Si^AYNE S. VUCINICH 
 
 GEISEL LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DffGO 
 
 LA JOUA. CAUFORNIA 
 
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 Afi'S 
 
 ry\\^ 
 
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 JBfAYNE S. VUCINICH
 
 Copyright, i8g^ 
 By Estes and Lauriat 
 
 All rights reserved 
 
 Constantinople 
 Clara Ersknie Clement
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 -♦ — 
 
 Chaptbb ^^°^ 
 
 I, Introductory ^ 
 
 II. Constantinople and Constantine the Great. 
 
 324-337 10 
 
 III. Valens, Theodosius the Great, Arcadius, and 
 
 Theodosius II. 364-527 26 
 
 IV. Justinian, Heraclius, Constantine IV., Leo 
 
 the Iconoclast, and the Isaurian Dynasty. 
 
 527-867 39 
 
 V. Macedonian and Comnenan Dynasties — Decad- 
 ence of Constantinople. 867-1203 .... 56 
 VI. The Latin Conquest, Last Emperors of Con- 
 stantinople, AND ITS Subjection by the Otto- 
 man Turks. 1204-1453 73 
 
 VII. Mohammed II., Bayezid II., Selim I., and Sulei- 
 man THE Magnificent. 1453-1566 97 
 
 Vni. Selim II. to Abdul Mejid — Three Centuries 
 
 OF Decline. 1566-1861 123 
 
 IX. Sultans Abdul Aziz, Murad V., and Abdul 
 
 Hamid IL 1861-1895 148 
 
 X. The Castle of the Seven Towers — The Old 
 
 Seraglio and Other Palaces « 171 
 
 XI. S. Sophia and the Ahmedyeh 197 
 
 XII. Antiquities of Constantinople 216
 
 IV CONTENTS. 
 
 Chapter Paob 
 
 XIII. Shops and Bazaars 236 
 
 XIV. Thk Valley of the Sweet Waters. — Habits and 
 
 Customs of Turkish Ladies 246 
 
 XV. Cemeteries and Funeral Customs 256 
 
 XVI. Birth, Circumcision, and Marriage Ceremonies 265 
 XVII. Superstitions, Dervishes, Ramadan, and Fatal- 
 ism 280 
 
 XVIII. Education in Constantinople 294 
 
 Index 303
 
 ^art f ir^t. 
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE BEFORE THE CONQUEST 
 OF THE OTTOMAN TURKS. 
 
 Behold Constantinople ! sublime, superb 
 Constantinople, glory to creation and man ! 
 I had never dreamed of such beauty ! 
 
 Edmondo de Amicis.
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTOEY. 
 
 THE history of no city exceeds that of Constantinople 
 in dramatic interest, and no other can boast of so 
 commanding a position, or one so well suited to the 
 splendid capital of a proud and powerful empire. 
 
 As Byzantium, — its name through more than nine cen- 
 turies, — it was one of the most remote Greek colonies, 
 surrounded by a barbarous country, and but narrowly 
 separated from a sea dangerous to mariners, and fatal to 
 those who fell into the hands of the inhabitants of its 
 coasts, — a sea which was both a dread and a temptation 
 to Greek and Roman seamen. When Greek colonists first 
 established themselves on the borders of the Propontis, — 
 now Marmora, — this dreaded sea was called the " Axine," 
 or " Inhospitable ; " and its associations with the perilous 
 voyage of the Argonautic fleet, with Jason, Medea, and 
 the Golden Fleece, inspired a terror of it which yielded 
 I)ut slowly before the experiences of those who ventured 
 upon its waters and returned in safety. But at length 
 it so far vindicated itself as to be rechristened ; and 
 the " Euxine, " or " Hospitable, " lost its deadly terrors, 
 while retaining enough of its peculiar characteristics to 
 justify the words of Lord Byron, so frequently recalled
 
 4 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 by those who experience the discomforts of its chopping 
 currents. ^ 
 
 Then, as now, the waters of this sea flowed rapidly 
 through the narrow Bosphorus, and rushing on through 
 the Sea of Marmora, the Dardanelles, and the ^gcan Sea, 
 were mingled with those of the greater Mediterranean. 
 The steep and wooded banks of the Bosphorus, from the 
 Cyanean rocks which guarded the entrance to the Euxine, 
 even to the port of Byzantium itself, were studded with 
 temples and altars, where prayers and sacrifices were 
 offered to the gods, in the hope of securing their pro- 
 tection from the dangers of these untoward waters. 
 
 Along the sixteen winding miles of these lonely straits, 
 tradition has located the scenes once haunted by the 
 mythical beings who can no longer be discerned, and the 
 present castles of Europe and Asia stand upon the founda- 
 tions of the temples of Scrapis and Jupiter Urius, at the 
 narrowest part of the channel, where Darius connected 
 the continents by a bridge of boats, about 500 b. c. 
 
 The wonderful beauty of the site of Byzantium was fully 
 equalled, perhaps even surpassed, by its political and 
 commercial advantages. Easily defended on its land 
 borders, its position on the sea afforded the assurance of 
 vast wealth and prosperity. The duties levied on corn 
 ships brought a large revenue to the Byzantines, and the 
 fisheries were a prolific source of wealth ; for the fish, 
 which, coming from the Euxine, filled the waters of the 
 Bosphorus, inclined to the European shore, and furnished 
 a living to a multitude of fishermen, as well as food to 
 rich and poor alike. 
 
 The splendid harbour, almost tideless, and so deep that 
 merchandise could be landed without small boats, was 
 called the Golden Horn, at a very early date. Gibbon 
 
 1 " Tliere 's not a sea the passenger e'er pukes in 
 
 Turns up more dangerous breakers than the Euxine."
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 5 
 
 says that the largest vessels may rest their prows against 
 the houses while their sterns are floating in the water. 
 The word "golden " was scarcely adequate to indicate the 
 endless tide of riches which, flowing from the distant 
 countries of the world, were gathered in the capacious 
 Byzantine port, the peculiar position of which afforded 
 security to enormous merchant fleets. 
 
 Al)out one hundred and twenty miles to the southwest, 
 the Hellespont, or Straits of the Dardanelles, separated 
 the Sea of Marmora from the ^Egean, and formed the 
 southern gate to Byzantium, as the Bosphorus made the 
 northern. By means of enormous chains, these avenues 
 were easily closed to enemies or opened to friends ; and so 
 advantageous was the position of this capital, that when 
 both these gates were shut, every necessity and many 
 luxuries were produced within the enclosure, in a supply 
 so generous as to satisfy its vast population. The neigh- 
 bouring country, which still, even under the taxes and 
 oppression of the present rule, is I'ich in the plentiful 
 harvests of its vineyards and gardens, afforded in the 
 ancient days many table luxuries, and even wines so 
 exquisite as to be world-famous, — wines of which Ulysses 
 spoke with rapture. 
 
 In short, Byzantium, on her seven hills, overlooking 
 the coasts of Europe and Asia, with a temperate climate, 
 a productive soil, and vast commercial resources, was a 
 city to be envied and coveted by all the rulers of the 
 earth. 
 
 Little is known of its earliest history, but in the fifth 
 century b. c. it was a powerful city, to which many 
 neighbouring peoples were subject. Continued peace and 
 prosperity, however, were not to be enjoyed in those days 
 of endless warfare; and Byzantium was, during the suc- 
 ceeding centuries, the scene of sieges, conflagrations, and 
 all the horrors of a barbarous age. Persians, Macedo-
 
 6 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 nians, Athenians, Thracians, Gauls, and Romans contended 
 for its possession; and even when no pronounced war was 
 in progress, this capital suffered severely from the depre- 
 dations of the surrounding barbarians. Its crops were 
 stolen on the eve of the harvest, and all possible injuries 
 and insults to its people and their rulers were perpetrated 
 again and again. 
 
 Byzantium was necessarily more or less involved in the 
 great Roman wars which preceded the Christian era; and 
 in 148 B. c. she became an ally of Rome, as a confederate 
 state, retaining its liberty. The history of Rome, and 
 especially some speeches of its greatest generals and 
 orators, prove that Byzantium was faithful to this alliance, 
 and under these conditions enjoyed great prosperity. 
 
 At this time it was especially rich in works of art, 
 and in spite of the sieges and attacks it had sustained, 
 had shown a marvellous power of recuperation, and 
 had succeeded in religiously guarding its statues and 
 other artistic treasures from injury. It was attractive 
 to all travellers, and retained the characteristics of a 
 Greek city, affording great advantages to the student of 
 archaeology, while its luxurious life was fascinating to the 
 mere pleasure-seeker. 
 
 In 70 A. D. Byzantium was a Roman province ; but this 
 change had made no essential difference in its condi- 
 tion, and little is known of it until more than a cen- 
 tury later, when Septimius Sevcrus was contending with 
 Pescennius Niger for his position as Roman emperor in 
 the East. Byzantium declared herself in favor of the 
 Syrian general, and doubtless had the ambition to become 
 the capital of a vast Eastern Empire. Its fortifications 
 were famous throughout the world. All the scientific 
 means of defence then known were at its command. Its 
 engines were said to be sufficient to lift ships from the 
 water; and its soldiers may well have been inspired with
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 7 
 
 undoubting courage by the presence of their engineer, 
 Priscus, who proved himself so great a master of his pro- 
 fession as to command the respect of Severus, into whose 
 service he later entered. 
 
 Great as was the reliance to be placed on their splendid 
 fortifications and engineering skill, the Byzantines had 
 a second invaluable support in their numerous vessels, 
 manned by skilful, brave, and loyal seamen. 
 
 Their large ships, with dangerous beaks, were greatly 
 dreaded by the navies of other countries, especially when 
 in their own waters, where their pilots knew every advan- 
 tage that could be taken, and where the narrow straits, 
 through which an enemy must pass, were easily guarded 
 against fleets that would be difficult to overcome when in 
 more open seas. They also had divers so skilful that they 
 even attached ropes to the Roman vessels under water, 
 and hauled them into the Byzantine harbor as prizes of 
 war. 
 
 The siege was sustained three years, which proves that 
 however pleasure-loving the Byzantines were in times of 
 peace, their courage and loyalty were marvellous when 
 their city was in danger. Their vessels were repaired 
 with timbers from iheir houses, and the women gave their 
 hair to be worked into ropes. Stones wrenched from 
 splendid edifices, and statues of bronze, were hurled from 
 the walls on the heads of the besiegers. So great were 
 tlie stores within the capital at the beginning of the siege 
 that no need of food was felt for a long time ; but when 
 it came, there were no possible means of relief. Severus 
 had conquered the neighbouring tribes, and could easily 
 feed his troops. If he could overcome the Byzantines on 
 the sea, their city would be his, and without it he could 
 not establish his power in the East. 
 
 At length, after enduring the sufferings of famine to 
 such an extent that the weaker became food for the strong,
 
 8 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 a company of Byzantines took advantage of a frightful 
 storm to take to their vessels, hoping, in the terrible con- 
 dition of the sea, to be able to pass the Roman galleys. 
 But they miscalculated their chances, and in the over- 
 crowded condition of their boats were at an immense dis- 
 advantage. The Romans attacked them furiously, and 
 instead of fighting a fair battle, they simply pushed the 
 Byzantines into the sea to drown. Many of the horrors 
 of this engagement were witnessed from the walls of the 
 city. The people beheld the corpses of their friends and 
 neighbours floating back to their home ; and the failure of 
 this bold attempt to escape from the famine within, and 
 the enemy without their walls, proved to the survivors 
 that the time for surrender had come. 
 
 Severus proved a cruel conqueror, and permitted the 
 common people alone to live. The soldiers and the higher 
 classes were put to death. The wealth of Byzantium was 
 confiscated ; the city and the territory it controlled were 
 given to the city of Perinthus. In the destruction of 
 the walls, the Romans displayed a foolish love of revenge 
 and great lack of wisdom; for not only was this the sever- 
 est trial to the Byzantines, but it permitted the Asiatic 
 barbarians to rush in and plunder, where the magnifi- 
 cent fortifications had before rendered their attacks 
 fruitless. 
 
 The struggles of Byzantium during a long period after 
 this conquest by Severus, a. d. 196, are too involved for 
 description here. They make a harrowing story of the 
 alternate successes and cruelties of the Romans and bar- 
 barians. Although the walls were rebuilt, there were 
 times when the Byzantines trembled lest they should 
 become the slaves of the Goths, and they willingly aided 
 the Emperor Claudius II. in his great battle at Naissus, 
 A. D. 269. Not until a. d. 324, when Constantine, the 
 sole ruler of the Roman Empire, besieged the city, was
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 9 
 
 there a strong and enduring government at Byzantium. 
 It was then made the capital of the civilized world, and 
 the chief seat of the Christian religion, which was hence- 
 forth to be the cult of the multitudes subject to Rome. 
 The name of the capital was changed to Constantinople; 
 and the portion of its history which belongs to that of the 
 Christian world now began.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE AND CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. 
 324-337. 
 
 NO city of the world is entered by so ideal a portal as 
 that through which one reaches Constantinople 
 from the Mediterranean. Traversing the ^gean Sea, 
 and passing through the Hellespont into the Sea of 
 Marmora, this glorious capital at length is seen rising 
 from the waters, — an entrancing vision, with its rich 
 colouring, its seven hills crowned with glistening minarets 
 and domes, its cypresses, firs, and pines, uniting with its 
 shattered walls and buttresses to present a panorama 
 which is unequalled in beauty and interest. 
 
 Constantinople sits "at the meeting of two seas and 
 two continents, like a diamond between sapphires and 
 emeralds." ^ From its heights one looks upon the storied 
 shores that almost meet at its feet, and wonders that the 
 air is not filled with the ghosts of heroes who here 
 achieved the fame of which poets in all time delight to 
 sing. 
 
 Coming hither, we have passed the plains of Troy, and 
 sailed above the watery grave of that fair Theban maid 
 whose enduring memorial is in the name these straits 
 still bear; and Abydos recalls that other youth, struggling 
 
 "on Helle's wave 
 When Love, wlio sent, forgot to save 
 The young, the beautiful, the brave." 
 
 1 Von Hammer.
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE AND CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. 11 
 
 The Mjsian Olympus, " parliamental seat of heavenly 
 powers, " still towers aloft, wearing its veil of clouds as if 
 in mourning for the millions that have died within its 
 sight; while the numberless exquisite islands scattered 
 over these historic seas are all associated with the classic 
 past, and so recall its history, its legends, and its poetry 
 that for the time we quite forget that we are at the end of 
 the nineteenth century, and almost look for the fleet of 
 the Argonauts to sail along beside us. 
 
 Gray walls, in triple ranks, come into view. Among 
 their stones are there not relics of the walls of Constan- 
 tine and Theodosius ? Their towers and battlements are 
 draped with vines and overgrown by friendly shrubs, 
 which partly hide the ghastly rents made by enemies 
 and widened by Time, and their luxurious growth con- 
 tributes the single element of life and beauty in this scene 
 of desolation. 
 
 Aj)proaching the Castle of the Seven Towers, we have 
 Stamboul on our left ; the city of Constantine, stretching 
 four miles along the Sea of Marmora, and rising to the 
 crest of its lofty hills on the west, where hundreds of 
 minarets, domes, and towers vie with each other in lift- 
 ing themselves to the blue heavens above. It is our first 
 sight of a part of that whole which, by common consent, 
 is granted to be the most beautiful spot in the Avorld, — a 
 sight which makes an epoch in one's existence, and 
 affords a standard for natural beauty that must ever 
 remain unchanged. 
 
 The eye follows the line of quaint old structures close 
 to the sea until, rounding Seraglio Point, the entrance to 
 the Bosphorus spreads out before us, and the Golden Horn 
 discloses a surprising vista. It is full of life. Hundreds 
 of caiques flit like insects here and there, — out and in 
 among the huge war-ships which carry the red flag with 
 the crescent; darting swiftly between the freiglit and
 
 12 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 passenger steamers of all nations, the corn ships of 
 Russia, the picturesque feluccas of the Greek, and scores 
 of curiously rigged boats, for which I know no names. 
 
 On each side rises a city, — Stamboul to the south, Ga- 
 lata to the north, with Pera still higher as its background. 
 On the one hand, above the forest of masts, sails, and 
 flags, rise mosques and towers, pinnacles and minarets, 
 with plume-like trees and shrubs thrusting themselves out 
 in every possible space ; while on the other, Galata and 
 Tophane extend along the shore, with the bustle of com- 
 merce and trade pervading the very air; above these is 
 Pera, with its mansions, gardens, cemeteries, and cypress 
 groves; and still beyond are the suburban villas and 
 gardens which overlook the Bosphorus. 
 
 Upon the heights of Stamboul stand gigantic mosques, 
 with their ivory-like minarets, which catch the colours 
 from the setting sun, and glow with gold and scarlet, in 
 vivid contrast to the groves of cypress-trees which are 
 frequently in long processional lines from the summits to 
 the feet of these broad hills. Saint Sophia, with four 
 white minarets, and her famous dome above her white 
 and rose-coloured walls ; Sultan Ahmed, from which rise 
 six lance-like towers ; the ten-domed Soliman the Great ; 
 Mohammed II., built above the ruins of the church of the 
 Holy Apostles, the burial-place of the Christian Emperors; 
 the mosque of Selim; the Seraglio of Tekyr, and above 
 all, the Tower of the Seraskiarate, — are the more promi- 
 nent features of Stamboul. Surrounding these is a multi- 
 tude of smaller mosques, tombs, seraglios, kiosks, and 
 edifices of many kinds, in a variety of colours ; and every- 
 where, from the heights to the sea, where a space ex- 
 ists, some growing vine or shrub or tree pushes itself 
 out, and by its beauty and vigorous growth conceals the 
 glaring defects which would otherwise mar this fasci- 
 nating panorama.
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE AND CONSTANTINE THE GREAT- 13 
 
 On the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus, Scutari and 
 Kadi-Kioi are seen, with their thousands of gayly tinted 
 houses amidst the most verdant gardens; and these are 
 overtopped by scores of mosques of dazzling whiteness, 
 while the cypress groves of the extensive Turkish and 
 British cemeteries afford a rich contrast to the white 
 barracks, the gay villages, and the domes and minarets 
 which climb the mountain at the back, and are doubled in 
 the blue waters of the straits. 
 
 The Bosphorus winds northward to the Black Sea 
 between rows of palaces, cafes, gardens, and villages. 
 Nature has here showered her beauties in a profusion that 
 cannot be surpassed. The exquisitely softened azure sky 
 is reflected in the clearest and bluest of seas. The beauti- 
 ful contour of the shores ; the grace with which the 
 Golden Horn curves into the Sweet Waters; the broad 
 sweep of the Bosphorus; the Sea of Marmora, with the 
 bold, rocky islands on its bosom; the gently receding 
 heights beyond Scutari ; and the grand Olympus, which 
 at times reveals its blushing snows beneath the rising sun, 
 — unite to make a picture unrivalled in its loveliness. 
 
 Each time that I have visited these scenes, the Bosphorus 
 has cast a spell on me. Its varying aspects beneath the 
 brilliancy of a sunny morning, or the softer illumination 
 of a moonlit night, impart to it a beauty and witchery 
 that cannot be described. Its keynote is curiously sad, 
 with a sadness that is a pleasure, — a strange, weird sen- 
 sation, of which one does not seek to know the cause, lest 
 understanding it should do its matter-of-fact work and 
 dispel the charm. In it are mingled, together with other 
 emotions, an unalloyed delight in the exquisite scene, 
 and a keen regret that the heroism, romance, and poetry 
 that have existed here are now found but in the printed 
 page; a blending of sorrow and disgust at the present 
 degradation and decay, with the hope that these must
 
 14 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 pass away, and civilization and art resume their sw 
 in this 
 
 " land of tlie cedar and vine 
 Where the flowers ever blossom, the beams ever shine ; 
 Where the light wings of Zephyr, oppressed with perfume, 
 Wax faint in the gardens of Gul in her bloom ; 
 Where the citron and olive are fairest of fruit, 
 And the voice of the nightingale never is mute ; 
 Where the tints of the earth and the hues of the sky, 
 In colour thougii varied, in beauty may vie, 
 And the purple of ocean is deepest in dye ; 
 Where the virgins are soft as tiie roses they twine, 
 And all save the spirit of man is divine." ^ 
 
 Two characteristics of Constantinople are most impn 
 sive to the stranger, and doubtless have an unconscio 
 effect, even when no longer novel. The first is the fe( 
 ing that the sea is everywhere. It borders Stamboul 
 two sides, and separates it from Galata and Pera, whi 
 it again parts from Scutari ; and yet these three esse 
 tially make one city, — Constantinople. 
 
 The second is the shrill call to prayer by the muezzi 
 which peals out five times each day from the galleries 
 the minarets, piercing the busy hum of the crowd belc 
 and making itself heard above all else. It is a mc 
 impressive thought that from every Mohammedan minar 
 in Asia, Africa, and Europe, at these stated hours, tli 
 cry goes forth. The muezzin steps out upon the terrac 
 and after a moment of silence covers his ears with h 
 hands, raises his eyes to the sky above him, and slow 
 chants his call, which may be thus translated: "God 
 great! There is but one God! Mahomet is the proph 
 of God ! Come to prayer ! Come and be saved ! God 
 great! God is one alone! Come to prayer!" This 
 repeated to each point of the compass ; and as the voi' 
 dies away from one minaret, others are heard, who ha^ 
 
 1 Lord Byron.
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE AND CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. 15 
 
 not yet completed the call, and one by one, gradually, 
 these voices of the air are stilled. Thus the name of 
 "Allah " rings ever in one's ears, and the Mohammedan 
 god cannot be forgotten, as the Christian Deity too often is. 
 
 It is a matter for congratulation to Europeans that their 
 quarter is in Pera, with its commonplace aspect, since 
 liere they have the exquisite view of the Golden Horn and 
 the Bosphorus, the bridge, the Tower of Galata, and the 
 heights of Stamboul ever spread out before them. But 
 when the remembrance of the great events that have here 
 had place rushes over one, he longs to get away from this 
 uninspiring Pera, and from the hum and stir of that 
 busiest of marts, Stamboul, into some stilly spot where 
 the atmosphere of Byzantium faintly lingers, and the 
 present poison in the air has not utterly dispelled the 
 spirit of the old, old days, — a spot to which the ghosts of 
 those who here lived from the fourth to the fifteenth 
 century might willingly come to recall the scenes in which 
 as men they acted their parts. 
 
 Perhaps no more difficult task could be presented to the 
 imagination than that of reconstructing Byzantium as 
 it existed at the height of its glory, before the Latin 
 conquest. For while we have a vast store of material 
 with which to Ijuild our imaginary city, and voluminous 
 word pictures of its appearance and its life, they present 
 a world so different from any that wc know, and above 
 all, so unlike the Istamboul of the Turk, that the attempt 
 is most unpromising. 
 
 No single spot in this great city is so associated with 
 its entire history as is Seraglio Point. Here for cen- 
 turies has been a palace, the home of its rulers, beside 
 the Temple of the Divine Wisdom, Saint Sophia, in which 
 30 many of the wonderful pageants, tragedies, and come- 
 dies (!) of Constantinople have had place. This promontory 
 is not snrpnssfd in b-^-auty by any spot on the entire coast
 
 16 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 of Europe. It was the Acropolis of Byzantium, and the 
 centre of the coniiucrcc of its time ; while from it the great 
 highways of Eastern Europe took their course, distribut- 
 ing the treasures of all lands, brought hither on the seas 
 which mingle their waters at its feet. 
 
 We shall not here recount its earliest history, and the 
 events with which the names of Pausanias, Cimon, 
 Alcibiades, Lysander, Thrasybulus, Epaminondas, Philip, 
 and many others are associated. We will but note that 
 while the latter general was besieging Byzantium, and on 
 a murky night was about to seize the town, a dazzling 
 light, appearing in the heavens, revealed their danger to 
 its inhabitants. The miracle was doubly commemorated, 
 — by a statue to torch-bearing Hecate, and by the crescent 
 found on ancient Byzantine coins, which is to this day 
 the device of Constantinople, and of its Mohammedan 
 conquerors, wherever their symbol is seen. 
 
 As we have said, the story of Byzantium is one of con- 
 stant warfare ; and yet, so prosperous were its people that 
 in its rare seasons of peace the life of its higher classes 
 was most luxurious. Its baths and other public buildings 
 were magnificent, and its Hi[)podrome was surrounded by 
 beautiful porticoes and various edifices, in which the 
 people passed their days, eating and drinking, and fitting 
 themselves to become the prey of a vigorous and ambitious 
 soldier, like Constantine the Great. 
 
 Remembering the great strategic and commercial advan- 
 tages of this site, we at once perceive the reasons that led 
 Constantine to found his Eastern seat of empire here; for 
 before his time the riches of North and South — the timber 
 and grains from the Euxine, the gems of Ceylon, the 
 treasures of India, and the maize of Egypt — all met in 
 the capacious port of Byzantium by a system of commer- 
 cial circulation, as naturally as the blood of the human 
 system passes through the heart.
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE AND CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. 17 
 
 Constantine desired to be regarded as the founder rather 
 than the conqueror of the city, and, following the example 
 of other founders, he declared himself directed by a 
 heavenly vision which revealed to him the will of God, 
 which he promptly and gladly fulfilled. 
 
 Although some customary Pagan rites were omitted, the 
 emperor made the ceremony of the founding of the city 
 sufficiently impressive. He is said to have borne a golden 
 image of the goddess of Fortune in his hand, when, with 
 uplifted lance, and followed by a solemn procession, he 
 walked over the boundaries of his New Rome. When the 
 astonishing circumference which he thus indicated was 
 remarked, he replied, ""I shall still advance until He, the 
 invisible guide who marches before me, thinks it proper 
 to stop." 
 
 Thus the new city was much larger than the old, and 
 included five of the Seven Hills, which seem a part of an 
 harmonious whole, and were all taken into the limits of 
 the capital a little more than a century after the death of 
 Constantine; and in the time of Justinian, at the end 
 of the seventh century, the circumference of the city was 
 about fourteen Roman miles. 
 
 The vast numbers of men employed to carry out the 
 designs of the emperor, and the marvellous sums expended 
 on his projects, are almost beyond comprehension. That 
 his work was well done may be seen by the existing 
 remnants of his walls between the Seven Towers and the 
 Golden Horn. Near at hand were the splendid forests of 
 the Euxine and the rich quarries of Proconnesus. The 
 famous cities of Greece and Asia were robbed of their 
 treasures to satisfy the greed of Constantine. The works 
 of the immortal Greeks, of Phidias and Lysippus, were 
 torn from the places for which they were designed ; and 
 neither the national pi-ide of the Greeks in the trophies of 
 tlicir victoiios, nor their jtrofound veneration for the 
 
 2
 
 18 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 statues of their deities, sages, and heroes, deterred the 
 proud Roman from adding them to the spleudours of the 
 city which he had called by his own name. The historian 
 Cedrenus called attention to the fact that the souls 
 (spirit) of the men whose statues were thus transplanted 
 were utterly wanting in their new surroundings. 
 
 On the second hill, where during the siege the tent of 
 Constantine had been placed, the chief Forum was con- 
 structed, in the form of an enormous ellipse, which may 
 still be traced. On opposite sides were entrances beneath 
 triumphal arches, and it was enclosed by porticoes, filled 
 with statues of gods and heroes, carved in marbles and 
 moulded in brass. The number of these statues was 
 constantly increased until, in the twelfth century, Nicetas 
 assures us that they were more numerous than the inhabi- 
 tants of the modern city. 
 
 In the centre stood a magnificent column, the remnant 
 of which is now known as the "burnt pillar." It was 
 originally composed of ten pieces of porphyry, bound 
 together by bands of copper. Each block of porphyry was 
 ten feet high and eleven feet in diameter, and the column 
 thus composed was mounted on a pedestal of white marble, 
 twenty feet high, beneath which it was said that the 
 Palladium was buried. On the top of this column was a 
 colossal bronze statue of Apollo, believed to have been 
 the work of Phidias. The god, crowned with glittering 
 rays, held a globe in one hand and a sceptre in the other. 
 This statue was called by the name of the emperor; but 
 Von Hammer speaks of the shamelessness of Constantine, 
 and says that he placed his own statue on the column, 
 with the symbols of both Apollo and Christ, substituting 
 the nails of the cross for the rays of the sun. Julian and 
 Thcodosius, following the example of Constantine, each 
 placed his statue on this famous column. In 1012 the 
 statue was injured by an earthquake, and fell in the
 
 liUUNT (.'(ll.liMX OF Co.NSTA N I 1 Mv
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE AND CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. 19 
 
 reign of Alexius Comueniis, when it was replaced by 
 the cross. 
 
 The Hippodrome, or Circus, of this Forum was richly 
 ornamented with statues and obelisks. A curious frag- 
 ment still remains. It is a pillar of brass formed of the 
 twisted bodies of three serpents, with the tails down- 
 wards. The heads originally upheld the golden tripod 
 which the victorious Greeks had consecrated in the 
 Temple of Delphi, after the defeat of Xerxes. A picture 
 made in 1675 shows the three heads, which are now gone. 
 One of them was struck off with the iron mace or battle- 
 axe of Mohammed the Conqueror, in order to display his 
 unusual strength. Few antiquities can be so clearly iden- 
 tified as is this column of the serpents, now more than 
 fourteen centuries old. 
 
 From the throne of the Hippodrome the emperor de- 
 scended a winding staircase to his palace, situated on 
 the Propontis between the Hippodrome and the church of 
 S. Sophia. The palace was surrounded by gardens, por- 
 ticoes, and courts, one of which, the Augusteum, was 
 between the principal front of the palace and the church 
 of the Divine Wisdom. 
 
 A great variety of edifices, such as would add to the 
 splendour of the new capital, were rapidly constructed, 
 and the magnificence of its baths, with their marbles, 
 statues, and columns was unequalled; while theatres, 
 palaces, porticoes, aqueducts, fountains, senate halls, 
 churches, and splendid private houses, as well as the 
 homes of the poorer people, arose as if by magic. 
 
 In order to populate his New Rome, the emperor invited 
 liither the prominent men of the older capital and of the 
 Eastern provinces of the empire. Those who deserted 
 Rome for the new capital were not men of the best fibre ; 
 and Constantino paid a [)romiuin on their coming l)y con- 
 ferring country estates on them, with the condition that
 
 20 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 they should also maintain city liousus. The lower classes 
 were fed by the emperor's bounty, according to tradition; 
 and the whole tendency of life under the new order of 
 things was to produce a population of idle pleasure- 
 seekers, void of patriotism or any noble sentiment; and 
 soon it was not unusual for men to maim themselves 
 rather than light the battles of their country, which ofifice 
 was left to hired Goths and Germans. The indolent and 
 luxurious life of Constantinople proved most attractive; 
 and in less than a century its riches, splendour, and popu- 
 lation rivalled those of Rome itself, and although the 
 Western capital was nominally supreme, the new city was 
 independent of all dictation or restraint. 
 
 The absolute date of the dedication of Constantinople is 
 a matter of doubt, as the best authorities disagree ; but all 
 represent the occasion as of great interest and splendour, 
 and one of its ceremonies was annually repeated on the 
 birthday of the city. The gilded statue of Constantine, 
 bearing in its right hand an image of the genius of the 
 capital, was mounted on a triumphal car, and drawn 
 around the Hippodrome in the midst of a procession of 
 richly dressed guards, carrying white tapers in their 
 hands. When opposite the throne, the reigning monarch 
 arose, and reverently adored this representation of the 
 founder of the city. 
 
 Although this ceremony was long since abandoned, the 
 fame of Constantine the Great survives in the name of 
 his city; for though its conquerors call it Istamboul, 
 the European peoples, the Greeks of to-day, the Arabic 
 writings, and indeed many scholarly Turks, perpet- 
 uate the memory of its founder in the use of the name 
 Constantinople. 
 
 Although an edict published at the dedication of the 
 city called it the Second or New Rome, the spirit of the 
 government, and the methods by which it was conducted,
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE AND CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. 21 
 
 differed essentially from those of the Eternal City. No 
 Roman simplicity obtained in the city on the Bosphorus. 
 On the contrary, no circumstance \yas too insignificant to 
 be made a matter of official importance, any neglect of 
 which was seriously reprimanded or punished. In fact, 
 the life of the court and the officers of the empire re- 
 sembled a theatrical spectacle, magnificently mounted 
 and brought out with the most careful attention to the 
 minutest details. 
 
 The impressive New Year ceremony of the old capital 
 was imitated in the new. The consuls, in the splendour 
 of purple, gold, and gems, moved in procession to a public 
 sfjuare, and, seated in their chairs of office, freed a 
 slave, as the elder Brutus had done. The festival thus 
 inaugurated continued some days. The games that were 
 celebrated, the circus, theatre, and amphitheatre, were 
 conducted at an expense and on a scale of magnificence 
 that surpassed the marvellous splendours of "The Thou- 
 sand and one Nights." 
 
 These ceremonials indicate a mingling of Paganism and 
 Christianity in tbc mind of Constantine; and though he 
 built churches and called his capital a Christian city, we 
 cannot overlook what S. Jerome pointed out, — that the 
 decoration of Constantinople involved the spoliation of 
 nearly all other cities of the world, and these Pagan 
 trophies failed to impart to it an aspect which ac- 
 corded with the teaching or spirit of the founder of 
 Christianity. 
 
 While the emperor conferred honours and wealth upon 
 the clergy, he kept so strict a watch over their acts as 
 made him essentially the head of the Church, as of the 
 State, and in virtue of his authority he summoned the 
 first general council at Nice, a. d. 325. But the Christian- 
 ity of Constantine was of a half-hearted and feebly com- 
 prehended sort, that could never equal in jfowcr the
 
 22 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 Christianity of the West, where its force was spent in the 
 propagation of progress and virtue rather than in such 
 discussions of dogmas and metaphysics as prevailed in 
 the Eastern Church. 
 
 The hope of making the New Rome the centre of govern- 
 ment for the world depended upon the establishment of 
 a sincere concord between the people and their rulers; 
 upon the welding together of provinces that were totally 
 different in their characteristics, and separated by 
 great distances, over which there were no organized and 
 safe methods of communication; but as we study its 
 history, we find that the people had no sense of their 
 responsibility. 
 
 Constantine, who had been a great disciplinarian of 
 armies, now became a legislator, and justice was more 
 systematically administered than heretofore. Slavery 
 was greatly restricted, and Christians could not be the 
 bundsmen of Jews and Pagans. Parents could no longer 
 sell their children, and were aided to support them 
 by the government. Cruel punishments, especially that 
 of crucifixion, were abolished, and in a variety of 
 minor ways the safety and happiness of the people were 
 increased. 
 
 As opposed to these benevolent measures, was the heavy 
 taxation which was necessitated by the vast undertakings 
 of the government and the magnificence of the court. The 
 burden was especially- heavy on the cultivators of the soil, 
 who were reduced to the condition of serfs, since they 
 could not become soldiers, but must continue to follow 
 the occupation of their fathers. They were disarmed to 
 prevent rebellions, and the class which had made the 
 backbone of the Roman army had no part in political or 
 military affairs, while their lives were far more com- 
 fortable than under the former system. The profession 
 of arms thus became almost a matter of inheritance, and
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE AND CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. 23 
 
 the masses were entirely out of touch with the ruling- 
 classes. Under these conditions patriotism and political 
 virtue were unknown to the majority of the subjects of the 
 Emperor Constantine. But however faulty his policy 
 now appears, this ruler inaugurated an order of things 
 which had a great influence on the world for centuries; 
 perhaps we may say that some of its results still survive. 
 
 The character of Constantine has been pictured from 
 the extremes of praise and censure, but the truth presents 
 an unusual blending of virtues and vices. Handsome, 
 majestic, and graceful in person, he preserved these 
 natural gifts to his latest years, by a life of temperance 
 and chastity. His mind was vigorous and alert; and the 
 disadvantages of a meagre education did not prevent him 
 from appreciating the value of learning, art, and science, 
 all of which he munificently encouraged. His industry 
 and patience were phenomenal, and commanded the 
 admiration of those who disapproved his measures. His 
 ambition was boundless. He loved glory, and was of the 
 most intre|)id spirit, by aid of which he inspired his 
 soldiers with confidence in himself and courage to execute 
 his plans, which were those of a consummate general, as 
 has been acknowledged l)y his severest critics. Gibbon 
 ascribes his successes to his abilities rather than to 
 his fortune. His courtesy of manner attracted all who 
 approached him; and though his sincerity in friend- 
 ship has been denied, he proved himself, in some in- 
 stances, a devoted and faithful adherent to those whom 
 he loved. 
 
 In contrast to these virtues stand the rapaciousness and 
 prodigality of his later life. The vast sums which he spent 
 were partly lavished on imworthy favourites, who were also 
 permitted such practices as gradually undermined the 
 administration, and lessened the esteem of his people for 
 their em[)eror.
 
 24 . CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 '• The dress and manners which, towards the decline of life, 
 he chose to affect, served only to degrade him in the eyes of 
 mankind. The Asiatic pomp which had been adopted by the 
 pride of Diocletian, assumed an air of softness and effeminacy 
 in the person of Constantine. He is represented with false hair 
 of various colours, laboriously arranged by the skilful artists of 
 the times ; a diadem of a new and more expensive fashion ; a 
 profusion of gems and pearls, of collars and bracelets ; and a 
 variegated flowing robe of silk, most curiously embroidered with 
 flowers of gold. In such apparel, scarcely to be excused by the 
 youth and folly of Elagabalus, we are at a loss to discover the 
 wisdom of an aged monarch and the simplicity of a Roman 
 veteran. A mind thus relaxed by prosperity and indulgence 
 was incapable of rising to that magnanimity which disdains 
 suspicion and dares to forgive. The deaths of Maximian and 
 Licinius may perhaps be justified by the maxims of policy as 
 the}' are taught in the school of tyrants ; but an impartial narra- 
 tive of the executions, or rather murders, which sullied the de- 
 clining age of Constantine, will suggest to our most candid 
 thoughts the idea of a prince who could sacrifice, without reluc- 
 tance, the laws of justice and the feelings of nature to the 
 dictates either of his passions or of his interest." ^ 
 
 Quite in accord with this picture of the later years of 
 the emperor is the fact that while he beautified the Baths 
 of Zeuxippus, and lavished such riches on them that they 
 were soon famous as the most splendid and luxurious in 
 ';he world, and while all kinds of edifices for convenience 
 and amusement were erected with surprising celerity, few 
 churches were provided for the worship of his subjects. 
 He deprived the Pagan temples of their revenues, and 
 permitted some of them to remain undisturbed, while he 
 converted others to the uses of the Christians. The 
 Temple of Peace made a part of the church of S. 
 Sophia, and the church of the Twelve Apostles was fin- 
 
 ^ Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE AND CONSTANTINE THE GREAT. 25 
 
 ished but a few days before the death of Constaiitine, in 
 337. This church was the burial-phxce of the Christian 
 emperors; its site is now occupied by the Mosque of 
 Mohammed 11. 
 
 Here the bodies of the early rulers of the empire were 
 enshrined in sarcophagi of porphyry and a variety of rich 
 and l)eautiful marbles. But these tombs of the imperial 
 dead were not secure from spoliation, and the deed was 
 not left to be done by the Turk. The Latins, in 1204, 
 shamelessly rifled the church of the Twelve Apostles, 
 stole its treasures, and scattered the bones of the emperors 
 to destruction, with blaspheming and mockery; and it is 
 not to be regretted that the scene of such Christian dese- 
 cration is covered by a temple in which thousands of men 
 have humbly prayed to their God, according to the teach- 
 ing of his Prophet.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 VALENS, THEODOSIUS THE GREAT, AECADIUS, AND 
 THEODOSIUS II. 
 
 364-527. 
 
 THE three sons of Constantine proved singularly 
 unworthy of the empire which he divided between 
 them; and the same is also true of their successors, Julian 
 and Jovian. The most important result of the quarter of 
 a century which succeeded the death of the emperor was 
 the loss of five provinces east of the Tigris, and the city 
 of Nisibis, with fortifications which had been an impor- 
 tant bulwark of the Roman strength in the East. 
 
 Valens succeeded to the throne of Constantinople in 
 364 ; and early in his reign the Huns began their ravages 
 in Europe, and even the much dreaded Goths were driven 
 before them to the banks of the Danube. These last had 
 become a half civilized and Christianized people; and 
 when they begged to be permitted to settle in Thrace as 
 Roman subjects, their prayer was granted on the condi- 
 tions that they should surrender their arms and allow 
 their children to be dispersed in the Asiatic provinces, as 
 pledges of their good conduct. Fear of the Huns drove 
 the Goths to consent to these extreme demands ; but later 
 they succeeded in bribing the imperial ministers to permit 
 them to retain their weapons, and the jdains of Bulgaria 
 were soon occupied by a wealthy, powerful, and dangerous 
 multitude. 
 
 For a time all went well ; but when the Romans de- 
 manded exorbitant prices of the Goths for the necessities
 
 VALENS — THEODOSIUS. 27 
 
 of life, the latter rebelled, put the Roman legions to 
 ilight, ravaged the fruitful regions north of Constanti- 
 nople, and massed two hundred thousand warriors under 
 the walls of Adrianople. 
 
 Valens, who was at Antioch, rapidly brought his legions 
 to the defence of his capital, and called on his nephew 
 Gratian, who ruled at Rome, to aid him. But so impa- 
 tient was Valens, and so desirous of defeating the Goths 
 by his prowess alone, that he did not await assistance, 
 but attacked his enemy under great disadvantages. He 
 suffered a terrible defeat, and lost his life; two thirds of 
 his soldiers perished, and the Goths were masters of the 
 territory south of the Danube. Happily the strongholds 
 of Adrianople and Constantinople were able to repulse the 
 attacks of these semi-barbarians, who were swept off in 
 great numbers by the missiles hurled from the fortihed 
 walls; and the survivors were dispersed throughout the 
 wilds of Thrace. 
 
 Valens was succeeded by Theodosius, who was called 
 from the cultivation of his farm in Spain to the throne of 
 Constantinople. Gibbon says: "The whole period of the 
 history of the world will not perhaps afford a similar 
 example of an elevation at the same time so pure and so 
 honorable." Theodosius was thirty-two years old when 
 he became emperor, and was as handsome and command- 
 ing in person as he was superior in character. His reign 
 is notable for the settlement of the Goths within his 
 empire and the overthrow of Paganism. 
 
 Although he had been reared a soldier, Theodosius i)re- 
 fcrred negotiations before wars; and by his skilful troat- 
 m(!nt of the Goths, within four years these formidable 
 enemies were peacefully settled in Roumelia and other 
 provinces, and were no longer the avowed enemies of the 
 Romans. 
 
 Theodosius was a Christian of a very f)ronounccd type,
 
 28 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 and made it one of his first and most important cares to 
 establisli orthodoxy, and exterminate the Arianism which 
 prevailed at Constantinople. He was not baptized, how- 
 ever, until after he came to the throne, and was the first 
 emperor who received that sacrament in the full faith of 
 the Trinity. 
 
 In 381 Theodosius called a general council of the Church 
 at Constantinople, in order to establish the faith as 
 declared in the Nicene creed. This council ended in a 
 scandalous turbulence ; but as it had confirmed the 
 emperor's views of the Catholic faith in the most positive 
 manner, he proceeded to enforce its decisions. The most 
 rigorous punishments were decreed for all heretics, which 
 were not often executed; for though Theodosius was mer- 
 cilessly cruel at times, he by no means embraced all his 
 opportunities for persecutions. His whole heart, how- 
 ever, was fixed on the extinction of Paganism in his 
 empire ; and this he accomplished as far as its outward 
 manifestations were concerned, even if he could not root 
 it from the hearts of men. 
 
 Theodosius committed one crime which stands out in 
 lurid colours, even from his blood-stained age. His gen- 
 eral, Botheric, and several other officers, were brutally 
 murdered by the people of Thessalonica, where Theodosius 
 had himself spent much time. The news of these murders, 
 and of many indecent circumstances attending them, was 
 carried to the emperor at Milan. His fiery temper was 
 fully aroused, and in spite of the counsels of the bishops, 
 he despatched messengers with orders for a cowardly and 
 terrible vengeance to be taken, not only on those who had 
 murdered his officers, but on all the city and the strangers 
 wnthin its gates. After his commands had been given, he 
 endeavoured to prevent their execution ; but it was too late. 
 The people of Thessalonica were invited, in the name of 
 the emperor, to witness the games in the circus, and there
 
 THEODOSIUS. 29 
 
 they were butchered by thousands. The carnage lasted 
 three hours. The victims were of all ages and both sexes, 
 and their numbers are estimated from seven to fifteen 
 thousand, by good authorities. 
 
 When Ambrose, the great Archbishop of Milan, learned 
 of this massacre, he at first avoided the em])eror; but 
 believing that silence before such a crime would be a sin 
 for one in his office, he both publicly and privately 
 admonished Theodosius, declaring that no secret con- 
 trition or penance could atone for such sin as he had 
 committed. At the porch of the church the arch- 
 bishop denied the emperor admission to the house of 
 God. 
 
 The remnant of the emperor's life could not suffice for 
 any proper penance, and at length he was permitted to 
 appear in the midst of the cathedral, with no insignia of 
 his rank, and with all possible humility, and there con- 
 fess his crime and implore pardon. Eight months after 
 this dramatic act the suppliant was permitted to receive 
 the sacrament, and it is believed that the edict which 
 fixed a period of thirty days betAveen the sentence for a 
 crime and its execution resulted from the over-haste of 
 Theodosius in taking his revenge. 
 
 On the death of Gratian, who had ruled the Western 
 Empire, Theodosius became the Em})eror of the Woild, 
 as the Eastern and Western Roman empires were then 
 called. Valentinian, the brother and heir of Gratian, 
 was a mere child, and his mother, Justina, fled with 
 liim and her dnugliter Galla, to ask the protection of 
 'i'heodosius. Tliis w:is readily granted, and with the 
 greatest good-will, ns the emperor fell madly in love with 
 the beautiful young piiucess, nnd married her. For the 
 love of GiiUii, Theodosius fought tlu; battles of Valen- 
 tinian, mid seated him on bis throne; l)uf lie was soon 
 after niui-ilcrfMl, mid one iMigi^iiius reigned in his jilace,
 
 30 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 until he "was in turn overthrown l^y Theodosiiis, who 
 again governed "the World." 
 
 He did not long enjoy this distinction, however, as he 
 lived but four months after his great victories. 
 
 " Notwithstanding the recent animosities of a civil war, his 
 death was universally lamented. The barbarians whom he had 
 vauquished, and the churchmen by whom he had been subdued, 
 celebrated with loud and sincere applause the qualities of the 
 deceased which appeared the most valuable in their eyes." ^ 
 
 The author just quoted says that with Theodosius " the 
 genius of Rome expired." At least, it did not survive 
 in his sons, Arcadins and Honorius, on whom he had con- 
 ferred the title of Augusti. To the eldest, Arcadins, the 
 throne of Constantinople was assigned, while the child 
 Honorius, but eleven years old, was sent to be the Emperor 
 of the West, under the guardianship of the great soldier 
 Stilicho. 
 
 From tllis time the history of Constantinople is essen- 
 tially divorced from that of Rome. Indeed, the two 
 empires soon lost all sympathy with each other. The 
 Western people looked with scorn upon the Eastern capi- 
 tal, and prided themselves upon their inheritance of the 
 "Old Rome;" while the more civilized and luxurious 
 inhabitants of the city of Constantine despised the rude 
 and uncultured Romans. This separation occurred just 
 when harmony between these powers would have been 
 of great value in repelling the barbarians; but the two 
 Romes soon became as essentially antagonistic as they 
 could have been had they been bound by no ties of ])lood, 
 and had not claimed to be the exponents and supporters 
 of Christianity. 
 
 Constantinople was now in a position to be made the 
 great power of the world, and to be firmly established in 
 
 1 Gibbon.
 
 ARCADIUS. 31 
 
 that position. Her splendid fortifications had defied the 
 great Ahiric. She had abundant supplies of gold in 
 Thrace and Pontus, and the largest commerce in the 
 world, while her provinces were populous and rich. 
 
 Had Arcadius equalled his father, he could have attained 
 to one glory after another, and reached the loftiest ]>iD- 
 nacle of power and fame. But although he was called 
 Ciesar and Augustus, he was as contemptible in character 
 and acquirements as in personal appearance, and was 
 easily ruled by the eunuchs and women who flattered his 
 vanity and ministered to his vicious inclinations. His 
 minister, Eutropius, incited him to great cruelties ; and 
 so infamous did this favourite eunuch become, that a 
 powerful Gothic enemy declined to negotiate with Arcadius 
 unless Eutropius were first delivered into his hands. The 
 empress Eudoxia easily persuaded Arcadius to profit by 
 the sacrifice of his favourite ; and after four years of almost 
 imperial power, he was exiled, then recalled, and finally 
 executed. 
 
 The luxury and splendour of the court of Arcadius can 
 scarcely be exaggerated. It was equalled only by its cor- 
 ruption and the depravity of its life. The emperor's 
 throne was of massive gold, as well as his chariot, which 
 was decked with jewels of great size, curtained with a 
 rich purple stuff, carpeted with snowy white, and drawn 
 liy mules of the same spotless colour. The silken robes of 
 the emperor were eml)roidered with golden dragons, and 
 everything that could ha invented to add to his luxury and 
 splendour was put under tribute to this contemptible and 
 almost deformed ruler. 
 
 This magnificence in Constantinople is all the more 
 striking Ijy its contrast to the condition of other countries 
 at this period, Alaric was plundering the chief cities of 
 ftrcece, and inflicting on that country the ruin from whicli 
 it never recovered. Its great public works, aiiueducts and
 
 32 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 roads, as well as its splendid edifices and numberless works 
 of art, were ruthlessly destroyed ; and from this inroad of 
 the Goths the decline of the Greeks may be dated. 
 
 The greatest interest for us in the Constantinople of 
 this inglorious period centres around S. John Chrysostom. 
 It has been said that under the reign of Arcadius there 
 were many converts to Christianity. So far as the emperor 
 had a religion, he was orthodox ; but the life and increase 
 of the church was due to the Archbishop Chrysostom. 
 The people relied on him, and deemed him a prophet, 
 while they loved him for his devotion to them and to his 
 religion. That eloquence which won for him the title of 
 "Golden-mouthed," held his listeners by a spell, and we 
 can easily believe that his preaching converted many 
 Pagans to the Christian religion. 
 
