fplendor *The women (fays Vertot in his Hiftoire des Chevaliers de Malte,) detefted the fecundity which had made them mothers, and bitterly lamented the fate of the young infants that they carried in their arms. An infinity of young girls, timid and faultering in their steps, who, not knowing where to go, wandered about like wretched ftrangers in the very bofom of their country, and, whilft they were in queft of their relations, fell into an abyfs of horrors, and into the hands of barbarians, from whom they experienced a treatment, more horrible, to them, than the most cruel punishment. Neither their tears nor cries touched the infolent conqueror, and the meaneft of the Turks had an accomplished beauty for his prey, though often taken from him by another Turk, either ftronger than himself, or of higher authority in the army. Most of these barbarians fet their prifoners up to fale; but the men of quality, the princes, and officers who were taken under arms, were executed by the fultan's orders: none efcaped his cruelty but the handsomest young perfons of both fexes, whom he reserved for the abominations of his feraglio. It was thus that a young Greek lady of noble birth, called Irene, hardly feventeen years old, fell into his hands. A bashaw had just made her his flave; but ftruck with her exquifite beauty, thought her a present worthy of the fultan. The east had never before given birth to fo charming creature; her beauty was irrefiftable, and triumphed over the favage Ma homet; rough as he was, he was forced to yield himself entirely to this new paffion; and in order to have fewer avocations from his amorous affiduities, he paffed feveral days without permitting his minifters and the principal officers of the army to see him. Irene followed him afterward to Adrianople, where he fixed the refidence of the young Greek. As for himself, on whatever fide he turned his arms, he would often, in the midst of the most important expeditions, leave the command to his generals, and return on the wings of love to Irene. It was foon perceived that war was no longer his reigning paffion: the foldiers, who were inured to plunder, and accustomed to find booty in following him, murmured at the change. This disfatisfaction spread and became contagious: the officers, as well as the foldiers, complained of his effeminate life: yet his wrath was fo terrible, that no body durft undertake to speak to him on that subject. At length, as the discontents of the foldiery were just going to break out, Mustapha Heg. 857. 1.C. 1453. fplendor of the empire had introduced. Rich clothes, magnificent furniture, gold, and precious ftones, every where offered to the avidity of the foldiery. In the space of a few hours, all were bending under the weight of their booty. Thé fack Muftapha bashaw, confulting only the fidelity which he owed his master, was the first that gave him notice of the difcourfes which the janiffaries held publicly to the prejudice of his glory. The fultan continued fome time in a fullen and deep filence, as if he was confidering in himself what resolution he should take; the only anfwer Muftapha received was, an order to fummon the bafhaws to affemble the next day, with all the guards, and the troops that were pofted about the city, under pretence of a review; after which he went into Irene's apartment, and stayed with her all the night. Never did the young princess appear fo charming in his eyes; never too had the prince given her fuch tender marks of his love before and in order, if poffible, to bestow new luftre on her beauty, he defired her maids to exert all their care and skill in dreffing her. When she was thus fet out and adjusted to appear in public, he took her by the hand and led her into the middle of the affembly; when, tearing off the veil that covered her face, he haughtily asked the bashaws around, if they had ever seen a more perfect beauty. All the officers, like true courtiers, were lavifh of their praises, and congratulated him on his felicity. Upon which, Mahomet, taking the fair Greek by the hair with one hand, and drawing his sword with the other, at one stroke, separated her head from her body; then turning about to his grandees, with eyes rolling and flashing with fire: This fword, faid he to them, whenever I please, can cut afunder the ties of love. The whole affembly was ftruck with horror, and fhuddered at the fight: the dread they were all feized with, of being treated in the like manner, made the most mutinous of them tremble: every one thought he saw the fatal fword lifted over his own head; but if they escaped his fanguinary temper at that moment, it was only to have his revenge the better. Muftapha, as a reward for his faithful advice, was first facrificed, and on a flight pretence; he caufed him to be strangled in the feraglio; and in the long wars in which he was afterward engaged, and that lafted as long as his reign, he had the cruel pleasure of dispatching most of the janissaries one after another, who, by their feditious cries, had interrupted his pleasures, and awaked his fury. Tranflator. |