 But Chrysostom denounced the life of the court with 
 such boldness and clearness as made him many enemies, 
 among whom was the empress, — a woman whose ability 
 and determination of character, together with her influ- 
 ence over her husband, made her a dangerous and power- 
 ful enemy. She feared the people too much, however, to 
 show an open hostility to Chrysostom. 
 
 This wily woman profited by the instrumentality of 
 Theophilus, the Patriarch of Alexandria, whose jealousy 
 and hatred of Chrysostom were known to her. In 404 a 
 synod was called, to meet in a suburb of Chalcedon, and 
 Chrysostom was summoned before it on a charge of con- 
 tumacy. As was easily to be foreseen, when the position 
 and power of his accusers were considered, he was deposed 
 from his office. The people were so excited and enraged 
 by this act that a riot ensued, and the mob threatened the 
 palace and the empress. Finally an earthquake occurred, 
 which was believed to be a witness to the wrath of God. 
 Even Eudoxia was terrified, and desired that Chrysostom 
 should be restored to his arclibishopric.
 
 THEODOSIUS IL 33 
 
 But the terrific boldness with which he now denounced 
 the empress and .the honours which were paid to her and 
 to her statues, was certainly exasperating to any vain 
 woman in her position. Such words as these, with which 
 he is said to have begun a sermon, " Herodias again rages ; 
 once more she dances ; once again she requires the head 
 of John," proved too much for Eudoxia to bear, and in 
 spite of her fears of the populace and of the judguients 
 of God, she boldly instigated the second deposition of 
 Chrysostom; and she did not again relent, although the 
 day on which the bold preacher left the capital was marked 
 by a serious disturbance of the people, and a conflagra- 
 tion, which destroyed the church of the Divine Wisdom 
 and the Senate -house. 
 
 The calamities at Constantinople — the famines, fires, 
 earthquakes, and flights of locusts, which rapidly followed 
 each other — were believed to be divine punishments for 
 the persecution of Chrysostom ; and even tlie incursions of 
 barbarous tribes, who spoiled the provinces of Asia Minor, 
 and ravaged Syria and Palestine, were regarded as con- 
 sequences of the same dreadful sin of the feeble emperor, 
 of whom no single worthy or memorable deed has been 
 recorded. 
 
 In 408 Arcadius died, leaving his kingdom to his son 
 of eight years, who is known as Theodosius IT., or the 
 Younger, to distinguish him from his grandfather. His 
 reign during the first half of the fifth century might better 
 be called the reign of Pulcheria, his sister, whose influ- 
 ence was so complete over her weak and amiable brother 
 that she was really responsible for whatever was done in 
 his name. 
 
 The most mnsculine taste of this emperor was his love 
 
 of hunting. lie also spent much time in j)ainting and 
 
 carving, although his work showed no artistic tnlont. 
 
 His one accomi)lislinicnt was his penmanship ; and he 
 
 3
 
 34 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 illuminated manuscripts, which gained him the title of 
 Kalligraphes, the fair writer. He so disliked all matters 
 of business that he did not read the documents which he 
 signed, and by this means enacted some cruel and unjust 
 measures. The so-called Theodosian Code sheds lustre 
 on this emperor's name; but we may well doubt if he 
 knew of its existence. It was the inevitable result of the 
 growing intelligence of his age in matters of government, 
 and of the wisdom of his councillors. 
 
 The marriage of Theodosius, when about twenty years 
 old, to Athenais, one of the most famous empresses of 
 Constantinople, was arranged by Pulcheria, although the 
 emperor was by no means averse to the beautiful Greek 
 maiden, who was slightly his senior. When baptized, 
 she took the name of Eudocia ; but Pulcheria did not per- 
 mit her the title of Augusta until after the birth of a 
 child. Before her marriage Eudocia had been the inti- 
 mate friend of, and probably a maid of honour to, Pulcheria 
 for seven years ; and so long as the empress was submis- 
 sive to the will of her sister-in-law, all went well. Eudocia 
 was a most accomplished scholar, and occupied herself in 
 making a poetical paraphrase of a large portion of the Old 
 Testament. She also wrote out the legend of S. Cyprian, 
 and applied a portion of Homer's verses to the life and 
 miracles of Christ. Naturally the work of an empress 
 would be praised by her contemporaries, but that of 
 Eudocia has been commended by critics of a later age. 
 Unfortunately she wrote some most fulsome praises of her 
 husband, in which she attributed to him qualities which 
 he neither possessed nor desired, even calling him a brave 
 warrior; but as this custom of flattering falsehood pre- 
 vailed at the court of Theodosius, it should be offered as 
 an excuse for the panegyrics of the empress, all the more 
 as the emperor's affection for her was increased with the 
 passage of years.
 
 THEODOSIUS IL 85 
 
 After her daughter was married to the emperor of the 
 Western Empire, Eudocia made a royal progress to Jeru- 
 salem, which was called a pilgrimage for the discharge 
 of grateful vows; but the splendour which attended the 
 empress is better described by the first term we have used. 
 For example, at Antioch, she pronounced an oration to 
 the Senate from a throne of gold studded with gems, and 
 declared her intention of enlarging the walls of the city. 
 She donated two hundred pounds of gold to restore the 
 baths, and accepted statues which were decreed to her. 
 Her pious gifts in the Holy Land exceeded the munificence 
 of S. Helena ; ^ and although she secured aud carried to 
 Constantinople such treasures as the right arm of S. 
 Stephen, the chains of S. Peter, and a picture of the 
 Virgin painted by S. Luke, she might well have feared 
 that she had incurred the anger of Pulcheria. 
 
 Having thus tasted the pleasure of power and pomp, 
 she attempted, after her return, to assume the government 
 of her husband's empire ; and a genuine woman's war 
 ensued in the palace, from which the pious virgin, 
 Pulcheria, came out victorious. There was a great scan- 
 dal of some sort, by which the affections of Theodosius 
 were turned from Eudocia. The accounts of the mutter 
 are too involved to be clearly undei'stood, but Eudocia 
 rev^enged herself for the murder of some of her favourites 
 by Pulclieria. by assassinating the agent who had been 
 employed against her. Theodosius was induced to jiunish 
 lier with the greatest severity, and, stripped of her honours 
 and disgraced before all the world, she passed the last 
 sixteen years of her life in exile and prayer. The death 
 oF Theodosius and the captivity of her daughter added to 
 ilie miseries of her condition, and she died at Jerusalem, 
 when sixty-seven years old, protesting with her dying 
 
 ' It is said that licr gifts exceeded forty millions of dollars.
 
 36 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 breath that she was innocent of any sin against her mar- 
 riage vows or the authority of her husband. 
 
 The hist years of the reign of Theodosius were occupied 
 in a war with the Huns under the leadership of AttiLa. 
 A terrible earthquake threw down a large part of the im- 
 pregnable walls of Constantinople, and destroyed fifty- 
 eight towers. At length a treaty was made, which deprived 
 the emperor of a large proportion of his former territory, 
 and he was personally subjected to the most humiliating 
 conditions. Attila also exacted a large indemnity ; and 
 as the extravagances of the court had greatly reduced the 
 vast wealth of the empire, the people who had anything 
 remaining were forced to make immense sacrifices. The 
 wealthy classes had indulged in marvellous expenditures. 
 It was not unusual for them to be served from a large 
 table of solid silver with a service of gold, while the 
 women wore jewels of inestimable value. All these were 
 sacrificed to satisfy the demands of "the Scourge of 
 God." 
 
 Theodosius did not long survive his humiliation, and 
 was killed in the forty-third year of his reign by an acci- 
 dent when hunting. There are some redeeming features 
 connected with the rule of Theodosius. While no great 
 or brilliant deeds were achieved, and while the attacks of 
 foes and the effects of desolating natural forces combined 
 to reduce the empire in extent and importance, so well 
 was the municipal system administered as to render the 
 city perfectly safe at all hours. Legal, religious, and 
 literary standards were set up, which exercised a potent 
 influence in the progress of civilization, in spite of the 
 enervating luxury of the rich, and the misery and poverty 
 of the masses of the people. The legal rights of the 
 lower classes received an unusual recognition in the Code 
 of Theodosius II. The clergy were scholarly men, and 
 held such relations with the people as made their teach-
 
 OTHER EMPERORS. 37 
 
 ing and speculations interesting to all, and the discussions 
 of theology and metaphysics occupied much of the time 
 that in Rome was devoted to the debasing horrors of the 
 gladiatorial arena. 
 
 The writers and artists of Constantinople during this 
 period were not distinguished by genius, and indeed tiie 
 circle that could be calle^d literary was small; but ^a uni- 
 versity was founded and maintained by the government. 
 The professors were learned men, and after twenty years 
 of service they were ennobled and received the title of 
 "Count," while the officers of the civil service were all 
 men who had held high rank at the university. 
 
 The period which elapsed between the death of 
 Theodosius II. and the reign of the great Justinian was 
 a time of much confusion in the Eastern Empire. Its 
 history is obscure, and affords but little reliable informa- 
 tion. There were five emperors, — Marcian, a soldier, 
 whom Pulcheria associated with herself in the govern- 
 ment, and for political purposes made nominally her 
 husliand, and invested with the purple. Marcian was 
 at least a soldier ; and when Attila demanded the tribute 
 which Theodosius had promised, his successor replied, 
 "I have iron for Attila, Ijut no gold." 
 
 After seven years ]\Iarcian was succeeded by Leo, called 
 "The Great," for no apparent reason. He met with sad 
 reverses in his campaigns against the Vandals, and was 
 followed by Zcno, a barl)arian and heretic, who contended 
 against Theodoric, the Goth, with some success. The 
 widow of Zeno married Anastasius, who has been called 
 the "prudent emperor." He was not only a skilful finan- 
 cier, but also a reformer ; and Finlay, in his history, 
 suggests that Anastasius prepared the way for some of the 
 triumphs of Justinian. He l)uilt the great wall which 
 extended from the Sea of Marmora to the Black Sea. 
 Giiibon speaks of this defence as an acknowledgment of
 
 38 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 the weakness of his army ; but whatever was the motive 
 in huilding it, it was an important factor in the preserva- 
 tion of civilizatiun in Constantinople, and indeed for the 
 world. Anastasiiis reigned twenty-seven years, and be- 
 queathed his throne to a soldier, Justin, who, a Bulgarian 
 ])easant by birth, was a discreet, ignorant man, who by 
 patient and prudent exercise of his native good judgment 
 v/as able to secure the succession to his nephew, the 
 famous Justinian.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 JUSTINIAN, HERACLIUS,- CONSTANTINE IV., LEO THE ICONO- 
 CLAST, AND THE ISAURIAN DYNASTY. 
 
 527-867. 
 
 ONE can but wonder at the world-wide and enduring 
 fame of the Emperor Justinian, when his life is 
 regarded dispassionately ; and yet one pays an involuntary 
 iriljute of respect to every human being who has secured 
 his remembrance through more than thirteen centuries as 
 a factor in that which makes the history of the world. 
 
 Justinian was fortunate in being served by men of 
 unusual talent in various departments of his empire, and 
 frankness must admit that this sovereign is distinguished 
 by a reflected glory from the achievements of these ser- 
 vants rather than by any brilliancy of thought or deed on 
 his own part. He owed his success in warfare and the 
 increase of his territory to Belisarius and Narses, and the 
 compilation of the Justinian Code to Tribonian and his 
 collaborators, — the signature of his name to the completed 
 whole l>eing the chief part of the emperor in this great 
 work ; and he was even indebted to his infamous empress 
 for courage under circumstances of personal danger. 
 
 Justinian, like his uncle Justin, was the son of a jjca^s- 
 ant, and was distinguished l)y no unusual personal quali- 
 ties. Four months before Justin died, when he found the 
 burden of the empire too great for his failing strength, 
 lie assembled the Patriarch and senators, and in their 
 presence placed his diadem on the head of Justinian, who 
 was at once joyfully received by the people as their future
 
 40 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 emperor. His chief care at this moment of his elevation 
 was to have an edict pul)lishcd by the dying emperor, 
 which should make it possible for a woman of servile 
 origin, or who had been dishonoured by a theatrical pro- 
 fession, to be raised to the throne. This edict was imme- 
 diately followed by the marriage of Justinian and the 
 atrocious Theodora; and Justin having invested his nephew 
 with the insignia of his power, the Patriarch of Constan- 
 tinople placed a diadem on the head of Theodora at the 
 same time that he crowned her husband. 
 
 This empress was the daughter of a bear-tamer at Con- 
 stantinople, and after his death she had made a great 
 success as a pantoniimist. She was possessed of a rare and 
 delicate beauty of person, strongly inconsistent with her 
 vileness of character. Her beauty made her vulgarity of 
 tone and gesture singularly attractive at the theatre, 
 where she exposed her charms with a freedom which can- 
 not be described. Her life soon became the most licen- 
 tious and abandoned that can be imagined, and she at 
 length accompanied one of her lovers to Africa. She was 
 deserted in Alexandria, where she suffered the bitterest 
 poverty ; but having a vision which prophesied her future 
 greatness, she painfully made her way back to Constanti- 
 nople, and there earned her living at some humble but 
 honest occupation, in a small house, which she later 
 converted into a splendid temple. 
 
 Upon her arrival in Constantinople, finding that the 
 nephew of the emperor was already very powerful, and 
 the prospective heir to the throne, she contrived to make 
 his acquaintance, and soon held him under a spell of 
 absolute fascination. Moreover, she succeeded in retain- 
 ing his devoted affection, and cleverly excelled those of 
 her class best known in history when she was raised to his 
 throne. He delighted in doing her honour, so long as she 
 lived, and lavished on her all the treasures of the Orient.
 
 JUSTINIAN. 41 
 
 This empress passed much of her time in the palaces 
 on the sea-coast, where she lived -in a manner calculated 
 to preserve her beauty. She surrounded herself with her 
 favourites, and treated the patricians who sought her {)res- 
 ence with arrogance or levity, as her mood might dictate. 
 The two passions which she especially indulged were 
 avarice and cruelty. She piled up wealth, which she 
 secured principally through the fears of her subjects, for 
 her cruelties were so dreaded as to compel assent to her 
 most exorbitant demands. She employed spies, who 
 reported everything that could possibly be considered an 
 offence to her ; and those who were thus accused were 
 thrown into dungeons, of which she was sole mistress. 
 Some of these unfortunates never saw the light again, 
 while others were permitted to return to their friends 
 void of reason, or maimed and disfigured for life. It is 
 recorded that she did not hesitate to witness the most 
 frightful tortures and scourgings, and guarded against 
 any neglect of her orders by threatening her minions with 
 the same punishments which she administered to others, 
 if they dared disobey her mandates. 
 
 One worthy deed may be ascribed to her. She founded, 
 on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus, an extensive monas- 
 tery, where five hundred women who were leading the 
 life from which she had escaped, were comfortably, even 
 liljcrally, maintained. 
 
 From the time of her marriage she was a virtuous wife, 
 and held her dominion over her husband's affections to 
 the moment of their final separation. At length her fail- 
 ing health compelled her to seek relief from suffering, 
 and she journeyed to the Pythian baths. Her train num- 
 bered four thousand attendants, and she was accompanied 
 Ijy a goodly nunil)er of patricians. She travelled in great 
 luxury, and disti-ibuted largo sums to churches, monas- 
 teries, and hospitals, imploring j)raycrs for her recovery;
 
 42 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 but she died of an incurable cancer twenty-four years after 
 her marriage. 
 
 In the fifth year of Justinian's reign a sedition arose 
 which terrified the emperor, and but for the intiuence of 
 Theodora, he would have succumbed to his fear of the 
 mob. The trouble arose in the serious differences between 
 the charioteers in the Circus, which so extended to the 
 whole pco})lc as to involve religious and political ques- 
 tions, as well as those of the games. The opposing 
 parties were known as the "Blues" and the "Greens," 
 from the colours worn by the charioteers. Justinian be- 
 longed to the Blues, — the orthodox party, and the 
 stronger, who made such serious attacks upon the Greens 
 that they were in danger of extermination. 
 
 At the celebration of the games on the Ides of January, 
 both parties being in presence of the emperor, thq Greens 
 took occasion to appeal to him, to complain of their 
 abuses, and demand justice. Justinian answered them 
 with severity, calling them "Jews, Samaritans, and 
 Manichaeans. " Excited to the last degree by these in- 
 sults, the Greens cursed the emperor and the hour of his 
 birth, renounced their allegiance to him, and fled from 
 the Circus through the streets, to the alarm of the whole 
 people. The Blues pursued them, and but for an acci- 
 dental meeting with seven criminals, who were being 
 taken to execution, a frightful massacre would have 
 ensued. 
 
 It chanced that five of these criminals were executed 
 immediately, and the remaining two were hanged; but 
 the rope broke, and they were saved from again falling 
 into the hands of the executioner by some monks, who 
 conveyed them to the sanctuary of the church. One of 
 these assassins wore blue, the other green livery ; and this 
 happening was sufficient to unite the two bitter factions 
 in the work of opening the prisons, burning the house of
 
 JUSTINIAN. 43 
 
 the prefect, and killing his officers. The troops sent to 
 quell the riot were overpowered. Stones were hurled ou 
 them by women on the roofs. Fires were set, and the 
 church of S. Sophia and many other splendid edifices 
 were destroyed, and an immense treasure in precious 
 iiietals melted or stolen. The watchword Nika (con- 
 quer) gave a name to this sedition, which endured five 
 days. Justinian endeavoured, by temporizing, to allay 
 the trouble which he had imprudently caused. He went to 
 the Hippodrome to address the people ; but they distrusted 
 his sincerity, and their clamour so alarmed him that he 
 fled to his palace, having accomplished nothing. 
 
 The Greens then seized Hypatius, a nephew of the 
 Emperor Anastasius, carried him to the Forum of Con- 
 stantine, and crowned him with a richly jewelled collar. 
 The cowardly emperor proposed to fly with the imperial 
 treasures; but Theodora, in the midst of the council, 
 exclaimed, — 
 
 " If flight were the only means of safety, yet I should disdain 
 to fly. Death is the condition of our birtli, but they who have 
 reigned should never survive the loss of dignity and dominion. 
 I implore Heaven that I may never be seen, not a day, without 
 my diadem and purple ; that I may no longer behold tlie light 
 when I cease to be saluted with the name of queen. If you 
 resolve, O Caesar ! to fly, you have treasures ; behold the soa, 
 you have ships ; but treml)le lest the desire of life should ex- 
 pose 3'ou to wretched exile and ignominious death. For my 
 own part, I adhere to the maxim of antiquity, tliat the tlirone 
 is a glorious sepulchre." 
 
 The jealousy of the Blues was easily revived, and the 
 Greens were left to support Hypatius alone. This afforded 
 Justinian an opportunity for a terrible revenge. Two 
 divisions of soldiers were sent to the Hippodrome. The 
 opposite gates were burst open at the same moment, and
 
 44 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 a merciless carnage ensued, in which the Blues partici- 
 pated to emphasize their repentance. Thirty thousand 
 Greens were murdered, and the Hippodrome was closed 
 for years. When again opened, the same quarrels were 
 revived, and the empire was long disturbed by the Blue 
 and Green factions. 
 
 Any proper relation of the story of the wars which 
 occurred in the reign of Justinian would require more 
 space than we can give. It includes many notable adven- 
 tures and deeds of both men and women, and is a most 
 interesting portion of Gibbon's fascinating history; but 
 we can merely say that the great general, Belisarius, was 
 successful in destroying the Vandals. He added Africa 
 to the empire, saved Constantinople from the Bulgarians, 
 overcame Italy, and raised the siege of Rome. And 
 another most illustrious soldier, Narses, the eunuch, 
 defeated the Goths, Franks, and Alemanni, and governed 
 Italy as exarch. 
 
 During this reign, too, the capital was adorned by 
 splendid edifices, and the long wall of Anastasius was 
 rel)uilt. The old Byzantine palace was repaired, and the 
 exquisite summer palace of Herseum was erected, and 
 surrounded with its delicious gardens, on the Asiatic 
 shore, near Chalcedon. It was the delight of poets to 
 praise this palace, but Gibbon tells us a strange tale of it. 
 He says that the " nymphs " there were constantly alarmed 
 by a whale, "the famous Porphyrio," of enormous size, 
 who was stranded at the mouth of the river Sangaris, hav- 
 ing infested the neighbouring seas for more than fifty 
 years. 
 
 But of greater interest to all men for all time is the 
 Corpus of Jurisprudence, which bears the name of Jus- 
 tinian. This work was done, at the command of the 
 emperor, by Tribonian and nine other learned men. 
 When completed and signed by the emperor, it was dili-
 
 JUSTINIAN. 45 
 
 gently copied by scribes, and distributed all over the 
 empire, while other learned scribes were employed in 
 making the Pandects or Digest of the Code, to which the 
 Institutes were added, and these three made the system of 
 civil jurisprudence for the empire. These were the only 
 text-books for the study of law, and the only authority for 
 the decisions of the tribunals. Justinian claimed that he 
 had been inspired by the Deity to undertake this great 
 work, and by the aid of the Deity alone was enabled to 
 accomplish it. 
 
 The solitary copy of the Pandects, which is the pride of 
 the Laurentian Library in Florence, is said to have been 
 found at Amalfi in 1187. It had long been supposed to 
 be lost, and was considered by the Pisans as one of the 
 greatest treasures of their conquest. In 1406, when Pisa 
 was taken by the Florentines, this wonderful manuscript 
 was placed under a jealous guard in the Palazzo Vecchio. 
 At Florence the Pandects were bound in purple, and 
 enclosed in a rich casket, which was sometimes opened 
 for distinguished travellers, when this precious possession 
 was shown by monks or magistrates with bared heads, 
 holding tapers in their hands. 
 
 Pope Leo X. bestowed the Pandects on his nephew, the 
 Duke of Urbino; but in 1786 it was returned to Florence, 
 and consigned to the library above the cloisters of Snn 
 Lorenzo. For a long time it was thought to be one of 
 two copies which were sent to Italy by Justinian himself; 
 but it is more probably a copy made by Greek scribes not 
 later than the beginning of the seventh century, and many 
 authorities believe it to have been the only authentic 
 source from which all existing written and printed copies 
 have been made. 
 
 Justinian died at eighty-three, having reigned thirty- 
 nine yeai's; and no estimate of the character of this 
 renowned man can equal tJiat of Gibbon: —
 
 46 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 " The resemblance of Justiuian to the bust of Domitian is 
 maliciously urged, with the acknowledgment, however, of a 
 well-proportioned figure, a ruddy complexion, and a pleasing 
 countenance. The emperor was easy of access, patient of hear- 
 ing, courteous and affable in discourse, and a master of the 
 angry passions which rage with such destructive violence in 
 the breast of a despot. Procopius praises his temper, to re- 
 proach him with calm and deliberate cruelty ; but in the con- 
 spiracies which attacked his authority and person, a more candid 
 judge will approve the justice, or admire the clemency, of Jus- 
 tinian. He excelled in the private virtues of chastity and tem- 
 perance ; but the impartial love of beauty would have been less 
 mischievous than his conjugal tenderness for Theodora ; and 
 his abstemious diet was regulated, not by the prudence of a 
 philosopher, but the superstition of a monk. His repasts were 
 short and frugal: on solemn feasts he contented hmiself with 
 water and vegetables ; and such was his strength as well as 
 fervour, that he frequently passed two days, and as many nights, 
 without tasting food. The measure of his sleep was not less 
 rigorous: after the repose of a single hour, the body was 
 awakened by the soul, and, to the astonishment of his chamber- 
 lains, Justinian walked or studied till the morning light. . . . 
 The emperor professed himself a musician and ai'chitect, a poet 
 and philosopher, a lawyer and theologian ; and if he failed in the 
 enterprise of reconciling the Christian sects, the review of the 
 Roman jurisprudence is a noble monument of his spirit and in- 
 dustry. In the government of the empire he was less wise, or 
 .ess successful : the age was unfortunate ; the people was op- 
 pressed and discontented ; Theodora abused her power ; a suc- 
 cession of bad ministers disgraced his judgment ; and Justinian 
 was neither beloved in his life nor regretted at his death. The 
 love of fame was deeply implanted in his breast, but he conde- 
 scended to the poor ambition of titles, honours, and contemporary 
 praise ; and while be laboured to fix the admiration, he forfeited 
 the esteem and affection of the Romans. The design of the 
 African and Italian wars was l)oldly conceived and executed ; 
 and his penetration discovered the talents of Belisarius in the
 
 JUSTINMN. 47 
 
 camp, of Narses in the palace. . . . The characters of Philip 
 the Second and Justinian are distinguished by the cold ambition 
 which delights in war and declines the danger of the field. 
 Yet a colossal statue of bronze represented the emperor on 
 horseback, preparing to march against the Persians in the habit 
 and armour of Achilles. In the great square before the church 
 of S. Sophia, this monument was raised on a brass column and 
 a stone pedestal of seven steps ; and the pillar of Theodosius, 
 which weighed seven thousand four hundred pounds of silver, 
 was removed from the same place by the avarice and vanity of 
 Justinian. Future princes were more just or indulgent to his 
 memory ; the elder Androuicus, in the beginning of the four- 
 teenth century, repaired and beautified his equestrian statue : 
 since the fall of the empire it has been melted into cannon by 
 the victorious Turks." 
 
 It is said that during the sacrilegious ravages wliich 
 f(jllowed the Latin conquest of Constantinople, when the 
 tombs of the emperors in the church of the Ajjostles were 
 rifled, the corpse of Justinian was found, and the six 
 centuries that had elapsed since his burial had produced 
 no signs of decay. 
 
 The inroads of enemies during the reign of Justinian — 
 of Bulgarians, Goths, Vandals, and Persians — were un- 
 im])ortant, beside the ruin which was wrought by earth- 
 quakes, famine, and pestilence. In the fifth year of his 
 reign, a comet blazed in the sky, striking ten-or to the 
 hearts of the people ; and each succeeding year was marked 
 l)y earthquakes, and Constantinople, on one occasion, 
 trembled for forty successive days, while cities not far 
 away were swallowed up, and millions of lives were lost; 
 ])ut these catastrophes paled before the horrors of the 
 ))lague. By this curse whole districts were depopulated, 
 the harvests were not made, and the fruits not gathered 
 from trees and vines. Even Defoe's deseri])tions of tlie 
 Londfju [)Iague are scarcr-ly suOicient in their friglitful
 
 48 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 details to picture the results of this Oriental spotted 
 typhus. During three months five, and sometimes ten, 
 thousand victims, died daily, and more than a half- 
 century passed before it could be said to be entirely 
 extinguished. 
 
 The immediate followers of Justinian upon the throne 
 of Constantinople — Justin II., Tiberius IL, Maurice, 
 and Phocas — only plunged the capital and a large por- 
 tion of the empire into hopeless weakness and misery; 
 and Ileraclius, on his accession in 610, assumed the 
 government of a country overwhelmed with debt. The 
 agricultural classes were in a condition of disheartening 
 poverty and misery. From high to low a hopeless discon- 
 tent prevailed. Enemies were threatening on every side; 
 and yet the people would take any possible means to avoid 
 entering the army, from which the soldiers were con- 
 stantly deserting to become monks, or to follow any 
 calling that would save them from fighting for their 
 country. 
 
 Africa alone, of all the Byzantine possessions, was pros- 
 perous ; and Ileraclius even proposed to desert the city of 
 the Bosphorus, and establish a new capital at Carthage. 
 This proposal, however, awakened the remnants of patriot- 
 ism in the hearts of his subjects, and the Patriarch, at 
 the head of the people, called the emperor to meet him in 
 S. Sophia, when an oath that he would abandon this idea 
 was exacted from him. 
 
 The history of the reign of Heraclius cannot be given 
 here in detail, although his wars against the Persian 
 Chosroes are full of interest not unmingled with romance. 
 
 After long and severe struggles, in which he displayed 
 almost miraculous determination and perseverance, as 
 well as great personal endurance and bravery, Heraclius 
 was victorious over the Persians, and on his return to 
 Constantinople — his journey being a perpetual triumph
 
 HERACLIUS — CONSTANTINE IV. 49 
 
 — he was received with acclamations of joy, and entered 
 the capital in a chariot drawn by elephants. He had 
 rescued the wood of the True Cross from the keeping of 
 Chosroes, and made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to restore 
 the sacred object to the Holy Sepulchre. On his return, 
 he devoted his remaining years to the attempt to establish 
 a religious and a patriotic sentiment among his subjects. 
 But the innumerable discussions which arose, and the* 
 emperor's Ecthesis failed of their object, and he died, 
 leaving new disputes to his family and his people. 
 
 During the thirty years that succeeded the death of 
 Heraclius, there is little to interest us in the story of 
 Constantinople, and we pass to the first siege of the capital 
 by the Saracens, which occurred during the reign of Con- 
 stantine IV. about the year 673. It was known that the 
 Arabs had contemplated this attack for some years, and 
 the superstitious fears of the people were aroused by cer- 
 tain signs, which they regarded as precursors of serious 
 evils; and had the Saracens acted promptly, the mental 
 condition of the people of Constantinople would have been 
 to their advantage. 
 
 But their delny afforded the opportunity for Callinicus, 
 a Syrian, to make his way to the capital, and offer to the 
 emperor a discovery which he had made, that would surely 
 enable Constantine to defeat his foes, and drive them 
 from his kingdom. This proved to be the terrible Greek 
 Fire. It could be projected on objects near at hand or at 
 a distance, and Avould burn on water as readily as on 
 land, or on stone or iron as disastrously as on a substance 
 which could be ignited. In short, it was the most terrific 
 and destructive agent then known to man. 
 . The fleet of the Saracens passed the Dardanelles without 
 opposition, and invested the city, and so numerous were 
 the ships that it was surrounded on three sides. With 
 them were three of the special friends of the Prophet, and 
 
 4
 
 50 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 the commanders and soldiers alike believed that the pres- 
 ence of these holy men assured the success of their under- 
 taking. Moreover, it had been promised that any who 
 fell in taking Constantinople should be forgiven all their 
 sins and at once enter Paradise. 
 
 The proof that death in this war opened an easy path to 
 Moslem sainthood may be seen to-day in Constantinople, 
 in the tomb of Abu Ayoob, or Job, who fell in tliis siege. 
 The place of his burial was revealed to Mohammed II. in 
 a vision. It has been surrounded by gardens and ceme- 
 teries, in which are many dark cypresses. Above the 
 tomb now rises a mosque of white marble, where the 
 Sultans are installed in their high office. It is a place 
 much desired for burial by the Moslems, and the tombs in 
 its cemeteries are remarkable for their richness of decora- 
 tion. No Christian is permitted to reside in this suburb 
 nor to enter this mosque. 
 
 The Greek fire proved so effectual in preventing the near 
 approach of the vessels, and in blinding the men who 
 attempted to scale the walls, that after five months the 
 Saracens retired. They seized Cyzicus, where they re- 
 mained until the next spring, when a second ineffectual 
 attack was made. This experience was repeated each 
 year for seven years, and meantime they lost many ships. 
 Their engines were so disabled that they had to be rebuilt 
 annually, and yet their determination held out; but in 
 the seventh year they were attacked by a pestilence, which 
 utterly disheartened them. 
 
 So many of their vessels were lost or rendered useless, 
 that in order to retreat, those that remained were much 
 overcrowded, and still great numbers were left to make 
 their way on foot. The vessels, with all on board, were 
 lost in a great storm, while the land army, footsore, 
 wounded, and starving, were pursued by the emperor's 
 forces and mercilessly slaughtered.
 
 LEO THE ICONOCLAST. 51 
 
 Passing over years of troublous confusion, in which six 
 emperors were dethroned and five executed or blinded, 
 one only being allowed to exist in a monastery, we come 
 to the reign of Leo the Iconoclast, and founder of the 
 Isaurian dynasty. He was of humble origin, and held his 
 first prominent position as commander of the Anatolian 
 Province. During his rise from obscurity, the Eastern 
 Empire was in a desperate condition. It was to be 
 expected that when rulers followed each other in quick 
 succession, disorder should prevail in all departments. 
 The army was constantly in revolt. The Saracens had 
 extended their rule from Spain to Scindc and Cashgar, and 
 being in possession of the city opposite Constantinople, 
 on the Bosphorus, they anticipated but little difficulty in 
 overthrowing the last stronghold of the empire, under 
 the very walls of which the Bulgarians had already com- 
 mitted depredations. 
 
 When Moslemah, the brother of the Caliph Suleiman, 
 besieged Amorium, preparatory to approaching Constanti- 
 nople, Leo had his first opportunity to show his bravery 
 and military prowess. It was vastly important that he 
 should gain time for the defence of the city, and taking 
 but five hundred horsemen with him, he rode to the 
 enemy's camp, and persuaded the general in charge to 
 suspend the attack until he (Leo) could consult Moslemah 
 on important matters. He also contrived to meet secretly 
 the Bishop of Amorium, and command him to maintain 
 sturdily the defence of his town. Leo then begged the 
 Saracen general to conduct him to Moslemah, and the 
 general, thinking that he should thus be able to make Leo 
 a prisoner, consented to his request; but when a narrow 
 defile was reached, from which a road led to the camp of 
 the Greek army, Leo and his men suddenly drew their 
 swords, cut their way through the Saracens, and escaped 
 in safety.
 
 52 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 According to a frequent usage of the age, the siege of 
 Amoriuni having been raised, Leo was made emperor, as 
 a reward for his personal bravery. To obtain possession 
 of his throne, he was obliged to defeat Theodosius IIL, 
 whom he consigned to a monastery. Then entering the 
 city triumphantly by the Golden Gate, he was crowned by 
 the Patriarch in the church of S. Sophia in March, 717. 
 
 The Saracens now knew that in the ruler at Constanti- 
 nople they had a foe worthy of their steel, and they deter- 
 mined to make another attempt to conquer the capital 
 before Leo should have time to strengthen his fortifica- 
 tions and increase his army. Their preparations were 
 made on an enormous scale. Eighteen hundred ships were 
 sent out to prevent succour or food from reaching Constan- 
 tinople by sea, while 180,000 soldiers were ordered to 
 invest the city by land. The accounts of this siege are so 
 fragmentary that no form can be confidently given it; but 
 the result was an utter defeat of the Moslems, greatly to 
 the glory of Leo. 
 
 The ships of the Saracens were burned; the Caliph 
 died. As winter came on, the Moslems succumbed to the 
 cold in great numbers, and they, rather than their enemies, 
 were in want of food. The ships sent to their aid were 
 principally manned l)y Christians, who thought it best to 
 join the winning side, and thus strengthened Leo, and 
 disclosed to him the desperate condition of his besiegers. 
 After the siege had continued eighteen months, the 
 Saracens withdrew. But five of their ships ever returned 
 to Syria, and only the barest remnant of their army saw 
 Damascus again. 
 
 Our knowledge of this memoral)le siege seems to indi- 
 cate that Leo was " lucky " rather than great. He was an 
 adventurer who had seized a throne. He did little but sit 
 still within his well-supplied capital, and permit the cold 
 of an unaccustomed climate to work its fatal effect on the
 
 LEO THE ICONOCLAST. 63 
 
 poorly fed Moslems. However, the result was a tremen- 
 dous fact ill the history of the world, for after this defeat 
 centuries elapsed before the Saracens were again a terror 
 to Constantinople. 
 
 Leo also checked the ravages of other enemies who had 
 raided his territory, even to his very gates, and having 
 quieted his foes, he so wisely administered his finances 
 and reformed his army, as to secure the independence oi 
 his empire, and win the approval and admiration of all 
 classes save one. 
 
 The priests hated him because he opposed the idolatry 
 which had cre})t into the Church. The ])eople knew noth- 
 ing of God or Chi'ist, or of anything tliat merited the 
 name of religion, which was alone represented by the 
 kissing of pictures, by reliance on the images of saints, 
 and other idolatrous practices. Against all this Leo 
 waged a bold crusade. He first ordered all religious 
 ])ictures to be hung so high that they could not be kissed, 
 which aroused such resentment, not only in the capital, 
 but also among the islands of the archipelago, that a 
 iieet was sent to attack Constantinople, which was soon 
 completely defeated. 
 
 Leo conv()k(M] iui assembly of the highest officials of 
 both Church and Si ate; and a decree was solemnly made, 
 ordering all images to be removed from the chuichcs of 
 the empire. Pope Gregory II. Ihen issued a bull excoui- 
 municating all iconoclasts; l)ut Leo gave no heed to proc- 
 bunations from Rome, and thus was the schism originated 
 which steadily widened the breach between the Eastern iuid 
 Western churches; and after the election of Gregory 111., 
 Constantinople was never again included among the powers 
 who were asked for a confirmation of the election of a pope. 
 
 Both Leo and his son, Constantino V., have been called 
 everything liut good by Cliur(;h historians, on account of 
 their attempts to abolish idolatry; but historical truth, so
 
 54 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 far as it is known, affords a widely differing estimate of 
 tlicsc Isaiirian emperors. 
 
 During the continuance of the Isaurian dj^nasty — until 
 867 — history constantly repeats itself, alternating between 
 iconoclasm and religious liberalism, or between indiffer- 
 ence and the most abject image worship and idolatry. 
 Horrible cruelties and frightful crimes were constantly 
 [lorpetrated in the name of religion. 
 
 Historians differ widely in their estimate of the govern- 
 ment of the empire at this period. Finlay says: — 
 
 " The regularity of its civil, financial, and judicial adminis- 
 tration, the defensive power of its military and naval establish- 
 ments, are remarkable in an age of temporary measures and 
 universal aggression. The state of education and the moral 
 position of the clergy certainly offer favourable points of com- 
 parison, even with the brilliant empires of Ilaroun Al Raschid 
 and Charlemagne. . . . The first step towards the constitution 
 of modern society, which renders all equal in the eye of the 
 law, was made at Constantinople about the commencement of 
 the eighth century." 
 
 The attacks of the Bulgarians were repelled, and the 
 sieges of the Saracens were fruitless. Almost without 
 exception the Isaurian emperors were soldiers, and most 
 of them experienced g-enerals. During the eighth and 
 ninth centuries Constantinople was the centre of the com- 
 merce of Europe, and the wealth of the capital was almost 
 fabulous. At one time there was a sum in the imperial 
 treasury which cannot be estimated at less than twenty- 
 six millions of dollars, which at that age of the world was 
 far more valuable than in our own day, and the enormous 
 expenditures of the wealthy classes, and the magnificence 
 in which they lived, as it is recounted by creditable histo- 
 rians, proves that their wealth was evon "beyond the 
 dreams of avarice."
 
 THE ISAURIAN DYNASTY. 55 
 
 The moral condition of the Byzantine Empire under the 
 Isaurians cannot be judged by the standards of a more 
 general and progressive civilization; but it was superior 
 to that of any preceding age when applied to the same 
 number of people, and its moral tone was undoubtedly a 
 great factor in its preservation. At this period, too, 
 slavery was much less than it had formerly been. Hos- 
 pitals and other philanthropic institutions were founded, 
 and, in short, at this time the foundations were being laid 
 for the greatness of the succeeding dynasty. 
 
 Science, literature, and art were cultivated. Grammar, 
 poetry, rhetoric, philosophy, and the pure sciences were 
 all studied by Leo the Archbishop. The wonderfully 
 beautiful jewelry and the exquisitely illuminated parch- 
 ments of the ninth century excite our wonder and admira- 
 tion, and we cannot doul)t that the larger works of the 
 painter and statuary equalled these in excellence. 
 
 Such subjects as these, at which we have but hinted, 
 are too great, and require too much space for any proper 
 consideration here; Init when one reads of the frightful 
 crimes, the jealousies and the horrors on one side of the 
 picture of ancient Constantinople, it is a pleasure to look 
 for a moment on the more cheerful view, as presented by 
 some of the most reliable authorities.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 MACEDONIAN AND COMNENAN DYNASTIES — DECADENCE OF 
 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 867-1203. 
 
 WHILE Michael the Drunkard amused himself in his 
 dissolute fashion, a boy Avas growing up in his 
 army, who was destined to be the murderer and successor 
 of this last of the Iconoclasts, as well as the founder of a 
 new dynasty. 
 
 This boy, Basil, was the son of a Macedonian herdsman. 
 He was stolen by Bulgarians, and carried to their country, 
 where, on hard fare and in a wild life, he developed into 
 a handsome, fearless youth, skilful in all the sports and 
 arts of half-barbaric nations. How he reached Constan- 
 tinople is a mystery; but there he entered the military 
 service, and went to the Peloponnesus under the command 
 of a cousin of the emperor. At Patras he fell sick with 
 1 fever. His beauty and grace attracted the attention of 
 in old lady of immense wealth, who so lavished her gifts 
 on this young soldier of fortune that he was able to main- 
 tain a creditable appearance at the luxurious court of 
 Constantinople. 
 
 After this access of riches, Basil announced that he was 
 descended from the ancient Parthian kings. Whether he 
 believed this or not, it added to his consideration, and on 
 his return to Constantinople he made himself so accep- 
 table to the emperor as a companion in his revels and a 
 dexterous tamer of horses, as well as a successful wrestler,
 
 MACEDONIAN AND COMNENAN DYNASTIES. 57 
 
 that Michael demanded his constant attendance on him, 
 and soon bestowed some of the highest offices in his court 
 on this young favourite. 
 
 There was a second courtier who was also high in the 
 emperor's favour, Symbatios; and at first Basil found it to 
 his advantage to be friendly with him, and the two soon 
 joined in accusing Bardas, the uncle of the emperor, of 
 unfaithfulness. At first Michael gave no heed to these 
 accusations ; but when Bardas, in the emperor's tent, ad- 
 vised his nephew to undertake a war to which he was 
 not inclined, the two favourites murdered the old man in 
 the presence of the emperor. When Michael returned to 
 his palace, a monk greeted him thus: "All hail, emperor! 
 all hail from your glorious campaign ! You return covered 
 with blood, and it is your own ! " 
 
 Shortly after this, Michael made Basil his colleague on 
 the throne, completely overlooking Symbatios, who had 
 hoped for some reward for assisting in the murder of his 
 father-in-law, Bardas. In revenge Symbatios persuaded 
 a general, Peganus, to a revolt. It was unsuccessful, and 
 both Peganus and Symbatios were maimed and blinded, 
 and placed as beggars before one of the imperial palaces. 
 As it is impossible to verify the story, so often told, of 
 this fate having fallen on Belisarius, it has been sus- 
 pected that it arose from the punishment of these two 
 unfortunate rebels. 
 
 Michael was soon seized with fear lest Basil should 
 dethrone him, and took a second colleague, one Basiliskios. 
 Such a trinity could not long exist; and Basil, l)oing the 
 coolest and most cunning, awaited his opportunity to 
 murder the other two, and while they were sunk in the 
 deep sleep of drunkenness, he despatched them l)oth, and 
 thus, in a most ungrateful murder, founded the Mace- 
 donian dyniisty. Tliere could be little ho])e of a wise and 
 successful reign under a sovereign who had dishonoured
 
 58 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 the sister, and mari'ied the mistress, of his patron, before 
 brutally murdering him, when he was unable to make the 
 least resistance. 
 
 To these crimes Basil added sacrilege by pretending to 
 deep piety. At his coronation, kneeling before the altar, 
 he proclaimed that he dedicated his own life and his 
 empire to God's service, and followed this by calling a 
 general council of the Church, at which no reconciliation 
 with Rome was accomplished. 
 
 Basil found an empty treasury ; but desiring to be popu- 
 lar, and having a certain sympathy for the lower classes, 
 from which he had risen, he determined not to increase 
 the taxes. By resuming the enormous grants which 
 Michael had lavished on his favourites, the imperial 
 purse was filled ; and this policy proved so popular that 
 it was followed by each new emperor for more than a 
 century. 
 
 Basil energetically pushed the revision of the law, and 
 devoted himself to the proper maintenance and discipline 
 of his army, and so insured the power and popularity of 
 his government that he was able to found the dynasty 
 which held the throne of Constantinople longer than any 
 other. 
 
 As a general, he was energetic and efficient, but not 
 always successful.. He re-conquered Cyprus, but lost it 
 again; and though he acquired new power in Italy, he lost 
 Syracuse. His j^rincipal wars were against the Saracens 
 and Paulicians; and if he was not a great conqueror, he 
 did not suffer signal defeats. 
 
 Naturally this emperor was not fitted to take any active 
 part in the legislation of his empire; but through a dis- 
 creet employment of jurisconsults, he at length was able 
 to publish the Basilika, which continued in use among 
 the Greeks until their conquest by the Ottomans. Finlay 
 says : —
 
 MACEDONIAN AND COMNENAN DYNASTIES. 59 
 
 " The promulgation of the Basilika may be considered as 
 marking the complete union of all legislative, executive, judi- 
 cial, financial, and administrative power in the person of the 
 emperor. The Church had already been reduced to complete 
 submission to the imperial authority. Basil may therefore claim 
 to be the emperor who established arbitrary despotism as the 
 constitution of the Roman Empire. The divine right of the 
 sovereign to rule as God might be pleased to enlighten his 
 understanding and soften his heart, was henceforth the recog- 
 nized organic law of the Byzantine Empire." 
 
 The friendship of the old lady of Patras — Daiiielis by 
 name — for Basil is the most interesting circumstance of 
 his private life. It was natural that she should wish to 
 see her protege after he became emperor. He had sent 
 for her son, and given him an official position at the capi- 
 tal; and when he invited the old lady to visit his court, 
 she set off in a luxurious litter borne on the shoulders of 
 ten slaves, and followed by three hundred other attend- 
 ants. Arrived at Constantinople, she was lodged in the 
 princely palace, Magnanra, where royal guests were enter- 
 tained, and astonished the inhabitants by the magnificence 
 of the presents she had brought to Basil, which far 
 excelled those that had been bestow^ed by foreign sov- 
 ereigns on any emperor. 
 
 The slaves that bore the gifts were of great beauty and 
 accomplishments, and were a portion of the present. Tlicy 
 numbered four hundred young men, one hundred maidens, 
 and one hundred eunuchs. Daniclis also brought a ser- 
 vice of plates, cups, and dishes of gold and silver; a hun- 
 dred pieces of the richest coloured draperies, and the same 
 amount of soft woollen cloth, of linen, and of a camliric so 
 fine that each piece could be enclosed in the joint of a reed. 
 
 Basil had built a s])lendid church, as an atonement for 
 the murder of the Empercjr Micliacl, which so touched tlie 
 heart of Panielis that she sent to the Peloponnesus for
 
 60 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 rich carpets of enormous size to protect the magnificent 
 mosaic of the pavement. A peacock with outspread tail, 
 which decorated one of these rugs, was the admiration of 
 all who saw its brilliant colouring. 
 
 Before leaving Constantinople, Danielis settled a large 
 property in Greece upon Basil and her son jointly ; and 
 after Basil's death, her son having also died, she again 
 visited the capital, and made Leo, the son of her favourite, 
 her sole heir. At her death the officers of the empire 
 were amazed at her wealth. " The quantity of gold coin, 
 gold and silver plate, works of art in bronze, furniture, 
 rich stuffs in linen, cotton, wool, and silk, cattle and 
 slaves, palaces and farms, formed an inheritance that 
 enriched even an emperor of Constantinople."^ The 
 slaves were so numerous that Leo ordered three thousand 
 to be freed, and settled on land which they cultivated as 
 serfs ; and when all legacies were paid, and the estate 
 settled according to the testament of the old lady, the 
 emperor had received eighty villages. 
 
 An accident in the hunting-field brought on a fever, 
 from which Basil died ; and consistently with his cowardly 
 nature, he ended his life as he had begun it, with the 
 murder of one who had conferred a benefit on him. His 
 victim was the servant who had saved liis life by cutting 
 his girdle free from the stag that had thrust his antler 
 into it, and dragged Basil from his horse. 
 
 Leo VL, known as the Philosopher, succeeded to the 
 throne of his father, and reigned during twenty-five years, 
 which brought great misfortunes to the empire. The 
 Saracens took the city of Thessalonica, and carried 
 twenty-two thousand of its people into hopeless slavery. 
 The Bulgarians also defeated Leo's army, and perpetrated 
 terrible cruelties on his soldiers, while his Asiatic fron- 
 tiers were constantly besieged. 
 
 1 Fin] ay.
 
 MACEDONIAN AND COMNENAN DYNASTIES. 61 
 
 Leo VL was succeeded by his son, Constantine VII. , 
 who was so young that his mother, the Empress Zoe, became 
 regent. After many disturbances, the boy emperor was 
 married to the daughter of the Admiral Romanus, who 
 then became the real head of the government, and made 
 Constantine the fifth wheel of the chariot of state. But 
 the interest of the emperor was centred in books, music, 
 and art, and he made no attempt to govern his empire, 
 and was more popular than any other Byzantine ruler. 
 His writings afford the best history of his time, and he 
 caused an encyclopedia of historical knowledge to be com- 
 piled under his oversight. 
 
 Constantine VII. was succeeded by his son Romanus II. ; 
 and he, dying at twenty-five, — after having recovered the 
 island of Crete from the Saracens, and being full of plans 
 for the glory of his country, — was followed by Nicephorus 
 Phocas. This emperor was of irreproachable morals, of 
 cold disposition, and miserly habits. He was most \m- 
 ))0))ular, and after six years was murdered by his nephew, 
 John Zimiskcs, who became emperor, and is remembered 
 for the single important circumstance of his reign, — a 
 successful war against Russia. 
 
 Zimiskes was succeeded on the throne of the Eastern 
 Empire by men and women who claimed to be its rulers, 
 on grounds of greater or less reason ; but their dissolute 
 lives and shameless disregard of religion and virtue make 
 a story more honoured in the omission than in the telling. 
 In 1057 the Macedonian dynasty came to an end, and was 
 succeeded by that of the Comnonans. 
 
 During centuries of misgovernment the central strength 
 of the Eastern Empire had grown less and less, and the 
 caj)ital was no longer regarded with pride or affection by 
 the better part of its people. Every department of the 
 government had fallen into incompetent hands. No 
 council of state existed, and many ancient usages were
 
 62 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 abandoned, — such, for example, as the census-making, 
 which had formerly occurred every fifth year. Even the 
 possibility of this was doubtful, as the once excellent 
 roads to the distant provinces were now impassable. 
 Money that had been devoted to the maintenance of har- 
 bours and the outi)osts of the empire, was now lavished on 
 the palace and its pageants. The riii)i)odrumc had become 
 luxurious and magnificent in the extreme, and the Church 
 excited the pride and admiration of the people by its 
 splendours, while no attempt was made to arouse religious 
 emotions. In short, both in the capital and in the outly- 
 ing country, where agriculture was at its lowest ebb, the 
 conditions were equally ruinous. 
 
 During this period of decadence had arisen a class of 
 citizens who earnestly desired a stronger and more repu- 
 table government. They were men of great wealth, who, 
 disgusted by the conditions that they could not remedy, 
 had withdrawn from the court, and lived on their estates in 
 lordly independence. These aristocrats now endeavoured 
 to establish a better government, with a fixed order of 
 succession; and so well did they make their plans, that a 
 Bingle battle placed them in power, and the first Com- 
 nenan ruler was raised to the throne, while his subjects 
 hoped for an improvement in the empire which was never 
 realized. 
 
 The great Byzantine families claimed descent from 
 Roman ancestors. The Comnenans were of this class, 
 and had large possessions on the Asiatic shore of the 
 Bosphorus. They had been little known in public life. 
 Manuel Comnenus had been a favourite at the court of Basil 
 II., and the aristocrats had chosen his son, Isaac, as their 
 emperor. His reign began in 1057, and in the two short 
 years of its continuance he made a brave attempt to reform 
 the abuses which had preceded him; but with his suc- 
 cessors, the old conditions returned, and during the cen-
 
 DECADENCE OF CO>s^STANTINOPLE. 6Z 
 
 tury and a half which followed the fall of the Macedonian 
 dynasty, the story of Constantinople was one of increas- 
 ing weakness and decay, which can best be told, for our 
 purpose, by the mention of a few important facts, rather 
 than by a detailed account of its disintegration. 
 
 During the last half of the eleventh century the great 
 movement of the Crusades was inaugurated, and exercised 
 a world-wide influence. Pilgrims to the Holy Land had 
 traversed Constantinople or its provinces in great num- 
 bers before the actual organization of crusades. One 
 band of seven thousand, led by the Archbishop of Mentz, 
 passed through the capital in 1064. It will readily be 
 seen that such armies must have been a heavy tax on the 
 inhabitants along their line of travel. An itinerary still 
 exists, showing the route from Bordeaux to Jerusalem by 
 way of Constantinople, which was made as a guide to pil- 
 grims as early as the fourth century, and was used by vast 
 numbers during the succeeding age of pilgrimages and 
 crusades. 
 
 For a time the leaders of these movements showed some 
 respect to the Byzantine Empire because it was a Christian 
 state; "but when ambition and fashion, rather than re- 
 ligious feeling, led men to the holy wars, the Eastern 
 Christians suffered more from the Crusaders than the 
 Mohammedans." ^ 
 
 The increasing power of the Saracens in the eleventh 
 century, and their persecutions of the pilgrims to Jerusa- 
 lem, aroused the indignation of all Europe, and even Pope 
 Gregory VII. contemplated leading a crusade in person. 
 At length, one army after another was gathered under 
 princely leaders, and marched through Byzantine territory, 
 prepared to seize what they wished, if not granted them. 
 The emperors speeded them on their way as soon as possi- 
 ble, promising stipidiis iiini projection, and rejoicing when 
 
 1 Finliiv.
 
 64 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 these hordes had crossed the narrow sea to the Asiatic 
 shore, where weary deserts and summer heats, as well as 
 Saracen enemies, worked their fatal effects on the men of 
 northern climes. Wars arose between the later Crusaders 
 and the Eastern Christians, from which endless confusion 
 and difliculties resulted. A most important measure of 
 the Comnenan dynasty was the making of commercial 
 treaties with the Venetians, Genoese, and Pisans, by 
 which they were granted extensive privileges. The Vene- 
 tians were especially favoured, and were permitted free 
 trade in all kinds of merchandise in all parts of the 
 empire south of the Black Sea. In fact, this people soon 
 had a monopoly of trade, which was resented, not only by 
 the merchants of Constantinople, but by those of other 
 Italian cities as well. Another remarkable privilege 
 which was bestowed on the Venetians was the right to 
 levy a tribute on the Amalphians who had settled at Con- 
 stantinople. The best wharves, too, were devoted to the 
 Venetians ; and being thus favoured, they became so over- 
 bearing that it was soon necessary to limit their ever- 
 encroaching power. 
 
 To do this, treaties were made with other commercial 
 cities, thus playing one against another. The Pisans 
 were granted privileges far less important than those of 
 the Venetians, but still such as enabled them to build 
 up a trade which partially neutralized the Venetian 
 monopoly. 
 
 Finally, the Genoese were more liberally treated, though 
 obliged to pay a duty of four per cent on both exports and 
 imports. They were allowed a khan on the Stamboul 
 side of the Golden Horn, and a quarter on the opposite 
 shore, which gradually developed into the important 
 suburb of Galata. 
 
 As might have been foreseen, there were constant rival- 
 • ries and disturbances among these Italian traders. The
 
 DECADENCE OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 65 
 
 Pisans were especially troublesome. At times these 
 colonists combined in order to inflict some injury upon 
 the Eastern Empire« Again, they quarrelled with each 
 other, and not infrequently they were expelled from the 
 country, although new treaties were soon made, and they 
 were permitted to return. 
 
 The outcome of all this was mutual distrust between all 
 parties concerned ; and as the Byzantine government was 
 constantly declining, the Italians grew bolder, and re- 
 venged themselves for any real or alleged wrongs, by 
 ravaging the coasts and islands of the empire, which were 
 sadly unprotected by the inefficient Byzantine marine. 
 Pisan and Genoese pirates boldly committed their depre- 
 dations on the ^Egean Sea, and even seized Venetian 
 vessels, which caused great trouble for the emperors, who 
 were utterly unable to prevent these outrages. Curiously 
 enough, all differences were forgotten at times, and the 
 three Italian powers united to commit piracies on the 
 coasts of the empire, meantime maintaining a strict 
 neutrality at the capital. 
 
 The state of Constantinople and of the whole empire 
 grew more and more hopeless, and the way was fully pre- 
 pared for its conquest by any powerful nation. All offi- 
 cials, and even members of the imperial family, were 
 easily bribed. The stores of the fleet were boldly sold by 
 tlic admiral. Pirates flourished on all the surrounding 
 seas, and even the Emperor Alexius III. sent out priva- 
 teers on his own account. Wealthy citizens were kid- 
 napped, and largo ransoms demanded for their freedom. 
 Venetians and Pisans fought in the streets of the capital, 
 which was threatened by Bulgarians and other enemies 
 without, and the whole empire was rapidly falling to 
 pieces. 
 
 To all these depressing conditions the splendour, luxury, 
 and gaiety of the court afforded a striking contrast The 
 
 6
 
 66 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 Empress Euphrosyne was the moving spirit in the affairs 
 of the empire, as well as in the pleasures of the nobles, 
 over whom her beauty and her talents obtained a powerful 
 influence. 
 
 " Her political energy, her superstitious follies, aud her uiag- 
 nificeut hunting-parties excited the wonder of the inhabitants of 
 Constantinople ; and as she rode along with a falcon perched 
 on her gold-embroidered glove, and encouraged the dogs with 
 her voice, aud the curvetiugs of her horse, the crowd eujoyed 
 the splendid spectacle, aud only grave men like Nicetas thought 
 that she was wasting the revenues which were required to de- 
 fend the empire." ^ 
 
 It is difficult to believe the authoritative accounts that 
 have come down to us of the Constantinople of the tenth, 
 eleventh, and twelfth centuries. Its splendours seem to 
 belong to the capital of a magician, and to the home of 
 fairies and the poetic creatures of a dreamland, rather 
 than to the men and women who actually built, inhabited, 
 and destroyed this wonder of the world. The amount of 
 its revenues is as astonishing and inconceivable as the 
 wonders wrought by Aladdin's lamp, and all revenues 
 from far and near passed directly into the imperial 
 treasury. Its customs duties alone amounted to 20,000 
 pieces of gold daily ; and in spite of the maintenance of 
 armies and the cost of wars, the building of this splendid 
 city, the constant provision of games and amusements for 
 the people, the luxury of a court that cannot be exag- 
 gerated, and a church that exceeded all else in magnifi- 
 cence and cost, the sovereigns accumulated personal 
 fortunes of tons of pure gold. The Empress Theodora 
 laid by for her son 109,000 pounds' weight of gold and 
 300,000 pounds of silver. Basil II. had the tidy little 
 sum of 200,000 pounds of gold, and other rulers and high 
 
 ^ Fin lay.
 
 DECADENCE OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 67 
 
 officials followed these eminent examples with so good a 
 will that their accumulations were beyond computation. 
 
 During eleven centuries the imperial palace became 
 more and more magnificent under a succession of sov- 
 ereigns, each one of whom strove to add something to its 
 splendours. 
 
 "A mass of buildings between S. Sophia and the Marmora, 
 and occupying a site which, from its choice by Coustantiue 
 down to the present day, has been renowned at once for 
 wonderful beauty and for the many and great events with 
 which its history is crowded." ^ 
 
 Its gardens descended by many terraces to the shore of the 
 sea; its three domes were stately and commanding; its 
 roof of gilded brass glittering beneath the clear blue skies, 
 under such sunshine as is only experienced in the Orient, 
 impressed men of the colder, grayer Western World, as 
 if the supreme power had ordained an especial illumina- 
 tion for this favoured capital. This resplendent roof was 
 su))ported l)y |)illars of Italian marble, the walls between 
 being incrusted with the same material in beautiful 
 colours, and mingled with the exquisite Oriental alaliaster. 
 The extent of this palace may be imagined when it is 
 remembered that it contained five churches, while its 
 endless courts, corridors, and apartments, finished in 
 mosaics composed of precious stones and marljles from all 
 cpiartcrs of the globe, were spacious enough to contain the 
 multitude of splendid paintings, statues, vases, and mag- 
 nificent trophies, of an inconceivable variety, which had 
 heen gathered from all the known countries of the globe. 
 
 Imagination fails to conceive what this must have been 
 when crowded by the aristocrats and court officials in their 
 gorgeous costumes. Cloth of gold abounded, as well as 
 embroidery and stuffs of the richest silk; and the best 
 
 ' Pears, Fall of Constantinople.
 
 68 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 authorities state that no other court of the world, at any 
 period, luis equalled that of Constantinoi)le in splendour. 
 The dress of all who frequented the palace was carefully 
 regulated according to rank and official position ; but the 
 members of each class vied with one another in the mag- 
 nificence of the material and the value of the jewels they 
 were permitted to wear. Even the weapons they ca^hried 
 were covered with gold and silver. Their helmets were 
 of precious metals, and their horses were adorned as 
 richly as themselves. Every possible device was used to 
 display the wealth of the emperor in his personal sur- 
 roundings. There were canopies of the richest purple, 
 thrones of solid gold, and s, variety of furniture made of 
 precious metals and covered with priceless tapestries. 
 Artificial plants and trees with golden leaves, and auto- 
 matic birds incrusted with rich jewels made a part of the 
 costly bric-a-brac of this imperial palace in the city of 
 the Golden Horn ; and there were also two lions of natu- 
 ral size, of massy gold, which roared like beasts of the 
 forests, while the birds warbled their mechanical notes. 
 
 The ceremonials of the court were rigid and burden- 
 some. The monarch wore a high cap of some rich mate- 
 rial, covered with jewels. This cap was surrounded by a 
 horizontal circle of gold, from which rose two arches sur- 
 mounted by a cross or globe of gold, while costly pearl 
 lappets hung on each side. His purple buskins were 
 a special symbol of his rank: and other portions of his 
 dress, varied for different ceremonies, were carefully 
 made more costly than any subject was permitted to 
 wear. 
 
 So tedious was the etiquette of dress and customs in the 
 Byzantine court that apparently neither pleasure nor com- 
 fort could have resulted from it to any one connected with 
 it. A long procession of officials were interposed between 
 the emperor and the people, which made access to his
 
 jOECADENCE of CONSTANTINOPLE. 69 
 
 person almost impossible, even for those who had impor- 
 tant and sometimes vital information for his ear alone. 
 This seclusion in the midst of a circle of high officials 
 gave the appearance of godlike importance to the sov- 
 ereign, and all possible methods were used to deepen this 
 impression. Even the chief men of the government and 
 court approached him with abject humility, fell prostrate 
 before him, and kissed his feet. 
 
 Outside the palace, opposite S. Sophia, there was a 
 square decorated with a fountain, its basin being lined 
 with silver. At stated seasons this basin was filled with 
 exquisite fruits, which the populace were permitted 
 to take. This afforded a tumultuous spectacle; and 
 the emperor viewed it from a resplendent throne, which 
 was elevated to a lofty height, reached by a marble 
 staircase. 
 
 " Below the throne were seated the officers of his guards, the 
 magistrates, the chiefs of the factions of the circus ; the inferior 
 steps were occupied by the people, and the place below was 
 covered with troops of dancers, singers, and pantomimists. 
 The square was surrounded by the hall of justice, the arsenal, 
 and the various offices of business and pleasure ; and the purple 
 chamber was named from the annual distribution of robes of 
 scarlet and purple by the hand of the empress herself." ^ 
 
 Whenever the emperor left the palace, it was made the 
 occasion of an impressive demonstration. The streets 
 through which he rode were cleared and cleaned. Flowers 
 were strewn along his route, and the houses bordering it 
 were hung with rich draperies. Chants in his praise were 
 sung antijihonally by singers on opposite sides of the 
 street; and if he went to a church, he was received by 
 the Patriarch and clergy with imposing ceremonies 
 and a magnificent display of sacerdotal costumes and 
 symbols. 
 
 1 Gibbon.
 
 70 CONSTANTINOrLE. 
 
 As early as the tenth century the city was broken up 
 and made light and cheerful by o})cn squares and places, 
 which afforded a charming contrast to the narrow, gloomy 
 lanes and streets of European cities. Its churches were 
 imposing in their exterior architecture, and oppressively 
 grand in their services. The houses of the wealthy were 
 in keeping with the imperial palace; while the extent of 
 the quays, warehouses, and factories, together with the 
 enormous number of merchant vessels lying in the midst 
 of the city, on the Golden Horn, afforded the most aston- 
 ishing mercantile panorama in the world. 
 
 This immense commercial element brought men of 
 affairs to Constantinople from all nations, and, as we 
 have said, the factories of the Italians necessitated the 
 setting apart of whole quarters of the town for their use, 
 which gave the appearance of there being other cities 
 enclosed within the grand whole of the capital. The 
 faithful, stolid Varangians, the British guard of the 
 imperial person and his palace, and the strange, half- 
 barbarous soldiers recruited from the surrounding coun- 
 tries, together with Greek sailors, Russians, Copts, 
 Persians, Armenians, Moslems, and Latins, who were 
 visiting Constantinople, continually afforded a scenic 
 effect such as would shame the most elaborate spectacles 
 of our day. 
 
 In various parts of the city were thousands of human 
 beings who virtually had no homes. Their lives began 
 and ended in the streets; and the imperial dole which fed 
 them and lengthened their wretched days, might well be 
 considered an al)Solute curse. They made a show of 
 reverence, kneeling before shrines and kissing images; 
 but they also bawled and cheered at the circus, and fur- 
 nished spectators wherever criminals were hanged, be- 
 headed, blinded, or mutilated by having noses, tongues, 
 ears, hands, and feet cut off.
 
 TECADENCE OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 71 
 
 In its early days there existed, in this capital, a middle 
 class, which quite disappeared. The most potent factor 
 in producing this result was the utter abandonment of a 
 government service, all places of any worth being bestowed 
 on the tools and favourites of the emperor and the officials. 
 Another influence to this end was the increasing contempt 
 for the profession of arms, on account of the attitude of 
 the Patriarch and clergy towards it, soldiers being ex- 
 cluded from the sacrament for three years. 
 
 Again, trade and commerce were so abandoned to for- 
 eigners as to discourage the native merchants, who grad- 
 ually sank into poverty; and although Constantinople, 
 even in its decay, was superior to any Western centre in 
 its artistic and mechanical productions, and while there 
 were always superior engineers and skilful artificers to be 
 found there, their numbers so decreased as to limit their 
 production to the wants of the aristocratic and wealthy 
 classes which had grown up while their humbler neighbours 
 had almost disappeared. Through court favour, these had 
 acquired enormous wealth and power, and were as venial 
 in character as time-servers and sycophants must be in 
 all ages and nations. 
 
 Naturally, in the midst of such conditions, the Church 
 had not retained its purity and power. Costly churches 
 and luxuriant monastorios were almost numl)crlcss. Fasts, 
 feasts, ceremonies, and tlic idolatry of saints and relics 
 were so continually en evidence as to simulate a devoted 
 piety, and the simple-hearted among this pcoj)le l)elievcd 
 that a conscientious observance of these forms would 
 assure them a place in heaven. 
 
 The splendid ritual of the Church was accompanied by 
 the most magnificent music, which exercised a marvellous 
 and enduring influence over the sensitive Greek nature; 
 but of the power and meaning of anything worthy the 
 name of Christianity, there was not a shadow remaining
 
 72 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 in Constantinople at the beginning of the thirteenth cen- 
 tury. -The spirit, the aspiration, the glory of this capital 
 had departed ; and it remained, with all its natural and 
 artistic beauty and grandeur, a hollow, heartless, ruined 
 city, ready to become the prey of men stronger and more 
 earnest than its debased and incompetent emperors and 
 generals.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE LATIN CONQUEST, LAST EMPERORS OF CONSTANTINOPLE, 
 AND ITS SUBJECTION BY THE OTTOMAN TURKS. 
 
 1204-1453. 
 
 THE story of the Fourth Crusade, from its preaching 
 by Fulk of Neuilly to its end, is as full of romantic 
 incident and interest as the most exciting story of adven- 
 ture that has been written. But its adoption by Thibaut 
 ni., Count of Champagne, Simon de Montfort, Baklvvin, 
 Count of Flanders, the Counts of Blois and Saint Pol, 
 Boniface, Marquis of Montferrat, Geoffrey of Villchar- 
 douin, — who wrote its history from day to day, — their 
 bargain with Dandolo, the wonderful old Doge of Venice, 
 for their conveyance in the ships of the republic, their 
 embarking, the taking of Zara, and many other circum- 
 stances, do not concern the history of Constantinople. 
 
 The association of this Crusade and this capital began 
 when all its leaders and warriors, being still in Zara, 
 were joined by Alexius IV., son of the Comncnan 
 Emperor, Isaac Angelus. Alexius had escaped from 
 Constantinople when his father was deposed and blinded, 
 and had sought help from the sovereigns of Europe, by 
 which he might regain his empire. 
 
 When Alexius related all the story of his father's suffer- 
 ings, and jjictured the condition of the JJyzantinc emj)ire; 
 when he implored the Crusaders — before going to Pales- 
 tine — to restore Constantinople to its legitimate rulers; 
 above all, when he promised to pay them three and a half 
 millions sterling, and to send an army with them to the
 
 74 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 Holy Land at his own expense, — these soldiers of the 
 Cross and above all the Venetians, favoured an assent to 
 his request. 
 
 To reinstate the Comnenans, to restore the Church, to 
 Avin entlless glory, and be richly paid for this, and then 
 to recover the Holy City, was a dazzling programme to 
 the leaders of the Crusade. To the soldiers it was less 
 attractive. They were hoping to secure everlasting bliss 
 by their service to God, in rescuing His holy places from 
 infidels; and when, having already been much delayed, 
 this new plan was adopted, they deserted in large num- 
 bers, and found their way back to their homes or directly 
 to the Holy Land. The Doge favoured the scheme. He 
 knew, better than his companions, the enormous commer- 
 cial advantages which would be gained by the conqueror 
 of Constantinople, — the command of the entire trade of 
 the Orient. 
 
 Thus, when ift the spring of 1203, four hundred and 
 forty vessels, carrying 40,000 soldiers, sailed up the Sea 
 of Marmora to the very walls of Constantinople, there was 
 a great variety of aims and opinions in the minds of the 
 Crusaders. 
 
 The Greeks, remembering that they had previously 
 repulsed their enemies, and believing their fortifications 
 to be impregnable, flocked to the walls to gaze upon this 
 unusual fleet with curiosity and confidence, trusting to 
 their walls and towers, their Varangians and numberless 
 soldiers, to repulse the attacks of the strangers, although 
 their navy was ruined and reduced to twenty galleys, 
 little better than useless, which lay in the Golden Horn. 
 
 The Crusaders landed near Scutari, and the emperor 
 sent at once to demand their purpose in coming hither. 
 When he was told that they had come to restore the right- 
 ful ruler to his throne, and invited him to resign his 
 crown at once, he and his court were thrown into dire
 
 THE LATIN CONQUEST. 75 
 
 confusion. The Crusaders hastened to transport cavahy 
 across the Bosphorus, and easily routed the Greeks who 
 were sent to attack them. 
 
 The occupation of the Golden Horn was most desirable 
 to the Crusaders. It was closed by an enormous chain 
 attached to towers on either side ; but the Venetians, by 
 means of their heaviest transport, armed with gigantic 
 shears, broke through this barrier, and the port was soon 
 filled with their vessels. It was then agreed that Dandolo, 
 with his -fleet, should assail the capital from the water, 
 while the Flemings and French, under their noble com- 
 manders, essayed an attack by land. This last was made 
 and fought with desperate courage, but was repulsed, 
 while the Venetians were most successful. After wonder- 
 fully brave and skilful devices and most resolute fighting, 
 bridges were lowered, Venetians crowded to the walls, 
 and soon twenty-five towers, with the intervening battle- 
 ments, were- held by the Crusaders. The streets were 
 more easily defended; but fires were kindled, and the 
 Greeks hastily fled before them. 
 
 When Dandolo learned of the repulse of the land forces, 
 he ordered his ships to proceed to their su})port; but the 
 cowardly emperor had recalled his soldiers, and thrown 
 away his opportunity of defeating his enemies. That very 
 night this wretched creature deserted his people, and, 
 securing as much money and jewels as his haste per- 
 mitted, fled with a few friends. 
 
 When at daybreak the flight of the emperor was dis- 
 covered, a certain Constantinc, a eunuch, persuaded the 
 Varangians to l)riiig the blind old Isaac IF. from his 
 prison, and replace him on his throne. They also pro- 
 claimed his son Ah'xius as his colleague. 
 
 The Crnsiidcrs were miu'li disfurhed at finding the 
 object for which they were fighting so peacefully accom- 
 plished without affording any reason for the sack of this
 
 76 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 vast treasure-house. The Venetians sent at once to 
 acquaint the old emperor with the promises which Alexius 
 had made, and declared their purpose of retaining him in 
 their care until his father consented to redeem these 
 promises. Isaac at once assented to this, and a triumphal 
 entjy into the city followed, Alexius riding between 
 Dandolo and Count Baldwin. There was no enthusiasm 
 among the jjopulace. One emperor had been as bad as 
 another for so long a time that the people were indifferent 
 to all alike; and when they learned of the enormous sum 
 which Alexius had promised his Western friends, there 
 was little hopefulness in the outlook. To satisfy this 
 claim, the palace was stripped of its treasures. Even the 
 vessels from the altars and the silver frames of the sacred 
 pictures, as well as the precious objects which had been 
 given to the monasteries, were sacrificed; and yet all these 
 were insulficient. 
 
 Meanwhile the old emperor was closeted with astrolo- 
 gers and monks, Avho gave him the hope that he would 
 recover his sight and live to be very old. The young 
 Alexius was feasting and gambling with the knightly 
 Crusaders; while the enormous army that he had brought 
 with him had to bo fed, and had made their camps in the 
 most fertile suburbs, demanding provision for themselves 
 and their horses. 
 
 The only encouragement for the Greeks was in the 
 thought that the strangers had decided to depart at the 
 end of September; but in August a great misfortune befell 
 them. Some Flemish soldiers were supping at the house 
 of a Flcmi^i merchant, and, being drunk, they proceeded 
 to loot a church and some warehouses near at hand. The 
 people rose against them, and in the struggle a fire was 
 set, and a terrible conflagration ensued, which lasted two 
 nights and a day. A district a mile and a half long, 
 from the Golden Horn to Marmora, was reduced to a
 
 THE LATIN CONQUEST. 77 
 
 charred and smouldering waste. The fire lapped up 
 palaces and warehouses alike; and many precious works 
 of ancient art and classic manuscripts were burned, as 
 well as the immense wealth of the merchants which was 
 stored here. So great was the wrath of the people that 
 fifteen thousand Latins \vlio had long dwelt at Constanti- 
 nople in safety, were forced to flee to the Crusaders for 
 protection. 
 
 The destruction of so much wealth made it impossible 
 to fulfil the promises of Alexius, and he was foi'ced to con- 
 fess that he could not pay the money. Daudolo heard this 
 without anger, and replied that he would give more time; 
 he would remain six months longer. As this would neces- 
 sitate feeding his soldiers and sailors, it afforded a cheer- 
 less prospect to the Greeks. What should they do ? They 
 must submit or fight, and they could not be expected to 
 do the latter. In January the Venetians precipitated 
 matters by announcing that unless they were paid at once 
 they should attack the city. At this the people revolted ; 
 and on January 25, 1204, at evening, they assembled the 
 nobles and clergy, and commanded them to elect a new 
 emperor. Days of confusion followed, as no one could be 
 found who would accept the office. Just then Isaac II. 
 died, and a young man was proclaimed against his will. 
 
 Alexius was in despair, and arranged to admit the 
 Crusaders into the city; but while he awaited them, the 
 chaml)erlain Marzoufle — thus named from his beetling 
 eyebrows — rushed in to warn Alexius to flee from an 
 approaching mob, and pretended to conduct him to safety. 
 Leading him to a dungeon, he left him; and he was soon 
 after strangled, while Marzoufle became emperor, and 
 called himself Alexius V. He was of the aristocratic 
 family of Ducas, which had already furnished two 
 omjtorors. lie was the Itravest soldier of Consfautiiioplo, 
 and made untiring efforts to lepair its fortifications.
 
 78 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 He patrolled the streets by night and day with a mace- 
 of-arms in his hand, endeavouring to restore order, and to 
 discipline the troops by attending their exercises. He 
 was the only man who could influence the people for good; 
 but when he insisted that all must fight, and undertook to 
 recruit and train an army, he was hated ; and when he led 
 these compulsory soldiers to face the Crusaders, they 
 turned and fled as one man. 
 
 Three months after Marzoufle had usurped the throne, 
 the Crusaders determined to attack the city from the 
 Golden Horn. The first attempt was unsuccessful; but 
 when renewed on April 12, they accomplished much, and 
 fought one of the most memorable battles of history. 
 However, when evening fell, they feared that months 
 would be required to complete the conquest of so strong a 
 city. Another fire destroyed the eastern part of the capi- 
 tal, and Villehardouin wrote that the three fires caused 
 by the Crusaders destroyed more buildings than existed 
 in the three largest cities of France. 
 
 Marzoufle fled that night, and the people flocked to 
 S. Sophia to elect another emperor. Their choice fell on 
 Theodore Lascaris, the son-in-law of Alexius IH. He en- 
 deavoured to persuade the Varangians to fight and to organ- 
 ize an army ; but failing in this, he too fled, and before 
 dawn three emperors of Constantinople were refugees. 
 
 In the morning a procession of the populace, bearing 
 crosses and images, supplicated the forbearance of their 
 conquerors. The Count of Flanders established himself 
 in the palace of Blachernse, the Marquis of Montferrat 
 occupied the Bucoleon, and the Byzantine Empire was now 
 under the rule of the Latins. 
 
 " Guards were then placed over the imperial treasury and the 
 arsenal, Init the troops and sailors were allowed to plunder the 
 city without restraint. The insoleuce of victory was never
 
 THE LATIN CONQUEST. 79 
 
 more haughtily displayed ; every crime vvas perpetrated with- 
 out shame. The houses of the peaceful citizeus were plundered, 
 their wives dishonoured, and their children enslaved. Churches 
 and monasteries were rifled ; monuments of religious zeal were 
 defaced; horses and mules were stabled in temples whose archi- 
 tectural magnificence was unequalled in the rest of Europe. The 
 ceremonies of the Greeks were ridiculed ; the priests were in- 
 sulted ; the sacred plate, the precious shrines in which the relics 
 of martyrs and saints were preserved, the rich altar-cloths, and 
 the jewelled ornaments were carried off. The soldiers and their 
 female companions made the church of S. Sophia the scene of 
 licentious orgies ; and Nicetas relates that ' one of the priest- 
 esses of Satan,' who accompanied the Crusaders, seated herself 
 on the Patriarch's throne, sang ribald songs before the high 
 altar, and danced in the sacred edifice to the delight of the in- 
 furiated soldiery. . . . The age was one of fierce wars and 
 dreadful calamities ; but the sack of Constantinople so far ex- 
 ceeded everything else that happened, both in its glory and its 
 shame, as to become the favourite theme of popular song and 
 dramatic representation throughout the known world. Ville- 
 hardouin says that every Crusader occupied the house that 
 pleased his fancy ; and men who the day before were in abso- 
 lute poverty, suddenly found themselves possessed of wealtii 
 and living in luxury." ^ 
 
 We have noted how from the foundation of the city it 
 was adorned with beautiful works of ancient art, brouglit 
 from Greece; and the number of these had been constantly 
 increased, while other splendid and costly objects had 
 l)cen acquired by tRe Byzantines or made especially to 
 decorate their ca{)ital. Lists of magnificent statues that 
 were now ruthlessly destroyed or carried away are given 
 by historians, but are too long to be repeated here. The 
 four bronze horses that adorn the Basilica of H. Marco in 
 Venice are mementos of this sack of Constantinople, 
 they having been brought from Chios to adorn llic Ilijjpo- 
 
 1 Finlay.
 
 80 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 drome. But few of the luagiiificent bronzes, however, 
 escaped, for they were broken up and cast into the melt- 
 ing-pot by the tons' weight, with as little regard for their 
 exquisite beauty and art as if these Venetians, Flemings, 
 and Frenchmen had been the most barbarous barbarians 
 who had ever existed. 
 
 As we have said, the tombs of the emperors in the church 
 of the Holy A])ostlcs from the time of Justinian were 
 broken open and plundered of all valuables. The splendid 
 robes of the priests were put on the horses of the crusad- 
 ing Christians ; the icons were torn down ; relics were 
 stripped from their beautiful caskets and scattered on 
 the ground, or carried away whole to be sold in other 
 lands; chalices were robbed of their jewels and used as 
 drinking-cups; and these pious thieves continued to plun- 
 der and destroy until even their spirit of vandalism was 
 glutted. 
 
 The Latin leaders at length took thought for establish- 
 ing order in this capital which they had overcome. They 
 executed a few of their own people as examples, hoping 
 thus to arrest the frightful license which prevailed. A 
 solemn, public thanksgiving was ordered in S. Sophia, 
 where God was praised that by his aid twenty thousand 
 men had overpowered this mighty city; and "God wills 
 it " was fervently shouted again and again. 
 
 A proclamation was issued promising protection to the 
 inhabitants, and many left the capital. Another order 
 commanded that all the booty should be deposited in three 
 of the principal churches, where it was divided according 
 to an agreement between the chiefs of the Crusade. The 
 booty consisted of — 
 
 " sacred plate, golden crowns, images of saints, shrines of 
 relics, candelabra of precious metals, statues of ancient gods, 
 precious ornaments of Hellenic art and of Byzantine jewellery, 
 which were heaped up with coined money from the imperial
 
 THE LATIN CONQUEST. 81 
 
 treasury, and with silk, velvet, embroidered tissues, and jewels 
 collected from the warehouses of merchants, from the shops of 
 goldsmiths, and by domestic spoliation." ^ 
 
 Naturally a vast amount had been stolen by the soldiers 
 or concealed by the inhabitants, while an equal portion 
 of the splendid riches of the capital had perished by fire ; 
 but even so, that which was gathered in these three 
 depositories was valued at 300,000 marks, each one of 
 which was equal to a pound weight of silver, or about 
 eighty-seven dollars of our money, the whole sum being 
 worth a little more than twenty-three million dollars. 
 Besides all this there were ten thousand horses and 
 mules. The Count of Flanders, in a letter to the Pope, 
 declared that the wealth of Constantinople was equal to 
 that of all the cities of Western Europe combined. 
 
 The time had now arrived for placing a Latin emperor 
 on the Byzantine throne, and after much consideration 
 the choice fell on Baldwin, whose Flemish soldiers far 
 outnumbered those of the French. The Venetians did 
 not desire this honour. With their usual clearness they 
 reflected that he who ruled must protect his empire; and 
 Dandolo could l^e jjlaced in no position superior to that 
 which he licld as Doge of the Republic of Venice. 
 
 " The personal character of Baldwin, his military accomplish- 
 ments, his youth, power, and virtue, all pointed him out as the 
 leader most likely to enjoy a long and prosperous reign. His 
 piety and the purity of his private life commanded the respect 
 of the Greeks, who vainly hoped to enjoy peace under his gov- 
 ernment. He was one of the few Crusaders who paid strict 
 attention to his vows of abstinence ; and a singular proclama- 
 tion, which he thought it necessary to repeat twice a week, for- 
 bidding all who were guilty of iucontinency to sleep witiiin the 
 walls of his palace, shows that he knew that the majority of his 
 countrymen easily forgot their vows."^ 
 
 1 Finlay. ^ ibid. 
 
 6
 
 82 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 Of the exiled emperors, Theodore Lascaris was estab- 
 lished as ruler of NicEea. Alexius III. and Marzouflc 
 united their forces in the hope of preventing the Latins 
 from adding to the territory they had already conquered, 
 which was nearly the same as the present Roumelia. Mis- 
 fortune had not made these men better. Alexius seized 
 and blinded Marzoufle, and gave him over to the Latins, 
 who sentenced him to be hurled from the top of the 
 Theodosian column one hundred and forty-seven feet high, 
 — the base is still to be seen about a mile west of the 
 Hippodrome, — and dashed to pieces, to the satisfaction 
 of thousands of spectators, who saw in this punishment 
 the fulfilment of an old ppophecy that a perfidious emperor 
 should thus die. 
 
 Baldwin began his reign by conciliating the Pope and 
 the King of France. He sent promises of aid to Pales- 
 tine, together with the gates of Constantinople and the 
 chain which once barred his way into the Golden Horn, 
 as proofs of his power; but he treated his neighbours 
 haughtily, and when the King of the Bulgarians, who 
 was of the Latin Church, sent ambassadors to congratu- 
 late the new emperor upon his conquest of the Greeks, 
 Baldwin committed the folly of assaulting the ambassa- 
 dors, and replied that King John must himself touch the 
 imperial footstool with his forehead before he could be 
 treated as a friend. • 
 
 When the Greeks saw that many of the Latin troops 
 were sent to protect other portions of the empire, they 
 began to plot revolts, in which they were joined by the 
 Bulgarians, and they in turn by the savage Comans, who 
 brought 14,000 men into the contest, who were more mad 
 and hungry for murder and pillage than the Greeks and 
 Bulgarians themselves. 
 
 Baldwin, in his fearless confidence in himself and his 
 followers, and believing his enemies to be cowards,
 
 LAST EMPERORS. 83 
 
 despised the cautious counsels of Dandolo, and through 
 his folly permitted himself and many of his troops to be 
 entrapped in a place from which there was no escape, as 
 his enemies completely surrounded him. Dandolo and a 
 remnant of the Latins heroically gained the capital, but 
 the fate of Baldwin was never known. The wildest stories 
 were circulated- concerning his sufferings; but the only 
 known fact is that a year later the King of the Bulgarians 
 wrote to the Pope that Baldwin was no longer alive. 
 
 In August, 1200, more than a year after the defeat of 
 Baldwin, his brother Henry consented to become the 
 Emperor of Constantinople. His reign of ten years was 
 characterized by a moderation which ruled wisely over 
 Church and State. His chief military success was an 
 attack on the Bulgarian force of 40,000, when his own 
 numbered less than a quarter as many. Henry undertook 
 this action to succour the Greeks, wdio had chosen the 
 Bulgarian rule, and, being abused beyond endurance, 
 sought the help of the Latins they had deserted. 
 
 This emperor devoted his whole thought to the reforma- 
 tion of the government, and instituted many admirable 
 measures, which made the imperial power equal to that 
 of the Church. Having no children, he left his author- 
 ity and place to his sister, Yolande, wife of Peter de 
 Courtcnay. 
 
 This noble was crowned Emperor of the East by Pope 
 Honorius III., and in order to present himself to his sub- 
 jects in state suitaljle to a sovereign, he sold and mort- 
 gaged his estates, and succeeded in inducing one hundred 
 and forty knights and more than live thousand soldiers to 
 attend him to his capital on the Bosphorns. He then 
 applied to the Venetians for conveyance to Constanti- 
 nople, and they, as a part of the price for this service, 
 demanded that he should reduce Durazzo for them. Not 
 succeeding in this, the transport was refused by the Vcne-
 
 84 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 tians. He then ao-rccd with Theodore, the ruler of 
 Durazzo, that his forces should be conducted overland to 
 Constantinople. As might easily have been foreseen, the 
 Greeks did not neglect so excellent an opportunity for 
 treachery. In the mountains Peter de Courtenay was 
 attacked by the soldiers of Theodore, who killed the 
 Europeans or led them captive, while their leader was a 
 prisoner two years before he was put to death. 
 
 A period of confusion that we will not try to make clear 
 now ensued in Constantinople; and nothing of interest 
 to us occurred until, in 1228, John of Brienne, already 
 titular King of Jerusalem, consented to share the throne 
 of Constantinople with the young Baldwin II., son of 
 Peter de Courtenay. 
 
 The Eastern Empire, reduced to a tithe of its former 
 extent, no longer held any revenue-producing territory, 
 and from its few remaining dukedoms and small fiefs 
 there was little or nothing received in tribute. The 
 army and navy had diminished proportionately with the 
 territory; and he who would attempt the restoration of 
 any important part of the former wealth and grandeur of 
 Constantinople had a herculean task in prospect. 
 
 John of Brienne, during the first two years of his reign, 
 was singularly inactive, for a soldier of his acknowledged 
 bravery and prowess. But when he learned that the 
 Emperor Vataces, the successor of Theodore Lascaris, 
 was making an alliance with Agau, King of the Bulga- 
 rians, he knew that this union could have but one end in 
 view, — the destruction of his power; and although he 
 probably knew that the extinction of the Latin power in 
 the East could not be long delayed, John of Brienne was 
 not a man to be defeated without a contest; and in this 
 struggle he proved to be like Samson when he slew his 
 thousand with the jawbone of an ass, — for, having but 
 a hundred and sixty knights, and about two thoiisand
 
 LAST EMPERORS. 85 
 
 soldiers, ho sallied boldly forth, routed and put to flight 
 the army of the allies, numbering 100,000 men; and of 
 their three hundred ships he captured twenty-five, and 
 brought them safely to port. 
 
 That bold historian, Gibbon, who was familiar with 
 large figures and tales of astounding heroism, declares 
 that he trembled as he wrote the above story. Various 
 writers have compared the old soldier to Ajax, Hector, 
 Judas Maccaba3us, and other heroes, real and mythologi- 
 cal; but if this be an "ower true tale," it would seem 
 that a favourable comparison with John de Brienne would 
 be a com{)liment to one and all of them. The following 
 year he again defeated his imited enemies, and his sub- 
 jects began to regret deeply his advanced age, as well 
 they might, could they have foreseen the weakness of the 
 coming emperor. 
 
 Baldwin 11. might well be called the Imperial Beggar. 
 He travelled over Europe asking for money, and received 
 a small sum from England alone. Louis IX. was devot- 
 ing his life and money to delivering Jerusalem. Frederick 
 11. , Baldwin's brotlier-in-law, could scarcely bo expected 
 to aid a sovereign who was loyal to the church which 
 had excommunicated him; and the Pope could give the 
 emperor no coin save that of indulgences, of which few 
 people of that day felt the need. At length, by the sale 
 of his French estates, Baldwin gathered an army of 30,000 
 men, with which ho reconquered about sixty miles of the 
 country immediately surrounding his capital. But to 
 what purpose can a monarch conquer territory which he 
 can neither occupy nor defend ? 
 
 Very soon he could not pay his soldiers, and so great 
 was the ])overty of his palace that its fires were fed from 
 tho sale of lead strii)|)ed from the churches. His son was 
 in Venice, a hostage for his debts; and finally, under such 
 stress of want as this, IJaldwin resolved to sell the holy 
 relics which hnd boon s|)iirod in the sack of 1204.
 
 86 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 The most important of these, the Crown of Thorns, was 
 already mortg'aged to the Venetians for a large sum, 
 which Baldwin was unable to pay; and as the Venetians 
 could rightfully claim this crown, ho cleverly decided to 
 present it to the King of France. Precious relics could 
 be pawned or given away, btit not sold, as it was not 
 allowable to fix a price for them. Frederick 11. com- 
 plaisantly permitted the Crown of Thorns to pass through 
 his kingdom, and Louis IX. made a present to Baldwin of 
 about 900,000 dollars! besides which Baldwin had the 
 satisfaction of having outwitted the Venetians. 
 
 A large and authentic piece of the True Cross was a 
 second gift from the emperor to the French King, who 
 placed it in La Sainte Chapelle, where it proved its genu- 
 ineness by working miracles until the time of the League, 
 when it disappeared, and has not since been heard of. 
 Baldwin now promptly received a second present from 
 Louis of about 180,000 dollars. So encouraging had these 
 transactions proved that the Swaddling Clothes of the 
 Divine Child, the Lance which pierced His Side when on 
 the Cross, the Chain which bound His Hands, the Sponge 
 from which He drank, the Rod of Moses, and a portion of 
 the Skull of John the Bai)tist were all, one after the 
 other, freely given to the pious Louis. What suitable 
 return could be made for such treasures except in pure 
 gold? And this was given Baldwin in generous sums. 
 
 And unless these relics, so sacred in the eyes of mil- 
 lions, were to fall into the hands of the Turks, it was 
 time that they were in the keeping of a Christian power 
 strong enough to guard them. It has ))een said that the 
 only result of the Latin Conquest of Constantinople was 
 the transference of relics from the East to the West. To 
 those who believe in the efficacy of relics, — and in the 
 Middle Ages all Christians did, — it must be a matter of 
 profound thankfulness that these sacred objects were not 
 left to fall into the hands of Moliammedans.
 
 LAST EMPERORS. 87 
 
 But was this the only result ? If so, the wily policy of 
 Dandolo was far less important than my history teaches 
 me. To this conquest I should attribute not only the 
 frightful material losses from the terrific conflagrations, 
 the destruction of vast stores of wealth, and the theft of 
 splendid objects passing computation, but also the destruc- 
 tion of commerce and its deflection to the Italian Repub- 
 lics. It caused the disappearance, even the extinction, 
 of the ancient nobility; it added to the abasement of the 
 already pitiable lower classes; it sounded the death-kncU 
 of scholarship and learning, and imposed upon the empire 
 a ritual and religion so strange and unwelcome to the 
 Greeks that it extinguished the little religious sentiment 
 or superstition that remained to comfort this demoralized 
 nation which the fiery old Doge had placed under Frankish 
 rule. -He had taken away all that they had of material, 
 moral, intellectual, and s])iritual worth, and gave them 
 nothing with which to solace themselves or to replace 
 what they had lost. 
 
 The money which Baldwin received from France was 
 soon exhausted, and he was as unable to pay his soldiers 
 as before. The throne rested solely on the fame of the 
 l)a8t grandeur of the empire. Had the weakness of the 
 Latins been suspected, the end would have come much 
 earlier than it did. 
 
 When Michael Paleologus came to the throne of Nica^a, 
 in 1259, he determined to overthrow the Latins. He 
 fortified Thrace, and expelled all Latins from that portion 
 of his realm. Having in mind its former reputation, and 
 l)eing ignorant of its hopeless condition, he proceeded 
 against the capital as cautiously as he could have done 
 against John of Brienne himself. 
 
 The Latins having received aid from Venice resolved 
 to attack the Greeks, and sent out soldiers and galleys to 
 take the port of Daphnusia, leaving the capital almost
 
 88 CONSTANTINOPLEo 
 
 defenceless. This afforded an opportunity to certain 
 traitors within the walls; and before the Latins were 
 awake on a fine summer morning, the Greeks were in 
 possession of the fortifications and ready to storm the 
 imperial palace. Baldwin made no attempt to fight or 
 capitulate. Leaving behind his sceptre, crown, and 
 sword, he fled to the port and embarked for Euboea. He 
 lived twelve years more in absolute obscurity. His son 
 Philip, however, assumed the title of Emperor of Constan- 
 tinople, which empty and questionable honour was claimed 
 by his descendants through two and a half centuries. 
 The good King Rene of Anjou was one of the last to add 
 this to his other titles. 
 
 When the Greeks found that they had taken an empty 
 palace, they bore the royal insignia in mock solemnity 
 through the streets. As the citizens opened their houses, 
 and learned that in their sleep they had been peacefully 
 restored to a Greek sovereign, their joy and enthusiasm 
 made the city ring with shouts of "Long live Michael, 
 long live the Emperor of the Romans ! " 
 
 The Venetians were permitted to remove their families 
 and their goods to their own vessels, and then the houses 
 of their quarter were burned. When the troops returned 
 from Daphnusia, a truce was made; and soon after the 
 entire Latin fleet sailed away and bore to the world the 
 news that the Latin' empire had ceased to exist, in which 
 fact little interest was manifested. 
 
 The Italian powers, with their instinct for trade, made 
 an alliance with the Greeks, and were assigned the quarter 
 of Pera in consideration of their promise of naval aid, 
 should the capital be assailed. These mercha.nts were 
 soon the only vital power in the midst of the ever-increas- 
 ing weakness of the empire. 
 
 The fate which was surely advancing upon Constanti- 
 nople—its conquest by the Ottoman Turks — was still
 
 SUBJECTION BY THE OTTOMAN TURKS. 89 
 
 deferred through nearly two centuries. Every possible 
 means was used to induce the Christian sovereigns of 
 Europe, and especially the Pope, to protect their vantage- 
 ground in the East, and preserve it from falling into the 
 hands of the Mohammedans. But the Western rulers 
 were occupied with affairs nearer home, and the time had 
 passed when pope or priest could organize a crusade for 
 the protection of the Church. 
 
 One ruler of Constantinople after another retired to a 
 monastery, while a more sanguine man filled his place, 
 but to follow his example in the end. Now and then a 
 sedition arose, and the capital, threatened by Turks with- 
 out, was torn by factions within. The Turks gradually 
 encroached upon the neighbouring islands and shores, and 
 skilfully surrounded the coveted possession with such a 
 net as must insure their final success. In their advance 
 the Moslems neither admired nor protected the relics of 
 civilization. Tlic splendid city of Ephesus was razed to 
 the ground, and the once powerful and splendid Byzantine 
 Empire was completely desolated. 
 
 The reign of Michael Paleologus ended in 1282; and 
 after a dreary succession of incompetent rulers, John 
 Cantacuzene came to the throne in 1347. He shamelessly 
 made an alliance with the Moslems, and gave his daughter 
 in marriage with Orchan, the son of the great Othman, 
 the founder of the dynasty which bears his name, and has 
 furnished thirty-four rulers, in direct descent, to the 
 Ottoman Empire in six hundred years, — a uni({ue expe- 
 rience, — no other family having thus flourished in any 
 other nation. 
 
 One condition of the alliance between Orchan and his 
 father-in-law permitted the Turk to sell his prisoners of 
 war as slaves in Constantinople. A crowd of naked 
 Christians of both sexes and all ages — virgins and 
 matrons, monks and priests, the humble and the noble — -
 
 90 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 were thus exposed fur public sale in the market of the 
 capital, where the whip was freely used to excite the pity 
 of those who still had sufficient means to redeem such 
 sufferers ; but these were few in number, and most of the 
 unfortunates were led away to a terrible bondage. 
 
 Amurath I., the son and successor, of Orchan, and the 
 founder of the order of the Janissaries, had such control 
 over John Paleologus, the so-called emperor, and of his 
 sons, that one can but wonder why the absolute reign of 
 the Turk in Constantinople, in his own name, was so long 
 deferred. Manuel, a son of the above-named John, was 
 a hostage in the hands of the Moslems at the time of his 
 father's death, and seems to have been possessed of a 
 spirit and temper such as had not been shown by his race 
 for generations. 
 
 He escaped, and seated himself on what was by courtesy 
 called the throne of Constantinople ; and although he was 
 commanded to resign his power to Bayezid, the Ottoman 
 ruler, Manuel succeeded in arousing the zeal of the West 
 in his behalf, and France, Germany, Hungary, and Bur- 
 gundy sent soldiers who fought bravely for him. At 
 the battle of Nicopolis, however, Bayezid repulsed these 
 combined forces, and made the Count of Nevers and a 
 goodly number of French nolilcs prisoners. Had Bayezid 
 not been in danger from the great Tamerlane, he would 
 undoubtedly have completed the overthrow of the Greek 
 power immediately after this engagement, when he had 
 defeated an army of 100,000 Christians, who had proudly 
 boasted that should the sky fall they could uphold it with 
 their lances. 
 
 While Manuel traversed Europe, and even visited Eng- 
 land seeking friends and aid, Tamerlane rendered him 
 great assistance by overthrowing Bayezid and holding him 
 a prisoner in an iron cage, as the story is told. Constan- 
 tinople was not again besieged by the Moslems until twenty
 
 SUBJECTION BY THE OTTOMAN TURKS. 91 
 
 years had passed. Then Murad II. led against it an 
 army said to number 200,000 men. The capital had been 
 put in a better state for defence ; and the clumsy cannon, 
 now first used by the Turks, did no harm to the besieged. 
 A celebrated dervish led an assault, which was most dis- 
 astrous to the Janissaries, of whom a thousand were slain, 
 while the Greeks suffered little loss. 
 
 Fortunately Murad was recalled to his own territory, 
 and shortly after a truce was concluded between the 
 emperor and the Sultan, which enabled Manuel, by the 
 payment of tribute, to pass his remaining years with no 
 fear of the Turks. This was continued during the next 
 reign, until 1448. 
 
 In 1453 Mohammed 11. began the world-renowned siege 
 which gained for him the title of "the Conqueror," 
 although Gibbon calls him "the great Destroyer. " The 
 conquest of the Byzantine capital was the realization of 
 the dream of Othmaii, — that the Crescent should dash the 
 crown of Constantino to the ground, and rule over its 
 splendid capital and goodly territory. 
 
 Mohammed I. had already built the Anadoln Hisar — 
 castle of Anatolia — on the Asiatic shore where the 
 Bosphorus is narrowest, as a threat to the safety of Con- 
 stantinople. Mohammed II. now erected the Rumolia 
 Hisar — castle of Roumclia — on the Euroi)can shore just 
 opposite the first. It was constructed in three months. 
 Two thousand masons and labourers were employed, and 
 into its walls — thirty feet in thickness — were built altars 
 and pillars of Cbristian churches. The ordnance jjlaced 
 on its chief tower was powerful enough to throw stone 
 balls weighing more than a quarter of a ton; and when 
 all was completed, a garrison of four hundred men were 
 l)laced in this castle, and toll was demanded from every 
 passing vessel. 
 
 This action was a breach of the truce between the
 
 92 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 Powers ; but to the emperor's remonstrances Mohammed 
 replied : " Have you the power or right to question what 
 I do in my own country ? The Asiatic shore of the 
 Bosphorus is mine, and my people dwell there. The 
 European shore I can take with right, since the Europeans 
 have deserted it." He revealed his whole purpose when 
 he added, "My resolutions surpass the ambitions of my 
 predecessors." 
 
 Naturally the people of Constantinople were terrified at 
 the prospect before them. Had their fortifications been 
 impregnable, there were not men enough to defend them. 
 The half million of inhabitants of the time of the Latin 
 conquest had dwindled to a meagre one hundred thousand, 
 all told, and of these not more than eight thousand were 
 efficient soldiers. The small outlying territory which 
 still belonged to the Greeks was sparsely inhabited by 
 poor men, who were no reliance in time of war; and 
 neither within the city nor without did any public spirit 
 exist. 
 
 The streets of the capital were now bordered with half- 
 ruined edifices. The exquisite marbles and mosaics 
 with which they were formerly incrusted, had been torn 
 away, and sold to Venetians and Genoese. Some of them 
 may still be seen in distant cities, sad relics of the 
 splendour of Byzantine glory. Famine and pestilence had 
 repeatedly done their deadly work on the people ; and after 
 all the misfortunes they had suffered through their own 
 rulers, from the barbarous Northern nations and the 
 Turks, as well as from the natural causes which they 
 considered the curse of God, it would have been miracu- 
 lous had they shown resolution in repulsing a foe to whom 
 they must finally succumb, as they knew all too well. 
 
 The moral tone of the Greeks,, too, was inferior to that 
 of the Turks ; and although they claimed to be the only 
 Orthodox Christians, the Greeks had neither honour nor
 
 SUBJECTION BY THE OTTOMAN TUEKS. 93 
 
 courage. Their Christianity was made up of processions 
 and ceremonials, of pharisaical exclusiveness and hatred 
 of the Latin Church, as was well expressed by the Grand 
 Duke Notanas, when he said, '' I should welcome the 
 turban of the Sultan to Constantinople more gladly than 
 the tiara of the Pope." The historian Ducas, speaking of 
 their blind bigotry, declares that ''they would not have 
 listened to an angel from heaven if he bade them make 
 their peace with Rome." 
 
 In spite of the general poverty, there were men of great 
 wealth among the Greeks, who would perjure themselves 
 as to their riches rather than pay mercenary troops for 
 protection. Many citizens, too, of all classes fled from 
 the city that they believed to be doomed to conquest; and 
 the emperor could not have gathered more than seven 
 thousand soldiers had not the Venetians come to his aid, 
 while John Giustiniani, the Genoese, and John Grant, 
 the German, brought a few ships and some well-disciplined 
 soldiers to protect their own interests in Constantinople, 
 as well as to aid in its defence; and thus the whole num- 
 ber of the force within the walls was about nine thousand. 
 When we remember that the wall which must be manned 
 extended more than live miles on the land side, and that 
 the port and several miles on the sea required special 
 defence, we at once perceive that the emperor was hope- 
 lessly weak, and that only a miracle could avail for his 
 safety against an army of 258,000 men, well provided 
 with the munitions of war, and supplied with powerful 
 cannon. 
 
 Base and cowardly as the Greeks were, their emperor, 
 Constantino Paleologus, merits the fame of a hero. We 
 are amazed that the fate of the city was averted fifty-three 
 days, during which many thousands of its besiegers were 
 slain, and attack after attack successfully repulsed; and, in 
 sliort, the heroism of the emperor and his advisers may
 
 94 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 well have inspired Gibbon to say, "The distress and fall 
 of this last Constantino are more glorious than the long 
 prosperity of the Byzantine Csesars. " 
 
 No proper account of this memorable siege can be given 
 in the space at our command ; and to one who has read the 
 magnificent description by Gibbon, it seems a literary 
 crime to attempt an original treatment of it, above all, 
 since, in the light of all research made to the present day, 
 the narrative of the great English historian is found to be 
 unusually correct. 
 
 The Turk, Sa'd-ud-din — translated by Mr, Gibb — 
 employed prose in rhyme; and while his facts accord with 
 those of Gibbon, his point of view gives them a different 
 colouring, as in the following: — 
 
 " And so that spacious laud, that city strong and grand, from 
 being the seat of hostility, became the seat of the curreuey ; 
 and from being the nest of the owl of shame, became the 
 threshold of glory and of fame. Through the fair efforts of the 
 Moslem King, in the place of the ill-toned voice of the paynim's 
 bell, were heard the Mohammedan screed, and the five-fold 
 chant of the Ahmed! creed, noble of rite ; and the harmony 
 fair of the call to prayer on the ears of all men fell. . . . And 
 tiie mandate, strong as fate, of the Sultan fortunate, was 
 supreme in the ordnance of that new estate." 
 
 Thus did Constantinople become the capital of the 
 Ottoman Empire, and was christened, in the tongue of its 
 new rulers, Istamboul.
 
 ^art ^econti. 
 
 CONSTANTINOPLE UNDER THE OTTOMAN 
 TURKS. 
 
 In the lands where European civilization first had its birth, the Euro- 
 pean has been ruled by the barbarian. There have been other phe- 
 nomena in European history wliich have approached to this ; but there 
 is none that supplies an exact parallel. 
 
 Edward A. Freeman, D.C.L., LL.D.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 MOHAMMED II., BAYEZID II., SELIM I., AND SULEIMAN THE 
 MAGNIFICENT. 
 
 1453-1566. 
 
 ABOUT mid-day, on April 29, 1453, Mohammed 11. 
 entered Constantinople as its conqueror. His 
 soldiers were already scattered throughout the city, and, 
 not realizing the small number and weakness of the sur- 
 viving inhabitants, they at first slew all whom they met; 
 but soon perceiving that they need fear no resistance, 
 they began to make prisoners of their conquered foes. 
 
 Meantime a large detachment of the troops proceeded 
 to the church of S. Sophia, where men, women, and 
 children had assembled in great numbers, — it is said to 
 have held twenty thousand, — and these the Moslems 
 apportioned among the soldiers as slaves, irrespective of 
 age or rank, and hurried them off to the camp. 
 
 " In the space of an hour the male captives were bound with 
 cords, the females with thin veils and girdles. The senators 
 were linked witli their slaves ; the prelates with the porters of 
 tlie church ; and young men of a plebeian class with noble maids 
 whose faces had been invisible to the sun and their nearest 
 kindred. In tiiis common captivity the ranks of society were 
 confounded ; the ties of nature were cut asunder ; and the in- 
 exorable soldier was careless of the father's groans, the tears 
 of the mother, and tlie lamentations of the children. The 
 loudest in their wailings were tlie nuns, who were torn from 
 the altar with naked bosoms, outstretched hands, au'! di- 
 shevelled hair ; and we should piously believe that few coidd Ijc 
 
 7
 
 98 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 tempted to prefer the vigils of the harem to those of the mon- 
 astery. Of these imfortuuate Greeks, of these domestic animals, 
 whole strings were rudely driven through the streets ; and as 
 the conquerors were eager to return for more prey, their trem- 
 bling pace was quickened with menaces and blows. . . . Above 
 sixty thousand of this devoted people were transported from the 
 city to the camp and fleet ; exchanged or sold according to the 
 caprice or interest of their masters, and dispersed in remote servi- 
 tude through the provinces of the Ottoman Empire." ^ 
 
 The Moslem conquerors now emulated the Latins in 
 their deeds two centuries earlier. Seizing on all that 
 was valuable, they divided it among the soldiers so 
 quickly that all traces of the Christian religion soon dis- 
 appeared from the churches of the capital. Other bands of 
 Turks seized the warehouses, and stripped them of their 
 riches; and thus the plunder of the city proceeded rapidly. 
 
 Mohammed II., surrounded by his viziers, pashas, and 
 guards, rode directly from the Adrianople Gate towards 
 S. Sophia. He beheld with wonder and admiration the 
 city which he now ruled. In the Hippodrome the Column 
 of the Serpents attracted his eye. The Turks believed 
 these monsters to be the idols or talismans of the city; 
 and the Sultan, with a single blow of his battle-axe, 
 shattered the head of one of the tliree. 
 
 When he reached the sacred temple, he ordered the 
 public edifices to be preserved, and struck with his 
 scimitar a Moslem who was destroying a mosaic ; and no 
 desolating conflagrations, such as the Latins had caused, 
 were permitted. 
 
 Mohammed immediately ascended the high altar, and 
 offered both prayers and thanksgivings. He then announced 
 that this splendid temple was now a mosque, where all 
 Moslems could pray, and commanded that from that time 
 the muezzin should summon believers in the name of 
 
 1 Gibbon.
 
 MOHAMMED IL ^ 99 
 
 God and his Prophet, according to the customs of their 
 religion. 
 
 The Sultan then commanded search to be made for the 
 body of the Emperor Constantino. As he had fallen in 
 the midst of great numbers^f the slain, and had cautiously 
 thrown off the purple, his corpse was recognized with 
 difficulty; but was at length identified by the golden 
 eagles embroidered on his buskins. The emperor's head 
 was cut off, and left for a time between the feet of the 
 bronze horse of the equestrian statue of Justinian in the 
 Augusteum. It was then embalmed, and sent to the chief 
 cities of Asia in turn, to testify to the overthrow of 
 Constantino, and the prowess of Mohammed II. 
 
 When the Sultan proceeded to the palace, he witnessed 
 desolation and decay, not only along the route by which 
 he passed, but in the palace itself, the largest portion of 
 which had evidently been long since abandoned. The 
 mounds of the slain, which were seen in many portions of 
 the capital, had apparently no effect on the mind of the 
 young conqueror ; but the crumbling city and the deserted 
 palace impressed him deeply, and he quoted from a Persian 
 poet a couplet of kindred nature with that prophecy of 
 Homer's which Scipio repeated at the fall of Carthage: 
 ''The spider's wel) is the royal curtain in the palace of. 
 Ca3sar; the owl is the sentinel on the watch-tower of 
 Afrasiab." 
 
 A century and a half had passed since Othman — the 
 Bone-breaker — had dreamed his prophetic dream, but 
 now fulfilled, and Constantinople had become the central 
 jewel in the ring of the Turkish Empire. Its conqueror 
 was but twenty-three years old, one year older than 
 Alexander when he fought at the Granicus, and three 
 years younger than Napoleon at Lodi. The fame which 
 ^fohammed Inter gained as a victorious warrior entitles 
 liim to be ranked with these imperial conquerors.
 
 100 .. CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 In the first intoxication of conquest, power, and wine, 
 Mohammed committed most brutal acts, and indulged his 
 lust and wrath by methods that we may not rehearse. 
 On the occasion of his first banquet in Constantinople, 
 a row of bloody heads was on the table before him, and 
 great numbers of Christians were executed while he was 
 in his most savage mood. 
 
 But his instincts as a sovereign soon asserted them- 
 selves. He did not wish to rule over a deserted capital, 
 and he realized that wisdom would suggest the retention 
 of the Greeks among his subjects. Thus, ten days after 
 his conquest, he proclaimed himself the protector of the 
 Greek Church, over which he established a new Patriarch, 
 He also guaranteed the safety of the Greeks, who returned 
 to their homes and occupations, and soon after granted a 
 charter, by which he gave many privileges to the Patriarch, 
 his Church, and his people. 
 
 We have seen how much the population of Constanti- 
 nople had decreased before the siege, and after it there 
 was but a small number remaining. With each new 
 conquest Mohammed II. sent many thousands of colonists 
 to his capital ; and at ihc close of his reign — about a 
 quarter of a century after its conquest — it was densely 
 populated, and the scene of such activity and prosperity 
 as had not been known for centuries under Greek rule. 
 In place of Greeks and Latins there were now Servians, 
 Bulgarians, Albanians, Turkomans, and other Oriental 
 peoples; and this motley multitude so changed the aspect 
 of the city that it bore little resemblance cither to the 
 ancient Byzantine capital or to the New Rome. 
 
 Among the pronounced traits of the repulsive character 
 of Mohammed II. was his secrecy regarding his plans and 
 his swiftness in executing them. To an officer who once 
 asked the main objects of his campaign, he replied : " If 
 a hair of my beard knew them, I would pluck it out and
 
 MOHAMMED II. 101 
 
 cast it into the fire." Thus no one knew his objective 
 point, when, in Maj, 1481, he was mustering his forces, 
 and suddenly expired in their midst. 
 
 One wonders how tyrants retain their power; and it is 
 incomprehensible that a Sultan who murdered as many 
 subjects as he chose, to gratify his bad temper, should not 
 have been murdered many times a day himself ! But the 
 followers of the Prophet place small value on life, and 
 believe that death by the Sultan's hand or command, if 
 suffered without resistance, brings all the joys of the 
 ]\Iussulman's heaven, for which they long as for no earthly 
 good. This carelessness of life gives an appearance of 
 great courage to the Mohammedan soldiers, whose real 
 sentiments are those of pure fatalism, of men who place 
 no value on life. 
 
 The wonderful corj)S of Janissaries, which made so 
 important a part of the Turkish army, was a peculiar 
 institution, and exemplified not only the devotion of its 
 followers to the religion of Mohammed, but also the usual 
 zeal of proselytes, and their customary hatred of those 
 who adhere to the faith Avhich they have forsaken. They 
 were sons of Christians educated as Mohammedans from 
 their childhood. This order was established in the middle 
 of the fourteenth century, and called " Yeni askari," or 
 "New soldiers," which name was changed by Europeans 
 into that which we know. At first this corps was made up 
 of the sons of Christian prisoners alone; but was later 
 enlarged by tribute children, a tax of this sort being- 
 levied on the Christian subjects of the Sultan. This 
 inhuman tax aroused little opposition on the part of the 
 CJ reeks, Avho suffered so keenly from famine and other 
 hardshi|)s, that to see their children well cared for, well 
 educated and jKiid as soldiers, seemed a less hard fate 
 than fre(inently Ijefell the boys who were l^ft at home. 
 The tribute of children was not abolished until lOS^.
 
 102 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 The boys were taken at about eight years. Their edu- 
 cation was precisely like that of the Ottoman princes. 
 When older, they were divided into soldiers and men of 
 the pen, the latter becoming civil officials of all ranks, 
 even ministers of state. Their physical culture was care- 
 fully conducted, and they were all instructed in the 
 Turkish language until they were sufficiently developed, 
 and their characteristics were so pronounced that they 
 could be properly assigned to military, civil, or even 
 ecclesiastical professions. 
 
 " In the slow and painful steps of education, their characters 
 and talents were uufolded to adiscerniug eye. The 7iian, naked 
 and alone, was reduced to the staudurd of his persoual merit. 
 . . . The Ottomau caudidales were tiahied by the virtues of 
 abstiuence to those of actiou, by the habits of submission to 
 those of command. A similar spirit was diffused among the 
 troops ; and their silence and soln-iety, their patience and 
 modesty, have extorted the reluctant praise of their Christian 
 euemies. Nor can the victory appear doubtful if we compare 
 the discipline and exercise of the Janissaries with the pride of 
 birth, the independence of chivalry, the ignorance of the new 
 levies, the mutinous temper of the veterans, and the vices of 
 intemperance and disorder which so long contaminated the 
 armies of Europe." ^ 
 
 Mohammed II. had twelve thousand Janissaries. He 
 increased their pay and enlarged their privileges; and as 
 the Turks added to their European conquests, they re- 
 cruited this corps from the children of the conquered 
 European Christians rather than from those of Asia. 
 
 To return to Mohammed IT., he is infamously famous 
 as the originator of the legislation which established the 
 custom of imperial fratricide. These were the words of 
 his institutes: "The majority of my jurists have pro- 
 nounced that those of my illustrious descendants who 
 
 1 Gii>bon-
 
 MOHAMMED II. 103 
 
 ascend the throne may put their brothers to death, in 
 order to secure the repose of the world. It will be their 
 duty to act accordingly. " 
 
 When Mohammed II. gave his attention to the improve- 
 ment of the desolated capital that he had conquered, 
 he chose the same site for his palace that had best 
 pleased Constantino the Great. He extended the grounds 
 considerably beyond their original limits, and it was 
 henceforth called Seraglio Point. 
 
 The Sultan destroyed the strongholds of Galata, lest 
 they should be of advantage to his Latin subjects, and 
 proceeded with great energy to repair his walls and forti- 
 fications. He surrounded S. Sophia with groves and 
 fountains, and crowned it with minarets. This served 
 as a model for all royal mosques, the first of which was 
 erected by Mohammed 11., and bears his name. For this 
 he chose the site on which the church of the Twelve 
 Apostles had been erected by S. Helena, and rebuilt by 
 the Empress Theodora. 
 
 Five years were consumed in building this mosque; and 
 the architect, the Greek Christodoulos, was remunerated 
 with an entire adjoining street. Its original beauty can 
 scarcely 1)C imagined now, since it has suffered from 
 earthquake, and l)ecn repaired in a style quite out of 
 keeping with that in which it was built; but there are 
 many beautiful mn rides remaining. Its fore-court, with 
 its portico and fountain, is attractive ; and much historic 
 interest centres here. The tonil)s of Mohammed II. and 
 bis family arc in tlie grounds of the mosque. At the 
 right of the great gate is a marble table on which — in 
 golden characters on a field of lapin lazuli — are inscribed 
 the Propliet's prophetic words : "They will capture Con- 
 stantinoi)le; and happy the prince, hn))py the army, which 
 accomplishes this." 
 
 A legend connected with this )nos(pic relates that
 
 104 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 ^[ohammed was so enraged at some mistakes made by 
 Cliristodoulos that he ordered the architect's hands to be 
 cut off. The next day in the court, before the Judge of 
 Constantinople, the architect sued the Sultan for damages. 
 Mohammed was summoned, and appeared in order to 
 respect the law. When he was about to sit down, the 
 judge reminded him of the law by which the parties to a 
 suit remained standing. The judge — after hearing the 
 complaint of the architect, and the justification of his 
 cruelty by the Sultan — decreed that Mohammed must 
 maintain the architect and his family or have his own 
 hand cut off. The Sultan settled a proper sum upon 
 Christodoulos ; and when all was done, the judge excused 
 himself to Mohammed for the course he had taken. To 
 this the Sultan replied that had the judge done otherwise, 
 or given a verdict against the architect, he would have 
 slain him with the battle-axe he carried. "And I," said 
 the judge, "if my Sultan had refused to abide by my 
 decision, should have profited by the aid of this servant 
 of justice ! " and, throwing back the rug, the judge exposed 
 a poisonous snake, which extended its forked tongue, and 
 was hurriedly re-covered. The Sultan kissed the hand of 
 the judge, and returned to the Seraglio. 
 
 Mohammed II. surrounded his mosque with eight acade- 
 mies, a home for students, a bath, a hospital, a diet-house 
 for the poor, and a caravansary. 
 
 The turheh of Mohammed II., in which he lies alone, is 
 near his mosque. Not far away is that of his mother, 
 Aselyma, said to have been the daughter of Charles VII. 
 of France. She was celebrated for her learning, and 
 greatly beloved by her famous son. In the sumptuous 
 tomb of Mohammed, a tooth of the Prophet is preserved, 
 which is shown to the faithful once each year. It is said 
 to have been struck from his mouth by a severe blow from 
 a battle axe in the famous battle of Bedr.
 
 MOHAMMED II. 105 
 
 On the third day after his conquest the Sultan had a 
 vision, which revealed to him the grave of Abu Ayoob, 
 or Job, who had fallen in a. d. 668, during the first 
 siege of Constantinople by the Moslems. The pictur- 
 esque village called by the name of this saint is situated 
 beyond the walls of Stamboul, at the end of the Golden 
 Horn. 
 
 The mosque built here by the conqueror of the fifteenth 
 century, almost nine hundred years after the death of 
 Ayoob, is a most holy place ; and here each new ruler of 
 Istamboul comes, to be girded with the sword of Otliman 
 by a distinguished dervish. 
 
 No Christian is permitted to reside in the suburlj of 
 Ayoob, neither are they supposed to enter the mosque; 
 but this rule is not strictly observed. In 1868 I saw its 
 interior and its surroundings. 
 
 Many relatives of the Sultans are buried in this much- 
 venerated place; and their turbeJis, or tombs, are richly 
 decorated with precious metals, mother-of-pearl, costly 
 shawls, gold-embroidered velvets, and other rare Oriental 
 stuffs. 
 
 Here, too, are the tombs of four children who were 
 murdered according to the decree of Mohammed II., which 
 barbarous law still exists. One of these tombs is thus 
 inscribed : — 
 
 " A flower that had scarcely bloomed was prematurely torn 
 from its stem. It has been removed to those bowers where 
 roses never languish. Its parent's tears will supply refreshing 
 moisture. .Say afcUcha for its beatitude." 
 
 This child was the nei)hcw of Sultan Al)dul Aziz. It 
 was murdered in 1843, and its mother survived this 
 terrible tragedy but a few weeks. 
 
 Near the mosque is a temple, with an octagonal dome, 
 in which the Muftis are buried. The huge black cata-
 
 106 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 falques raised over them are decorated with muslin turbans 
 of an enormous height. 
 
 Ayoob is very impressive, especially towards evening. 
 Its light minarets are seen from Pera, and are an attrac- 
 tive feature in the view across the Golden Horn. If from 
 Pera one goes by caique, and climbs the steep path between 
 the tombs, the peaccfulness and silence of the place, the 
 deep shadows of its plane and cypress trees, its oaks and 
 acacias, are such as should be found in a city of the dead ; but 
 here there seems to be an element of haughtiness and pride 
 as well, which perfectly accords with the spirit of the Sul- 
 tans and other dignitaries who here sleep their long sleep. 
 
 The chief importance of Ayoob, however, is not con- 
 cerned with the end, but with the beginning, of a Sultan's 
 reign. Here he comes to be consecrated on the same 
 plateau where the Greek rulers were presented to the 
 army and proclaimed emperors. 
 
 It is said that any foreigner found here on such an 
 occasion would be murdered ; but we have some knowledge 
 of the ceremony as originally conducted, and the descrip- 
 tion of it in 1774 would be essentially applicable to all, 
 as the Moslems endeavour to adhere to the ancient forms 
 of these important functions. 
 
 The procession was led by the Grand Vizier and Chief 
 Mufti on horseback. Next followed thirty-two richly 
 caparisoned horses, twelve of which bore shields, which 
 glittered with precious gems. Next rode the Sultan, 
 surrounded Ijy guards, and so blazing with diamonds that 
 he might well be called the "Brother of the Sun." On 
 his right side walked the master of the horse, and on the 
 left the grand chamljcrlain, wdiile two aids managed the 
 reins and carried the standard of the Prophet. Follow- 
 ing these superior officials came the officers of the stirrup, 
 the cup-bearer, the chief huntsman, and numerous other 
 minor officials.
 
 MOHAMMED II. 107 
 
 The ceremony of dismounting was most important. 
 The above-mentioned officials retired, while the Agha of 
 the Janissaries, the Grand Vizier, and the Chief Eunuch 
 alone touched the person of the Sultan. Behind him two 
 turbans were borne on embroidered cushions. These were 
 symbols of his rule over two worlds; and in order that he 
 should not be fatigued, these turbans were nodded from 
 right to left, thus saluting the multitude. Other pages 
 bore the stool on which the Sultan placed his foot in 
 dismounting, and the spoon for his use in his ablutions 
 in the mosque. 
 
 Lines of Janissaries were drawn up before the mosque ; 
 and as he rode between them, a Greek custom was followed 
 of scattering coins among the crowds of spectators. The 
 Sultan actually bowed to the Janissaries, and they re- 
 turned his salute with their faces turned to the left, 
 thus signifying their willingness to lay their heads on the 
 block if he should so will. This seeming humiliation of 
 these soldiers was well remunerated, as the Sultan halted 
 before the barracks that he passed, and at each one drank 
 a cup of sherbet, the cup being returned full of gold coin. 
 
 Within the mosque the sword of Othman is girded on 
 the Sultan before the tomb of S. Ayoob. Only Mussulmans 
 can witness this most solemn ceremony, whicli remains 
 unchanged to this day. 
 
 But the Janissaries no longer exist, and, indeed, many 
 features of the consecration are much modified. When 
 the present Sultan, Aljdul Hamid, was "sabred " in 1870, 
 he approached the pier in a caique lined with crimson, 
 rowed by twelve Albanians dressed in white. He was 
 seated beneath a golden canopy, wearing a plain fez and 
 a cloth cloak, which concealed his dress and jewelled 
 orders. 
 
 From the pier he rode alone on a splendid milk-white 
 Arab horse, that stepped proudly, as if honored by his
 
 108 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 burden. The young Sultan made no acknowledgment of 
 the cheers which greeted him. Perhaps he knew that 
 those who cheered performed a part which had been 
 assigned them. He did not raise his eyes ; and his gloomy, 
 melancholy face was utterly devoid of any expression of 
 pleasure, while he nervously stroked his beardless chin, as 
 is his constant habit. While on the way to Ayoob, Hamid 
 visited the tomb of his father, Abdul Medjid, at the 
 mosque of Mohammed II. 
 
 If the Sultan avoided the appearance of splendour, not 
 so his cortege. He was preceded by pashas, ministers, 
 beys, and other officials in pairs, wearing splendidly 
 laced uniforms, decorated with glittering orders, and 
 mounted on richly caparisoned steeds. Following him 
 were companies of soldiers of various ranks, in brilliantly 
 coloured uniforms, and full turbans with gold bands. Next 
 came the holy man, the Sheikh-ul-Islam, making a pictur- 
 esque feature of the spectacle in his pure white garb. It 
 was his high official duty and privilege to confer the 
 sacred sword upon the Sultan. Closing the procession 
 were the religious dignitaries, guarded on the rear by 
 squadrons of horse, all followed by many closed carriages 
 filled by Turkish ladies of high degree. 
 
 To return once more to Mohammed II., whose learning 
 was phenomenal, and who pretended to a devotion to his 
 religion which should have inspired some love for God's 
 creatures, we find that neither religion nor learning pre- 
 vented his being almost or quite a fiend in cruelty. Per- 
 haps the deeds of a savage on a battle-field, when his 
 v/orst passions are aroused, can be palliated ; but for the 
 brutality of Mohammed, whose sobriety is fully attested 
 in the annals of his country, no excuse can be found. If 
 we refuse to believe the curious tales concerning his rip- 
 ping up of fourteen pages to find a stolen melon, or his 
 striking off the head of a beautiful slave to prove that he
 
 MOHAMMED n. 109 
 
 was not ruled by love, or his beheading a slave to show- 
 Gentile Bellini the proper action of the muscles, we 
 must still acknowledge that he shed torrents of blood in 
 his rage at the slightest provocation, and indulged his 
 abnormal passions in the most revolting manner. 
 
 " He was doubtless a soldier, and possibly a general. Con- 
 stantiuople has sealed bis glory ; but if we compare the means, 
 the obstacles, and the achievements, Mohammed y. must blush 
 to sustain a parallel with Alexander or Timour." ^ 
 
 The superiority of the early Ottoman rulers is generally 
 admitted by historians. The Ottoman people, too, were 
 superior in the strength of their religious convictions, 
 their temperance and morality, and in their habit of abso- 
 lute obedience, which made it easy to discipline their 
 army. The Sultans were successful organizers. They 
 administered justice equitably ; and their unique plan of 
 diminishing the power of Christianity by educating 
 Christian youths for their civil and military service, sup- 
 plied the ruler with a large body of servants who, being 
 free from all natural ties, became devoted to the power 
 which — though it had wrenched them from home and 
 friends — had given them the education that fitted them 
 for the lofty positions and great power to which they not 
 infrequently attained. 
 
 It is easily seen that such a nation would be vastly 
 superior to the corrupt and demoralized population of 
 Constantinople, — made up, as it was, of various races, 
 steeped in indolence and luxury on the one hand, and in 
 the depths of the most abject poverty and misery on the 
 other, with the additional clement of mercantile Italians, 
 who had exiled themselves for the sake of money-making, 
 and, having neither affection nor loyalty for the Eastern 
 Empire, hesitated at no deed which might increase their 
 profits. 
 
 1 Gibbon.
 
 110 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 But the Sultans were not all Mohammeds. Even 
 the conqueror's son, Bayezid II., who succeeded his 
 father, was a weak, indolent prince, who added neither 
 to the power nor the extent of the empire. He was a 
 dreamy man, whose personality seems to pervade his 
 mosque, the chief monument to his reign. 
 
 Its court is darkened and shaded by plane and cypress 
 trees, and under its cloister dark-faced men sell the 
 Oriental goods which harmonize so well with the columns 
 of porphyry and verd antique. In the centre of the court 
 is a fountain; and an attendant is always near, to whom 
 one may give a coin if he wishes to see the famous pigeons 
 of Bayezid. Myriads of these gray birds flutter down 
 from roof and minaret when the corn is scattered; and 
 though the court is never clean, one is glad that their 
 lives are sacred, and glad also to remember the legend 
 that they are all descended from the pair bought by the 
 Sultan from a poor woman, — a gentle story is so rare in 
 the history of his race. 
 
 On Friday there is here a distribution of food to dogs ; 
 and hundreds assemble, some of them coming great 
 distances. 
 
 But alas! there was another side to the nature of 
 Bayezid II. Once in the midst of a frolic, whe|i the wine 
 of Cyprus had made both the Sultan and his vizier care- 
 less and bold, Bayezid spoke insultingly to his leader of 
 the Janissaries; and that officer replied by asking him 
 who had placed him on the throne, and by what power he 
 retained it. Deep silence fell on all present ; and when 
 the robes of honour were distributed, a black one was given 
 to the Agha, who rose and at once prepared to die. 
 
 " Stay," cried the Sultan, — " stay, I have not done with 
 you ! " as the mutes prepared to beat the old man before 
 he should be murdered. The Agha, having now nothing 
 to lose, called out, " Base wretch ! if you had willed ray
 
 SELIM I. Ill 
 
 death, why did you first defile my soul by making me 
 drink wine ? " 
 
 But the time came when Bayezid II. drained the cup of 
 bitterness to its dregs. Old and feeble, he was one day 
 visited by a vast concourse of Janissaries, Spahis, and 
 common people, who came before his throne demanding 
 the resignation of his power. Twelve thousand Janissaries 
 shouted their battle-cry to emphasize this request, and 
 Bayezid hastened to abdicate in favour of his son Selim. 
 Shouts of joy pealed through the palace, and were echoed 
 by those outside ; while the old man laid off the emblems 
 of sovereignty, and humbly begged permission to retire 
 to his birthplace. Selim walked beside his father's 
 palanquin as far as the gate of the city, and saw him 
 depart. On the third day the old man died, forsaken and 
 unmourned, but fortunate in that he had been spared the 
 fatal bowstring. 
 
 Selim I., called "the Grim," having deposed his father, 
 at once murdered seven brothers and nephews who might 
 aspire to his throne. So cruel was he that no one could 
 serve him without the fear of death constantly in mind. 
 He killed off his grand viziers so rapidly, and for such 
 slight faults, that one of them said to him, " My Padishah, 
 I know that sooner or later thou wilt find some pretext for 
 putting me to death. Permit me, therefore, to arj-ange 
 my affairs in this world, and make ready for being sent 
 to the next by thee." 
 
 Selim laughed savagely, and replied, "I have thought 
 for some time of having thee killed ; but as I have no one 
 suitalde to take thy place, I must defer it a little." 
 
 Selim was the first Sultan who attained to the title and 
 power of the Cali])hat", which added to his consideration 
 and dignity in tlu! same maimer as it would increase the 
 importance of a Western emperor to be also the Pope. 
 The first four caliphs were friends of the Prophet him-
 
 112 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 self; and after tlicm the oftice passed successively to the 
 Ommiade Caliphs, the Abhassides, and to their descend- 
 ants in Egypt, from the last of whom the high office of 
 spiritual head of Islam was transferred to Selim I., from 
 whom it has descended to all the Ottoman Sultans. The 
 sacred standard, the sword, and the mantle of the Prophet 
 passed into the keeping of Sultan Selim I. 
 
 Selim was a successful warrior. He added to the power 
 and dignity of his kingdom by conquests. He built ships 
 and improved his seaports. He brought to Constantinople 
 from the capital of Persia, which he conquered, a thousand 
 skilled workmen, and gave them houses that he might 
 profit by their exquisite art to beautify his capital. From 
 Cairo he sent such treasures to Constantinople that a 
 thousand camels were required to carry the gold and silver 
 alone. His administrative talents were admirable. He 
 was a bigot in religion, and absolutely sincere. He pat- 
 ronized literature liberally, and was himself an eminent 
 scholar. In short, having become emperor of a newly 
 conquered and disordered empire, in a reign of nine years, 
 he accomplished a wonderful work, and left a kingdom 
 fitted to serve for the glory of so great a sovereign as his 
 son Suleiman proved to be. 
 
 The reign of Suleiman the Great, 1520-1556, was a 
 magnificent period in all Europe, as well as in the Otto- 
 man Empire. Suleiman was called " The Perfecter of the 
 Perfect Number," being tenth in descent from the founder 
 of his dynasty. Orientals attach great importance to 
 numbers, and ten is believed to be the most fortunate 
 one. It was singularly prominent in all that concerned 
 Suleiman, especially in the fact above stated, and in that 
 his reign opened the tenth century of the Hegira, while 
 in the course of his experience the decimal had a fre- 
 quently recurring prominence, and was believed to have 
 a happy influence on his life.
 
 SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT. 113 
 
 He was the contemporary of Charles V., Francis 1., 
 Henry VIIL, and Queen Elizabeth; of Pope Leo X. , of 
 the founder of the Russian power, Vasili Ivanovich; of 
 Sigismund of Poland; Shah Ismail of Persia, and the 
 Mogul Emperor Akbar; and among these no one could be 
 called greater than Suleiman the Magnificent. 
 
 " The century of Columbus, of Cortes, of Drake and Raleigh, 
 of Spenser aud Shakespeare, the epoch that saw the revival of 
 learning iu Italy by the impulse of the refugees from Constanti- 
 nople, aud which greeted at once the triumph of Christianity 
 over Islam iu Spain, and the opening of a new world by Spanish 
 enterprise, was hardly more briUiant in the West than in the 
 East, where the unceasing victories of Suleiman, and the suc- 
 cesses of Tuighud and Barbarossa formed a worthy counter- 
 part to the achievements of the great soldiers and admirals of 
 the Atlantic. Even the pirates of the age were unique ; they 
 founded dynasties. But the most remarkable feat that the 
 Turks achieved during this glorious century was — that they 
 survived it. With such forces as were arrayed against them, 
 with a P^urope roused from its long sleep, and ready to seize 
 arms and avenge its long disgrace upon the infidels, it was to be 
 expected that the fall of the Ottoman power must eusue. In- 
 stead, we shall see that this power was not only able to meet the 
 whole array of rejuvenated Europe on equal terms, but emerged 
 from the conflict stronger and more triumphant than ever." ^ 
 
 Korner, in his "Zriny," puts these words into tho 
 mouth of Suleiman : — 
 
 " I have lived for all time; of tliat I'm conscious, — 
 And on the immortal stars have knit my fame. 
 I had suhdued the world had I heen born 
 Sole liero of my age. My toil was harder, 
 My century was rieli in mighty spirits, 
 And many and strong were they who strove with me. 
 I scorn the name of Fortune's favorite. 
 With resolute force I wrung from destiny 
 What had to fond entreaties been denied." 
 
 ^ Stanley Lane-Poole. 
 8
 
 114 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 The entire history of this great Caliph-Sultan is most 
 interesting, from the time when at twenty years of age his 
 father left him to act as viceroy while he went to war 
 with Persia, to the day when he died in his tent hefore 
 Szigeth; but we can only speak of what concerned his 
 capital. 
 
 At his death his empire embraced many of the most 
 beautiful spots in the world, and extended over forty 
 thousand square miles. Never again did it enjoy such 
 prosperity or wield such power as under Suleiman, the 
 Lord of his Age. We should not look upon the cruel 
 and blamable aspects of the character of Suleiman alone. 
 He could also be generous and warm-hearted, and was 
 free from the depraved sensuality of many Turks. 
 
 " We must remember his princely courage, his military 
 genius, his high and enterprising spirit, his strict observance 
 of the laws of his religion without any taint of bigoted perse- 
 cution, the order and economy which he combined with so much 
 grandeur and munificence, his liberal encouragement of art and 
 literature, his zeal for the diffusion of education, the conquests 
 by which he extended his empire, and the wise and comprehen- 
 sive legislation with which he provided for the good government 
 of all liis subjects ; let him be thus taken for all in all, and we 
 shall feel his incontesta])le right to the title of a great sovereign, 
 which now for three centuries he has maintained." ^ 
 
 Suleiman was an only son, and therefore not guilty of 
 fratricide on coming to the throne. Among his first acts, 
 as emperor, he gave permission to six hundred Egyptians, 
 who had been forcibly brought to Constantinople, to return 
 to their homes. He reimbursed merchants who had suf- 
 fered loss through the injustice of his father. He exe- 
 cuted officials convicted of cruel and unlawful acts, and 
 thus displayed both generosity and justice in his treatment 
 
 of his subjects. 
 
 1 Sir E. S. Creasy.
 
 SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT. 115 
 
 The splendid public works of Suleiman in his capital 
 recall the days of Justinian; but in this regard, and in 
 his legislation only, can the Roman emperor be estimated 
 as the equal of the Turk. Not only was Constantinople 
 improved and embellished, but in other cities of his 
 empire his love of architecture was displayed. The great 
 aqueduct and the arsenal of the capital were paralleled by 
 the restoration of the aqueducts of Mecca and the building 
 of the bridge at Tschekmedji. 
 
 While improving his cities, increasing his army and 
 navy, and building immense storehouses for the supplies 
 of fleets and camps, Suleiman did not neglect the poets, 
 historians, and other writers, who flourished in unusual 
 numbers under his patronage. His own diaries are im- 
 portant to the history of his time, and his dignified poems 
 are worthy of a place in the literature of his race. 
 
 The blackest stains on the record of Suleiman's life are 
 the executions of statesmen — even of his favourite Iljrahim 
 — and the murders of his children. Some of these are 
 attributable to the influence which his Sultana Roxalana 
 acquired over him. In sulunitting to this influence he 
 showed the chief weakness of his life, and some of his 
 greatest crimes were hers rather than the Sultan's. 
 
 The story of the Grand Vizier Ibrahim is as interest- 
 ing as it is tragical. The son of a sailor at Parga, 
 captured by corsairs, sold as a slave to a widow, he passed 
 into the service of Suleiman when, as a young prince, he 
 was the governor of Magnesia. The master and slave 
 were sympathetic in their tastes, and soon loved each 
 other tenderly. Ibrahim's learning was phenomenal, and 
 he was able not only to amuse Suleiman, but to im- 
 part to him much that he desired to know. They Averc 
 almost inseparable, even sleeping in the same apartment. 
 Suleiman was proud to bestow his sister upon his friend 
 in marriage, and raised him to the highest office in the
 
 116 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 gift of the Sultan, which Ibrahim richly merited; for not 
 only was he an acceptable companion in times of peace, 
 but a great warrior also, and a statesman who, by his 
 counsel, encouraged Suleiman to some of the important 
 conquests of his reign. 
 
 Ibrahim possessed great personal courage, and could 
 appease the Janissaries when they were rebellious as no 
 other man could do. Suleiman showered riches and 
 honours upon hjs vizier. He stripped the marbles from 
 the walls and scats of the Circus, and despoiled other 
 splendid edifices, in order to increase the magnificence of 
 the palace which he built for Ibrahim. The fetes on the 
 occasion of the marriage of his favourite and his sister 
 proved the Sultan's generosity and affection. But this 
 propitious union, of which we are told that "the empire 
 felt the benefit from hour to hour," endured but six years. 
 Suleiman began to dread the power of his vizier, and even 
 his affection for him and his close relations with him 
 could not induce a Turkish Sultan to permit a man whom 
 he feared to live. 
 
 Ibrahim went one day to dine with Suleiman, as usual, 
 and did not return home that night. When search was 
 made for him next day, he was found dead under con- 
 ditions that proved that he had struggled valiantly for 
 life. Suleiman deeply regretted this act, but his repent- 
 ance could not erase the blood stains from his palace 
 walls nor from his memory; for wherever this great 
 ruler is praised he is also blamed for this and other 
 examples of his unbridled cruelty. 
 
 Tragic and terrible as the fate of Ibrahim, that of the 
 eldest son of the Sultan is fnr more so, and was brought 
 about by his favourite Sultana, a Russian girl called 
 Khourrem — "the joyous one " — or "La Rossa," who is 
 known to Europeans as Roxalana. Her attractions and 
 her intuitive knowledge of how to please and amuse
 
 SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT. 117 
 
 Suleiman gave her such power over hiin that she retained 
 her place in his affections until her death, in 1558, after 
 which her erected her toml) near his own and close to 
 his magnificent mosque. It is embowered in trees; and 
 though its interior is now neglected and dusty, it still 
 bears witness before the world to the fond affection which 
 this greatest of Sultans lavished on Roxalann. 
 
 Incomprehensibly cruel and wicked as she seems to us, 
 there is an excuse which is sometimes made for her, as it 
 is for Lady Macbeth, — that her ambition for her hus- 
 band, whom she devotedly loved, led her to persuade him 
 to damning deeds of blood. When the question with 
 Roxalana was the murder of Ibrahim, this consideration 
 might be admissible, especially in such a time and under 
 such a rule as that of Suleiman ; but Avhat shall we offer 
 as her excuse when she persuades her husband to murder 
 his own son, in order that her ambition may be realized hy 
 seeing her son the indisputable successor of his father ? 
 We fear that the best that can be said for Roxalana is 
 that she wns a woman of a remarkably clear intelligence 
 and strong character, who hesitated at no crime that 
 could enhance the power and dignity of the only beings 
 whom she loved, — her husband and her sons. 
 
 Prince Mustapha was born of a Circassian before 
 Suleiman had seen Roxalana, and he was the natural heir 
 to the throne. Ihit the Sultana had no thought save that 
 of the death of Mustapha, in order that her eldest son, 
 Selim, might ])e sure of the succession. She had a son- 
 in-law, Roostem Pasha, who, having been raised to the 
 highest position that existed under the Sultan, l)y the 
 influence of the Sultana, was a supple instrument with 
 which to work her will. 
 
 Prince Mustapha was a gifted man, full of activity and 
 grace of person, intelligence, spirit, and courage. He 
 had been intrusted with civil and military authorily, and
 
 118 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 even seemed likely to surpass his father in such qualities 
 as distinguished the powerful rulers of his house. But 
 the industrious whispering of Roosteui Pasha and the 
 Sultana sowed the fatal seeds of distrust and fear, and the 
 Sultan, now growing old, was renainded that his father, 
 Selim, had dethroned his grandfather, Bayezid. Mustapha 
 was so great a favourite with the army and the people that 
 the insinuations of the Sultana seemed to be fully con- 
 firmed by what Suleiman could himself see and hear 
 whenever Mustapha rode through the streets. At length 
 the Sultan was persuaded that he was not safe in Con- 
 stantinople, and he repaired to the headquarters of the 
 army, taking Selim, the son of Roxalana, with him. 
 
 Soon after Suleiman reached the camp. Prince Mustapha 
 also arrived and pitched his tent near that of his father. 
 Next morning he was splendidly dressed, and rode his 
 fine charger with such grace as aroused the enthusiasm of 
 the viziers and Janissaries who attended him as he went 
 to pay his respects to the Sultan. Leaving his attendants, 
 he passed alone into the royal tent, where he saw, not his 
 fathci-, but the seven mutes, so well known as the minis- 
 ters of death. They sprang upon him, and passed the 
 bowstring round his neck, Avhile he vainly called on his 
 father for mercy. Some accounts say that Suleiman, 
 impatient of the length of time it took to kill his son, 
 looked into the apartment to hasten the mutes in their 
 execution of his bidding. Meantime some of Mustapha's 
 attendants were murdered on the outside of the tent ; and 
 when the news of the tragedy reached the soldiers, and 
 especially the Janissaries, they were so outraged against 
 Roostem Pasha, to whom they attributed this slaughter, 
 that they demanded his punishment. In order to allay 
 the excitement, Roostem was deposed from his high office, 
 but was restored to it two years later. 
 
 Dreadful as was this crime, still worse was to follow;
 
 SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT. 119 
 
 for after the death of the Sultana, her two sons, Selim 
 and Bayezid, became deadly rivals. At first the tutor of 
 the princes favoured Bayezid ; hut finding that he would be 
 better paid by Selim, he espoused his cause, and repre- 
 sented Bayezid to the Sultan as an ungrateful child, while 
 he impressed the prince with the idea that his father was 
 a tyrant, who was determined to be freed from his younger, 
 as he had been from his elder son. 
 
 Selim was weak and dissolute, and most unpopular on 
 account of his resemblance to his mother; while Bayezid 
 was like his father in person, intellect, character, and 
 accomplishments, and as much in general favour as 
 Mustapha had been. Bayezid commanded respect also as 
 a military leader; Init he suffered a defeat in 1559, after 
 which, with his four sons, he took refuge with the Shah 
 of Persia. Suleiman sternly demanded that his son and 
 his grandsons should be sent to him or murdered where 
 they were. Prince Selim sent emissaries to slay them. 
 The Shah feared to disobey the Sultan, and the terrible 
 sentence of Suleiman was executed. The Persians i)oured 
 forth curses on the Sultan, on Prince Selim, and on the 
 executioners without stint; and the remaining years of 
 Suleiman were clouded by sorrows and military failures. 
 Shortly before his death Bayezid wrote an elegiac poem, 
 which thus speaks the sadness of his soul : — 
 
 " Why cling to liopes of life with fond niisgivini,' ? 
 
 Why lengthen out thine hours, my weary heart? 
 For thee is withered all the joy of living : 
 
 To the void realms below thou summoned art. 
 Bird of my soul, the cage that round thee prest, 
 
 Is .'shattered now : hence on free pinion dart. 
 In mind and body sick, with sin distrest, 
 To thee, my Friend, my God, I come for healing rest." 
 
 The Suleimanych is most advantageously situated, and 
 is the most artistic mosque in Constantinoi)le. It is on a 
 high hill, from which the view of the Golden Horn and
 
 120 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 the city is especially fine; and at certain hours of the day 
 this panorama is as exquisite in its lighting as it is 
 entrancing in its interest. This majestic mosque, huilt 
 by Sinan, the most celebrated Ottoman architect, besides 
 its fine interior, has a court, a fountain, beautiful colon- 
 nades, twenty-three small domes, and four exquisite 
 minarets, with galleries, from which the muezzins cry the 
 call to prayer. 
 
 It adds to the interest of the Suleimanyeh that it is an 
 example of Ottoman architecture, intended for its purpose 
 from its foundation ; yet it differs from the pure Moslem 
 architecture of other countries, especially in its minarets 
 and domes, in which a Greek influence is felt. Its 
 central dome is seventeen feet higher than that of S. 
 Sophia, and, as might naturally be anticipated, there are 
 some features much the same as in that venerable pile, 
 which may be called the Mother Church or Mosque of Con- 
 stantinople. Within are many things which must be the 
 same in all mosques, such as • the texts inscribed upon 
 the walls, the arrangement of candelabra, the mihrab, and 
 the pulpit. The temples of the Prophet seem always cold 
 and desolate to Christians, who are not permitted to enter 
 during service, but must go in slippers, when but a few 
 figures at prayer, as immovable as if dead, are all that 
 can be seen. 
 
 There are some rare and beautiful objects in the 
 Suleimanyeh, and the light as it comes through the 
 coloured glass — from the manufactory of Ibrahim, called 
 Sarkhosh or "the Drunkard," whose glass was celebrated 
 for its beauty in the middle of the sixteenth century — 
 imparts a charm not common to mosques. The windows 
 are painted in a design in which flowers are mingled with 
 the name of God, in the ornamental text used for such 
 inscriptions. It is said that two of them were a part of 
 the spoil brought by Suleiman from Persia, whence came
 
 SULEIMAN THE MAGNIFICENT. 121 
 
 also the brilliant tiles upon the walls. The dome rests 
 on four monolithic columns of ancient Constantinople, 
 two of which once upheld the Venus and the statue of 
 Justinian, while the others are said to have supported 
 those of Theodora and Eudoxia in the imperial palace. 
 
 The mosque itself, with its forecourt and its church- 
 yard, are surrounded by a still larger court having ten 
 gates. In the cemetery near the tomb of Roxalana, of 
 which we have spoken, is that of Suleiman the Magnifi- 
 cent, who does not sleep alone in his splendid mausoleum. 
 Suleiman IT. and his daughters, and Sultan Ahmed II. 
 are also entombed here. The edifice is octagonal, with 
 a fluted roof. There are exquisite marbles without and 
 within, and the interior of the dome is painted in a 
 design of delicate, lace-like arabesques. The costly deco- 
 rations of the biers — embroideries, shawls, turbans, and 
 aigrettes, mother-of-pearl work, and other exquisite 
 details — are curiously out of keeping with Christian 
 customs, but are expressive of reverence and honour to 
 the Sultan who raised the Ottoman Empire to its highest 
 glory. 
 
 Connected with the Suleimanyeh are four academies, 
 three schools, a hospital, a kitchen for feeding the poor, 
 a school of medicine, and another especially for the read- 
 ing of the Koran, a library, a fountain, a resting-place for 
 travellers, and a house of refuge for strangers. The 
 income of the Suleimanyeh must have been enormous 
 when all these institutions were properly supported. 
 
 Certainly it is no small tribute to a monarch that such 
 a monument as this mosque and its dependencies should 
 bear his name, which has been thus repeated l)y men of 
 all nations thousands of times each year through century 
 after century. A Christian inler would liave dedicated 
 the temple he had built to the Holy Trinity or to some 
 saint; but these Sultans, while they made a great show of
 
 122 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 reverence for the Prophet, knew of no name to give their 
 mosques better than tlieir own; and Suleiman merited 
 this lionour more than any other of his race. 
 
 He was an unusual man. On one side of his nature 
 savage and cruel, he was yet capable of faithful affection. 
 So mnch did he know of architecture that he could easily 
 have been the sole architect of the edifices he erected. 
 He passionately loved music and poetry, but he put aside 
 the self-indulgence of his race, and devoted himself to 
 making his arms respected at home and abroad, on land 
 and sea; and he tranquilly died in his tent while his 
 troops were pressing forward to win one great victory 
 more, as their final offering to their greatest Sultan.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SELIM II. TO ABDUL MEDJID — THREE CENTURIES OF DECLINE. 
 
 1566-1861. 
 
 WE have seen what, in its way, may well be called a 
 Wonder of the World, as we have traced the rise 
 of the Ottoman Power. A small band of Moslems, who con- 
 trolled a little patch of Asia Minor, after three centuries 
 commanded in Europe the Mediterranean and the Black 
 Seas, with the lesser waters between, and in Africa the 
 Red Sea, while their territory was bounded by Mecca and 
 Buda, by Bagdad and Algiers. 
 
 From the time of Suleiman the course of the empire has 
 been reversed, and the growth of the three preceding cen- 
 turies has been followed by an equal period of decay, the 
 wonder now being that it survives at all. What keeps 
 the " sick man " alive ? Two causes contribute to this 
 end, and seem to be the only ones. The first is that the 
 Sultan is also the Caliph of the Prophet; the second, 
 that he has retained the key to the situation, Constanti- 
 nople. As the possession of this capital prolonged the 
 Roman and the later Byzantine rule, so it to-day serves 
 the Turk, aided as he is to keep this stronghold by the 
 powers of Wcslorn Europe, even though they know, as has 
 })oen Avell said, that "the rule of the Turk, ])y whatever 
 diplonuitic eu])hemisms it may be called, means the boud- 
 ag(! and degradation of all who come l)eneath liis rule." ^ 
 
 We will not review in detail tbo sickening and decline 
 of the beautiful city on the Bosi)horus. Selim II. is 
 
 ^ E. A. Freeman.
 
 124 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 remembered as the conqueror of Cyprus and the loser of 
 the battle of Lepanto, which occurrence greatly cheered 
 his enemies because it proved that the Turk was not 
 invincible. But why did they leave it there ? Why not 
 have taken Constantinople rather than give Selim the Sot 
 an opportunity to refit his navy and strengthen himself 
 in every way? This was the single occasion when he 
 acted on a noble impulse, when in a spasm of patriotism 
 he gave a portion of his pleasure-gardens on Seraglio 
 Point for the building of docks, and contributed large 
 sums from his private purse to restore what had been 
 lost. 
 
 His successor, Murad III., was a feeble wretch, ruled 
 by women, among whom there was fortunately one of 
 intelligence and determination, a Venetian, known as the 
 Sultana Satiye. She ruled the Sultan, and through him 
 the country, in the interests of the Republic of Venice ; 
 and though various other women succeeded her in Murad's 
 favour, she outwitted them in placing her son Mohammed 
 III. upon the throne. Murad left twenty sons and twenty- 
 seven daughters living at his death, and fifty-three others 
 had died before him. 
 
 Murad's mother, the famous Nour Banore, used all her 
 influence against Safiye; but the Sultan could refuse her 
 nothing, and it was in honour of the Venetian's son that 
 the magnificent fetes were given of which the French 
 ambassador of the time wrote a description. The Hippo- 
 drome was divided into kiosks, which were gilded and 
 decorated with rich hangings and beautiful flowers for 
 the use of the Sultan, the son of Safiye, and the Sultanas ; 
 while a separate building was devoted to the ambassadors, 
 the viziers, and other officials. A largo tent served for the 
 distribution of sherbets and the delicious Turkish sweets, 
 and the centre of the Hippodrome was illuminated by 
 means of poles supporting hoops, from which millions- of
 
 SELM II. TO ABDUL MEDJIL). 125 
 
 small lamps were suspended, as they are now used in 
 mosque illuminations. 
 
 The fetes continued through several days. On the first 
 the Sultan, surrounded by his court, with his son, the 
 future Sultan, by his side, made a grand progress from 
 the Seraglio to the Hippodrome. The Prince was gor- 
 geously dressed in scarlet satin. His turban was deco- 
 rated with heron's plumes, while his ears and hand 
 supported jewels beyond price. Representations of all 
 sorts of animals made in sugar were borne by fifteen 
 horses splendidly accoutred in the richest stuffs. The 
 marriage palms, ninety feet high, were hung with an end- 
 less variety of symbolic toys, and so huge were they that 
 houses and walls were pulled down to make a passage for 
 them. 
 
 The trades processions, bearing gifts, and endeavouring 
 to outdo all other features of the fetes, were admirable. 
 There were tournaments and quadrilles with chariots; and 
 the men, dressed in splendid stuffs and embroideries, 
 represented different trades. 
 
 The dervishes, in their white robes and conical ca{)S, 
 whirled in their dances. Some held red-hot irons in 
 their mouths; others swallowed knives. One was whirl- 
 ing in a barrel of serpents; another danced on pointed 
 sabres; and all these things were done in the sight of the 
 harem, the ladies being behind a grill. The shrill cry 
 of the dervishes, "Allah, Allah!" added greatly to the 
 excitement. 
 
 There were splendid banquets to the Capitnn Pasha, to 
 the Creeks in their native costumes, to the Janissai'ies, 
 which required sixty tables, each with high officials at 
 the head; to archers, guards, gardeners, muftis, cadis, 
 slieiks, and others until all wei-e fed. The feasts were 
 interrupted by various s{)ectaclcs, one of which repre- 
 sented a wedding. Thirty Ijeys, magnificently dressed.
 
 126 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 personated brides and bridegrooms, and several times per- 
 formed the dance, which represents the labyrinth of Crete 
 in its figures, called "the Romaika; and again they danced 
 the lascivious Egyptian dances. 
 
 All this occupied some days, and on the final one the 
 circumcision of the princes took place, with certain cere- 
 monies so savage that the origin of the Sultans could not 
 be forgotten. 
 
 The finale of this merriment was one of the ever-recur- 
 ring revolts of the Janissaries and the Spahis, or royal 
 horse guards, with the usual accompaniment of a fire ; 
 and the passage of the curtained litters from the Hippo- 
 drome to the Seraglio was attended with considerable 
 danger. 
 
 Mohammed III. left no effort untried to make his posi- 
 tion secure. On his accession he murdered nineteen 
 brothers, and had seven slaves, who were about to become 
 mothers, sewed in sacks and drowned. This was the most 
 numerous sacrifice made by any one Sultan to the law of 
 Mohammed II. 
 
 Previous to this reign the hereditary j)rinces had been 
 entrusted with the government of the provinces and mili- 
 tary commands. From this time they were confined to a 
 particular portion of the palace called "the cage," which 
 they left but to go to the throne or the grave. This cage 
 was in a solitary garden, built like a temple without 
 windows and lighted from the top. It had but a single 
 small iron door, against which a great stone was rolled. 
 
 " Kept in a kiud of imprisonment till they came to the throne, 
 with every means of enjoyuig themselves, but with no means of 
 learning the duties of rulers, they came forth from prison to be 
 clothed with absolute power. One is really inclined to wonder 
 that they were not even worse than they were, and that any of 
 them showed any sign of virtue or ability of any kind." ^ 
 
 1 Freeman.
 
 SELIM II. TO ABDUL MEDJID. 127 
 
 Passing over the reigns of AlnneU L, Othman II., and 
 Mustapha I., we come to tiie time of which the minister 
 of King James I. said that the Ottoman power "had 
 become like an old body crazed through many vices, which 
 remain when the youth and strength are decayed." What 
 has prolonged the days of this weakness two hundred and 
 fifty years ? Freeman answers this question when he says, 
 "The Turkish power has been propped up by the wicked 
 policy of the governments of Western Europe. " 
 
 Murad IV. was the most bloodthirsty of all these brutal 
 rulers, and was also the last soldiei'of his race. He must 
 have been strong in character. Coming to the throne at 
 twelve years of age, and ruling an empire overrun with 
 rebellion and suffering constant disaster, it seems little 
 less than a miracle that he was not sacrificed to the ambi- 
 tions by which he was surrounded. Doubtless he owed 
 his preservation to his mother, the Valideh Mahpeike. 
 
 Constantinople was crowded with a famine-stricken 
 people and a licentious, savage soldiery. When the 
 young Sultan visited the treasury and saw its emptiness, 
 he exclaimed : "Inshallah — please God — I will replenish 
 the treasury fifty-fold with the property of those who have 
 plundered it." 
 
 With care and cunning, in the midst of hourly peril, he 
 succeeded in coming to man's estate. He observed keenly, 
 and forgot nothing. Above all, he did not forget to 
 avenge himself later for matters that it was unwise to 
 notice at first. 
 
 Constantinople was always a hotbed for insurrections 
 and mutinies ; and the rising of the S[)ahis, in the ninth 
 year of this reign, was mcmorahle for itself, and to it 
 may be attributed the unusual ferocity and thirst for 
 blood by which the Sultan was ever after characterized. 
 The object of tlie mutiny was the ruiti of the Grand Vizier 
 Hafiz, the Sultan's favourite.
 
 128 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 The Spahis gathered in the Hippodrome on three suc- 
 cessive days, and demanded seventeen heads of the Sultan, 
 that of Hafiz being first on the list. The entire capital 
 was in terror. Business was suspended, and bazaars and 
 shops closed ; even the Seraglio was no longer felt to be 
 safe. On the second day the insurgents were promised 
 satisfaction on the morrow ; and when the sun rose on that 
 morning, the Seraglio was surrounded, and the outer court 
 filled with Spahis determined to be put off no longer. 
 
 When on his way to the Seraglio, Hafiz was counselled 
 to hide himself. He answered that he did not fear to die, 
 and already knew his fate, as he had seen it in a dream. 
 He entered the Seraglio, and was struck from his horse by 
 the stones thrown at him. One of his attendants was 
 killed by the Spahis, while his master was borne into the 
 palace. The Sultan, desiring to save Hafiz from his fate, 
 sent him from the water gate of the Seraglio across to 
 Scutari. By this time the rebels had filled the second 
 court where the Divan was usually held. They clamoured 
 for the Sultan, who soon appeared, and, standing before 
 them, demanded their wishes. The mutineers fiercely 
 answered : " Give us the seventeen heads ! Give us these 
 men or it will fare the worse with thee ! " The savage 
 crowd pressed closely about Murad, and gave no heed to 
 his words; and so threatening was their bearing that the 
 Sultan's attendants drew him within the inner court, and 
 fortunately succeeded in barring the gate in time to shut 
 out the furious mob, which now shouted again and again, 
 " The seventeen heads, or abdicate ! " 
 
 The real instigators of the uprising, the deadly enemies 
 of Hafiz, now seriously represented to the young Sultan 
 that his own head was in imminent peril if he refused the 
 demands of the Spahis. Sadly he recalled Hafiz, and met 
 him at the water gate. Murad then proceeded to the inner 
 court, ascended the throne, and received the deputies of the
 
 SELIM II. TO ABDUL MEDJID. 129 
 
 rebels. He implored them not to profane his honour as 
 Caliph ; but their only reply was, " The seventeen heads ! " 
 Meantime Hafiz had performed the ablutions and cere- 
 monies preparatory for death, and now presented himself, 
 saying : — 
 
 " 'My Padishah, let a thousand slaves such as Hafiz perish 
 for thy sake. I only entreat that thou do not thyself put me to 
 death, but give me up to these meu, that I may die a martyr, 
 and that my innocent blood may come upon their heads. Let 
 my body be buried at Scutari.' He then kissed the earth, and 
 exclaimed, ' In the name of God, the All-merciful, the All-good. 
 There is no power or might save with God, the most High, 
 the Almighty. His we are, and unto Him we return.' Haliz 
 then strode forth, a hero, into the fatal court. The Sultan 
 sobbed aloud, the pages wept bitterly, tlie viziers gazed with 
 tearful eyes. The rebels rushed to meet him as he advanced. 
 To sell his life as a martyr, he struck the foremost to the ground 
 with a well-aimed buffet, on which the rest sprang on him with 
 their daggers, and pierced him with seventeen mortal wounds. 
 A Janissary knelt on his breast and struck off his head. The 
 pages of the Seraglio came forward and spread a robe over the 
 corpse. Then said the Sultan, ' God's will be done ! But in His 
 appointed time ye shall meet with vengeance, ye men of blood, 
 who have neither the fear of God before your eyes, nor respect 
 for the law of the Prophet.' The threat was little heeded at the 
 time, but it was uttered by one who never menaced in vain." ^ 
 
 Many other victims were sacrificed to the rebellious 
 troops. The deposition of Murad was freely discussed, 
 and he began to learn the Turkish lesson, "Kill or be 
 killed." He surrounded himself with some of the better 
 men of his empire; and a little later, his plans being 
 made, Murad licM a ]»ublic divan on the seashore, and 
 summoned a dcputntion of the Spahis to attend hini. 
 Meantime he addressed the Janissaries, assuming that 
 
 ^ Sir Edward Creasy. 
 9
 
 ISd CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 they were faithful to him. They replied to him with 
 enthusiastic loyalty, and on the Koran took the oath of 
 fealty. When the deputies of the Spahis arrived, and 
 witnessed this oath of the Janissaries, they knew but too 
 well that unless they were submissive also, the Janissaries 
 would soon exterminate them ; and so, when the oath was 
 required of them, they took it with fear and haste. 
 
 Murad next commanded the presence of the judges, and 
 accused them of selling their judgments. They replied 
 that they were intimidated by the rebels, and one brave 
 judge exclaimed, "My Padishah, the only cure for all 
 these troubles is by the edge of the sword. " The whole 
 assembly gazed on this man, and his words were 
 registered. 
 
 The terrific vengeance of the Sultan was speedily put in 
 hand ; and all over the provinces, but especially in Con- 
 stantinople, the work of death went on. The scimitar 
 and bowstring were never idle. Murad was avenged for 
 his humiliation. The frightful slaughter was conducted 
 by his own orders. Each morning saw piles of corpses on 
 the shores of the Bosphorus, which had been thrown up at 
 night; and among them the people recognized the Spahis 
 and Janissaries who had so proudly dictated to the Sultan. 
 
 Murad was now twenty years old. He was manly and 
 handsome, and of a demeanour which emphasized the awe 
 which his ferocity inspired. He rode in the Hippodrome 
 each day, and displayed his strength and skill in the use 
 of both bow and sword. By night he rambled over the 
 city in disguise, and with his own hand inflicted fatal 
 punishment on those who were disobeying his police regu- 
 lations. Did crowds gather, the Sultan was soon in their 
 midst, well armed and well guarded. He feared neither 
 Spahis nor Janissaries; and they hastened from his sight, 
 fearful lest his eagle eye should recognize them, and their 
 doom be pronounced.
 
 SELIM II. TO ABDUL MEDJID. 131 
 
 Thus murder became Murad's haljit. Small offences 
 were punished equally with greater, until those who knew 
 that they were to meet him made the death ablution as 
 their appropriate preparation. He became so moody that 
 he imagined wrong where none existed. On one occasion 
 a party of women whose only offence was that of dancing 
 in a meadow, were drowned by his order, because he could 
 not endure the sight of merriment. Again, a boat tilled 
 with women passed too near the palace to please him, and 
 he turned his batteries on them and sent them to the 
 bottom, while he watched the scene. He killed his chief 
 musician for singing a Persian air, which he chose to 
 construe as doing honour to his enemies. 
 
 As this Sultan grew older, he had the habit of intoxi- 
 cation, and language fails to depict his cruelty; but on 
 one occasion the wit of his victim saved his life. "The 
 son of a slave," is a term often applied by the Turks to 
 their ruler; and on one of his nocturnal excursions he met 
 Mustapha Bekir, a famous drunkard, who told Murad that 
 he possessed that which would buy all Constantinople, even 
 "the son of a slave" himself. Next morning Mustapha 
 was brought before the Sultan, who reminded him of his 
 words, whereupon Bekir drew a flask of wine from his 
 robe, and gave it to the Sultan, saying, "Here is a liquid 
 gold, which outweighs the treasures of the universe, for it 
 makes a beggar more glorious than a king, and turns the 
 mendicant Fakir into a horned Alexander," Murad was 
 pleased with the Itold joyousncss of the drunkard. He 
 took the flask and drained it, and was thenceforward a 
 boon companion to Mustapha Bekir. 
 
 When liundrcds of people were daily dying in Constan- 
 tinople of flic plague, Murad passed liis nights in revels, 
 s;iying: "This summer Cod is punishing the rogues; per- 
 haf)S by wintci- lie will come to the honest men." 
 
 Strangely enough, however, when his duties required
 
 132 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 his attention, his abstemiousness and vigilance were un- 
 equalled, and his ability to labour was phenomenal. He 
 was a thorough disciplinarian, not only in military, but 
 in civil affairs. He put an end to the powei- which had 
 been usurped by the petty tyrants who had flourished 
 under his predecessors. He instituted just tribunals, and 
 insisted that the revenues should be promptly raised and 
 honestly expended. 
 
 In the early years of his reign he could not leave Con- 
 stantinople with safety to his government or to himself. 
 When, after ten years, he went to Nicomedia, he hanged 
 the chief judge because the roads were badly kept. The 
 news of this act created an excitement in the capital, and 
 the Valideh Mahpeike informed Murad of what was said 
 of him. He at once returned to Constantinople, and put 
 the Grand Mufti — the spiritual chief of Islam and the 
 head of legislation — to death. This is the sole instance 
 of the execution of a Mufti by a Sultan's command. 
 
 The story of the military achievements of Murad IV. 
 does not belong here;- but so great was his success in 
 Persia, that for eighty years that power, always so trouble- 
 some, ceased its attacks on Turkey. On his return from 
 the conquest of Bagdad, in June, 1638, the Sultan made a 
 triumphal entry into Constantinople, which was described 
 by a Turkish historian who is cited by Hulme. He 
 says : — 
 
 "The Sultan repaired to his palace with splendour and mag- 
 nificence which no tongue can tell, and no pen adequately illus- 
 trate. The balconies and roofs of the houses were everywhere 
 thronged with people, wlio exclaimed with enthusiasm, ' The 
 blessing of God be on thee, O Conqueror ! Welcome, Amurath ! 
 May thy victories be fortunate ! ' The Sultan was sheathed in 
 resplendent armour of polished steel, with a leopard-skin over 
 his shoulders, and wore in his turban a triple aigrette, placed 
 obliquely, in the Persian mode. lie rode a Nogai charger, and
 
 SELIM II. TO ABDUL MEDJID. 133 
 
 was followed by seven led Arab horses with jewelled caparisons, 
 while trumpets and cymbals resounded before him, and twenty- 
 two Persian Khans were led cai)tive at the imperial stirrups. 
 As he passed along, he looked proudly on each side, like a lion 
 who has seized his prey, and saluted the people, who shouted 
 ' Barik-Allah ! ' and threw themselves on the ground. All the 
 vessels of war fired constant salutes, so that the sea seemed in 
 a blaze ; and seven days and nights were devoted to constant 
 rejoicings." 
 
 This pageant assumes important proportions when we 
 know that it was the last spectacle witnessed in Constan- 
 tinople in celebration of the triumphal return of a Sultan 
 who had personally conducted his armies, and we cannot 
 realize when we see the Europeanized capital of our time 
 that such barbaric splendours could have been habitual 
 here for many centuries. 
 
 The final act in Murad's life was consistent with his 
 cruel nature. Whether he desired his favourite to succeed 
 him, or whether it gratified his wicked heart to let his 
 house and dynasty end with him, is not known; but in his 
 last hour he commanded the murder of his only brother, 
 Ibrahim. The Sultana Valideh — mother sultana — pre- 
 served Ibrahim's life, but told Murad that his command 
 had been executed. Though absolutely dying, this cruel 
 wretch smiled horribly, and raised himself in bed, hoping 
 to see his brother's dead face; but his attendants held 
 him down, and at that moment the priest entered to read 
 the prayers, which were scarcely begun when the last 
 warrior Sultan ceased to live. 
 
 Iln-ahim proved the most bestial of his line, which is 
 not surprising when we remember that he had been shut 
 off from the life of the world f(jr years ; tliat he had been 
 in hourly expectation of death, and had been permitted 
 to indulge the animal side of his nature to the fullest 
 extent.
 
 134 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 From Uiis time until the beginning of our century the 
 government of Turkey was in the hands of viziers, some 
 of them being men of great talent. There were occasional 
 deeds of courage and probity which indicate that, had 
 their lines fallen in the days when their nation was grow- 
 ing rather than decaying, they would have left names to 
 be remembered. 
 
 But there is neither pleasure nor profit in the history of 
 Turkey from the time when the Vizier Mohammed Kinprili 
 executed thirty -six thousand people in five years, and the 
 chief executioner strangled an average of three a day with 
 his own hand, to that when, through the murder of Selim 
 and Mustapha IV., Mahmoud IT. became Sultan in 1808. 
 
 Besides the execution of the deposed Sultan, Mahmoud 
 11. thought it necessary to drown in sacks one hundred 
 and seventy-four of his wives and odalisques, and to 
 behead a great number of other persons. By these 
 measures he ended the rebellion that had placed him on 
 the throne. On the day of his proclamation as Sultan, at 
 the gate of the Seraglio, thirty-three heads were exposed 
 to public gaze. 
 
 His reign of thirty-one years was a period of constant 
 wars without and revolts within ; and though on the whole 
 the power of the Ottoman Empire was lessened, and noth- 
 ing was done to improve or adorn the capital, still there 
 are reasons why Mahmoud IT. should be remembered as 
 one of the most enlightened and powerful of the Ottoman 
 rulers. He had employed his years of captivity in study. 
 He introduced beneficial measures in the life of the women 
 of the Seraglio. He also endeavoured to better the condi- 
 tions of the Christians subject to him, and he must be 
 credited with the attempt to introduce civilization into 
 his domains. 
 
 The final levy of boys for the Janissary corps was made 
 in 1675, Three thousand were then recruited. This
 
 SELIM II TO ABDUL MEDJID. 135 
 
 custom had already been partly abandoned, as the position 
 was considered so advantageous that it was sought for the 
 Children of the Faithful, and the sons of Janissaries were 
 admitted to their ranks. The levies of Christian children 
 thus came to be made for the corps of one thousand pages 
 of the Seraglio rather than for the Janissaries, and even 
 these were less and less frequent. 
 
 The Janissaries, too, had undergone a change. In the 
 fifteenth century they were superior to the European 
 soldiers. In the seventeenth century the European armies 
 had been disci i>lined and improved, while the Moslem 
 corps was inferior to its first estate, and in every way less 
 effective. 
 
 As soon as Mahmoud IT. was proclaimed Sultan and the 
 Pasha of Rustchuk, Mustapha Bairactar, was installed as 
 Grand Vizier, the latter made a plan by which to super- 
 sede the Janissaries with a new force called the Seymens, 
 a name which had l^elonged to an ancient Ottoman corps. 
 The Janissaries and the Ulema — men learned in the law 
 — pretended to approve this plan ; and Bairactar permitted 
 the All)nnian troops which he controlled to depart, not 
 retaining more than four thousand men in Constantinople, 
 on whom he could rely. Fortunately there were, near 
 Scutari, eight thousand Asiatic troops under his friend 
 Cadi Pasha. 
 
 When the Janissaries foimd themselves in so favourable 
 a position, they surrounded the palace of Bairactar and set 
 it on fire. There the Vizier perished, and the Janissaries 
 at once fiercely attacked the new troops; but Cadi Pasha 
 with his men joined the struggle, and for two days there 
 was savage fighting in the streets of Constantinople. 
 Whole districts were destroyed as well as magnzines and 
 military stores, and the Janissaries came off victorious. 
 During this struggle the palace gates were closed, and tlic 
 deposed Sultan, Mustapha IV., was murdered. By this
 
 136 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 means MaliniouJ TI. was the sole survivor of the house of 
 Othman, and he knew that this fact gave him a charmed 
 life. In spite of this he found it necessary to propitiate 
 the Janissaries, and he issued an edict in their favour. 
 All the European innovations which had been introduced 
 were abolished. The old customs were restored, and dark- 
 ness replaced the gleams of light which had penetrated to 
 the heart of Constantinople and the Ottoman Empire. 
 
 Still there existed in the capital wise and thoughtful 
 men, who felt that changes must be made and sweeping 
 reforms instituted. But as yet they dared not whisper 
 this, although they were determined to prepare for the 
 time when practical steps could be taken. 
 
 Mahmoud II. had a will and a patience that were phe- 
 nomenal ; and although his reign opened with a war with 
 Russia which was terminated by the treaty of Bucharest 
 in 1812, the foes at home were never out of his mind. 
 Success and advantage abroad had little meaning com-, 
 pared with his desire to be master in his own capital. 
 Wherever he went, whatever he did, the knowledge that 
 he was not independent of his own soldiers was a torture 
 to him. 
 
 There were abuses in the distant provinces of his 
 empire, where ruling pashas felt and manifested an inde- 
 pendence of the Sultan that was exasperating, and even 
 near at home smaller Derebeys disregarded his wishes, 
 and almost set him at defiance. More powerful chiefs, 
 like Mehemet Ali in Egypt and Ali Pasha in Jannina, 
 even threatened the Ottoman Empire with dismember- 
 ment, and the former succeeded in so firmly establishing 
 liimself in the city of the Mamelukes as to be able to leave 
 to his descendants the power which he had won. But 
 the splendid and cruel " old lion of Jannina " was lured 
 into the ])Ower of Mahmoud 's general by a pretence of 
 capitulation and traitorously murdered.
 
 SELIM II. TO ABDUL IMEDJID. 137 
 
 The schemes of Mahmoiid and his sympathizers for the 
 disbanding- of the Janissaries Avere numerous; but there 
 was ever some circumstance which prevented the accom- 
 plishment of so difficult a move as to displace a large 
 body of imperial troops, who had every advantage of 
 place, possession of arms and munitions, and many other 
 equally favourable conditions in their hands. 
 
 But finally the end came. Every Janissary was doomed, 
 and the example of Mehemet Ali in the massacre of the 
 Mamelukes was savagely followed, although Mahmoud 
 did not treacherously invite them as friends in order to 
 accomplish his end. The destruction of this corps was 
 the great event in the reign of Mahmoud, and of more 
 importance to Turkey, above all to Constantinople, than 
 the wars with Russia and Egypt. 
 
 ^[ahmoud had made most extensive and careful prepara- 
 tion. Although each year of his reign had been disturbed 
 by the turbulence of the Janissaries ; although they had 
 kindled destructive fires and committed other unscrupu- 
 lous acts of violence in Constantinople, he knew that he 
 must endure all until fully prepared to succeed. A failure 
 would cost him all that he valued. He foresaw, too, that 
 an open battle in the streets must be his method of con- 
 quest. He gradually increased his artillery force, and 
 was careful to see that its officers were his faithful sup- 
 porters until it at length numbered 14,000, and was led 
 by that Ibrahim who, after the day that proved fatal to 
 the Janissaries, was known as Kara Djehennin, — Black 
 Hell. 
 
 Moreover Mahmoud had appointed another loyal friend 
 to ])C the Agha of the Janissaries; and the Grand Vizier, 
 equally devoted to the Sultan, was al)lc to summon a 
 large body of trustworthy troops from tlie Asiatic shore. 
 IMnhinoud had also convinceil the Uloma, or Judges, of 
 their error in 8U])])orting the Janissaries, who had long
 
 138 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 since survived their original usefulness, and were now 
 the curse of Constantinople and other parts of the 
 empire. 
 
 It was not his part to institute procedings against this 
 unruly body. The actual, apparent cause of the end must 
 be some outrageous conduct of the Janissaries themselves. 
 At no time would such an occasion be far distant. There 
 were but brief intervals between the mutinies of this 
 corps, when they gave the signal of revolt by overturning 
 their kettles in the Hippodrome, and proceeded to per- 
 petrate their outrages. When this occurred, on June 15, 
 1826, the Sultan was ready for the contest. He unfolded 
 the Sacred Standard of the Prophet himself, and called 
 on all true Mohammedans to follow him, their Caliph, as 
 well as their Padishah. 
 
 The enthusiasm of the people of Constantinople knew 
 no bounds, and they rallied about Mahmoud by thousands, 
 while the artillery and the Asiatic troops gave more sub- 
 stantial aid. As the Janissaries appeared in the streets, 
 they were met and cut down with grape shot by the 
 soldiers under command of Black Hell. They had in- 
 tended to go to the Seraglio, but turned back to the 
 Etmeidan or Hippodrome, and there defended themselves 
 with their muskets most courageously. Many were 
 killed, and at length they retreated to their barracks, 
 and prepared to resist desperately the assault they an- 
 ticipated. 
 
 But Mahmoud and his advisers determined not to sacri- 
 fice the lives that must be lost by such a method; and, the 
 artillery being properly jilaccd, a continuous shower of 
 shot and shell was mercilessly poured upon the mutineers. 
 Some of them, driven to desperation, sallied forth, weapons 
 in hand, but were quickly shot down even while they 
 begged for mercy. Mahmoud had decreed the absolute 
 extermination of the Janissaries ; and that end was accom-
 
 SELIM II. TO ABDUL MEDJID. 139 
 
 plished when finally the barracks took fire and the last of 
 their number in Constantinople perished in the flames. 
 The Hippodrome was then closed for years. 
 
 It is estimated that four thousand Janissaries perished 
 in the capital in that single day, after which Mahmoud pro- 
 ceeded to exterminate the force in all parts of the empire. 
 Their standards were destroyed, and so far as possible no 
 reminder of them was permitted to survive. New troops 
 were organized, and soon numbered forty thousand, and 
 were gradually increased. This vast change had been 
 accomplished by the steadfast will of Mahmoud II., who 
 now proclaimed the name of his new soldiers to be the 
 "Victorious Mahometan Armies," and commanded them 
 to sustain the Ottoman religion and empire. Mliltke, in 
 his able history of Mahmoud's reign, says: — 
 
 "If Turkey had enjoyed ten years of peace. after the de- 
 struction of the Janissaries, Sultan Mahmoud's military re- 
 forms miglit in that time have gained some strength ; and, 
 supported by an army upon which he could depend, tlie Sultan 
 might have carried out the needful reforms in the administra- 
 tion of his country, have infused new life into the dead branches 
 of the Ottoman Empire, and made himself formidable to his 
 neighbours. All this was prevented by Russia, which nipped 
 the Sultan's military reforms in the bud." 
 
 At all events, the vigour and aljility of the Sultan 
 alarmed his enemies, and they hastened to bring con- 
 fusion to his ])lans before he could well establish his new 
 policy. 
 
 There arc few chapters in history more interesting than 
 the entire cai-ecr of Mahmoiul II. ; l)ut it has so much 
 more to do with diplomatic affairs, treaties and wars, 
 than with Constantinople, that wc must only add that he 
 died July 1, 1839; "and as gallant a spirit left the earth 
 as ever strove against the spites of fortune, as ever toiled
 
 140 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 for a nation's good in preparing benefits the maturity of 
 which it was not permitted to behold." ^ 
 
 The turbeh of Mahmoud 11. near the Burnt Cohimn is 
 the most splendid, as it is the latest tomb of a Sultan. 
 Its Corinthian style of architecture is certainly out of 
 keeping here, but it is exceedingly attractive in its fresh- 
 ness of white marble and gilt grated windows, as it stands 
 in a luxuriant grove, with bright flower-beds here and 
 there. Besides Mahmoud the Sultana is buried here, her 
 five daughters, and a sister of the Sultan. The biers are 
 covered with richly embroidered velvet, that of "the 
 Reformer" being purple. At the head is his fez, with 
 diamond aigrette and plume. There are shawls of extreme 
 value thrown across these biers. Those of the Sultan and 
 Sultana are surrounded with mother-of-pearl railings, 
 while Koran-stands richly inlaid with silver and mother- 
 of-pearl and massive candlesticks in silver are in pro- 
 fusion. The Korans here are very fine, and are held 
 sacred. The cupola is decorated with stalactites of gold 
 and delicate cornices, while silk damask hangings soften 
 the light. The only thing that is disturbing is a large, 
 cut-glass chandelier, such as one sees in a modern ball- 
 room, and I could but wonder whether it were put there 
 when the tomb was built by Mahmoud six years before 
 his death. It looks more as if Abdul Aziz might have 
 brought it from Paris, and given his father's tomb as 
 bizarre and mongrel an air as he imparted to much else 
 in his city on the Bosphorus. 
 
 The important matters which had largely occupied Mah- 
 moud II., and continue to be the burning questions with the 
 Sultan of Turkey to-day, are not especially connected with 
 Constantinople, except as it hns sometimes seemed likely 
 to pass into other hands than those of the Ottoman rulers. 
 
 During Mahmoud's reign, and in the succeeding years 
 the following important events have occurred. 
 
 1 Creasy.
 
 SELLM II. TO ABDUL M£DJID. 141 
 
 In 1832 Greece was made an independent government. 
 In 1840 the position of Mehemet Ali was defined, and Jic 
 became the Pasha of Egypt, tributary to the Sultan, with 
 the riglit of succession for his family. In 1841 a conven- 
 tion signed at London by the representatives of England, 
 Austria, France, Prussia, Russia, and Turkey, put the Dar- 
 danelles and Bosphorus under the control of the Porte, and 
 excluded the war-ships of all nations from these waters. 
 The Crimean War ended in 1855, and the treaty of Paris 
 was signed the following year, by which the Sublime 
 Porte was admitted to participate in the advantages of the 
 Public Law and System of Europe. In the same year the 
 Sultan forbade further importation of slaves into his ter- 
 ritory. In 1860 there were serious disturbances in Syria. 
 In 1807 Servia v/as made independent of the Porte. In 
 1875 there were serious disturbances in Montenegro and 
 Herzegovina, and in the same year interest was defaulted 
 on the Turkish bonds. Serious troubles which had pre- 
 vailed in Servia for a long period were settled by a conven- 
 tion in Constantinople in 1877. In March of the same 
 year the first Turkish Parliament was assembled and con- 
 ducted on English principles. In 1870 a war with Russia 
 occurred, and terms were not made until the Russians 
 were absolutely in sight of Constantino] )le. A treaty was 
 signed at San Stefano in 1878; l)ut this not proving satis- 
 factory to the European powers, — it was too damaging to 
 Turkey, and Lord Beaconsfield interfered, • — a new treaty 
 was made at Berlin in the same year, more to the satis- 
 faction of the European Powers. 
 
 We see l)y this concise review that the present century 
 lias brought many changes to the Ottoman Empire; but 
 in the midst of all it has grown more and more decrepit, 
 and it would seem that its end is not far off. 
 
 The reform which Mahmoud II. introduced in educating 
 ilie princes who were possible heirs to the throne was
 
 142 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 invaluable; and his eldest surviving son, Abdul Medjid, 
 who came to the throne at sixteen, was a youth of unusual 
 intellectual power, and of earnestness beyond his years. 
 But while he was sincerely desii'ous of improving the con- 
 dition of his empire, he was overcome with self-indulgence, 
 and inaugurated such extravagance at his court as brought 
 the country to the verge of bankruptcy. His pageants 
 were magnificent. That of the Lesser Bairam, which 
 occurs at the end of the great fast of Ramadan, the 
 Moslem Lent, and lasts three days, was witnessed by 
 Theophile Gautier in 1853, and we quote from his account 
 of it: — 
 
 " The Bairam is a ceremony similar in kind to the hand-kiss- 
 iug in Spain ; and all the great dignitaries of the empire come 
 to pay their homage to the Padishah. Turkish magnificence 
 is then seen in all its splendour. . . . Despite the early hour, 
 the Golden Horn, and the large basin wliich expands at its 
 entrance, presented a most animated scene. AH the vessels 
 were decorated with many-coloured flags and streamers, from 
 boom to truck. A vast number of gilded boats, decorated with 
 superb carpets or tapestries, and manned by vigorous oarsmen, 
 flew across tlie rose-tinted water ; and these boats, laden with 
 pashas, viziers, beys, and other dignitaries, were all directing 
 their course towards Serai-Bournon. 
 
 " At length tlie gates of the Seraglio were thrown open, 
 and we passed through a court lined with cypresses, sycamores, 
 and plane-trees, of enormous size ; bordered with kiosks of 
 Chinese design, and buildings with battlemented walls and demi- 
 turrets, resembling somewhat the English feudal arcliitecture, — 
 a melange^ in fact, of garden, palace, and fortress ; until we 
 reached an inner court, at the angle of wliich rises tlie ancient 
 church of Saint Irene, now transformed into an arsenal; and 
 where is also a small building, pierced with numerous windows, 
 and devoted to the use of foreign embassies ; from which can 
 be seen all that passes. 
 
 *' The ceremony commenced with a religious act. The Sultan,
 
 SELIM II. TO ABDUL IMEDJID. 143 
 
 accompanied by his chief officers, goes to perform his devotions 
 in Saint Sophia. . . . Presently, a powerful band was heard, 
 playing a Turkish march ; the troops stood to their arms and 
 formed aline; these soldiers, forming a part of tlie imperial 
 guard, were dressed in white trousers and red jackets, and wore 
 the fez. The officers mounted superb horses. The Sultan, 
 arrived from his summer palace, directed his course towards 
 Saint Sophia. Now come the Grand Vizier, the Seraskier, the 
 Capitan Pasha, and the other ministers, all clad in the straight 
 frock-coat of the Reform, but so covered with gold embroidery 
 that it, required a sharp eye to detect any feature of pAiropean 
 costume ; although, on the other hand, the tarbouch was not 
 sufficient to Orientalize it. They were surrounded by groups of 
 officeis, secretaries, and other subordinates, superbly dressed, 
 and also mounted upon magnificent horses. Then came pashas, 
 beys of provinces, aghas, selictars, and other officials, com- 
 l)Osing the four odas of the Selamlik, whose functions are, 
 this one to un-boot the Sultan, that to hold his stirrup, and 
 the other to hand him the napkin ; and finall}', the Chief of 
 the Pages, and a host of inferiors of the household of the 
 Padishah. 
 
 " Next advanced a detachment of the body-guard, selected for 
 their superb appearance, wearing tunics of velvet, embroidered 
 with gold of amazing richness ; trousers of white silk, and caps 
 shaped like an inverted mortar, surmounted by immense [)lumes 
 of peacock's feathers, two or three feet in height. They are 
 armed with curved sabres, suspended from a broad belt of the 
 richest gold embroidery, and large gilded and damascened hal- 
 berds, the blades of which are formed into those grotesque and 
 ferocious looking shapes characteristic of the ancient Asiatic 
 weapons. 
 
 " To these succeeded some half-dozen superb liorses, — barbs 
 or Arabians, — led by the hand, and caparisoned with housings 
 and head-stalls of inconceivable richness. These housings, em- 
 broidered with gold and starred with precious stones, were also 
 enriched by the imiK-iiMJ r-iplicr, the complications and inter- 
 lacings of wliicli coiiipo^c :iii elegant arabesque. The luxury
 
 144 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 of these caparisons takes, with the Turks, the place which with 
 us is conceded to the ornamentation of our carriages ; although 
 now not a few of tlie Pashas import carriages from Paris or 
 Vienna. These horses immediately preceded the Sultan, who 
 was mounted upon another noble beast ; whose housings glowed 
 with rubies, topazes, pearls, emeralds, and other precious stones, 
 forming the flowers of a mass of golden foliage. 
 
 "Behind the Sultan marched the chiefs of the black and white 
 eunuchs ; then a corpulent dwarf, with a ferocious visage, 
 dressed like a pasha, and answering to the jesters of the middle 
 ages. This little dwarf was stuck on top of a gigantic horse 
 which his short legs could hardly bestride. The eunuchs now 
 wear the fez and frock-coat, but they have that peculiar aspect 
 which at once identifies them to the observer. The chiefs of 
 the eunuchs are hideous enough. He of the white eunuchs has 
 a face covered with unwholesome fat and furrowed with livid 
 folds ; his two dead eyes shining from out a surface of parch- 
 ment, and his nerveless hanging lip, give him the air of an ill- 
 tempered old woman. These monsters are, nevertheless, most 
 important and powerful personages. The revenues of Mecca 
 and Medina are appropriated to them. They are immensely 
 rich, and make foul or fair weather at pleasure in the Seraglio ; 
 though their sway is less than formerly. Nevertheless, they 
 govern despotically the throngs of houris wdiose beauty is never 
 profaned by human eyes ; and they are the centre of countless 
 intrigues. 
 
 "A platoon of body-guards closed the line of march. This 
 brilliant cortege, less' varied than formerly, is still strikingly 
 gorgeous and original. It disappeared on its way to Saint 
 Sophia, and after an hour returned in the same order. 
 
 " Meantime we had secured a place in close proximity to the 
 kiosk, before which the foot-kissing was to be performed. The 
 Sultan, on his return, entered the kiosk for a slight collation ; 
 meantime the attendants spread on the ground, before the en- 
 trance to the kiosk, a strip of black cashmere, on which they 
 placed a throne ; before this a footstool was fixed, and it, as well 
 as the throne, was ornamented with gold of Byzantine work.
 
 SELIM II. TO ABDUL MEDJID. 145 
 
 '•When Abclul-Medjid re-appeared, a genuine enthusiasm 
 pervaded the whole crowd, Turk or European. The Sultan re- 
 mained standing a few minutes, and could be plainly scanned 
 from head to foot. In his fez, a clasp of diamonds secured the 
 plume of heron's feathers, which is the sign of supreme power ; 
 a sort of surtoutof dark blue, fastened by a buckle of brilliants, 
 partially concealed tiie embroidery of his superb uniform ; and 
 these, with white satin trousers, polished leather boots, and ex- 
 quisitely fitting straw-coloured gloves, formed a dress which in 
 its simplicity outshone the gorgeous costumes of the subordi- 
 nate personages around him. 
 
 " Presently the Sultan seated himself, and the ceremony be- 
 gan. . . . His eyes I can compare to nothing but suns of black, 
 fixed in a sky of diamond. No object seems to reflect itself 
 in them. One would suppose them the eyes of an ecstatic, 
 absorbed by some vision not apparent to the vulgar gaze. His 
 physiognomy is not sombre, nor terrible, nor cruel, but simply 
 extra-human. One felt that this young man, seated like a deity 
 upon a golden throne, had nothing more to desire in this world ; 
 that all the most golden dreams of humanity were, to him, but 
 worn out and insipid realities ; and that he was gradually freez- 
 ing out of the reach of the warm sympathies of our nature, in 
 tlie frigid atmosphere of such utter solitude. In fact, that, 
 from the height of his grandeur, lie looked down upon the 
 earth, as upon a vague mist, from amid which the heads of 
 the most elevated alone were visible ; and even those beneath 
 his feet! 
 
 " Only the highest dignitaries of the Mussulman Empire have 
 tlie right to kiss the feet of the glorious Sultan. This surpass- 
 ing lionour is reserved for the Vizier, the ministers, and a few 
 privileged pashas. The Vizier started from the angle of the 
 kiosk at the right of the Sultan, and described a semi-circle 
 within the line of guards and musicians, and, in front of the 
 throne, advanced to the footstool after performing the Oriental 
 salutation ; and there, bending ovei- the feet of his master, 
 kissed his boot, as reverentially as a fervent Catholic could 
 kiss the toe of the Pope. This done, he retired backward, and 
 
 10
 
 146 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 gave place to another. This was repeated by seven or eight 
 of the foremost personages of the empire. 
 
 " During these adorations the countenance of the Sultan 
 remained impassive and expressionless. His fixed dark eyes 
 loolved without seeing ; no movement of muscle, no play of 
 countenance, nothing to indicate that he observed what was 
 passing. The superb Padishah could not see, across the vast 
 space which separated him from humanity, the humble worms 
 that crawled in the dust at his feet. And yet his immobility 
 had nothing offensive in it, or overstrained ; it was merely the 
 drowsy inditfereuce of tiie deity fatigued by the adoration of his 
 devotees, themselves too happy in being permitted to adore him. 
 
 "Next came the Sheilv-ul-Islam, in his white caftan and tur- 
 ban of the same colour, crossed iu front by a band of gold. He 
 is the Mahometan Patriarch, next to the Sultan iu the religious 
 scale, exceedingly powerful and greatly reverenced. When 
 after the salutation he was about to kiss the Sultan's foot, 
 Abdul-Mejid broke his calm imperturbability, and, raising the 
 Sheik graciously, prevented the actual performance of the 
 homage, 
 
 "The Ulemas then defiled before the Sultan, and were con- 
 tent with touching their lips to the hem of his surtout, not being 
 sufficiently important to aspire to the greater honour. To the 
 Ulemas lesser officials succeeded who could kiss neither the 
 foot nor the robe ; to them an end of the Sultan's sash, held 
 by a pasha, offered its fringe of gold to be kissed, at the ex- 
 tremity of tlie divan. They came, holding one hand on the 
 forehead and the other on the heart, bent to the eartli, touched 
 the scarf and passed on, while the dwarf, from behind the 
 tlu'one, watched tlie whole with the malicious grimace of an 
 evil-disposed gnome. During all this time the band played, 
 tlie cannon thundered in the distance, and the pigeons, fright- 
 ened from the eaves of the mosque of Sultan Bayezid, flew in 
 hurried circles above the gardens of the Seraglio. When the 
 last functionary had paid his homage, the Sultan retired to the 
 kiosk, amid tumultuous vivas ; and we returned to Pera. to seek 
 the breakfast of which by this time we stood cruelly in need."
 
 SELIM II. TO ABDUL MEDJID. 147 
 
 After a reign of twenty-two years, Abdul Medjid died 
 in his bed, June 25, 1861. Under his rule there was 
 greater safety both for life and property than before. His 
 subjects loved him, not so much for what he accomplished 
 as for his benevolence. He was so averse to sheddimr 
 blood that he would not knowingly decree an execution ; 
 but his signature to death warrants Avas sometimes obtained 
 by subterfuge. Perhaps his greatest distinction is that 
 he committed no murders when he became Sultan, and 
 was permitted to end his life without violence.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SULTANS ABDUL AZIZ, MURAD V., AND ABDUL HAMID II. 
 1861-1895. 
 
 ABDUL AZIZ, who now became Sultan, had been 
 most liberally and kindly treated by his brother, 
 Abdul Medjid, and his life as heir-apparent had been in 
 delightful contrast to that of the princes of former reigns. 
 He had enjoyed perfect freedom and a liberal income, 
 while Abdul Medjid had been genuinely fond of his 
 brother, and never indulged his own taste in objects of 
 value without offering their equivalent to the prince. 
 
 Abdul Aziz was strong physically, and, while rather 
 ordinary in appearance, had large, impressive eyes. His 
 beard was somewhat gray while he was still young, and 
 his expression was frank, with a certain inexplicable 
 shadow at times, probably arising from the merak, or aber- 
 ration of mind, to which he was subject. He was prodi- 
 gal, and towards the end of his life became sensual and 
 voluptuous, even beyond the habits of the Turks. He also 
 grew violent and suspicious, and at length was so morose 
 as to be almost insane. He suspected everybody of evil 
 designs, and at times would cat nothing but hard-boiled 
 eggs, lest he should be poisoned. 
 
 He constantly built palaces — all ugly in the extreme 
 — because a prophecy had been made that he would die 
 when he ceased to build. It might better have said that he 
 would cease to build when he died. For this fad and other 
 peculiar fancies he required large sums of money, and these 
 he would have. He went into such fits of passion as are
 
 ABDUL AZIZ. 149 
 
 unimaginable if his ministers even cautioned him against 
 his extravagance, much more if they refused him money. 
 
 He imported lions and tigers from Africa and India, and 
 parrots without limit. These beasts and birds in cages 
 were all about his palace. He had an equal number of 
 European carriages and pianos ; some of the latter were 
 played when strapped on men's backs. One wonders at 
 his ingenuity in devising wants as well as at his skill in 
 gratifying them. 
 
 He delighted in cock-fighting, and decorated the win- 
 ning cocks, while he condemned the others to perfectly 
 dark coops. When in good humour he often joined in a 
 wrestling-match with his ministers and favourites. He 
 usually contended with Xevrez Pasha, who was very cor- 
 pulent. Of course he was always beaten, and fell in most 
 ludicrous attitudes ; but was accustomed to say that each 
 kick of the Sultan's foot was worth to him a decoration 
 or some added honour in his rank. 
 
 At times the Sultan's incipient madness took the form 
 of fear of fire. He would then have nothing near him that 
 was made of wood, and used a single candle set in a pail of 
 water as his light at night. He stripped several palaces 
 of all inflammable olj jocts, and replaced them with articles 
 made of metals. The stores of fuel were thrown into the 
 Bosphorus. He also bought the houses near the Seraglio, 
 and had them jiulled down as (piickly as possible. Many 
 of the beautiful objects from the palace were secured by 
 the wealthy; but the poor i)eoplc greatly regretted the 
 destruction of much that had been wasted, while they 
 were in dire need of fuel and many useful articles. This 
 Sultan was largely controlled by superstition, and com- 
 mitted numerous follies under its influence. On one 
 occasion he commanded a rare and magnificent antique 
 vase to be thrown into the Bosphorus, because he thought 
 that it had been handled by a consumptive person.
 
 150 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 When these attacks were on hin:, no one could influence 
 him cxce|)t his mother, who was devoid of sense and 
 judgment, and perceived neither the faults nor the dangers 
 into which they were liable to i)lunge him. 
 
 Naturally there were many intrigues in his court and 
 capital, and a wise man could see at an early period of 
 his reign that the time would come when his whims and 
 his extravagances would not be endured. It is difficult 
 for the Western mind to fully grasp the peculiar position 
 of the Ottoman Sultan. We read of those in past centu- 
 ries very much as we read of Aladdin's Lamp or the Forty 
 Thieves; but when we try to fit such an anomaly into 
 the life of the nineteenth century it seems an impossible 
 conception. 
 
 He is an absolute sovereign and a spiritual head of his 
 people, whose authority is supposed to extend even to a 
 future world ; and yet he fears to disregard established 
 customs or disobey his ministers, guards, and courtiers, 
 who kiss his feet at Bairam, and make a constant show of 
 humility, while they plot against his authority and his life. 
 
 Sole master of hundreds of beautiful women, his chil- 
 dren are born of slaves; and slaves these mothers must 
 remain, no matter how deep an affection he may cherish 
 for them. Moslems at a distance pray for him. Those 
 near him plot against him, while his Christian subjects 
 fear, despise, and ridicule him. Having the semblance of 
 superior power, he is in fact powerless and wretched, for 
 he cannot forget that many of his ancestors have been 
 murdered while on the throne. 
 
 " Placed between Europe and Asia, he belongs to neither. 
 Adored as a god by so many different creeds and races, he 
 ends by being deceived, blinded, watched, and tormented, until 
 a life of perpetual danger among his nearest relatives too often 
 ends by voluntary resignation or assassination." ^ 
 
 1 Frances Elliot.
 
 ABDUT. AZIZ. 151 
 
 Let us now in justice speak of the youthful virtues of 
 Abdul Aziz, and of the good services which he rendered 
 his country; for happily — black as his portrait must be 
 painted as a whole — he was not entirely bad from the 
 beginning. He was a bigot, and when he was in retire- 
 ment in the kiosk of Beicos, he was well spoken of by all 
 sorts of men. At that time too he had but one wife ; and 
 when the Valideh Sultana presented him with a beautiful 
 slave at Bairam according to custom, he gave her to his 
 wife to serve in the harem. 
 
 In the beginning of his reign he was energetic, and 
 inaugurated Councils of State, which met at the Seraskier 
 Tower at midnight. Its illumination assured the people 
 that the Commander of the Faithful was intent upon affairs 
 in which they were concerned. He provided free schools 
 for Moslem children near each mosque; and even the 
 children of Greeks, Armenians, and Jews were instructed 
 at his expense. Pie made untiring efforts to improve the 
 footing of his army. He built railroads, and purchased a 
 fine fleet of ironclads. All these improvements doubtless 
 inured to the advantage of Turkey, although she had not 
 the money to pay for them. Perhaps the shrewdness of 
 Aziz and his ministers in effecting so much, despite their 
 poverty, may be esteemed an accomplishment. 
 
 We can scarcely forgive Abdul Aziz for his innovation 
 in permitting the people to abandon caftan and turban to 
 adoi)t the European coat and the simple fez. We have 
 seen that Abdul Medjid and his chief officers wore the 
 frock coat and fez at the Bairam; but it was in the time 
 of his successor that the people gradually adopted the new 
 costume by wliich the i)ictures(]uencss of the street scenes 
 and out-of-door life of Constantinople has been lost. 
 
 Naturally the women followed the example of the men, 
 and changed their costume. They retained the thinnest of 
 white veils, which are intensely becoming, modifying as
 
 152 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 they do the artificial means for beautifying the eyes and 
 complexion, which, seen through the veils, are brilliant 
 and fascinating. The ferejeJi and yashmak which were so 
 attractive to foreign eyes in the old days, were replaced 
 by modern cloaks. These innovations extended to other 
 matters also. Caiques were largely replaced by carriages, 
 and my later visits to Constantinople have been disturbed 
 by constant regrets at the loss of the beautiful, picturesque 
 costumes and scenes of other days, — when ladies were 
 borne in sedan chairs inlaid with ivory and mother-of- 
 pearl ; when the Bedouins in white mantles, Turks in 
 gaily coloured caftans and turbans, Persians with pyramids 
 of astrakhan fur on their heads, Tartars dressed in sheep- 
 skins, and numerous other curiously clad men were seen 
 in contrast to Sisters of Charity in their usual dress, 
 Greek women with their red caps and the hair falling on the 
 shoulders, the negress wrapped in Oriental shawls, and 
 the Maltese in her black faldetta ; while if the Turkish 
 ladies rode they had no coupes, but used Turkish carriages 
 painted with birds and flowers, which were each preceded 
 by a eunuch on horseback. These carriages, having 
 canopy tops open at the sides, disclosed the delicate tints 
 of iheferejehs in exquisite contrast with the snowy white- 
 ness of the veils. In those days the streets of Constanti- 
 nople, and especially the bridge, afforded a wonderfully 
 fascinating panorama to Western eyes; and on Fridays 
 the Golden Horn was gay beyond expression, with the 
 caiques full of ladies, never a man to be seen in the same 
 boats, — save the rowers, — all on their way to the Sweet 
 Waters of Europe for their Sunday afternoon oating. 
 
 The innovations of the Sultan Aziz doubtless gave a 
 new zest to life in Constantinople, especially to the 
 women, by affording them new topics for conversation. 
 The Moslems believe that women have no souls ; and other 
 people fancy that Moslem women are shut away in harems,
 
 ABDUL AZIZ. 153 
 
 and have little or no influence. This is an error. They 
 are a power in this capital socially, politically, and in 
 matters religious. Fortunately for the party known as 
 "Young Turkey," it had the approval of the gentler sex. 
 
 The Sultana Valideh disapproved of the changes going 
 on around her, but she was almost alone in her views ; and 
 even when the Sultan decided on his journey to England 
 and different parts of Europe, — a thing that no previous 
 Sultan had done, — taking his nephews Murad and Hamid 
 with him, his mother was the only person who objected, 
 and to pacify her he promised to return in a month. 
 
 He departed amid a general expression of enthusiastic 
 approbation, and was attended as far as the Dardanelles 
 by the most distinguished men of Constantinople. 
 
 July 24, 1867, was a red-letter day at Constantinople. 
 Abdul Aziz then came home by the way of the Danube, 
 the Black Sea, and the Bosphorus. That fascinating 
 country which borders these straits was never lovelier, 
 and in the clear air beneath the summer sun the brilliant 
 gardens, the deep green fields, the nestling villages with 
 kiosks, mosques, and minarets, seemed to speak a welcome 
 to the Sultan which was emphasized by salvoes of cannon 
 and continual shouts of "' Padishah hin! chock Yasha!' 
 the ' evoc ' of the Greeks, the ' evviva ' of the Italians, and 
 the * hurrah ' of the British sailors." For as the royal 
 yacht passed the summer residence of the foreign ambassa- 
 dors, the steam yachts belonging to them joined in firing 
 a welcome; and the "Sultanie" stopped to permit the 
 Sultan to receive the Valideh Sultana and her attendants, 
 who had come out to meet him. 
 
 His Grand Vizier and other officials were anxious to 
 learn the effect made on the mind of Aziz by all that he 
 had seen. lie had gone away full of approbation for 
 everything European, and they feared that he would return 
 with a determination to revolutionize their capital by tho
 
 154 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 introduction of still other Euroi)ean customs. But his 
 first remark relieved their anxieties, when he declared 
 that he thanked Allah that he was not so blind as the 
 Christian sovereigns whom he had seen. He assured 
 them that he had visited no city that could be compared 
 with Constantinople in natural beauty, though he was 
 obliged to acknowledge that many were better built. 
 
 He continued to enumerate things that he had disap- 
 proved until his hearers were quite satisfied that he was 
 not Europeanized, and added that the restlessness of the 
 life he had witnessed was an agony to him. He declared 
 that politics, commerce, arts, and, above all, money-mak- 
 ing, so engrossed the men of the West that they had no 
 time to consider the spiritual side of life. 
 
 He expressed his intense disgust at the manners of 
 women in society, at the shameless way in which they 
 s^miled on men, danced with them, and seemed to ignore 
 the presence of their husbands. When he spoke of the 
 ugliness of these ladies, he had no words sufficiently strong 
 to express his opinion, and ended by declaring that the 
 empresses of Prance and Austria were the only beauties 
 he had seen. 
 
 The Grand Vizier was greatly disappointed. He had 
 hoped to hear of new ideas, reforms, and inventions rather 
 than of balls and the manners of women. Then too a 
 revolution in Crete was pending, and the Sultan asked no 
 questions concerning State affairs. He only talked on 
 of the beauty of the Empress Eugenie, and swore that 
 he would find a more beautiful than she among the 
 Circassians. 
 
 When opposite the Palace of Dolmabatchke, the royal 
 caique shot out to the steamer. How beautiful and fairy- 
 like it was, all white, bordered with rose colour and gold, 
 while the twelve rowers in white silk costumes daintily 
 handled their gold-tipped oars! A divan in the stern.

 
 ABDUL AZIZ. 155 
 
 shaded by a dome of crimson velvet, supported by small 
 gilt pillars, afforded a luxurious place for Abdul Aziz; 
 while an Arab, in a splendid costume of scarlet and gold, 
 was at the helm, and a gilt eagle with outspread wings 
 ornamented the poop. Surely all he had seen in Europe 
 had not exceeded this gala boat in delicate luxury and 
 beauty. 
 
 But to what an ugly palace had he come, — a tasteless, 
 confused mass of half a dozen styles of architecture, 
 impressive only by its size and the beauty of its position 
 on the European shore of the Bosphorus. How the Sultan 
 was at once surrounded by the great officials of the empire, 
 while the Sheik-ul-Islam extended his hands above the 
 returning wanderer in benediction ! 
 
 Nine years elapsed before Abdul Aziz ceased to reign, 
 — years wasted in a luxurious idleness that conferred no 
 benefits upon his ever-declining empire, while his bound- 
 less extravagance plunged it deeper and deeper in debt 
 until its credit was ruined. 
 
 Meantime Abdul Aziz dreamed of the perfectly beauti- 
 ful woman he was seeking, and collected lovely slaves in 
 great numbers from all possil)le places. At length it 
 chanced that as the Sultan was walking in the fields 
 bordering the Bosphorus, he came upon two slaves of his 
 Sultana, who, safely hidden, as they thouglrt, by the shade 
 of the wood and the twilight, had cast aside their veils. 
 One of these, Mihri ITanoum, was exquisitely lovely, 
 and was at this moment avowing to her companion her 
 hopeless affection for the Sultan, 
 
 AIkIuI Aziz retired to a kiosk near ])y, and soon heard 
 a sweet young voice singing to a circle of Sultanas. Sus- 
 pecting and hoping tliat the singer and the lovely girl he 
 had seen were the same, he sent to iisk thut she would 
 come to sing to liim. Filled wi<li alarm when the eunucli 
 led her away from her friends, Miliri arrived at the kiosk
 
 156 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 trembling and faint, and when she tried to sing she burst 
 into a passion of tears. But the Sultan cast on her a 
 look which gave her courage, and she sang as she had 
 never sung before. She was rewarded with a magnificent 
 ring from the finger of her master ; and that night, when 
 Mihri was missing from her accustomed place, the eunuch 
 said, " Fear not, the khanoum is with the Sultan. " From 
 this day Mihri was more and more adored. Vast sums 
 were lavished on her. A palace was built to please her 
 at an enormous expense ; and finally, in the dark hours of 
 this Sultan's last years, she was his constant comforter, 
 until at last she unwittingly gave him the scissors that 
 served to sever the arteries from which his life flowed 
 out. 
 
 It was a proud day for Abdul Aziz when the beautiful 
 Eugenie paid him a visit. Never before had such an 
 honour been conferred on an Eastern ruler, and the prepa- 
 rations for her reception were magnificent beyond descrip- 
 tion. The Palace of Beylerbey was set apart for her use, 
 and her apartments there were an exact reproduction of 
 those which she occupied at the Tuileries. 
 
 All along the archipelago of the Sea of Marmora and 
 up the Bosphorus the steamer of the empress was attended 
 l)y a squadron of steamers, each one carrying the tricolour 
 studded with imperial bees. Salvos of artillery thundered 
 and rolled away among the hills. Bands of music played 
 national airs; and opposite the landing to Beylerbey, 
 the exquisite caique of the Sultan was rowed alongside 
 "L'Aigle," and Abdul Aziz, in the dress of a French 
 marshal, passed to the deck, where the empress, in a 
 beautiful costume, all white, received him with her 
 inimitable grace. 
 
 He conducted her to his caique amid the enthusiasm of 
 the people, while the bands played "Partant pour la 
 Syrie. " Within the palace all the foreign ambassadors
 
 ABDUL AZIZ. 157 
 
 and the important officials of Turkey were gathered to 
 welcome the empress, who, seated on the throne, received 
 honours never before paid to any woman by an Ottoman 
 Sultan. Visits of ceremony were then in order; and 
 those to the Sultana Valideh and to the " one wife " of 
 the earlier days of the Sultan being over, he was free to 
 present the beautiful Eugenie to the lovely Miliri, who 
 was ever more and more beloved by Abdul Aziz. On this 
 occasion Miliri wore emeralds and pearls valued at more 
 than a million dollars; and the French empress walked 
 through an avenue of Mihri's slaves, many of them 
 glittering with rare jewels. 
 
 A supper was prepared with all possible care, and one 
 table was spread according to French customs, while a 
 second was a la Tarque. The empress chose the latter, 
 and was seated beside Mihri, before an immense plateau 
 of chiselled silver furnished with enamelled plates set 
 with gems. 
 
 As these two ladies could only speak through an inter- 
 preter, the singing and dancing of the slaves made a 
 fortunate diversion; and when the Sultan at length arrived, 
 he was more than gratified at finding the empress and 
 Mihri on such excellent terms, and soon after announced 
 to the whole assembly that his imperial guest had done 
 him the honour to say that she much admired the Turkish 
 ladies, whose eyes were more brilliant thiin their jewels. 
 When all the ceremonies of the evening were over, the 
 Sultan attended the empress to her caique, well pleased 
 to find that Mihri's loveliness was not dimmed by close 
 contrast with the exquisite beauty of the French empress. 
 
 Despical^le as he was, we can but pity this Sultan when, 
 for four years, he shut himself away from active life, and 
 was only seen ))y his subjects on Fridays, as he passed to 
 the mosque of Abdul Medjid, close to the Dolmabatchke 
 Palace, which he never left for any other of the many
 
 158 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 palaces which were at his command. He was eaten up 
 with suspicions of his ministers, of the party of Young 
 Turkey, and of all who approached him. 
 
 We cannot here give the details of the growing discon- 
 tent which culminated in the deposition of Abdul Aziz, 
 nor of the cruel circumstances attending it. He was 
 taken first to the Old Seraglio, where he was followed by 
 his mother, the Sultana Mihri, and the harem. This 
 disused palace proved so uncomfortable that he begged to 
 be removed to the Palace of Cheragan, on the Bosphorus, 
 and again he demanded to be taken to the Palace of 
 Beylerbey, on the Asiatic shore, both of which requests 
 were quickly and cheerfully granted; but no change of 
 place could dispel the sadness of Abdul Aziz, and to this 
 was added an insomnia that could not be overcome. He 
 ate almost nothing, and moved about continually. Mihri 
 never left him, and his mother was much with him. 
 When he entered his palace prison, he had written on the 
 dust upon the table the following lines: — 
 
 "Man's destiny is Allah's will, 
 Sceptres and power are His alone ; 
 My fate is written on my brow, 
 Lowly I bend before His Throne." 
 
 On the first Sunday in June, 1876, he expressed a wish 
 to l)e left alone that he might try to sleep. The "Sultana 
 Mihri consented to this unwillingly ; and as she left the 
 room the Sultan asked her to send him a hand glass and 
 scissors, that he might trim his beard. These being sent, 
 he locked the door communicating with the harem; and 
 when, some time after, the guard — who was in the room, 
 but so placed that he saw the back of the Sultan only — 
 gave the alarm, it was found that he had cut the arteries 
 in his arms, wrists, and feet, and was already dead. 
 
 Various theories of murder have been advanced by 
 the Turks, but there are strong proofs of suicide. Ten
 
 ABDUL AZIZ. 159 
 
 days later Mihri also died in giving birth to a second 
 prince. 
 
 Abdul Aziz is buried in tlie tomb of Mahmoud II., his 
 renowned father, of which we have already spoken; the 
 Sultana ^lihri at Yeni Djami, the cemetery of Ayoob. It 
 was a long way from Cheragan, where she died, but a 
 numerous procession attended her poor body to its last 
 home. Pashas, beys, eunuchs, and aghas bore the inlaid 
 coffin by turns. Over it a rich shawl was thrown, on 
 which were laid garlands of fresh roses. Mollahs led the 
 procession, reciting verses from the Koran. 
 
 The brother of Mihri, Tchcrkess Hassan, who had been 
 made an aide-de-camp to Abdul Aziz by his sister's influ- 
 ence, was the most unusual and noticeable figure at this 
 funeral. His passionate grief attracted general attention. 
 His was the last hand that rested on the coffin before it 
 was lowered into the grave, and he seemed there to be 
 dedicating himself to some service for her sake. When 
 the earth was scattered by handfuls on the coffin, he was 
 so overcome by his emotions that he supported himself 
 against a tree. It was doubtless at this time that he 
 resolved on the deeds he later performed. 
 
 In a country like Turkey it is not strange that the 
 patience of the ministers of Abdul Aziz was exhausted, 
 and they prepared for any severity that might be neces- 
 sary to free themselves from his rule, after all his deafness 
 to their advice, and his blindness to what was occurring 
 under his eyes. He refused to listen to any caution, pur- 
 sued his course of ruinous extravagance, dismissed the 
 ministers who displeased him, and put himself under the 
 sole care of Mahmoud, liis sister's husband, who basely 
 flattered and deceived him. Finally he shut himself away 
 from his poo))le for four years, and was only seen as he 
 passed from tlic Dolmabatchke to the niosfpio of Sultan 
 Medjid near at hand.
 
 160 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 It seemed to be time for a conspiracy ; and when one 
 Friday the Sultan did not appear to go to mosque, the 
 people armed themselves and went to the palace, de- 
 manding to speak with him. Mihri's brother Hassan 
 was sent to ask the wishes of the crowd. They replied 
 that they required the dismissal of the Grand Vizier 
 Mahmoud and of the Scherif-ul-Islam. Abdul Aziz 
 granted this request at once, and promised that a fir- 
 man should immediately be sent to the Seraskicr 
 Tower. The people gladly departed, shouting praises 
 of the Padishah. 
 
 This act caused great dissatisfaction in the harem, 
 where Mahmoud was a favourite with the Valideh Sul- 
 tana. A council of new ministers was summoned, and 
 they found the Sultan in bad humour. He was greatly 
 changed, having become enormously fat and heavy. His 
 good looks were gone, his hair and beard were white, 
 and he had a painfully contemptuous expression on his 
 sallow face. 
 
 At first he paid no attention to the new ministers, 
 and after repeated salutations, they stood in a circle 
 about him until chairs wei'e brought, and they sat on 
 the edges of them in anxious expectation of a sign from 
 the Sultan, who seemed quite lost in a large stuffed arm- 
 chair, and constantly twisted the amber beads of a prayer 
 chaplet. 
 
 At length he asked some questions concerning the army, 
 the finances, and other matters, and ended with a demand 
 for money. When told of the suffering of the wounded 
 and starving soldiers, and the need of devoting every 
 dollar that could be obtained to them, he replied that 
 these were miserable pretexts; and when he was informed 
 that twenty thousand Mussulmans were preparing for a 
 revolution unless their demands were complied with, and 
 the friends of Mahmoud Pasha dismissed from office, he
 
 MURAD V. 161 
 
 became livid with rage, and declared that not one should 
 be removed, and, raising his voice, he repeated, "Not one, 
 not one;" and after a few more questions and answers, he 
 called them all traitors, and, pointing to the door, com- 
 manded them to leave. 
 
 According to Ottoman law, when a Sultan is incapable 
 of ruling, the Sheik-ul-lslam decides what is to be done; 
 and being now appealed to, that authority decided that a 
 Sultan who was not a father to his people should be 
 dethroned. We know the rest, and what was the fate of 
 Abdul Aziz. 
 
 The choice of those in authority fell on Murad Effendi 
 for their next Padishah. He was one of the nephews 
 of the Sultan, who had accompanied him to Europe, and 
 was now living in an ugly kiosk above Scutari, shut off 
 from all outside life, and even forbidden to mention poli- 
 tics. On the afternoon of the day on which the important 
 decision of the Sheik-ul-Islam was made, a tailor asked 
 to be admitted to show some samples to the prince. When 
 he entered his presence, Murad at once saw that the man 
 was a friend in disguise. He was able, however, to com- 
 mand his surprise ; and when he saw that there was a 
 paper concealed among the samples, he stepped to the 
 window for a l)etter light, and read these startling words, 
 " To-morrow you will be Sultan. Signed Alehemet Ruchti, 
 Grand Vizier!" 
 
 The young j)rince almost fainted; but making a sign to 
 his fa,vourite servant, he contrived to be left alone witli 
 his tailor, who told him all thut was happening in 
 Constantinople. 
 
 In the city there were no outward signs of the great 
 tragedy about to be enacted. Everytbing ap])eared to be 
 quiet and tran(|uil, and Abdul Aziz was meditating on the 
 best method l>y which lie could revenge hims(df lor tho 
 insults that had Ijeen offeix'd bim. 
 
 11
 
 162 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 With perfect secrecy the great ironclads were prepared 
 to sail, and the Commander of the Royal Guard, known 
 to be devoted to the Sultan, was ordered by the Grand 
 Vizier to embark his men on the transports and sail 
 under sealed orders, to be opened when twenty miles 
 at sea. 
 
 In the Council at the Seraskierate, Midhat Pasha said, — 
 
 "Prompt measures may prevent bloodshed. We must be 
 resolute aud swift. Listen, the muezziu sounds the call to 
 evening prayer. Before he announces the break of day, Abdul 
 Aziz must cease to reign." 
 
 While the Sultan was being conveyed to his prison, 
 Murad was released from his long confinement, and con- 
 veyed to the Seraskierate ; and in the rosy dawn of May 30, 
 1876, a hundred cannon announced that a new Sultan 
 reigned at Constantinople. Flags waved from the tower 
 of Galata and the official residences; the ships in the 
 harbour were gaily dressed; carriages with ambassadors 
 and ladies of rank were passing through the narrow 
 streets, and men on horseback were everywhere, while the 
 bridge of Galata was filled with a mass of humanity. 
 
 Later in the day the streets leading from the Seraskierate 
 to Dolmabatchke were lined with soldiers, and the cannon 
 announced that the new Sultan was on his way to the 
 palace. In the State carriage, drawn by four English 
 horses, Murad sat alone. He wore a dark uniform with 
 the order of the Medjidie upon his breast. He had lost 
 the apathetic dejection of the day before, and with an 
 animated expression on his handsome face, this young 
 Sultan of thirty-six years bowed to right and left, in 
 acknowledgment of his praises which were being shouted 
 amid the din of the discordant Turkish bands. 
 
 As Murad reached the Dolmabatchke, Hassan the 
 Circassian respectfully handed him a letter. Murad knew
 
 MURAD V. 168 
 
 that it was from Abdul Aziz, and mastered his emotion 
 with difficulty. 
 
 The events of forty-eight hours had made an impression 
 on Murad which could not easily be thrown off, and the 
 deaths of his uncle and the Sultana Mihri soon after 
 threw a sadness over all the relatives of Abdul Aziz, no 
 matter what their opinion of him had been. But the 
 effects of these circumstances would soon have passed, 
 and the young Sultan's mind been occupied with his 
 important duties, had not other terrible tragedies quickly 
 succeeded them. 
 
 The well-known devotion of Hassan to Abdul Aziz, and 
 the vast difference which his fall and death made to the 
 Circassian, aroused a fear of him in the minds of the 
 Minister of War and other officials. Hassan was offered 
 an honourable position at Bagdad, which he refused to 
 accept. This so strengthened the suspicions of his loyalty 
 that he was arrested, Init was soon released on parole, and 
 was about to leave Constantinople. 
 
 His first act was to visit the country-house of the Min- 
 ister of War ; and finding that his Excellency was attend- 
 ing a council at the house of Midhat Pasha, Hassan also 
 went there. Eight ministers were assembled on the first 
 floor, while their officers and servants were below, drink- 
 ing coffee and smoking cigarettes. 
 
 Hassan entered and sat down with the rest, saying that 
 he wished to see one of the councillors. After a time he 
 stole upstairs and found an Agha whom he knew, on duty ; 
 and shortly after, this guard having descended the stairs 
 on an errand, Hassan pulled the curtain aside and looked 
 in upon the ministers. In a moment he rushed in and 
 sliot the Minister of War with his pistol ; but seeing that 
 lie had not killed him, the Circassian attacked him as he 
 lay on the floor. Having satisfied liimsclf that this enemy 
 was dead, Hassan raged like a wild beast, and, after kill-
 
 164 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 ing other ministers, two aids, and a police-officer, he was 
 overpowered, and was hanged next day to a tree in the 
 square before the Scraskieratc, 
 
 These horrors so affected tlie mind of the Sultan Murad 
 that he lost his reason, and it was soon apparent that he 
 must be retired. A difficulty arose when his brother, 
 Abdul Hamid, objected to being made Sultan. At length, 
 however, when he was convinced of the hopeless insanity 
 of Murad, he consented to take his place, and on August 
 31 the cannon again announced the installation of a new 
 Sultan. 
 
 On the next day, Friday, Abdul Hamid rode in state 
 from Dolmabatchke to S. Sophia, and after the service in 
 the mosque he proceeded to the sanctuary of the old 
 Seraglio, and there, where the mantle of the Prophet is 
 deposited, he was acknowledged as Sultan by the Sheik- 
 ul-Islam and the ministers. Seated on the Golden Throne, 
 surrounded by the highest officials of the capital, he 
 listened to the chant of proclamation. 
 
 On that day too the insane Murad was removed to 
 Cheragan, where it is said that he remained as recently as 
 1893; but no one seems to be absolutely sure of this. All 
 has been mystery concerning him; and if he has died, the 
 place of his burial is not known. 
 
 Curiously enough, the kiosk in which Abdul Hamid 
 chooses to dwell, at Yildiz, is very near the palace where 
 Murad is enclosed, if he still lives. Yildiz is three miles 
 from the city, on the Bosphorus ; and as the Sultan goes to 
 the mosque near the palazzefto, there is no longer a spec- 
 tacle of the Selamlik in Constantinople. It can, however, 
 1)0 seen by applying for an order at one of the embassies; 
 and visitors are well accommodated in a building devoted 
 to the comfort of guests, from the windows of which a 
 full view is had of the procession which attends the Sultan 
 both when entering and leaving the mosque. Abdul
 
 ABDUL HAMID II. 165 
 
 Hamid has thus abandoned S. Sophia and all the other 
 principal mosques of Constantinople. 
 
 The small house at Yildiz, where Hamid is content to 
 live, was formerly but a retreat for a summer afternoon. 
 Hamid, however, does not require a large harem. Each 
 year he receives the customary tribute of beautiful slaves, 
 and leaves them to the care of his mother to be educated 
 and married. 
 
 The park surrounding Yildiz is very fine, and the views 
 over the Bosphorus to the hills of Asia are extensive and 
 lovely. Here the Commander of the Faithful received 
 the German emperor, taking the position of the Prophet, 
 and demanding that the Mountain should come to him 
 with more success than attended the efforts of Mohammed 
 himself. He met the emperor and empress at the landing- 
 place, and led them up the hill to the. house that was 
 set apart for them. He did not accompany his imperial 
 guests to any spot outside of Yildiz. He supplied them 
 with every luxurious means of making their excursions, 
 but did not deviate from the daily routine of his life. 
 
 Abdul Hamid habitually eats alone, his table being 
 placed before a window, from which he has an extensive 
 view of land and water. His food is principally vege- 
 tables, which arc brought to him in silver saucepans and 
 presented to him sealed. He drinks water which Is 
 carried to Yildiz in casks, and transported with great 
 caution, that nothing may be dropped into it. Wlien it is 
 incumbent on him to entertain distinguished visitors at 
 his table, Abdul Hamid receives royal guests or ambassa- 
 dors and their wives with a most distinguished bearing 
 and true courtesy. He bestows si)lendid gifts of gems 
 and pearls on European ladies, and keeps a quantity in 
 store for this purpose. 
 
 One reform under the reign of Abdul Hamid has 
 afforded much happiness to his female relatives, as ho
 
 166 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 murders no possible heirs to his throne, and his nephews 
 live in security. 
 
 He rises early and works hard all day, and not infre- 
 quently far into the night. He drives or rows for a while 
 in the afternoon, and later receives ambassadors or presides 
 at councils. He wishes to see ever3'thing with his own 
 eyes, and is too essentially a Turk to be progressive. He 
 has no sympathy with "Young Turkey," and is determined 
 to be the master of his empire. But all this does not 
 make him well nor happy. He is the palest, thinnest, 
 saddest looking little man that one can conceive of, and 
 it is not strange that he is more fond of his physician 
 than of others, for he must have great need of him. 
 
 We perceive that nothing of importance can occur in 
 the Ottoman Empire without the knowledge of Sultan 
 Abdul Hamid II. What are we then to think of him 
 when by general consent it is admitted that his govern- 
 ment is of the very worst ? Even the glimmers of light 
 that had dawned upon Ottoman darkness before his acces- 
 sion have been extinguished. Fortunately during his 
 reign his territory has been much lessened, and some of the 
 countries which have been emancipated from Turkish rule 
 are now far in advance of the " Sick Man " they have left 
 in all that is conveyed by the expression " Christian 
 civilization." The Turkish territory in Europe formerly 
 comprised two hundred and thirty thousand square miles, 
 with a population of nearly twenty millions. It is now 
 but sixty-six thousand miles, with a population of but four 
 and a half millions. 
 
 The reign of Abdul Hamid II. has been especially pro- 
 lific of persecutions of the Armenians. This nation seems 
 to have been doomed to suffer at the hands of its con- 
 querors; and such has been its terrible experience that 
 the wonder is that anything which merits the name of an 
 Armenian nation still exists.
 
 ABDUL HAMID II. 167 
 
 But what can be said of a sovereign under whose rule it 
 is possible for such massacres to occur at the close of the 
 nineteenth century as those reported from Bilsit in the 
 year of grace 1894 ? — a ruler who orders so terrible a 
 vengeance upon a simple people, whose crime has been 
 that in protecting their flocks they had killed a few 
 Kurds who had already robbed them, — a vengeance 
 which sacrifices ten thousand lives, which not only per- 
 mits a wholesale massacre, but also the many fiendish 
 atrocities which are sure to occur when armies are 
 allowed to pillage and destroy; a vengeance which burns 
 whole villages and leaves their places utterly desolate; a 
 vengeance which cannot be spoken of in detail by reason 
 of its cruel and unspeakable sins ? Surely nothing can be 
 more true than the summing up of Freeman's splendid 
 history of the Ottoman Power: — 
 
 ' ' The Turk came into Europe as a stranger and an oppressor, 
 and after five hundred years he is a stranger and oppressor 
 still. He has hindered the progress of every land where he lias 
 set his foot. He has l)rouglit down independent nations to 
 bondage ; by bringing them down to bondage he has taught 
 them the vices of bondsmen. He has turned fertile lands into 
 a wilderness, he has turned fenced cities into ruinous heaps, 
 l)ecause under his rule no man can dwell in safety. Wherever 
 his rule has spread, the inhabitants have dwindled away, and 
 tlie land has day by day gone out of cultivation. Wliile other 
 conquerors, even other Mahometan conquerors, have done some- 
 tliing for the lands they conquered, the Ottoman Turk has done 
 nothing for the lands which he has conquered ; he has done 
 everything against them. His dominion is perhaps the only 
 case in history of a lasting and settled dominion, as distin- 
 guished from mere passing inroads, which has been purely evil, 
 without any one redeeming feature. Tlie Saracen in South- 
 western f^urope has left behind hiin the memorials of a culti- 
 vation different from that of Europe, but still a real cultivation,
 
 168 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 which for a, while surpassed the cultivatiou of most European 
 nations at the same time. But the Turk in Southeastern 
 Europe can show no memorials of cultivation ; he can show 
 only memorials of destruction. His history for the five hun- 
 dred years during which he has been encamped on European 
 soil is best summed up in the proverbial saying, " Where the 
 Sultan's horse-hoof treads, grass never grows again."
 
 J^art €l)irti. 
 
 THE CONSTANTINOPLE OF TO-DAY. 
 
 Here, at my window, I at once survey 
 The crowded city and resounding sea ; 
 In distant views the Asian mountains rise, 
 And lose their snowy summits in the skies; 
 Above these mountains proud Olympus towers, 
 The parliamental seat of heavenly powers ! 
 New to the sight, my ravished eyes admire 
 Each gilded crescent and each antique spire, 
 The marble mosques, beneath whose ample domes 
 Fierce, warlike sultans sleep in peaceful tombs; 
 Those lofty structures, once the Christians' boast. 
 Their names, their beauty, and their honours lost ; 
 Those altars bright, with gold and sculpture graced, 
 By barbarous zeal of savage foes defaced ; 
 Sophia alone her ancient name retains, 
 Though the unbeliever now her shrine profanes; 
 Where holy saints have died in sacred cells, 
 Where monarchs prayed, the frantic dervish dwells. 
 How art thou fallen, imperial city, low ! 
 Where are thy hopes of Roman glory now ? 
 
 Lady Maky Wortley Montago.
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE CASTLE OF THE SEVEN TOWERS — THE OLD SERAGLIO 
 AND OTHER PALACES. 
 
 WHEN a traveller essays to speak of the Constanti- 
 nople of to-day, he is confronted with the puzzling 
 questions, What am I to say ? Where shall I begin ? 
 There are few cities that afford so great a variety of 
 things to be done and sights to be seen, and so many 
 ways of doing them. 
 
 You may reach the Asiatic shore in a caique, or in one 
 of the innumerable small steamers that cross and recross 
 the Bosphorus. You may ride on the European side upon 
 a horse or donkey, or in any one of a variety of carriages. 
 If you walk, the curious street scenes will quite absorb 
 your attention, and suggest thoughts which are entirely 
 new; and if you have intended to visit some particular 
 spot, you will probably not reach it, but will l)e turned 
 away from the object you supposed you had, and will 
 devote yourself eagerly to something of which you had 
 not thought, perhaps had not heard before. 
 
 And, curiously enough, you will not regret al)and()ning 
 your well-made plan; in fact, you will think it bettor 
 to have no plan. It will require but little time for the 
 Oriental lethargy to pervade your being, and convince you 
 that nothing matters; that the thing not done is quite as 
 good as the thing well done; that, in short, you have been 
 mistaken hitherto when you believed, and acted on your 
 belief, that what you did or did not do was of any con- 
 sequence. And having thus thrown off your Western
 
 172 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 unrest and your weighty sense of responsibility, you will 
 be prepared to enjoy Constantinople. 
 
 Your eyes will constantly rest upon a variety of human 
 beings that will interest you; but you will not clearly 
 know why, and you will be strangely indifferent to all 
 alike. Neither the Arab, Jew, Turk, Negro, nor Greek 
 will appeal to you on account of race; but you will have 
 an opinion of each one of them according to the pictur- 
 esqueness of his appearance, — an opinion that will 
 be favourable or not in an exact ratio to the degree in 
 which he pleases your eye. And this position is entirely 
 defensible. Why should a Christian visit this city of the 
 Turks, with its many objectionable features, except to 
 be amused and to see things that are novel ? If there 
 were not this element of the unknown and unexpected in 
 travel, why should we not stay in Boston or London or 
 Paris, where we are far more comfortable ? 
 
 In speaking of the life of Constantinople, I involuntarily 
 include Scutari and the life of the Asiatic shore with that 
 of the cities on the European side of the Bosphorus. The 
 three — Stamboul, Pera, and Scutari — are essentially 
 one. If you wish to witness the great spectacle of the 
 departure of the pilgi'image to Mecca, you go to Scutari. 
 If you visit the ancient Broussa, you take the train at 
 Scutari ; and here is a wonderful City of the Dead, where 
 hundreds of the living may be seen each day enjoying a 
 holiday or picnic party. 
 
 You see so few women, — except those of the lowest 
 classes, — and those you do see are so curiously habited, 
 in order that they may not be seen, that they seem to be 
 surrounded by an atmosphere of impenetrable mystery ; 
 and this, together with other inexplicable phenomena 
 which you observe, induces a strange sensation of not 
 being quite the same person that you brought with you 
 from the more comprehensible West. You feel that you
 
 THE CASTLE OF THE SEVEN TOWERS. 173 
 
 are seeing '" as through a glass darkly " in an unusual 
 sense, or as if all that you observe were an interminable 
 series of conundrums which you have no hope of guessing. 
 De Amicis well expresses the effect of Constantinople 
 when he says : — ■ 
 
 " One impression effaces another, wishes crowd upon you, 
 time hurries by : you would like to stay there all your life ; 
 you woukl like to get away to-morrow. But when the attempt 
 is to be made to describe this chaos ! — then comes the tempta- 
 tion to make one bundle of all the books and papers on your 
 table, and throw the whole out of the window." 
 
 But a beginning must be made somewhere; and as I 
 have already spoken of approaching Constantinople by 
 the sea, it will be well to say that one may also take the 
 wonderfully fine Orient express from Paris or Vienna, 
 and be set down at the Castle of the Seven Towers, now 
 a railway-station. Let us hope that the noise and dirt 
 and smoke of this modern innovation have released the 
 " earth-bound spirits " of murdered sultans and other 
 wretches, who otherwise should be here. Shades of 
 Constantine, Thcodosius, and Mohammed II! brave as 
 you may have been, you must have beat a retreat before 
 this sacrilege, which has broken through the walls of 
 ancient Byzantium, and desecrates the surroundings of 
 your Golden Gate. 
 
 On each side of the track the remnants of past glory 
 are scattered, — blocks of marble, bits of porphyry, half- 
 l)uricd arches, in all too close proximity to j)iles of coke 
 and the debris that attends a carelessly kept railway- 
 terminus. Why must this track have ended just here, 
 where it has destroyed so large a part of the little that 
 remained of ancient Byzantium ? And this, wc blush to 
 own, was not the work of Moslems, Itut of Cliristians, 
 whose only idea was to cut a bee-line for their railway.
 
 174 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 Of the seven towers but four remain, and these are 
 in a desperately feeble state. Built by Constantino 
 the Great, strengthened by Theodosius, and again by 
 Mohammed II., these towers are associated with the 
 greatest rulers of Constantinople. Their liistory is as 
 black as their stones, and one almost shudders at their 
 mention. In the Seven Towers the Turks were accus- 
 tomed to imprison foreign ambassadors when about to 
 declare war against the countries they re|)rcscnted. Some 
 Venetian ambassadors were imprisoned here as late as 
 1714, when the war in the Morea broke out. This was in 
 the days when the Turk not only regarded Christians as 
 dogs, but dared to express his opinion in word and deed. 
 Now all that is changed. Doubtless they despise us even 
 more than then; but they observe a certain reticence 
 which is safer for them and more becoming. 
 
 The murders and cruelties perpetrated here have given 
 the name of the Seven Towers, Jedi-Kul^, a sinister 
 sound, even to the Turks themselves. The entrance is 
 through a small square tower. The guard is usually 
 asleep; but if a coin is slipped into his hand, he is not 
 likely to awake until the visitor has passed within. 
 Around the enclosure thus entered are black, heavy 
 walls, on which are square and round towers of various 
 heights ; and many staircases which led to them are now 
 in ruins. 
 
 Here is a small mosque, surrounded by rank vegetation 
 and a few trees. Everything is abandoned and falling to 
 pieces. On some of the stones of the walls the monogram 
 of Constantino, Greek crosses, and inscriptions may be 
 traced. Sometimes a whole Greek sentence can be found 
 as it was cut by the soldiers who guarded this fortress 
 before the fall of Constantinople. 
 
 One of the remaining towers has so many bloody tradi- 
 tions connected with it that one almost fears to mention
 
 THE CASTLE OF THE SEVEN TOWERS. 175 
 
 it. Here were the frightful dungeon prisons and the 
 torture-chambers. In a large round apartment the secret 
 decapitations took place, and the heads were thrown into 
 the "Bloody Well." Beneath was the rockj' cavern, in 
 which the most horrible tortures were inflicted by the 
 ghastly light of a single lantern hung in the roof. A few 
 years since a mass of human bones, piled nearly as high 
 as the castle platform, could be seen in this inner court, 
 near which, in a smaller enclosure, the decapitations took 
 place at night. 
 
 During the period which may be called the Reign of the 
 Janissaries, the Heven Towers was their castle and prison. 
 Seven sultans deposed by them were brought here, and 
 not one of them left this worst of dungeons alive. It was 
 the custom of these soldiers to suspend the heads of illus- 
 trious victims from the walls, and at times a goodly 
 number were seen there. At other, times these heads 
 were sent to distant provinces, — as Mohammed II. sent 
 that of Constantine, — thus announcing the death of an 
 important official ! 
 
 In spite of all the horrors that have been enacted here, 
 this jjrison does not arouse the same sentiments as do the 
 Bastile and the Tower of London, when we remember 
 the long pi'ocossion of noble men and women wlio passed 
 their portals but to die. In fact, when we rememljcr 
 that Othman II. amused himself by making targets of 
 his pages to increase his skill as a marksman, we cannot 
 deeply regret that he was tortured in the ITi[)podrome, and 
 assassinated at the Seven Towers. It must have seemed 
 like a poetic and even an artistic justice to those who had 
 suffered untold cruelties at his hand. 
 
 It is cui-ious how the separation of the sexes by the 
 Mohammedans is unconsciously associated with every 
 department of their history. For example, the name of 
 the Seven Towers calls uj) the thought of horrors con-
 
 17G CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 nccted with men, and the Seraglio — while we know 
 that many masculine tragedies have occurred here — is, 
 in our minds, essentially associated with women. 
 
 Seen from the outside, either from the water or the 
 land, the Old Seraglio appears to be a thick grove of lofty, 
 black cypresses, from which rise minarets and domes and 
 curiously shaped roofs, all glistening white. It is the 
 prominent feature of Stamboul, the first and the last to 
 rivet the gaze and the thought of the visitor to this 
 wonderful city of the Golden Horn. 
 
 Within the walls of this deserted palace one linds such 
 desolation as is completely disenchanting. The gardens 
 are narrowed by the Orient Railway which pierces their 
 walls ; and along the border of the Sea of Marmora the 
 sheds of shipbuilders replace the lovely kiosks which were 
 once dotted here and there, hidden in the shade of luxu- 
 riant trees, draped with the delicately^cented honey- 
 suckle, and surrounded by thousands of ever-blooming 
 roses. 
 
 As I to-day re-read the description of the Old Seraglio 
 in the poetic words of De Amicis, which vividly recall 
 what I saw here long decades ago, I turn with deep regret 
 to what is left for me to describe or for the traveller to 
 see; and yet much of interest still exists in the associa- 
 tions with these deserted halls, where every passion of 
 the human heart — ambition, love, hatred, revenge, and 
 tender pity — has existed, and manifested itself in the 
 superlative degree. 
 
 Here it was but too true that in the midst of life death 
 revelled in its power. Here the mother of royal kin 
 breathlessly watched the baby that she knew she had not 
 the power to keep, till in some inattentive moment he 
 was snatched away and murdered, lest he should some day 
 aspire to be the ruler of Islam; and the broken-hearted 
 mother had but the poor consolation of laying her baby
 
 THE OLD SERAGLIO AND OTHER PALACES. 177 
 
 away at Ayoob, vainly wondering why she should bear 
 sons only to see them murdered and to bury them. In 
 this Seraglio the lovely maiden of Negropont preferred to 
 suffer death rather than be the love of Mohammed 11. , 
 and here have laughed and danced a few brief hours 
 thousands of warm, palpitating houris, only to be bow- 
 strung by the hideous mutes, tied in sacks, and shot 
 through the golden-lined ( ! ) funnel that ended in the sea. 
 
 Here too, ages ago, the Greek empresses dwelt, — for 
 on this site was the Palatium Sacrum, the palace of 
 Placidia, and that of Mangana, — and wielded the vast 
 power of the Byzantine throne with a cruel tyranny that 
 few sultans have surpassed. And even under the Moslem 
 rule, in spite of the treachery and danger by which they 
 were surrounded, Kourrem and Safiye, Mahpeike and 
 Sekuzula, Retimo and Kadjio, and many others in greater 
 or less degree, have ruled the sultans and the empire. 
 
 Their lives were full of intrigue. By means of the 
 eunuchs, they conspired with ambitious Moslems and 
 foreign ambassadors whom they had never seen, to betray 
 the Sultan who had cast them off for the sake of younger 
 and more recent favourites, or in the hope of gaining 
 honours for a son or brother that they could not otherwise 
 command. Doubtless life was tame enough to the greater 
 number of those who lived in the harem of this old palace ; 
 but there were always some among them whose days and 
 nights were all too l)rief in which to invent and execute 
 the scliemes suggested by their ruling passion, — let it be 
 love, ambition, or revenge, or thnt avarice l)y which <lie 
 favourite of Ahmed II. accumulated greater treasures than 
 the Sultan's trensury contained. This life no longer 
 exists; and even the Ottoman Padishah must, like other 
 rulers, pay outwaid dcfcronco, at loast, to the great, 
 impersonal monnrr-h, public ojjiuion. 
 
 The word HcraijUo is often misunderstood and misap- 
 
 12
 
 178 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 plied. Its real meaning is the outer portion of any 
 Mohammedan dwelling, whether large or small, — the 
 quarters of the men, — and has the same significance 
 as selamlik, in contradistinction to haremlik, or women's 
 apartments. 
 
 It is almost impossible when thousands of miles away 
 to forget what this palace once was, and speak only of 
 what it now is. But some of the exterior effects of the 
 old days remain; for although neglected, one still sees a 
 vast collection of edifices, quite irregular in form, and 
 evidently intended for widely differing purposes. A 
 pavilion, open, light, and airy, stood beside a high-walled 
 building with latticed windows; not so somhre within 
 as without, for through these open screens those within 
 could see and be themselves unseen. There were mosques 
 wdiose tall white minarets were softly outlined against 
 the clear blue sky; hospitals too, and kitchens in which 
 the poor were always fed ; and dungeons and death-cham- 
 bers, as well as the " cages " in which the royal princes 
 pined with grief and kept their dissolute feasts by turns. 
 
 After the Old Seraglio was abandoned as the Sultan's 
 residence, the harems of deceased sultans were enclosed 
 here for life; and it is said that the wives and slaves of 
 Abdul Medjid, who were thus secluded, set it on fire, 
 hoping to gain more liberty elsewhere. This fire destroyed 
 many rare and valuable objects; and since that time this 
 gem of the Golden Horn has been allowed to run to waste, 
 until it is now an uncared-for garden, through which a 
 railway runs. 
 
 Abdul Medjid could not support the weight of its tragic 
 associations. Since the time of Mohammed 11. , twenty- 
 five sultans of his own family had died or been murdered 
 or imprisoned within this palace, and to him it was full 
 of ghosts. 
 
 In the square before the princi[)al gate of the Seraglio
 
 THE OLD SERAGLIO AND OTHER PALACES. 179 
 
 is the exquisite fountain of Ahmed III., whieh, with that 
 of Tophane, may easily be called the most beautiful of 
 the many fountains in Constantinople that are noticeable 
 for the beauty of their design and ornament. This foun- 
 tain of Ahmed is so pleasing in its architecture, and so 
 exquisite in its ornamentation, that it presents itself to 
 my imagination whenever fountains are spoken of. Its 
 decoration is in arabesques, and glitters with gold. Its 
 proportions are exquisite, and the ornament inside the 
 deep pagoda roof — all in the delightful tint which dead 
 gold takes on in this climate — is composed of pencillings 
 and traceries. The panels on the sides have roses and 
 stars delicately carved. Here and there are Turkish 
 verses entwined among other designs, and the supporting 
 columns are slender and beautiful. The principal inscrip- 
 tion reads, "This fountain speaks to you in the verses of 
 the Sultan Ahmed. Turn the key of this pure and tran- 
 quil spring, and invoke the name of God; drink of this 
 inexhaustible and limpid water, and pray for the Sultan! " 
 In short, this fountain is a gem of Orientalism, standing 
 on a platform shaded by tall trees, from which there is an 
 enchanting view of sea and land. 
 
 We will enter the Court of the Janissaries by the Bab- 
 i-Houmayoun, or the Sublime Porte, with its four superb 
 columns, above which is the inscription, " May Allah ever 
 preserve the glory of the possessor I may Allah strengthen 
 his foundation!" Just inside this gate were the niches 
 devoted to the heads which had been cut off. Sometimes 
 the bodies were placed there with the head between the 
 feet; and invariably the accusation and the sentence of 
 the Sultan were affixed to these ghastly objects. As 
 recently as the beginning of this century, on one occasion 
 the heads of all the members of the Divan ap[)cared here 
 together; and the Janissaries seized them with savage joy, 
 bore them to the Hippodrome, and ranged them before the
 
 180 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 kettles which were so prominent in all that concerned this 
 corps. 
 
 The Sublime Porte was guarded by the Janissaries, and 
 fifty porters were required for this service, together with 
 the gardeners of the Seraglio, whose duties seem to have 
 been strangely varied, since they were also charged with 
 that of guarding the Sultan. Each Moslem who passed 
 by this gate was expected to say a prayer for the " Lord 
 of his Age." We query whether the mutterings were not 
 sometimes curses. 
 
 The Court of the Janissaries is large, and in it is the 
 church of S. Irene, wliich now serves as an armoury. It 
 is a venerable edifice, though not the original erected by 
 Constantine, but that which Leo the Isaurian built on 
 the same site. It is shaded by a magnificent plane-tree, 
 and near it are remnants of Greek statues and bas-reliefs, 
 and sarcophagi of ancient aspect. Within are preserved 
 the keys of conquered cities, the weapons of Scander- 
 beg and Mohammed II., and an enamelled armlet of 
 Tamerlane. 
 
 In this court stands that famous tree which requires the 
 arms of ten men to encircle it. Beneath its spreading 
 branches are two small columns which were used for 
 decapitations, and stood as a constant warning before 
 the thousands who passed through this court. Here 
 entered all who attended the Divan, or were on their way 
 to the presence of the Padishah. Here came trains of 
 camels bringing arms to S. Irene, or provisions foi" the 
 multitude who ate the Sultan's bread, which demanded 
 the services of one hundred and fifty bakers and two 
 hundred cooks. 
 
 Around the court are low buildings which served for 
 stables, or magazines, or dwellings for slaves. Here the 
 tax-gatherers brought their burdens of riches into the 
 midst of hundreds of men of all ranks, some of whom
 
 THE OLD SERAGLIO AND OTHER PALACES. 181 
 
 were splendidly, and all picturesquely dressed. The very 
 highest officials of the empire were seen here, as well as 
 the Bulgarian grooms who led the horses that were fed 
 from silver mangers. From century to centur}- all these 
 and many others passed to and fro in this now deserted 
 court of the Janissaries. 
 
 Through the Ortu Kapu — Middle Gate — one may now 
 pass at will. It was formerly guarded by double doors, 
 which enclosed a small space that was quite in keeping 
 with the grim purposes for which it was used. Here 
 those who were doomed to death were strangled or stabbed. 
 Above are four apertures Avhere the mute executioners 
 were stationed, and could overlook what occurred below, 
 while they could also communicate with the Divan by a 
 secret passage, and thus receive the orders which they 
 hastily executed. 
 
 Another gate — Bab-i-Scadet, the Gate of Felicity — 
 leads into a much larger court, around which are several 
 other portnls. This gate opened into the very home of the 
 Commander of the Faithful, and during four centuries 
 was closed against all Christians who did not come in the 
 name of a sovereign or a nation. It cast a spell of terror 
 over all who presented themselves before it, and was the 
 scene of frequent i-ebellions. Here the Janissaries and 
 other rebels asscnibh^d, and demanded the victims that 
 alone could api)ease their rage. Many a favourite general, 
 eunuch, vizier, or treasurer has been thrust from this 
 portal inio the midst of a beastlike crowd that soon ended 
 his misery. From this gate Hafi/,, the beloved vizier of 
 Murad IV., went to his death; and here Mohammed 111. 
 was forced to salute the soldiers who had murdered his 
 most faithful servants in the presence of the corpses. 
 
 Yes, the Sultan was an autocrat ; but even he was some- 
 times brought to bay before the passions of his servants, 
 and could only assuage his grief and pacify his rage with
 
 182 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 the reflection that his opportunity for revenge would 
 come. And rarely was he cheated of this joy ! 
 
 The Hall of the Throne, also called the Green Vaults 
 of Constantine, is entered from this court. The building 
 is not large, but has a beautiful gallery and rich doorway. 
 The interior is decorated with porcelain tiles and marbles 
 on the walls, while the vaulted ceiling has the usual 
 arabesque in gold. In the centre is the basin for a foun- 
 tain, and the throne of solid gold at one end is like a 
 large bed with a canopy supported by slender columns 
 studded Avith precious stones. Each column is surmounted 
 by a globe and crescent from which hang horse-tails, as 
 symbols of the military power of the Padishah. The 
 canopy has a fringe of pearls, and many gems are set in 
 various parts of this curious structure, which, being un- 
 cut, produce no effect. Involuntarily one remembers that 
 the nineteen heads of the brothers of Mohammed III. were 
 piled around this throne. 
 
 Here is a collection of sabres and other weapons, and 
 jewelled armour, literally encrusted with rubies, diamonds, 
 and other precious stones. The housings and stirrups and 
 other horse furniture arc equally rich, as well as drinking- 
 cups and other rare vessels of jade, onyx, and crystal. 
 The unique feature of this exhibit is the drawers full of 
 gems, some of which are uncut, and all unset. 
 
 Near tbe throne-room is the hall in which the Holy 
 Standard of the Prophet, with his sabre, staff, and bow, 
 is guarded. Its treasures are displayed to the assembled 
 court but once a year ; and it is l)clieved that should the 
 eye of an infidel rest on the Holy Standard, he would be 
 blinded as by lightning. This most sacred object is kept 
 in a mihrah rolled in forty coverings of silk; and the 
 Sultan alone can bring it forth. 
 
 It is difficult for us to appreciate the adoration of 
 the Mussulmans for this oriflamme. It accompanied the
 
 THE OLD SERAGLIO AND OTHER PALACES. 183 
 
 army only when it was led by the Sultan in person or by 
 the Grand Vizier. When it was returned to the Seraglio, 
 prayers were said, and an incense of aloes and ambergris 
 burned around it during several days. 
 
 In 1768, when this sandjak-cherif was brought forth, 
 some Europeans were concealed in Moslem houses, where 
 from behind the window-curtains they could watch the 
 procession and behold the sacred banner. Suddenly 
 they were discovered, and an emir cried out: "Here 
 are ghiaour^, who dare profane the Standard of the 
 Prophet with their unholy gaze. Let these dogs be 
 punished ! " 
 
 Instantly a crowd of fanatics rushed in and killed every 
 European found there. Ladies were dragged by the hair, 
 kicked, and frightfully abused. The wife and daughters 
 of an imperial anibiissador were among the slain. The 
 Grand Vizier announced that the murderers would be 
 punished; but they could not be identified, and no one 
 paid a penalty for these crimes. 
 
 Various other halls and buildings open into this court, 
 which were formerly guarded l^y eunuchs, black and white, 
 but are now abandoned and falling into ruin. Here is 
 the hall which, in its inscriptions and style of archi- 
 tecture, celebrated the victory of Thcodosius over the 
 Goths, and depositories for the wardrobes and archives 
 of the State, as well as stables and other less important 
 halls and offices. Each separate edifice is supported by 
 delicately carved columns, which I should describe as 
 fossil lacework, and each of them is surmounted by a 
 dome. All about, in and out of the various courts of the 
 Seraglio, are gardens and ])assages, which arc so confus- 
 ing to one not familiar with them that the plan of the 
 palace could only be made inteHigil)lo by a map showing 
 the relative positions of the principal courts and the edi- 
 fices surrounding them. The impression on the stranger
 
 184 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 is that of interminable labyrinths of gardens, passages, 
 courts, gates, kiosks, and peristyles. 
 
 The Hall of the Divan is important, and has not suffered 
 greatly from fire. It occupies an isolated kiosk, — a 
 word, by the way, which is applied to edifices of all sizes, 
 from a small summer-house to a moderately large temple. 
 This hall is large and low, and dimly lighted by small 
 moresquc windows. It is lined with occasional porcelain 
 panels and marble, on which are arabesques in gold. Its 
 only furniture is the throne and the divans, on which the 
 members of the council sat. The Sultan could watch the 
 proceedings of the Divan from a latticed window above 
 the throne, which was occupied by the Grand Vizier, in 
 the absence of the Sultan. The niche in which this 
 window was placed communicated by a secret passage with 
 the apartments of the Sultan, and the councillors could 
 never be quite sure as to the presence or absence of his 
 Imperial Highness when they assembled five times each 
 week. 
 
 Mohammed 11. introduced some luxurious customs into 
 the Divan. He first presided with a desk before him, on 
 which was a copy of the Koran set with jewels, which tra- 
 dition says absolutely illuminated the hall. He rested 
 his feet on a Persian rug embroidered with pearls, and 
 in all his surroundings was quite the Turkish dude ; but 
 his love of luxury did not prevent his being a great war- 
 rior, neither did it so enervate him as to unfit him for 
 carrying out the custom of slaughtering his royal brothers. 
 
 The meeting of the Divan was an ordeal for all, — for its 
 members, who, by a word unwelcome to the Padishah, 
 might lose their lives; and to those without, who could 
 never be sure that the hour of their death was not being 
 fixed within that sombre hall, where voices were low, and 
 footsteps muffled in the thick winter rugs or the soft 
 summer matting.
 
 THE OLD SERAGLIO AND OTHER PALACES. 185 
 
 " It was a spectacle before which the boldest trembled, and 
 the most iunocent fearfully questioned their conscience. A 
 pale light descending from above fell on the white turbans, the 
 grave faces, the long beards, and rich dresses of the magnates. 
 Their voices sounded one after the other, tranquil and monoto- 
 nous as the murmur of a stream, while the accused, standing in 
 the middle of the hall, knew not which mouth was speaking. 
 Every look was studied, every word weighed, every thought 
 divined ; and the sentence of death came forth in quiet, low- 
 voiced words, after long consultation in the midst of a sepul- 
 chral silence. But these haughty and impassive judges were 
 startled in their turn, when Murad the Fourth or the Second 
 Selim shook with furious hand the gilded lattice of the secret 
 chamber ! Then, after long silence and hurried consultation 
 by the eyes, they resumed their sitting with impassible faces 
 and solemn voices ; but ice-cold hands were trembling under 
 their long sleeves, and they recommended their souls to 
 God." ' 
 
 Besides the Divan there were the Library, the College 
 of Pages, and a multitude of kiosks not devoted to any 
 special use. These were ornamented with lovely ara- 
 besques of fruit and (lowers, panels in gold and porcelain, 
 coloured glass, and every device except the representation 
 of a human being, which was forbidden by the Koran. 
 Fortunately this command was sometimes broken, or we 
 should not have had the portraits of jMohammcd II. and 
 Suleiman the Magnificent. These kiosks were light and 
 airy, as the Turks love to have their apartments. Repose 
 and sleep w'cre courted on their luxurious divans, while 
 birds of all climes sang in their gilded cages, and 
 fountains lazily contributed their soothing murmurs. 
 
 The vast kitchens afforded a sort of club-house for the 
 pages, eunuchs, slaves, and minor officials and servants 
 of the court. Even the Grand Vizier, when he dined at 
 
 1 De Amicis.
 
 186 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 the Seraglio, and all who were summoned to an audience 
 and were not murdered, were fed at the kitchens. Forty 
 thousand oxen were eaten there each year; and the daily 
 supply of sheep, lambs, chickens, gecsc, and pigeons 
 reached almost a thousand. 
 
 The marvellous resources of the cooks in the curious 
 and ornamental arrangements of their dishes on the occa- 
 sions of weddings and other fetes, can scarcely be exag- 
 gerated. Even roasted sheep, when carved, set whole 
 flocks of small birds at liberty, which achievement quite 
 overshadows that of the cook in " Mother Goose, " whose 
 fame rests on but " four-and-twenty blackbirds " who sang 
 from the "dainty dish to set before the king," Whole 
 gardens, with lakes and fountains, flowers and shrubs, 
 were made from sugar, as well as every sort of animal and 
 bird known to these artists in sweets ; and we can partly 
 imagine the flavours of these delicacies when we taste the 
 Turkish Delights and other Oriental confections of our 
 own day. 
 
 It is curious to remember that the portion of the Old 
 Seraglio of which we have spoken — a miniature world 
 — was a man's world. No woman was seen within its 
 borders. It was a fascinating world as well, — to those 
 not subject to its dangers, — bright and gay in its decora- 
 tions of brilliantly hued stuffs and banners; while men of 
 all nations, in their splendid costumes and startling head- 
 gear of endless variety, contributed to the general effect 
 of a wizard's land. The elephants, caged lions, gazelles, 
 monkeys, and tropical birds sent from afar as offerings to 
 the Sultan, converted some spaces into most reputable 
 zoological exhibitions; while the rich Persian rugs, luxu- 
 rious Northern furs, priceless Indian cashmeres, and an 
 endless variety of precious objects from all quarters of 
 the globe, afforded a rarer treat to the artistic eye than 
 could be enjoyed in many a celebrated museum.
 
 THE OLD SERAGLIO AND OTHER PALACES. 187 
 
 There were certain types of men always to be seen here, 
 noticeably the Janissaries and the eunuchs. The former 
 were fierce and proud in bearing, each carrying at his belt 
 weapons enough for a dozen men, while their coarse white 
 turbans and yellow l)Oots distinguished them from other 
 soldiers. The eunuchs, both black and white, moved 
 with dignity, as all others gave way and opened a path 
 before their hideous faces and giant forms. The chief 
 eunuch wielded a tremendous power, and his voluminous 
 trousers, red tunic, or splendid brocades gave him the 
 appearance of being even more enormous than he actually 
 was. 
 
 Besides these, at intervals the keepers of the Sacred 
 Standard passed through the courts, and every Moslem 
 fell prone before them with cries of "Allah, Allah!" 
 The muezzin who sounded the call to ]jrayer within the 
 gardens, naked dervishes just from Mecca, and the learned 
 astrologers who directed the downsittings and uprisings 
 of the Padishah, were reverentially saluted as they passed 
 to and fro in the crowded Seraglio court. 
 
 The chief cook, with a gigantic spoon upon his shoulder, 
 hustled here and there. The master of the robes passed 
 by with the Sultan's garments for the day. Slaves of all 
 nations, and aghas richly robed in cloth of gold and furs, 
 huntsmen and chaml)erlains, secretaries and pashas, 
 muftis, viziers, and ulemas, as well as the l)lood-curdling 
 mutes, were seen passing and repassing, each on his own 
 care intent. And one versed in such lore could say who 
 and what each man of this vast concourse must be, from 
 the cut or colour of his garment, the style of his head- 
 dress, the peculiarity of his weapon, or some distinguisliii;;-' 
 sign a])0ut liis costume. 
 
 " Other personal atteudants of the Siiltuu were there too, — 
 8andal-hearers, and eunuchs whose business it was to lick the 
 floor before spreading the royal carpet ; a wardrobe-keeper to
 
 188 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 look after his turbans, and dust and polish the diamond aigrettes 
 which glitter in the folds ; the barber who shaves the Sultan's 
 head, — his beard was cut by scissors, as not trusting a razor so 
 near his throat ; oculists to stain the eyelids of the ladies, and 
 purveyors of flowers with which the harem was decorated, to 
 say nothing of messengers continually passing and repassing 
 on errands of life and death to pashas and ministers, bearers of 
 those terrible Hatti-scherifs — edicts — which often desolated 
 whole cities and provinces, — a motley crowd, yet all pass- 
 ing without haste or confusion through the dark gate of Ortu 
 Kapu, — phlegmatic, calm, be it to live or die." ^ 
 
 But of all this great palace that most mysterious 
 portion, the harem, has a peculiar attraction for the 
 feminine Western mind. It is here that the traveller and 
 sight-seer desires to be admitted, by reason of the romance 
 and the horrors associated with it. Here the ardent mis- 
 sionary desires to penetrate, that she may tell the sweet 
 Christian story to these Moslem women, and assure them 
 that they have souls, and teach them the true value of 
 them. Here too I must believe that the sterner sex would 
 gladly come to feast their eyes on Oriental beauty, and 
 satisfy their abounding though persistently ignored curi- 
 osity; for on the three occasions when I have visited 
 the harems of distinguished Moslems, the gentlemen, who 
 were left in the outer courts, were apparently transformed 
 into skilful lawyers, during my absence, so shrewd and 
 searching were they in my cross-examination when I 
 rejoined them. 
 
 The harems of the sultans until the time of Abdul 
 Hamid II., who attempts to make economies, have been 
 luxuriously furnished ; and that of the Old Seraglio was 
 no exception. This portion of the palace was on the 
 highest part of the hill; and the views from its windows 
 embraced the blue sea, the Scutari hills, and the moun- 
 1 Frances Elliot.
 
 THE OLD SERAGLIO AND OTHER PALACES, 189 
 
 tains beyond. It was divided into a cluster of miniature 
 palaces or kiosks in the midst of the gardens. The domes, 
 pinnacles, crescents, and balls which ornamented them 
 glittered in the sun, and at its best estate the whole scene 
 was one of fairy-like beauty. The favourite sultanas had 
 separate establishments, with numerous slaves to do their 
 will. 
 
 The Mother Sultana lived like a royal lady, and 
 wielded all the influence that her intelligence was equal 
 to. Next her should be mentioned the aunts, sisters, and 
 daughters of the Sultan. There were also the Ghcducha, 
 — daughters of felicity, — about to become mothers, and 
 nurses who cared for the infants. There was also a great 
 variety of slaves; musicians who amused the ladies, and 
 those who fed them with the sweets which they devour 
 in great quantities. There were the eunuchs who con- 
 ducted the sultanas to the bath or the bazaar; those 
 who attended the Sultana Valideh, who always moved in 
 regal state ; and there were those who trained the younger 
 slaves, and prepared them to please the Padishah when 
 he should weary of those he had already seen. 
 
 Guarded as the inmates of the harem were, they knew 
 much that did not concern them, as the Sultan would have 
 said. Everything of importance that happened in the 
 Divan or the city was well known to a large number of 
 them, and those of sufficient intelligence to acquire an 
 influence were often very powerful. 
 
 How exciting and rriysterious it must all have been! 
 What passions have here spent themselves ! What hopes 
 have been blasted for the many, and what happiness and 
 power conferred upon the few ! This is now re))laccd by 
 simple desolation : kiosks, towers, and lattices arc crum- 
 bling and fnlling; gardens are neglected, vegetation is 
 yellow and dirty, and no one is left to regret the beauty 
 that has departed.
 
 190 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 " Gone, all gone ! Sultans, kadines, grand viziers, beys, 
 aghas, slaves, — of all lands and all ages, — white-haired ka- 
 noums, stately validehs ; youth and age, virgins and mothers. 
 
 " Some stabbed with a dagger as fine as a needle point, or 
 strangled with an almost invisible skein of silk, or poisoned 
 by a sweet drink or luscious-tasted fruit. A mystery of v\\ 
 mysteries, knowu but to the waves and those dark witnesses 
 the cypresses, which have survived the rack of fire and ruin." ' 
 
 Fortunately we have an account of life in the harem 
 from a lady who modestly conceals her name, but shows 
 a perfect knowledge of the subjects of which she writes. 
 After a residence of twenty years in Turkey, — since 
 1850, as I understand, when the reigning Sultan was not 
 a recluse as now, — she gives the results of her expe- 
 rience, from which I shall quote sufficiently to afford 
 an idea of the valuable information which she gives : — • 
 
 " The haremlik of the Seraglio contains from a thousand to 
 fifteen hundred women, divided among the Sultan's liousehold, 
 that of his mother, and those of the princes. This vast host 
 of women of all ranks, ages, and conditions are, without excep- 
 tion, of slave extraction, originating from the cargoes of slaves 
 that yearly find their way to Turkey from Circassia, Georgia, 
 Abyssinia, and Arabia, in spite of the prohibition of tlie 
 slave-trade. . . . Possessed with the knowledge of no written 
 language, with a confused idea of religion mixed with the 
 superstitious practices that ignorance engenders, poorly clad, 
 portionless, and unprotected, they are drawn into the Seraglio 
 by chains of bondage. ... The training they receive depends 
 upon the career to which their age, personal attractions, and 
 colour entitle them. The young and beautiful, whose lot has 
 a great chance of being connected witli that of his Imperial 
 Majesty, or some high dignitary to whom she may be presented 
 by the Valideh or the Sultan as odalisk or wife, receives a 
 veneer composed of the formalities of Turkish etiquette, ele- 
 
 1 Frances Elliot.
 
 THE OLD SEUAGLIO AND OTHER PALACES. 191 
 
 ganceof deportmeut, the art of beautifying the person, dancing, 
 singing, or playing on some musical instrument. To the 30ung 
 and willing, instruction is given in the rudiments of the Turk- 
 ish language ; they are also initiated in the simpler forms of 
 Mohammedanism taught to women, and the observance of the 
 fasts and feasts. . . . Many of these women possess great 
 natural talent, and if favoured with some education, and 
 endowed with a natural elegance, become very tolerable spe- 
 cimens of the fair sex. All the Seraglio inmates do not 
 belong to this class on their entrance to the imperial abode ; 
 many of them have been previously purchased by Turkish 
 hanoums — ladies — of high station, who from speculative 
 or other motives give them the training described, and 
 when sufficiently polished sell them at high prices, or present 
 them to the Seraglio with the view to some object. . . . Otto- 
 man sultans, with two exceptions, have never been known to 
 marry ; the mates of the Sultan, clioseu from the slaves, or 
 from those presented to him, can only be admitted to the 
 honourable title of wife when they have borne children. (Of 
 these there may be seven distinguished by numerical nnmbers.) 
 The slaves that have borne children beyond this number are 
 called ' hanoums ; ' their children rank with the princes and 
 princesses. Then there are the favourites who have no right 
 to the title of wife or hanoum, and depend solely upon the 
 caprice of their master and the influence they may have ac- 
 quired over him, for their position in the household. 
 
 "Under this system every slave in tlie Seraglio, from the 
 scullery maid to the fair and delicate beauty purchased for her 
 personal charms, may aspire to attaining the rank of wife, 
 odalisk, or favourite. . . . Generally speaking, however, tlie 
 wives of sultans are select beauties who are offered to him 
 yearly by the nation on the feast of Kandil Ghedjessi ; others 
 are gifts of tlie Valideh and other persons wishing to make an 
 offering to the vSultan. When one of these odalisks has suc- 
 ceeded in gaining the good graces of the Sultan, he calls the 
 under-superintondent of the harem, and notifies lior of his desire 
 to receive the favoured beauty in his ai)artment. Tlie slave,
 
 192 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 beiug informed of this, is bathed, dressed with great care and 
 elegance, and introduced in the evening into the imperial pres- 
 ence. Slionld she find favour with her lord and master, she is 
 admitted into a room reserved for slaves of this category during 
 the time needful for ascertaining her future rank in the Seraglio, 
 Should she bear a child, a special apartment is set apart for 
 her. . . . The slave who by her interesting position becomes 
 entitled to separate apartments receives a pension, has her own 
 slaves, eunuchs, doctors, banker, carriages, and caiques, and is 
 supplied with apparel, jewels, aud all other requisites suited 
 to her rank. She dines in her own rooms, receives her friends, 
 and goes out when allowed to do so. On attaining this rank 
 a new world, dazzling with gold, luxury, and every refine- 
 .ment belonging to the favoured and elevated, is opened to her, 
 raising her far above her former companions in toil and frolic, 
 who in future, setting aside all familiarity, stand before her 
 with folded arms, kiss the hem of her garment, and obey her 
 orders with profound respect. The favoured beauty fulfils 
 the duties of her new position with the elegance, dignity, and 
 savoir /aire of an enchanted being, who, accustomed to the 
 distant perspective of the fairyland which has been the orte 
 obiect of her dreams, suddenly attains it, and feels at home. 
 Her single aim in life is now to preserve those charms which 
 have caused her elevation." 
 
 Curiously enough, the fashion for Idondcs or brunettes 
 changes in the imperial harem. In the days of Abdul 
 Mcdjid blue-eyed, golden-haired beauties pleased the 
 Sultan, and were sought and trained by those who wished 
 to present them to him ; and many brunettes who used a 
 certain fluid sold by the hair-dressers of Pera paid for 
 their folly in maladies which it induced. 
 
 While most of the seraili are entirely uneducated, there 
 are occasionally gifted natures there, women who would 
 be refined and ladylike under all circumstances. The 
 real Turkish lady is dignified and elegant, friendly to 
 those whom she likes, but proud and reserved to those
 
 THE OLD SERAGLIO AND OTHER PALACES. 193 
 
 who do not please her. Some of them are sensitive to a 
 degree that totally unfits them for life unblessed with 
 affection, and they pine and fade away, unless by some 
 happy chance, which rarely occurs, they are set free and 
 married. 
 
 Another class of serailis are called "wild," and are 
 cunning, mischievous, extravagant, and unruly. In spite 
 of the authority of the eunuchs and all possible watchful- 
 ness, these disorderly creatures are constantly perpetrating 
 the most unexpected tricks. During the reign of Abdul 
 Medjid this class became so troublesome that some Avere 
 exiled, and some married to minor officials, who were 
 sent to posts at a distance from the capital ; and in spite 
 of rich gifts and court favours, these compulsory husbands 
 were much to be pitied. 
 
 There are frequent amusements for the members of the 
 imperial harem. These largely depend on the tastes of 
 the Sultan. Abdul Medjid built a theatre, in which 
 European actors appeared, and the ladies of his harem 
 witnessed the performances behind lattices. This Sultan 
 was very fond of ballet dancing, and of various Eurojiean 
 entertainments, and also enjoyed the marionettes of his 
 own people. He was indulgent to his harem, and afforded 
 its inmates the opportunity to go shopping in the foreign 
 quarters of Pera, to their infinite delight. 
 
 Garden-parties and i)icnics have always been favourite 
 amusements with Turkish ladies. These were sometimes 
 very gay. Some of the maidens dressed as pages, and 
 made love to their companions. There was music and 
 dancing, wliilo fireworks and illuminations added to Ihe 
 fascination of tlie scene; and the races in caiques, when 
 the fair rowers were in the most diajjhanoiis of costumes, 
 made a favourite feature of tlie entertainment. 
 
 The moi-e dignified sultanas and hanoums were com- 
 fortably seated on rugs, and watched the gay scene with 
 
 13
 
 194 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 interest. Sherbets, fruits, ices, and sweets, together 
 with cigarettes, helped to make the time pass agreeably ; 
 but the moments of supreme excitement were those in 
 which the Sultan indolently approached a group, or singled 
 out some especial favourite, and spent a few moments in 
 saying a pleasant word, and perliaps bestowed some gcntio 
 caress, as he passed through the gardens. 
 
 The life which we have outlined is much the same in all 
 the imperial palaces, of which there arc more than twenty. 
 They arc variously named seraglios, yahlis, and kiosks, 
 according to their size. They are mostly near the 
 Bosphorus, though a few are inland. Next to the Old 
 Seraglio in importance arc Dolmabatchke and Beshiktash. 
 These palaces, uniting European architecture with Oriental 
 ornament, arc not especially attractive or satisfactory in 
 their style; but they are surrounded with delightful 
 grounds, and have extensive and charming views from 
 the interiors, as well as from the shore and the heights at 
 the back of the palaces. 
 
 The valleys around Beshiktash are public walks, and 
 as there are tombs in them they are also places of 
 pilgrimage ; but the actual gardens of the palaces are 
 enclosed by high walls. Some idea of their luxuriance 
 is afforded by the tops of the trees which may be seen, 
 and by the vines, which, having lined the walls, hang 
 over the outside like a green curtain. These two 
 palaces, with their detached buildings and kiosks, form 
 a succession of imperial residences such as can be 
 nowhere seen away from the enchanting shores of the 
 Bosphorus. 
 
 Another charming retreat from the bustle and stir of 
 Stamboul is the Palace of Beylerbey, a favourite residence 
 with Abdul Aziz ; it was here that he first saw the 
 Sultana Mihri. It is situated on the Asiatic shore, nnd 
 is an ugly edifice, but surrounded l)y such lovely woods
 
 THE OLD SERAGLIO AND OTHER PALACES. 195 
 
 and commanding siicli an outlook as easily explain its 
 fascination. This was the palace of Eugenie while visit- 
 ing Abdul Aziz, and the whole palace was refitted for her 
 reception. As we have said, Abdul Aziz wished to be 
 taken to Beylerbey after his deposition. 
 
 The Palace of Cheragan, in which the same Sultan and 
 the Sultana Mihri died, is not far from Bishiktash. Built 
 by Mohammed II., and renovated by Abdul Aziz, it has 
 commended itself to the Turks as a charming palace ; few 
 foreigners, however, would agree with them in the regard 
 they bestow on it. Nevertheless, De Amicis found some 
 things in it to praise : — 
 
 " Nothing of all the splendour remains in my memory except 
 the Sultan's baths, made of whitest marble, sculptured with 
 pendent flowers and stalactites, and decorated with fringes and 
 delicate embroideries that cue feared to touch, so fragile did 
 they seem. The disposition of the rooms reminded me vaguely 
 of the Alhambra. Our steps made no sound upon the rich 
 carpets spread everywhere. Now and then a eunuch pulled a 
 cord, and a green curtain rose and displayed the Bosphorus, 
 Asia, a thousand ships, a great light ; and then all vanished 
 again, as in a flash of lightning. The rooms seemed endless, 
 and as each door appeared we hastened our steps ; but a pro- 
 found silence reigned in ever}' part, and tliere was no vestige 
 of any living being, nor rustle of garment save the sound made 
 by the silken door-curtains as they fell beliind. At last we 
 were weary of that endless journey from one splendid empty 
 room to another, seeing ourselves reflected in great mirrors, 
 with the black faces of onr guides and the group of silent 
 servants, and were thankful to find ourselves again in the free 
 air, in the midst of the ragged, noisy denizens of Tophane." 
 
 Yildiz Kiosk, the palace constantly occupied by Abdul 
 Hamid II., is so small as to seem quite unsuitable for the 
 home of a Sultan. As it is three miles from Constanti- 
 noj)le, he is always in retreat; and when he is seen on his
 
 196 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 way to the mosque, his emaciation and the expression of 
 his large, sad eyes excite a sympathy one docs not often 
 feel for a person in so exalted a position. 
 
 We have spoken of the chief imperial residences on the 
 shores of the Bosphorus. They contribute an element of 
 interest to these charming shores which one is never 
 weary of praising, and which have ever been invested 
 with romantic associations since Medea planted a laurel- 
 tree at Koron Chesmesh, and the Argonauts erected a 
 temple and a winged statue in honour of the protecting 
 genius who had given them their victory.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 S. SOPHIA AND THE AHMEDYEH. 
 
 THE difference in the effect of the mosque of S. 
 Sophia — Aya Sofia Jamissi — when seen from a 
 distance or near at hand, is little short of marvellous. 
 From the heights of Pera or Scutari the dome rises into 
 the air, the minarets soar above it, and one is content 
 with this view of " Agia-Sophia," the Temple of Divine 
 Wisdom, and anticipates the emotions of ]-everence and 
 pleasure which a nearer view of the great mosque will 
 inspire. 
 
 But, alas ! a closer acquaintance but discloses a mass of 
 irregular additions and excrescences which entirely con- 
 ceal the original form of the church of Constantine, or 
 even of the mosque of Mohammed 11. The crowded 
 shops, stalls, tombs, and baths now placed between the 
 buttresses of Murad IV., the refuges and kitchens for the 
 poor, and various other buildings and booths entirely 
 destroy the outline of the edifice, and leave in the mind 
 a confused idea of a vast central object, on which hang 
 all sorts of dependencies, without beauty or order. 
 
 From below one cannot sec the central dome encircled 
 by its forty windows, nor the six other half and quar- 
 ter domes, nor the crescent which cost fifty thousand 
 ducats. To sec all this, one must be far away; and even 
 then the silvery covering of the dome, which once shone 
 with splendour, is gone, and the heavy pedestals supf)orting 
 the minarets give to the edifice the air of a fortress rather 
 than that of a temple ; and the walls being in pink and
 
 198 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 white strii)es, the general effect is curious and surprising 
 rather than grand and impressive. 
 
 Although S. Sophia was founded by Constantine the 
 Great, it has been twice burned. It was injured by the 
 mobs of Greens and Blues in the reign of Justinian, and 
 essentially rebuilt by him. Earthquakes have shaken it, 
 two Murads have strengthened and adorned it; and, in 
 truth, fifteen centuries would be a long time for any work 
 of man to stand so well that we could hope to have before 
 us the original design, the original finish, or, in fact, the 
 original in any large degree. 
 
 This mosque, however, stands where Constantine built 
 his church, where Theodosius rebuilt it, and where Jus- 
 tinian, enlarging the foundations, erected a far more 
 splendid temple than had preceded it. much of which still 
 remains. 
 
 Here this emperor came, in the linen tunic of a working- 
 man, to cheer and to hasten the ten thousand whom he 
 had employed for this great work ; and we can well under- 
 stand his triumphant joy, when on that Christmas Eve 
 thirteen and a half centuries ago, he rushed from the 
 entrance to the altar, with outstretched hands, and shout- 
 ing, " God be praised, who has esteemed me worthy to 
 complete this work ! " and then, in a burst of rapture, 
 with hands closed, he added, " Solomon, I have even 
 surpassed thee ! " 
 
 Earthquakes and other casualties have since weakened 
 the dome ; and the work of Justinian in that particular 
 has been supplemented by Basil and Andronicus, while 
 several sultans have contributed their care and money to 
 preserve the temple and make it what it is to-day. Its 
 religious and historical importance can scarcely be over- 
 estimated. Its marble columns alone represent the 
 history, civilization, and art of many nations, gathered 
 as they have been from Phrygia, Laconia, Egypt, Baalbec,
 
 S. SOPHIA AND THE AHMED VEH. 199 
 
 Rome, Troas, Cyziciis, Athens, and the Cyclades. Besides 
 these there are the Thessalian, Molossian, and Proconne- 
 sian marbles, as well as that from the neighbouring quar- 
 ries of the Bosphorus. 
 
 The temples of Isis and Osiris, of the Sun and Moon at 
 Ephesus, of the Athenian Pallas, of Phoebus at Delos, 
 and Cybele at Cyzicus, all contributed of their treasures 
 to uphold the Christian Basilica of Justinian. With its 
 marbles, its precious metals, its ivory, pearl, amber, and 
 cedar, its thousands of workmen, and its hundred archi- 
 tects, we may well say that the entire world was placed 
 under an imposition for the glory of the Temple of the 
 Divine Wisdom. 
 
 The emperors and their architects would seem to have 
 been the creators of this splendid monument; but tradi- 
 tion teaches that a higher power than that of Constantine 
 and Justinian directed its construction. We are told 
 that an angel gave the plan to Justinian in a dream, and 
 appeared the second time in the guise of a eunuch to 
 hasten the completion of the work, on which occasion he 
 swore by the Wisdom of God to guard the temple while 
 the boy who had been left in charge of the tools should 
 summon the workmen; and yet again when the treasury 
 was empty, the angel led the treasury mules into a sub- 
 terranean vault and loaded them heavily with pure gold. 
 Thus the plan of the temple, and its name, — taken from 
 the angel's oath, — and the money for its completion 
 were all the gift of this heavenly l)eing. And yet again, 
 when the emperor and the architect could not agree upon 
 the method for lighting the eastern apse, the angel 
 appeared, clad in im[)erial purple, and commanded the 
 light to be admitted by three windows, in honour of the 
 [foly Trinity. 
 
 Sixteen years were spent in the gathering of the mate- 
 rials and tlie construction of the temple; and the celebra-
 
 200 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 tion of its com})letion, beginning on Christmas Day, 548, 
 lasted fourteen days, and was as magnificent as the re- 
 sources of that magnificent age could make it. 
 
 It was at this time that a great miracle was wrought; 
 for on the day before the public ceremonial, Justinian 
 commanded that around the dome, in gigantic letters, 
 should be inscribed these words : " Justinian dedicates this 
 Church to the Glory of God;" and this was done. But 
 next day, when seated beside the high altar, on his golden 
 throne, with the Labarum and the brazen eagle beside 
 him, the Patriarch on a second throne, and all the court 
 surrounding them, when he raised his eyes to the dome 
 where his own name should have been, he read that of 
 Euphrasia, a name quite unknown to him. In great ex- 
 citement Justinian demanded the meaning of this from 
 the Patriarch, who could explain nothing; and then the 
 emperor called out, " Does any one here know a woman 
 by this name ? " and a poor boy who scrubbed the pave- 
 ment answered, " Imperial C«sar, to whom I dare not 
 raise my eyes, there is a poor bedridden woman in a little 
 house close by the walls of the church who bears this 
 name." 
 
 Straightway Justinian despatched his messengers to 
 bring the woman before him ; and when she was brought, 
 he saw an aged woman shaking Avith fear. 
 
 " What know you of this inscription ? " demanded the 
 emperor, pointing to the dome. 
 
 "Nothing, my lord, nothing," she replied, sinking in a 
 swoon, from which she was at length restored ; and then 
 Justinian cried, — 
 
 " But what have you done towards building this temple, 
 that your name displaces mine ? Some evil power has 
 been at work." 
 
 " Great Emperor, I have done nothing. My lord mocks 
 me. "
 
 S. SOPHIA AND THE AHMEDYEH. 201 
 
 But again the emperor demands: "Have you neither 
 thought nor spoken nor done anything that should cause 
 this miracle ? Reflect, and tell me all. " 
 
 " There is but one little act, your Majesty, and that so 
 slight that I dare not trouble your ears with its recital. It 
 is but this : as I have lain upon my bed, close to these walls, 
 I grieved to hear the cries and groans of the beasts that 
 carried the heavy loads of marble, bricks, and beams u[) 
 the steep hill ; and when I grew a little stronger, I took 
 my bed out to the road, and scattered its straw along the 
 path, and though it was not much, the straw increased 
 beneath my hand until the whole road was covered, and 
 from that time the poor dumb beasts cried out no more." 
 
 When her story ended, the emperor, whose eyes were 
 moist with tears, rose from his throne, and, pointing to 
 the dome, said solemnly : " The name of Euphrasia shall 
 stand. She hath done more than I, for she hath given 
 her all." He then commanded that she be taken to 
 the Palatium, and cared for as faithfully as he himself 
 could be. 
 
 The accounts we have of the richness and beauty of 
 Justinian's S. Sophia sound like tales of the achievements 
 of magicians rather than like the works of ordinary men. 
 The ruin that had been accomplished already by repeated 
 conflagrations in Constantinople served as a warning to 
 the emperor, who determined that no w^ood should be used 
 in the building except in some of the doors. The pave- 
 ment and all the marbles glistened brilliantly; the walls 
 were of splendid mosaics. Above the high altar towered 
 colossal representations of Christ, .the Virgin and Saints, 
 while four mighty archangels looked down from the 
 spandrels of the dome. 
 
 The altar was a mine of precious stones fused into a 
 bed of gold and silver. It wjis enclosed in a Holy of 
 Holies, sacred from profane eyes, and entered by veiled
 
 202 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 doors. The doors of the temple were of silver gilt, ivory, 
 amber, and cedar, and a few of them were veneered with 
 wood said to have been used in Noah's ark. The trumpets 
 employed in certain ceremonials were believed to be the 
 same that overthrew the walls of Jericho, and many 
 similar treasures were in the keeping of this marvellous 
 temple. 
 
 From the time of Constantine the Great to that of 
 Constantine Palaeologus, S. Sophia was the scene of the 
 celebration of all great events in the lives of its imperial 
 rulers. Processions and coronations, royal marriages 
 and baptisms here had place. Here, at important crises, 
 the emperors received the Eucharist, as did that last brave 
 Constantine on the morning when he went out to die 
 before the advance of Mohammed II. 
 
 Here the Crusaders and the warriors of many nations 
 cemented their alliances and forgot their differences. 
 Here was the ill-fated Baldwin crowned; here Constantine 
 deposited the Lal)arum, and Belisarius and Narses hung 
 up their trophies; and into the midst of this Basilica 
 Mohammed II. rode, his mace in hand, and, offering the 
 prayers of his religion, declared this temple of the living 
 God to be that of Allah and his Prophet. 
 
 Within the Basilica there were suites of apartments for 
 the use of the emperors, and from it colonnades led to the 
 Palatium Sacrum, thus affording a passage for the fre- 
 quent processions between the church and the palace. 
 Constantine was the " master-builder " of his age. His 
 city was planned on the most magnificent scale, and he 
 left the Apostolic simplicity far behind. Neither did he 
 confine himself to Christian motives in art. The scorn 
 of S. Paul for the statues of the Greeks was not echoed 
 by Constantine, who admitted to the colonnades and vesti' 
 bules of S. Sophia the statues of pagan deities, and did 
 not blush to place the representations of emperors and
 
 S. SOPHIA AND THE AHMEDYEH. 203 
 
 empresses beside those of Jesus Christ and his Blessed 
 Mother. 
 
 We can but regret that we have so little, perhaps I 
 should say that we have nothing, remaining from the time 
 of Constantine, in the way of pure Byzantine art, which 
 then essentially had its birth. Then it was that mosaics, 
 which had previously been used for pavements, were ele- 
 vated to the decoration of altars and chapels, and the 
 walls of various apartments, especially those set in a gold 
 ground. I know of no better examples of this art now 
 remaining than the famous mosaics of Ravenna, which 
 belong to the fifth century. 
 
 Important ecclesiastical councils were held in S. Sophia, 
 and the quarrels of many sects accommodated, and peace 
 restored only to be again disturbed by the dreams and 
 practices of mystics or the repulsive doctrines of religious 
 realists. The Greeks seem to have had no hesitation at 
 using a church for the most ardent quarrels, accompanied 
 by such violence as belonged to the circus rather than to 
 tlie house of God, if only the dispute concerned a matter 
 of religious doctrine or practice. When the grave differ- 
 ence arose between the Greeks and Latins regarding the 
 wording of the Trisagion, — " Holy God, holy mighty, holy 
 immortal, have mercy upon us," — the scene in S. Sophia 
 Avas most exciti^ig, and to the modern mind disgraceful. 
 
 The original form in Isaiah's vision was "Holy, holy, 
 holy, is the Lord of Hosts." The form given above is 
 that which S. Proclus's boy heard the angels sing before 
 he was taken up into heaven, in the presence of the bishop 
 and people of Constantinople. When, therefore, it was 
 attempted to add, "who was crucified for us," it was 
 rejected as a dangerous blasphemy ; and when two oppos- 
 ing choirs chanted the Ti'isagion at the same moment in 
 the Basilica, one with and the other without this addition, 
 religious feeling ran high.
 
 204 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 " Not ouly are the priests foremost aud most violent during 
 the service, but tlie laity also join in hostile ranks, gesticulating 
 as at the popular cock-fight or at a tussle of wild beasts. Cheers, 
 groans, aud hisses ring round the sacred walls ; stalwart ruttlans 
 of the Blue and Green factions rush down from the Hippodrome 
 above, to jostle, swagger, and scream. The scented elegants 
 of the day, in flowing robes of silk and delicately embroidered 
 linen, attended by their slaves and pages, look on aud smile. 
 Sober citizens stand aside, amused and edified ; and the dark 
 figures of infuriated monks glide about, cursing, encouraging, 
 and exhorting ! 
 
 " As the voices of the choirs swell through the aisles, the dis- 
 pute waxes hotter ; bricks and fragments of stone are flung 
 about with fatal precision, and, as the chanting of the Trisa- 
 gion continues, the extraordinary and indecent spectacle is be- 
 held of wounded men carried out, streaming with blood, and 
 brawn3^-armed priests wdth robes rent confronting the Imperial 
 Guard." ^ 
 
 Deeply as one must regret that this ancient and revered 
 temple of Christianity has been for centuries the mosque 
 of the Turk, we are ever compelled to blush at the remem- 
 brance that it was robbed of its treasures and magnificence 
 by Christians. It was an army having for its avowed 
 purpose the preservation of the sacred places of the earth 
 that despoiled this Basilica, and scattered its artistic 
 treasures to the far-away cities, where th'ey are still dis- 
 played with a seeming pride, as if to possess the booty of 
 these ancient, sacrilegious Christian ro1)bers was in some 
 sense an honour. 
 
 With such thoughts in mind, as one raises his eyes to 
 the colossal image of Divine Wisdom which the Moslem 
 whitewash veils without concealing, and regards the four 
 gigantic cherubim of the gallery, with their twenty- 
 four resplendent wings, one involuntarily wishes that a 
 
 1 Frances Elliot.
 
 S. SOPHIA AND THE AHMEDYEH. 205 
 
 panoramic procession of all that has passed beneath the 
 eyes of these glorious representations of religious faith 
 could now wind in and out of this old sanctuary; for to 
 the Christian, despite the present reign of Islamism, 
 S. Sophia is the church of C(Histantine and Justinian 
 rather than the mosque of Mohammed II, 
 
 In spite of its present bareness, imagination conjures 
 up the processions of luxurious Greeks who escorted and 
 followed emperors and empresses as they came here to 
 receive their crowns, make their vows or render thanks 
 for blessings received. 
 
 How glorious a spectacle it must have been when 
 Justinian and Theodora, side by side, passed to this altar! 
 Can we not picture it ? A path is kept for them with 
 difficulty by the Dalmatian soldiers whose duty it is to 
 keep the crowds within the purple silken cords that have 
 ])een stretched with that design. The walls are hung 
 with costly draperies and exquisite garlands, and the 
 people fmd much on which to feast their eyes while wait- 
 ing for the sound of the silver trumpets heralding the 
 approach of the emperor. 
 
 He comes with regal bearing, splendid in his imperial 
 robes and buskins; and she, called "the divine," is daz- 
 zling to the eye beholding her as is the sun, so covered is 
 she with glorious jewels. Her rich hair, llowing free 
 upon her shoulders, is thickly sown with gems, while a 
 circlet of enormous single precious stones is on her head. 
 I lor purple dalmatica is bordered with jewels and fastened 
 Ity a clasp of untold value, while the pearls that encircle 
 her neck in numerous strings and fall n\Hm her breast can 
 scarcely be conceived of in these less sumptuous days. 
 
 Justinian has bestowed on her power and rank equal to 
 his own, Ijy virtue of which she j)roudIy bears the sccjttre 
 in one hand, and in the other the globe, over wlii'di she aims 
 to rule. Behind her, witbhuniljle bearing, clinging robes,
 
 206 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 and splendid jewels, her seven ladies walk ; and following 
 them a long line of glittering Cassars and men of highest 
 rank, while the Varangians, eunuchs, and lesser officials, 
 all splendidly attired, complete the grand procession. 
 
 Within the inner narthex the Patriarch, surrounded by 
 bishops, priests, and monks, — all splendidly attired, 
 according to the custom of that splendid age, — receives 
 the imperial pair with solemn greetings; and the double 
 procession moves to the high altar, where the representa- 
 tives of spiritual and earthly power are each enthroned 
 beneath resplendent canopies, and screened from the too 
 curious gaze of the masses by the jewelled veil with its 
 famous fringes of gems. 
 
 This momentous ceremonial is followed by many others, 
 abounding in interest as in magnificence, until after two 
 centuries and a quarter the infamous Empress Irene — 
 who is honoured as a saint in the Greek calandar — comes 
 in state to this high altar, and here receives the incense 
 with which the Patriarch, himself swinging the censer, 
 condescends to surround her. 
 
 We turn from this depressing spectacle, remembering that 
 so ambitious was this fiendish empress that no sin deterred 
 her, if by its commission her power could be assured. She 
 blinded her only son that he might be incapable of reign- 
 ing ; and to this very altar came the five brothers of her hus- 
 band, whom she had blinded or deprived of their tongues ! 
 
 It was an unaccustomed scene when, after five years of 
 imprisonment, they escaped to S. Sophia, and in this great 
 Basilica filled with worshippers made their sad appeal. 
 
 " ' Countrymen and Christians,' cried Nicephorus for himself 
 and his mute brethren, ' behold the sons of your emperor, if you 
 can still recognize our features in this miserable state. A life, an 
 imperfect life, is all tliat the malice of our enemies has spared. It 
 is now threatened, and we throw ourselves on your compassion.' " * 
 
 1 Gibbon.
 
 S. SOPHIA AND THE AHMEDYEH. 207 
 
 Other hopeless victims of unscrupulous power fled to 
 the shelter of this altar for aid and comfort. Here the 
 elder Isaac Angehis appealed for safety from Andronicus, 
 and obtained an answer to his prayer; and here came 
 that other Isaac who, after being blinded and imprisoned 
 for eleven years, was liberated by the chances of the 
 Fourth Crusade, and with his son Alexius reigned again. 
 
 This incident makes a curious picture in the life of 
 Constantinople and in the annals of S. Sophia. The 
 blind old Isaac was borne to the Basilica in a litter, 
 beside which Alexius rode in a high golden chariot, his 
 youthful, handsome face lighted up by the joy w^ith which 
 this auspicious day filled his heart. But the trivial 
 Greeks were quite untouched by this unusual spectacle of 
 filial tenderness in an imperial youth, and did not espe- 
 cially observe the ceremony which proceeded amidst their 
 jests and flippant talk ; while in the women's gallery the 
 simpering, painted, bejewelled creatures flirted their fans 
 and made eyes at the young Alexius in a way that even 
 shocked the writers of that age, accustomed as they were 
 to all kinds of feminine indecencies. 
 
 Of the day on which Mohammed II. took possession of 
 this temple we have sjioken, and from that time until the 
 present reign S. Sophia has been as sacred to the Moslems 
 as to the Christians in the earlier centuries. During the 
 Ramadan, in the seven holy nights of Islam, the cere- 
 monies in S. Sophia were among the most solemn and 
 si)lendid that are known to the church of the Pro])het. 
 
 Since the Sheik Ak Shcmsheddin, the companion of 
 Mohammed II., first read the Koran here, it has been the 
 resort of teachers and 'scholars, who here, near the miracu- 
 lous window, from which a fresh current of air ever 
 comes, read, study, and expound the words of their sacred 
 book. 
 
 The Cliristiiin, luit IkIiil;' in'iiiiillid [o enter a mosrpie
 
 208 CONSTANTINOPLE 
 
 during service, must ever find it a desolate, depressing 
 place. The vast floor, covered by matting in warm 
 weather and rugs in cold, stretches out in a vast, unin- 
 terrupted plane. The galleries are supported by double 
 ranges of pillars, one hundred and seven in all, which 
 produce a sharp contrast between the portion of the edifice 
 which they richly ornament and the extreme plainness of 
 the nave. 
 
 Where the splendid altar stood there is a slal) of red 
 marble, above which hangs a sacred carpet, very old, 
 faded, and dirty, but of inexpressible value to the Moham- 
 medans, since it is one of four used by the Prophet in his 
 devotions. The faces of the four cherubim — the only 
 perfect mosaics remaining — are hidden by golden suns, 
 as the representation of the human face is not permitted 
 by the Koran. 
 
 Enormous green disks inscribed with pious texts in 
 great letters of gold are fastened on the walls of the upper 
 gallery, and lower down are porphyry cartouches bearing 
 the names of Allah, the Prophet and his Caliphs. The 
 Mihrah — the sacred depository of the Koran — is turned 
 towards Mecca, in which direction the rush mats and 
 praying carpets are also turned, as every Mussulman must 
 pray with his face towards that sacred city. These mats 
 have a peculiar appearance, their lines running diagonally 
 to the lines of the architecture of the edifice. The pave- 
 ment beneath them is of marble, the veining of which is 
 so arranged that it gives the appearance of three streams 
 flowing through the edifice in wavy undulations. Tne 
 minher, or Friday pulpit, is almost grotesque. It is placed 
 against a pillar, and reached by a long, narrow staircase, 
 the balustrades of which are in an open carving as delicate 
 ss lace. Two small flags hang on each side to symbolize 
 the victories of the Moslems over both Jews and Chi-istians, 
 thus settino: aside both the Old and New Testaments. On
 
 S. SOPHIA AND THE AHMEDYEH. 209 
 
 every Friday the Kiatib mounts the pulpit, with the Koran 
 in one hand and a wooden sword in the other, as is done 
 in every conquered mosque. The Sultan's pew is a 
 curious little structure raised on pillars, from which he 
 can see, while he is invisible to others. Cords from 
 which silken tassels, roc's eggs, crystal lustres, and horse- 
 tails are suspended, hang from the dome, and sustain 
 hoops of wire on which lamps are fastened. A goodly 
 number of little desks are scattered about, shaped like a 
 capital X, inlaid with pearl and copper, and used for 
 holding the Koran and sacred manuscripts. 
 
 No ornaments save the inscriptions are permitted, as 
 the Moslodn believes that the Deity fills the temple, in 
 accord with the sentence in the top of the dome, which 
 was pronounced by Mohammed II., as he sat on his horse 
 before the high altar on the day of his triumph, " Allah is 
 the light of heaven and of earth." This is inscribed in 
 white letters on a black ground, some of them being 
 thirty-six feet long. 
 
 Such are the superficial observations that one makes 
 when first he enters this wonderful temple. Later he 
 will realize that the effect of the nave is extremely grand 
 and impressive. Dc Amicis speaks well when he says: 
 
 " The eye embraces an enormous vault, a bold architecture of 
 half-domes that seem suspended in the air, measureless pilas- 
 ters, gigantic arches, colossal columns, galleries, tribunes, 
 porticoes, upon all of which a flood of light descends, from a 
 thousand (?) great windows ; there is a something ratlier scenic 
 and princely than sacred ; an ostentation of grandeur and force, 
 an air of mundane elegance, a confusion of classic, barbarous, 
 capricious, presumptuous, and magnificent ; a gro,nd harmony, 
 in wliich, witli the thundering and formidable note of the Cyclo- 
 pean arclios and pilasters, there are mingled the gentle and low 
 strain of the Oriental canticle, tiie clamorous nnisic of the feasts 
 of .Justinian luid Ileraclitus, echoes of pagan songs, faint voices 
 
 U
 
 210 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 of an effeminate and worn-ont race, and distant cries of Goth 
 and Vandal ; there is a faded majest}', a sinister nudity, a pro- 
 found peace ; an idea of the basilica of St. Peter contracted and 
 toned down, and of St. Mark's grosser, larger, and deserted ; a 
 mixture heretofore unseen of temple, church, and mosque, of 
 severity and puerility, of ancient things and modern, of ill- 
 assorted colours, and odd, bizarre ornaments ; a spectacle, in 
 short, which at once astonishes and displeases, and leaves the 
 mind for a moment uncertain, seeking the right word to express 
 and affirm its thought." 
 
 This splendid nave, despite its size, is but a small 
 portion of the mosque. Temples might be made within 
 this temple; the porticoes which support the lateral gal- 
 leries are fit for basilicas themselves. Their columns, 
 architraves, and pilasters are huge, and, looking from 
 them, into the nave between the columns of the temple of 
 Ephesus, one has the sensation of being in an edifice quite 
 independent of the other ; and in many portions of the 
 mosque this sensation is repeated, notably when in the 
 enormous galleries, each one of which could hold thousands 
 3f people. 
 
 From these galleries, looking over the balustrade, one 
 gets a glorious view of S. Sophia. From here it is simply 
 gigantic. The arches, pilasters, and all other architec- 
 tural features are enormous. Everything that is essen- 
 tially a part of the mosque is magnified, while everything 
 that has been placed in it is dwarfed into utter insignifi- 
 cance. One hears the low murmur of the Moslems who 
 are ever reading the Koran or reciting verses, and sees in 
 that far-away nave a few men or boys moving silently 
 about, seeming to be in another sphere from that of the 
 lofty gallery; and there is a mysterious effect, a sort of 
 other-worldliness, as if one had passed into another con- 
 dition of spirit while mounting that curiously ascending 
 spiral way which led one hither.
 
 S. SOPHIA AND THE AHMEDYEH. 211 
 
 One may study various specialties in this mosque, of 
 which that of the wonderful columns is most interesting. 
 Their differences are made so clear by their contact, and 
 their beauties arc thus so pronounced. To learn where 
 each originally belonged is no small task, and is a study 
 quite worth while. Probably in no other one collection 
 could the peculiarities and differences of these exquisite 
 crystalline limestones be so readily observed. In these 
 columns, of a variety of sizes, and in the slabs of the 
 ancient lining of the walls v.'hich still remain, there are 
 specimens of all the rarest and richest marbles of the 
 world. To all this variety of veining and of colour are 
 added innumerable specimens of styles in decoration. In 
 the capitals, friezes, cornices, pedestals, balustrades, and 
 even in the shafts of columns are the most exquisite and 
 the most fantastic designs. Animals, foliage, crosses, 
 rosettes, and chimeras, with many other figures, are 
 mingled in a manner that shocks our artistic sense, but 
 has an inexpressible fascination for our eyes. 
 
 As all the world knows, the great wonder of S. Sophia 
 is the dome, which one must feel powerless to describe 
 sufficiently. Madame de Stael's saying, that the dome of 
 S. Peter's is like an aliyss suspended over one, must recur 
 to all who stand l)eneatli that of S. Sophia. It is so large 
 that wherever you stand you seem to be under if, 'and its 
 forty encircling windows afford such light as illuminates 
 every portion of the moscjuc. One is not surprised that 
 the i)eople of the sixth century believed it to have been 
 built by a miracle; which impression was deepened by the 
 constant presence of the emperor and the continual chant- 
 ing of the priests, while the faiiy-weightcd bricks from 
 Rhodes — each inscribed with holy words — were skilfully 
 laid, and, so to speak, cemented at every twelfth row with 
 sacred relics. 
 
 East and west of the great dome are semi-domes, and
 
 212 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 each of these is cut into by smaller domes, making seven 
 domes altogether. 
 
 "As it is, the eye wanders upwards from the large arcades 
 of the ground floor to the smaller arches of the galleries, and 
 thence to the smaller semi-domes. These lead tlie eye on to 
 the larger, and the whole culminates in the great central roof. 
 Nothing, probably, so artistic has been done on the same scale 
 before or since. In these arrangements S. Sophia seems to 
 stand alone." ^ 
 
 The same celebrated author says : — 
 
 " If, however, the proportions of the church are admirable, 
 the details are equally so. . . . S. Sophia is so essentially differ- 
 ent from the greater number of churches that it is extremely 
 difficult to institute a comparison between them. With regard 
 to external effect, Gothic cathedrals generally excel it ; but 
 whether by accideut or by the inherent necessity of the style, is 
 by no means clear. In so far as the interior is concerned, no 
 Gothic architect ever rose to the conception of a hall one hun- 
 dred feet wide, two hundred and fifty feet in lengtli, and one 
 hundred and eighty feet high, and none ever disposed each part 
 more artistically to obtain the effect he desired to produce. . . . 
 In fact, turn it as we will, and compare it as we may with any 
 other buildings of its class, the verdict seems inevitable that S. 
 Sophia — internally at least, for we may omit the consideration 
 of the exterior, as unfinished — is tlie most perfect and most 
 beautiful church which has yet been erected by any Christian 
 people." 
 
 No one visit to S. Sophia can even suffice as an intro- 
 duction to its acquaintance. Like S. Peter's and San 
 Marco or Westminster Abbey ; like the Halls of Karnak, 
 the Jain temples and the rock-cut temples of India, — like 
 everything, in fact, which is great and grand and uplift- 
 ing, and has originated in a sincere human desire to express 
 
 1 Fergusson.
 
 S. SOPHIA AND THE AHMEDYEH. 213 
 
 the best of man and his highest aspirations towards his 
 God, — it must be frequently visited and studied with 
 reverence, even with love, before the heights and depths 
 of its beauty and glory can be discerned. 
 
 We have spoken in sufficient detail of the day when 
 Mohammed and his Janissaries found the inhabitants of 
 Constantinople gathered in S. Sophia, confidently await- 
 ing a miraculous deliverance from the terrible Moslem. 
 But we have not recited a pretty legend connected with 
 that scene which says that as the people waited breath- 
 lessly for the angel who was to save them, as they listened 
 to the blows of the battle-axes on the brazen gates, and as 
 the savage hordes poured in to desecrate the altars, to 
 snatch the sacred vessels from their accustomed places, 
 and to inaugurate an orgy, in which the cries of women 
 and children being inhumanly butchered, or bound and 
 carried into slavery, mingled with the screech of trumpets 
 and the roll of drums, — that all this while an aged priest 
 was absorbed in saying Mass at a distant altar, and was 
 only brought to a consciousness of what was happening 
 around him by the agonizing cries of his people and the 
 noise of the horses' shoes upon the marble pavement. 
 
 Perfectly calm in the midst of the frightful scene, he 
 carefully bore tlio Host info an internal nave; l>ut a 
 number of soldiers pursued him, and had raised their 
 scimitars above him, when the solid wall opened and 
 closed again. 
 
 The priest had disappeared, and the sacred wafer was 
 saved from desecration, but no line or mark was left 
 behind him. Tlie wall was a perfect whole, and the 
 astounded Mussulmans could find nothing. We are told 
 that faint sounds are heard at times through the thickness 
 of the wall, which proves that the saintly priest still 
 lives, still chants the liturgy, and waits the time when 
 S. Sophia shall be restored to the Christian Church, and
 
 214 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 the Willi opening will set him free to finish at the altar 
 the Mass begun in 1453. 
 
 We have already spoken of several important mosques 
 in connection with the lives of their builders; and as the 
 interior of one mosque closely resembles another, there is 
 little to add concerning the mosques of Constantinople, 
 which are a multitude in number. 
 
 The mosque of Sultan Ahmed I. is peculiar on account 
 of its six minarets, which caused some trouble to its 
 builder. Only the Kaaba at Mecca had this number, and 
 the Imam declared that Ahmed was committing a sacrilege 
 in erecting another mosque to equal that of the sacred 
 city. Consequently the work was suspended until Ahmed, 
 who was a man of resources, could have a seventh minaret 
 added to the Kaaba, when he was permitted to finish his 
 own mosque according to his original design. 
 
 A second peculiarity of its construction is what would 
 elsewhere be called a cloister, which surrounds a portion 
 of the court, in the middle of which is a fountain of an 
 extremely ornamental style, covered with a sort of gilded 
 cage. 
 
 Before the reign of Abdul Hamid, when great cere- 
 monies were in order, the Ahinedyeh was the mosque of 
 the State, as S. Sophia was that of the court. It was 
 from the pulpit of this mosque that the decree which put 
 an end to the power of the Janissaries was read, and on 
 account of its open surroundings it was favourable for 
 processions and impressive ceremonies. Here the two 
 chief festivals of the Bairam had place, as well as that 
 instituted in 1858 by Murad III., called the Mirlood, 
 which celebrated the birthday of the Prophet. Other 
 festive ceremonies occurred here which brought out the 
 greatest splendours of the court and State, and were cele- 
 brated with true Oriental magnificence on this spot, 
 formerly a part of the Hippodrome, where from the days
 
 S. SOPHIA AND THE AHMEDYEH. 215 
 
 of Constantine the Great many imposing spectacles had 
 been witnessed. 
 
 The Ahmedyeh is comparatively modern, dating only 
 from the beginning of the seventeenth century. It was 
 an enormously expensive mosque, and has been richly 
 endowed, not only by its founder, but by other rich and 
 pious Moslems, both with money and with rare and 
 precious objects for its decoration.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 TO speak of the walls of Constantinople to-day, or of 
 making their circuit, in the sense which that phrase 
 carried thirty years ago, — when I first saw them, — is not 
 possible. So large a portion of them has disappeared, 
 and so constantly crumbling are they, that it is now best 
 to speak only of certain features which may still be iden- 
 tified and are of interest. This is also true of other 
 antiquities in Constantinople. Probably fragments of 
 ancient Byzantium still exist here and there, — bits that 
 have escaped the vandalism of man and the wreck of 
 time; but it is doubtful if there is any authority on 
 these subjects upon which we can rely with absolute 
 confidence. 
 
 The walls of Constantinople ojice extended entirely 
 around the triangle of Stamboul, and were pierced by 
 twenty-eight gates. On the side of the Golden Horn one 
 may say, speaking generally, that walls have disappeared, 
 and gates are replaced by numerous landing-stages for 
 the numberless steamers, to and from which the pas- 
 sengers quietly pass, with such an every-day sort of air 
 that it is difficult to realize that such obstacles ever 
 existed as the brave old Dandolo was forced to overcome 
 before he could effect an entrance to this famous city. 
 
 On the Sea of Marmora there are many ruins of walls, 
 gates, and towers remaining; but they are inferior in 
 colour, and lack the picturcsquencss which the traveller 
 demands of the relics of that Byzantium of which he has 
 read the most heroic and poetic descriptions. And alas!
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 217 
 
 commonplace ship-builcliug goes on near Seraglio Point, 
 and the shore is lined with wooden sheds and other useful 
 buildings, replacing the graceful, glittering kiosks which 
 our fancy has been accustomed to picture here. Truly the 
 progressive civilization of our day has a cruel habit of 
 shivering to atoms our cherished ideals of distant places 
 of the earth ; and one discerns no difference in the sound 
 of the hammers on the ringing metal at Stamboul from 
 that heard at East Boston and elsewhere in cities that 
 were never walled, that have endured no sieges and wit- 
 nessed no triumphs. How rapidly the cities of the world 
 are becoming cosmopolitan, if one might apply that word 
 in such a sense; for to one who has watched the similai-iz- 
 ing process of the last half-century, it sometimes seems 
 that, except for differences in language, the large cities 
 of the world would not be essentially disturbed if they 
 changed places, and Stamboul, for example, were set 
 down between the Hudson and East rivers, and the 
 Gothamites woke up to find themselves on the borders of 
 the Golden Horn. 
 
 Of the walls of Constantinople, however, sufficient still 
 remains to give a just idea of their ancient grandeur. In 
 height, strength, and picturesqueness they were unsur- 
 passed; and even to-day there are portions — tottering, to 
 be sure, but held together by strong, clinging vines — 
 which prove that language could not exaggerate their 
 original impressiveness. 
 
 On the land side the triple wall still stands in many 
 places. I'uilt by Theodosius the Younger, who enclosed 
 a mucli larger teri-itory than Constantino the Great had 
 done, they were sircnpthcnod by Heraclius, wlio extended 
 them around the quarter of the Blacherna?. Later emperors 
 also repaired them, and they extended from tlic Castle of 
 the Seven Towers on the Sea of Marmora, on and on, four 
 or more miles.
 
 218 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 These walls, risin^u; and descending with the surface 
 lines, topped with frequent towers, both round and square, 
 present a most remarkable appearance; and the more 
 familiar one becomes with them the more grand and 
 wonderful do they seem. As with the first sight of 
 whatever is grand and great in Nature or in human 
 achievement, the mind is occupied in grasping, not 
 only the object itself, but its surroundings, its uses, 
 and a variety of similar subjects ; and not until we are 
 familiar with these do we abandon ourselves to experi- 
 ence the maximum effect which it is able to produce on 
 us personally. 
 
 The restorations made since the Mohammedan conquest 
 are insignificant, and, save for the ruin resulting from 
 natural causes, the walls on the land side must appear 
 much the same as on that day in May, 1453, when 
 Mohammed II. entered by the Adrianople Gate, to take 
 possession of a Christian capital in the name of Allah 
 and his Prophet. 
 
 One may still discern the breaches made by the monster 
 gun of Orbano, and may easily fancy that he can point 
 out the spots where the firing was fiercest and most effec- 
 tive. There are numberless marks made by rams and 
 catapults on walls still standing, and gaping openings 
 that were doubtless effected by exploding mines. 
 
 The walls were pierced by numerous small apertures 
 from which arrows, stones, and Greek fire could be 
 showered upon attacking foes ; and all these colossal 
 defences — the bricks and stones of which are varied in 
 tints of deep and solemn tones, with here and there a bit 
 of ' golden yellow or a splash of red — are shrouded in 
 luxurious, verdant curtains hanging over the bastions 
 l^etween the broken, riddled towers, while everywhere the 
 friendly vines push in and out of every crevice. They 
 remind one of funereal decorations — though on a gigantic
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 219 
 
 scale — softly covering these vestiges of a glory long since 
 departed, as we are wont to cover, with the colour sym- 
 bolic of hope, the monuments which mark the graves of 
 human struggles and unfulfilled ambitions. 
 
 Wandering up and down before these remnants of the 
 early centuries, one forgets one's own time, and lives for a 
 brief moment in that when Christian emperors enthusi- 
 astically dreamed that this, their city, should be the New 
 Rome in every sense, — the chief capital of the world and 
 the chief home of Christianity. As one turns away, 
 remembering the degradation and disintegration that is 
 going on under the rule of Islam, one fervently exclaims, 
 " How long, Lord, how long ! " 
 
 The gate called by the Turks Egri-Kapou — the crooked 
 gate — was known as the Charsian, and is famous as 
 that through which Justinian entered Constantinople in 
 triumph. Here he was met by the Senate, and proceeded 
 to the church of the Holy Apostles. Here, too, Alexius 
 Comnenus passed when he came to take his place upon 
 the throne. Near by is the Tower of Theophilus, which 
 was enclosed in the wall of Heraclius about 640. Here 
 also are the towers of Isaac Comnenus and of Amena. 
 There is little doubt that Isaac Comnenus lived in the 
 towers which he built. They are impressive and majestic 
 in outline even now, more than seven centuries since their 
 erection. 
 
 The Tower of Amena, so often mentioned in Byzantine 
 annals, is still upright. In this prison many royal cap- 
 tives suffered horril)lo tortures, frequently being blinded 
 and uncared fui-. Tiio story of Andronicus in connection 
 with this tower is a sinister romance. He was one of the 
 C(jnnieni, to whom allusion was made in the first part of 
 this book. Possessed of great personal beauty, by tem- 
 perate living, he preserved his henlili and vigour to old 
 age. After many questionable and some absolutely trea-
 
 220 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 sonab'lc acts, he was imprisoned in the Amena, and there 
 spent more than twelve years. 
 
 He one day perceived some broken bricks in a corner 
 of his i)rison, and removing them found a passage, into 
 which he retreated, and, having taken his provisions witli 
 him, closed the aperture, replacing the bricks as they had 
 been before he removed them. His guards, finding his 
 prison empty, reported his escape; and his wife, being 
 suspected of his release, was herself confined in her hus- 
 band's prison. Andronicus revealed himself to her; and 
 soon after, with her aid, he did escape, but was retaken 
 and again imprisoned, loaded with a double chain. At 
 last he again obtained his freedom, and began his years 
 of wandering in the East, where his adventures were so 
 remarkable as to be almost beyond belief. He finally 
 returned to seat himself upon the throne of Constanti- 
 nople by a series of frightful crimes, and to be executed 
 in the most brutal manner in less than two years after 
 his accession. 
 
 It was in the prisons of the Amena that the young 
 Alexius found his blinded father when he came to his 
 rescue, escorted by the thousands of the Fourth Crusade; 
 and during the imperial residence at the Palace of the 
 Blachernffi — now entirely destroyed — the Amena was the 
 scene of many hasty tragedies as well as of the lingering 
 horrors to which we have referred. 
 
 The Charsian Gate is now almost buried beneath piles 
 of stones, but its archway and opening can still be 
 traced. The Greek historian Hucas mentions this gate 
 in connection with the fall of the city in 1453: — 
 
 " While all the Greeks, headed by the Emperor Coustantine, 
 were vigorously fighting to repulse the Turks, and turn the as- 
 sault from a part of the walls which had crumbled under tne 
 war-engines, the will of God led the enemy to this gate, — 
 generally closed, but opened by the emperor for the convenient
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 221 
 
 passage of his men, — at once discovered by the Turks, who, to 
 the number of fifty, rushed in and, scaling the walls, planted 
 the green flagon the nearest tower, and with loud cries shouted : 
 ' Victor}' ! the city is ours ! ' " 
 
 In the eleventh century the Palace of Blachern£e was a 
 most luxuriant and magnificent imperial residence. The 
 Crusaders, with Peter the Hermit and with Godfrey de 
 Bouillon, had trodden its halls, and there beheld such 
 splendour as they had not dreaped of in their Western 
 capitals. It was composed of many parts, erected at 
 different periods, which, on its northeastern front, had a 
 certain harmony of design. Its domes and variously 
 shaped roofs gave an irregularity to its sky-line which 
 added greatly to its i)icturesqueness. Its highest portion, 
 the Tower of Isaac Angelus, was the most prominent 
 feature of the city fi-om any distant point of observation, 
 and must have afforded a magnificent outlook to its occu- 
 pant. Let us hope that, when blinded and imprisoned, the 
 memory of these scenes beguiled some weary hours of 
 their sharpest regrets. 
 
 " 'T is better to have loved and lost, 
 Tlian never to have loved at all." 
 
 The Greeks called the Blacherna^ the "Very High 
 Residence," and from its site one still has the wonderful 
 outlook which centuries have not i-obl)0(l of its beauties. 
 Of the Tower of Isaac, Lew Wallace, in the "Prince of 
 India," says : — 
 
 "If he were weary of tlie city, there was the Marmora, always 
 ready to reiterate the hues of the sky, and in it tlie [sles of ^the 
 Princes, their verdurous shades permeated with dreamful wel- 
 fome to the pleasure-seeker as well as the monk ; or if he longed 
 for a fmtlicr (liglit, old Asia made haste witli enticing invitation 
 to some c^f tiio villas strewing its littoral behind the Isles; and 
 yonder, to the eye fainting in the distance, scarce more than a
 
 222 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 pale blue boundary cloud, the mountain beloved by the gods, 
 whither they were wont to assemble at such times as they wished 
 to learn how it fared with Ilium and the sons of Priam, or to 
 enliven their immortality with loud sj'uiposia. . . . Sometimes, 
 however, the superlative magnate preferred the balcony on the 
 western side of the tower. There he could sit in the shade, 
 cooled by waftures from a wide campania southward, or, peer- 
 ing over the balustrade, watch the peasantry flitting through 
 the breaks of the Kosmidion, now the purlieus of P^youb." 
 
 Near the site of the Blachernae is a garden, in which is 
 a small chapel, on the site of the ancient sanctuary of the 
 Virgin of the Blachernas. In this imperial chapel the 
 emperor and his family, as well as the court, were wont 
 to witness the splendid ceremonies of their Church ; and 
 here at certain seasons vigils were kept, when the emperor 
 upon his knees, alone within the chapel, passed the night 
 in prayer, while thousands of priests, monks, dervishes, 
 and people knelt in the court, upon the terraces, and in 
 the surroundings of the chapel, all telling their beads 
 and repeating their prayers. 
 
 The sacred relics in this chapel were of inestimable and 
 miraculous importance; for not only was the Holy Cross 
 here which Heraclius had brought from Jerusalem, but it 
 was also the repository of the Hhnation and the Panacjla 
 Blachernitissa, or All Holy Banner of the Image of the 
 Virgin, 
 
 The ITimatwn, or Robe of the Blessed Virgin, was 
 brought to Constantinople from Jerusalem in the fifth 
 century, and was believed to be weapon-proof and totally 
 indestructible. With it the Virgin protected Byzantium. 
 Ancient coins represented the Blessed Mother clothed in 
 this miraculous garment, standing upon the altar, and 
 with uplifted hands imploring her Son to protect her 
 chosen city. 
 
 The Panagia, or Sacred Banner, in the reign of
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 223 
 
 Heraclius, had been borne along the walls, and had struck 
 terror into the hearts of the besieging Avars and Persians, 
 while from every loophole of the walls a shower of arrows 
 fell among the infidels, carrying death to hundreds in 
 their ranks. The Pagans fled as before a miracle, and 
 their leaders declared that they had seen a woman in 
 shining garments on the walls, whose gaze no man could 
 meet and live. 
 
 When Michael Paleeologus returned to Constantinople 
 to put an end to the Latin occupation, he dismounted at 
 the Golden Gate, and knelt before the image of the Virgin 
 of the Blacherna?, which was then borne before him to 
 the church of S. Sophia, thus signifying that the emperor 
 was conducted by the Holy Mother of God. But, alas ! 
 the time came when even this Divine Patroness failed to 
 protect her children. She did not save them from 
 Mohammed II., though she was carried in processioi'_, 
 and entreated with prayers and tears. And yet, so great 
 was their faith in her love and power that even after the 
 city had fallen, thousands gathered in the church of the 
 Divine Wisdom confidently reposed on the deliverance 
 that had been predicted. 
 
 " The infidels will enter the city ; but the instant they arrive 
 at the column of Coustautine the Great, an augel will descend 
 from heaven, and put a sword in the liands of a man of lev/ 
 estate seated at the foot of the cohmin, and order him to avenge 
 the people of God with it. Overcome by sudden terror, tlie 
 Turks will then take to Hight, and be driven not only from the 
 city, but to the frontier of Persia." ^ 
 
 It adds an element of infinite pathos to that scene in 
 Ilagia Sofia, when the brazen gates were beaten down and 
 the Turks rushed in, to remember that not only w^ere the 
 families gathered there torn from each other forever and 
 
 1 Von Hammer.
 
 224 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 led away to death and slavery, but the Virgin, on whom 
 they had rested all their hopes, had also deserted them, 
 and the faith that had upheld them when all else failed 
 had proved a broken reed. 
 
 The Chapel of the Blachernaj covered a spring of pure 
 water, and in its crypt, three times each year, the 
 empress, wearing the lentium, or golden shirt, bathed in 
 this sacred water, the pious act being accompanied by the 
 prescribed ceremonies and prayers. 
 
 The Holy of Holies in which the sacred objects were 
 deposited was of pure gold set with precious stones. The 
 emperors alone could enter here ; and each of them had 
 added something to its treasures, striving to obtain for 
 the Virgin of the Blachcrnae the most holy relics in 
 existence. Thus was the veneration for the chapel 
 increased, when to the Himation and Panagia were added 
 the nails and bits of the True Cross, skulls and other 
 bones of Saints and Apostles, priceless manuscripts, and 
 numberless exquisite reliquaries in silver and gold en- 
 crusted with gems of untold price, while precious stones 
 unset and of great value were gathered in this treasury of 
 the Holy Queen of Heaven, as in the vaults of earthly 
 potentates. 
 
 Surely the Virgin of the Blachernoe was most powerful, 
 and long processions of the great ones of the earth had 
 sought her shrine. Clothed in regal sj)lendour and bear- 
 ing gifts, they bowed before her altar and sought her aid; 
 for could she not miraculously deliver them from evil, 
 and had not her Himation, when dipped in the sea, aroused 
 a tempest before which the Muscovite enemies had fled 
 and been engulfed in its waves ? 
 
 Leaving the Charsian Gate, and following the walls 
 on the land side, the Gate of Adrianople next presents 
 itself. This was the principal scene of the fierce fight 
 between Heraclius and the Avari in 625. It is a fine
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 225 
 
 square gate with a lofty arch flanked by two octagonal 
 towers. It was valiantly defended against Mohammed 
 II., who entered here after the conquest, which has since 
 caused it to be used for the triumphal processions of the 
 Moslems. 
 
 The Palace of Belisarius — sometimes called the Heb- 
 domon — is near the Adrianople Gate. It was built and 
 inhabited by Constantine the Great, and was loaned by 
 Justinian to his renowned general. In view of the small 
 number of ancient edifices remaining in Constantinople, 
 this palace is of great interest. On a lofty hill, in the 
 midst of a squalid district of Stamboul, stripped of its 
 outer coverings, it is a melancholy spectacle. Still its 
 dignity is most impressive, standing firmly as it does 
 upon its colossal foundations, towering aloft in all its 
 hideous nakedness, — an eternal reproach to those 
 Latins who were as merciless in their destruction of 
 the city of the Bosphorus as, perhaps more so than, 
 the Moslems have been. 
 
 On the exterior there are bits of delicate carvings 
 remaining between the lofty windows. They are exqui- 
 site in design, and in the rich golden hue which the sun 
 and storm and heat of centuries have given them. The 
 supports of balconies remain, from which the outldok must 
 liave been entrancing; and a portion of a tower is seen, 
 said to be that in which the em{)erors showed themselves 
 to the people. In short, there is much to study and to 
 admire in this one example of ihe massive Byzantine 
 architecture which remains in such a condition as to 
 suggest wliat it may originally have been. 
 
 One must here recall the story of the gi-eat Belisarius, 
 so fully given us by his faithful and admiring scci'ctary, 
 Procopius. It was from this palace, after the return of 
 th(! great warrior from the conquest of Africa, that his 
 triumphal procession took its way to the Hippodrome. 
 
 15
 
 226 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 "The wealth of natious was displayed; the trophies of 
 martial or effeminate luxury ; rich armour, golden thrones, 
 and the chariots of state which had been used by the Vandal 
 queen ; the massy furniture of the royal banquet, the splendour 
 of precious stones, the elegant forms of statues and vases, the 
 more substantial treasure of gold, and the holy vessels of the 
 Jewish temple, which after their long peregrination were re- 
 spectfully deposited in the Christian church of Jerusalem. A 
 long train of the noblest Vandals reluctantly exposed their lofty 
 stature and manly countenance. . . . Instead of ascending a 
 triumphal car drawn by four horses or elephants, the modest 
 conqueror marched on foot at the head of his brave companions: 
 his prudence might decline an honour too conspicuous for a sub- 
 ject ; and his magnanimity might justly disdain what had been 
 so often sullied by the vilest of tyrants. The glorious proces- 
 sion entered the gate of the Hippodrome, was saluted by the 
 acclamations of the senate and people, and halted before the 
 throne where Justinian and Theodora were seated to receive 
 the homage of the captive monarch and the victorious hero. 
 They both performed the customary adoration, and, falling 
 prostrate on the ground, respectfully touched the footstool of a 
 prince who had not unsheathed his sword, and of a prostitute 
 who had danced on the theatre : some gentle violence was used 
 to bend the stubborn spirit of the grandson of Genseric ; and 
 however trained to servitude, the genius of Belisarius must have 
 secretly rebelled. He was immediately declared consul for 
 the ensuing year, and the day of his inauguration resembled 
 the pomp of a second triumpli ; his curule chair was borne 
 aloft on the shoulders of captive Vandals ; and the spoils of 
 war, gold cups, and rich girdles were profusely scattered among 
 the populace." ^ 
 
 The wonderful prowess of Belisarius and his new con- 
 quests in Italy and Sicily raised him to the very highest 
 pinnacle of military glory; and the fullest honours and 
 greatest riches that Justinian could lavish on him could 
 
 1 Gibbon.
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONST^a riNOPLE. 227 
 
 not requite his services nor properly cxj)rcss the obliga- 
 tion of the emperor to him. But suspicions of his general 
 were poured like poison into the ear of Justinian, and 
 Belisarius was suddenly recalled. He obeyed with alac- 
 rity; and the people absolutely worshipped him, as they 
 might well do, not only on account of his military achieve- 
 ments, but as a chaste, sober, prudent, and modest man. 
 We can picture him as Procopius presents him to us, — his 
 lofty figure wrapped in his white mantle, passing in and 
 out of his palace, followed by his guards, greeting every 
 Byzantine, no matter how humble, with the courtesy 
 which every great man can well afford, and in every 
 direction realizing the exalted opinion which had been 
 formed of his character. 
 
 But with the frailty of humanity Belisarius indulged a 
 weakness which became an actual stain upon his honour. 
 He loved and married Antonina, knowing her base origin 
 and her unworthy life ; and although she committed the 
 most flagrant offences against his love and loyalty, of 
 which he was perfectly aware, he still loved her with all 
 her vices. 
 
 Returning from still another successful campaign in 
 Persia, he was coldly received by the emperor and the 
 base Theodora, who had been a lifelong friend of Antonina. 
 Even the minds of the citizens had been turned against 
 him, so that, as he passed alone and broken-hearted to 
 his palace, he was insulted in the streets, and, reaching 
 his home in despair, he threw himself down and wept, 
 awaiting the death that he might reasonably anticipate 
 at the hand of the cruel, shameless empress. 
 
 A scroll was soon brought him, in which he looked to 
 sec what manner of death he was to die. In great surprise 
 he read his pardon in these words : — 
 
 " You cannot be ignorant how much you have deserved my 
 displeasure. J am not iusensible of the services of Antonina.
 
 228 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 To her merits and intercession I liave granted your life, and 
 permit you to retain a part of your treasures, which might be 
 justly forfeited to the State. Let your gratitude where it is 
 due be displayed, not in words, bat in your future behaviour." ^ 
 
 With ignominious haste the hero forgot all but his 
 mad love for his unworthy wife, and, flying to her, 
 threw himself at her feet, protesting to her his love and 
 devotion. 
 
 " At his departure from Constantinople, his friends, and even 
 the public, were persuaded that as soon as he regained his free- 
 dom he would renounce his dissimulation ; and that his wife, 
 Theodora, and perhaps the emperor himself, would be sacrificed 
 to the just revenge of a virtuous rebel. Their hopes were de- 
 ceived ; and the unconquerable patience and loyalty of Belisarius 
 appear either below or above the character of a man." ^ 
 
 Again this magnificent soldier and contemptible lover 
 took the field, and commanded the army in the Italian 
 war; and after nearly twenty years, when the Bulgarians 
 threatened the destruction of Constantinople, it was to 
 this valiant and now aged general to whom Justinian 
 turned for aid. He was not found wanting, and after his 
 victory was received with joy by the people. But Justinian 
 treated him coldly, and about two years later gave credit 
 to accusations of treason against this much tried servant. 
 The imprisonment of Belisarius is a dark stain on the 
 record of Justinian's life; but happily the old hero was 
 restored to freedom and honour before his death, and his 
 innocence publicly declared. 
 
 " The name of Belisarius can never die ; but, instead of 
 the funeral, the monuments, the statues, so justly due to his 
 memory, I only read that his treasures, the spoils of the Goths 
 and Vandals, were immediately confiscated by the emperor. 
 Some decent portion was reserved, however, for the use of his 
 1 Gibbon. 2 ibid.
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 229 
 
 widr-v/ ; and as Autonina had imich to repent, she devoted the 
 last remains of her life and fortune to the foundation of a con- 
 vent. Such is the simple and genuine narrative of the fall of 
 Belisarius, and the ingratitude of Justinian." ^ 
 
 Another ancient palace was the Bucoleon, which was 
 occupied by the Marquis of Montferrat after the Latin 
 conquest. It was reached from the Hippodrome by 
 descending the hillside, through lovely gardens shaded by 
 luxuriant trees, in which were plashing fountains, vast 
 porticoes, and beautiful statues, until on the seashore this 
 palace was reached. Near it was a place of embarkation 
 for the special use of the emperors. Here the frequent 
 pleasure-parties embarked for various points on the 
 Eosphorus or the lovely islands of the Proi)ontis. The 
 only existing remnants of this splendid structure are 
 the pillars of a gate of a palace near the Chatladi Kapousi 
 — Butcher's Gate — and a bas-relief of a pair of lions, 
 which are thought to indicate the site of the summer 
 palace of Theodosius. 
 
 Returning to the Adrianople Gate and the objects of 
 interest in its neighl)ourhood, there is, not far from the 
 Palace of Belisarius, an ancient Byzantine church, now 
 the mosque of Kahrich Jamisi, foiinerly a part of the 
 monastery of Chora, founded by Justinian, and rebuilt by 
 Mary Ducas, whose daughter was the empress of Alexius 
 Comnenus. Here are some fourteenth-century mosaics 
 and frescoes. A part of them arc veiled by the omni- 
 present Moslem whitewash, but those in the outer portions 
 of the edifice are uncovered. The architecture of the 
 church is interesting, and in the decorations the represen- 
 tations of the liife of Clirist and the Vii-gin liave a S})irit 
 and action not usual in works of their pci-iod. 
 
 There are in different quartei's several Byzantine 
 
 1 Gibbon.
 
 230 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 cliurclies, now mosques, which are of interest to the anti^ 
 quarian. Even the names of some of them are lost, and 
 while there is little in them to attract the usual sight- 
 seer, they do retain sufficient of their ancient character- 
 istics to prove how numerous the churches must have been 
 under the rule of the Greeks and Romans. 
 
 Resuming the walk by the walls, the Gate of Pempti, 
 no longer open, is next seen; and soon after the river 
 Lycus is crossed. Not far from this was the very centre 
 of the battle between the army of Mohammed IT, — a 
 fierce array of wild tribes, Arabs, Tartars, Caucasians, 
 and Africans, besides the trained Janissaries — and the 
 troops of the last Constantino. The walls still offer 
 emphatic testimony to the effect of the monster gun of 
 Orbano in the colossal fragments of their masonry lying 
 here as if but now thrown down. 
 
 The Gate of S. Romanus is more celebrated than all the 
 others; for here the last Greek emperor, Constantino 
 Pal^ologus Dragases, fell bravely meeting his fate, fight- 
 ing to the end, and ever shouting, "For God and the 
 Virgin!" until a fatal stroke stilled his voice forever. 
 
 As one advances, a curious effect is produced by the 
 varying height of the walls. Now the entire city is 
 hidden; again the tops of hundreds of graceful minarets 
 are seen, and then suddenly a breach reveals gardens and 
 houses, with the outline of more distant towers and other 
 structures. 
 
 As the Curtain of Theodosius IT. is reached, the masonry 
 's far more perfect, and some long stretches are compara- 
 tively well preserved. Here, too, the towers are fine, and 
 Iiave the appearance of still being able to withstand stoutly 
 an attack. A curious feature is the huts of peasants 
 built on the platforms. They are so small and look so 
 frail beside these Cyclopean walls that one looks for a 
 wind to scatter them like deserted bird's-nests.
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 231 
 
 We pass the portal Mcvlaneh, or Yeni Kapousi, near 
 which is a monastery of dervishes and a cemetery, and 
 reach another gate, which was formerly that of Sclymbria, 
 as the road to that city by Rhegium began here. The 
 way was paved by Justinian, and some of the stones still 
 remain. This gate is flanlced by two eight-sided towers, 
 and its small triple-arched bridge is of a lovely tawny 
 colour. 
 
 Close by this gate is the convent of Balukli ; and a 
 monk is always at hand to conduct one to its miraculous 
 fountain, and tell his fishy tale, which runs thus: On the 
 day when Mohammed II. became the master of Constan- 
 tinople, a Greek priest was tranquilly frying fish at 
 Balukli, confident that the Crescent would never be per- 
 mitted to overcome the Cross. When his fish were well 
 browned on one side, a brother rushed in and breathlessly 
 announced that the Moslem conqueror was even then in 
 S. Sophia. To this the reverend cook replied, "Pooli! 
 I could better believe that these fish will jump out of my 
 boiling oil and swim upon the floor!" No sooner was 
 this said than out jumped the fish, which may still be 
 seen in the cistern of Balukli, red on one side and brown 
 on the other, in praiseworthy remembrance of their escape 
 when l)ut half cooked. Doubtless, if they could speak it 
 would be to repeat the familiar proverb, "It is an ill wind 
 turns none to good." 
 
 At length we reach the Golden Gate, near the Castle of 
 the Seven Towers, and the last on the land side. De 
 Amicis thus describes the scene between Balukli and this 
 spot : — 
 
 "And still on one side walls upon Avails nnd towers upon 
 towers, and on tlic other sliady cemeteries, green fields and 
 vineyards, a closed house or two, and he3'ond, the desert. The 
 vegetation here is marvellous. Great leafy trees start from the 
 towers as from gigantic vases ; red and yellow blossoms and
 
 232 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 garlands of ivy and honeysuckle hang from the battlements, 
 and below grows an inextricable tangle of weeds and wild 
 shrubs, from the midst of which spring plane-trees and willows 
 shading the moat and the road. Large tracts of wall are com- 
 pletely covered with ivy, holding the stones together like avast 
 net, and hiding their wounds and fissures. , . . F'locks of birds 
 nest in the walls ; the air is full of the pungent fragrance of 
 wild herbs ; and a sort of spring-like joyousness seems to 
 breathe from the ruins, tliat look as if they were decorated 
 with flowers and garlands for the passage of a Sultana. Sud- 
 denly I felt upon my face a, puff of salt air, and raising my eyes 
 beheld the Sea of Marmora lying blue before me." 
 
 The famous triumphal Golden Gate is now walled up, 
 and one discerns but some columns of a greenish tint, and 
 two massive white towers. On the cornice are sculptured 
 the Roman eagles and the Labarum of Constantine. 
 Theodosius II. erected this gate in imitation of the 
 Triumphal Gate of Rome, and after his time the Greek 
 emperors entered here in triumj)hal processions and took 
 their way to the church of S. Sophia. Here passed one 
 potentate after another, in proud array, attended by the 
 flower of his subjects and received by the fickle masses 
 with enthusiastic cheers, perhaps to be soon deserted by 
 all save his paid Varangians, those blond -and blue-eyed 
 giants of the North who made his firmest support in times 
 of danger. 
 
 The cisterns of Constantinople are among its most 
 interesting antiquities. Binbirdirek, or the Cistern of 
 Constantine, is called the "Thousand and one Pillars," 
 and is not far from the Burnt Column. In spite of its 
 name it has but two hundred and twenty-four pillars, 
 w^hich are so arranged as to form aisles beneath the 
 arches which rest on them. These columns are of white 
 marble, with capitals executed in a semi-barbarous style 
 to which it would be difficult to give a name. The mono-
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 233 
 
 gram of Constantinc is seen upon the bricks which are 
 built into the arches as well as into the shafts of some of 
 the columns. It is said that the exposed pillars are the 
 upper ones only, and that a still larger number are below, 
 having never been excavated. 
 
 Let this be as it may, this subterranean edifice now 
 .appears like a pillared hall ; and here Jews and Armenians 
 are at work, twisting silk, beneath the columns. It is 
 not easy to visit this hall of the silk-winders. The 
 rickety steps are almost dangerous to strangers ; and when 
 there the atmosphere is far from agreeable, while the 
 noise of the wheels and looms is deafening. 
 
 The Yeni Batan Serai, or Underground Palace, has 
 always been an interesting antiquity of Constantinople; 
 and since it plays so romantic and important a })art in 
 the "Prince of India," the interest in it is much more 
 general than before. It is the chief of the Byzantine 
 cisterns. Built by Constantino and enlarged by Justinian, 
 it has been in use constantly during more than fifteen and 
 a half centuries, and those who have seen it tell us that 
 it is admirably jtreserved. The water is abundant, and 
 comes from unknown sources. It is now obtained by 
 lowering buckets through openings in the roof. This 
 roof is nearly perfect, and is a succession of vaults. It 
 rests on three hundred and thirty-six pillars, some of 
 them having Corinthian capitals, while others make no 
 pretensions of this sort. I suppose that one may obtain 
 permission to visit this watery palace, but it is not an 
 easy thing to do even then. However, we arc told that it 
 is a marvellous sight; that the columns are white, and 
 that when the liglit used affords a siiflicient illumination, 
 the wdiole scene is magical and enchanting. 
 
 It is easy to understand that to the suj)erstitious 
 ^[iislrms this cistern is a place of horror, and there are 
 many blood-curdling tales of crimes that have been hidden
 
 234 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 in its watei's, among its sepulchral corridors. Stories are 
 told of those who have gone in boats to discover its size, 
 some of whom have never returned, while others have 
 come back half crazed, followed by fiendish laughter and 
 unearthly sounds which echoed and re-echoed through the 
 spacious vaults. 
 
 Hobhouse speaks of a cistern with eighty pillars on the 
 third hill near the mosque of Laleli ; but this is the only 
 mention of it that has come under my observation, and no 
 explorer of Constantinople has spoken of it to me. There 
 are, how6ver, remnants of several other cisterns. One 
 near the Seven Towers has twenty-three columns remain- 
 ing. The locations where others are thought to have 
 existed by antiquarians are now occupied by gardens, and 
 cannot be identified. Gautier has given a graphic account 
 of his experience in visiting the cisterns. 
 
 " Spinning-wheels and winders buzz beneath the arches of 
 Constantine, and the noise of looms imitates the rippling of the 
 waters which have disappeared. There reigns in this subterra- 
 nean region — half lighted and half buried in profound shadow 
 — an icy coldness, which chills the visitor ; and it is with a 
 lively sensation of pleasure that he remounts, from the depths 
 of this gulf, into the warm glow of the sunshine ; pitying sin- 
 cerely the poor workpeople, patiently pursuing their tasks, 
 like gnomes or kobolds, in their cold and dreary cavern." 
 
 Of the Yeni Batan Serai' he says : — 
 
 " Nothing conld be more grim and sombre. The Turks 
 believe that djinns, ghouls, and afrites hold their sabbath in 
 these lugubrious regions ; and there flap joyously their bat- 
 like wings, damp with the drippings of the vault. Formerly 
 it was customary to navigate, in a boat, this subterranean sea ; 
 and the voyage must have strangely resembled the crossing of 
 the infernal stream under the guardianship of Charon. Some 
 boats, drawn, doubtless, by the action of unknown currents, 
 towards some gulf, never returned from this dark journey,
 
 ANTIQUITIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 235 
 
 which is now, therefore, peremptorily interdicted ; aud which, 
 even were it otherwise, I should not have had the slightest 
 desire to undertake." 
 
 Parts of the aqueduct of Valens may still be seen. It 
 brought water from the reservoirs of Belgrade, from 
 which source the cisterns also were probably supplied. 
 It connects the third and fourth hills, and is still of use 
 by means of pipes laid on its summits. Its double row 
 of forty Gothic arches is most picturesque, and almost 
 startling in the midst of surroundings so out of keeping 
 with the period and the art which it represents ; for it 
 is in that densely populated portion of Constantinople 
 known as the horse-market quarters. Vines are clinging 
 to it, and make here, as elsewhere, that charming effect 
 for which one is especially grateful when they conceal at 
 once the decay of the past and the disagreeables of the 
 pieseut.
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 SHOPS AND BAZAARS. 
 
 TN many portions of Constantinople, notably in Pera, 
 -*- the appearance of the shops has very much changed 
 within the last three decades, and there are now entire 
 business blocks, much like those seen in large cities the 
 world over; but many of the old-time Oriental cubby- 
 holes, which answer the purpose of shops, still remain. 
 They are a sort of stall or alcove, into which the purchaser 
 never enters. The shopkeeper sits in the front of this 
 little box, or sometimes even outside it, cross-legged, on 
 an old rug or bit of matting, and has no apparent interest 
 in his customers nor in selling his wares. 
 
 The shopper stands in the street, and if by peering into 
 the little stall ho discovers what he wishes, the merchant 
 will very deliberately take it down; but he will not evince 
 the smallest anxiety to sell it, and the thought of advan- 
 tageously displaying his goods is one that he has not 
 grasped, and would probably scorn if it were made clear 
 to him. It will be- understood that I am speaking espe- 
 cially of the Mohammedans. The Jews, Franks, and 
 other nations are the same in Turkey that they are 
 elsewhere. 
 
 The Turkish shopkeepers smoke continually, and indeed 
 all Turks smoke intcmperately. Consequently the pipe 
 and tobacco shops are very numerous, and have some 
 most attractive goods. The amber mouthpieces and the 
 cherry-wood and jasmine stems are really beautiful ; and 
 it is interesting to watch the operation of boring these
 
 SHOPS AND BAZAARS. 237 
 
 stems, which may frequently be seen in progress in the 
 bits of shops. 
 
 Turkish gentlemen make valuable collections of pipes 
 and mouthpieces. Some of these are set with precious 
 stones, and are frequently mounted in gold and fine 
 enamels ; in fact, a good collection of pipes is as much an 
 indication of wealth as a fast yacht or fine horses would 
 be elsewhere, and it is not unusual for a wealthy Turk to 
 invest from fifty to a hundred thousand dollars in these 
 wares. 
 
 The shops of Constantinople are far less interesting 
 than the bazaars, which have f]'e(|uently been described in 
 ■the most fascinating manner, and I have read no descrip- 
 tion of them that seemed to me to exaggerate their 
 interest. 
 
 The Grand Bazaar, called Bezestin, is in fact a town by 
 itself. Its streets vary in width from those of sufficiently 
 ample dimensions, with squares and fountains, to the 
 merest lanes or passages. It is a perfect labyrinth of 
 streets within an irregularly shaped edifice, overarched 
 and lighted by numberless small cupolas. No sunlight 
 penetrates here; and the dim, hazy light adds a semi- 
 poetical effect to the bazaar, to the crowds within it, to 
 the women and children attended by eunuchs and slaves, 
 to the goods to be sold, to the whole experience ; and one 
 oven feels like pinching one's self to make sure that he is 
 quite the same as the commonplace being who has gone 
 to do his shopping in the commoni>lace shops of other 
 cities. 
 
 Each street reseml)lcs the nave of a church, arched 
 overhead with l)lack and white stones, and finished with 
 ai'al;es(jue-like decorations. In some parts of the bazaai- 
 hoi-ses, camels, and carriages arc seen, and there is an 
 air of confusion in the ci'owds of people passing and 
 repassing. In other portions it is very quiet, as the
 
 238 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 noise of the city is entirely shut out, and save for a gentle 
 murmur of pleasant voices it is calm and still. 
 
 There are numerous little bazaars within the one grand 
 bazaar, and each one is devoted to a special kind of goods. 
 If one buys nothing, there is not a place in Constantinople 
 where he could be better amused, or where time slips away 
 more imperceptibly. The bazaar is, in fact, a far more 
 entertaining museum than many with which one meets 
 in travelling, and few comedies or light operas afford 
 more amusement than one can find in watching the people 
 who arc moving about him. Behind and above the small 
 shops there are frequently larger apartments filled with 
 a choicer selection of goods than are seen on the street, 
 and in one part of the bazaar or another may be found 
 all the products of the Orient, and many of the Western 
 World. 
 
 It is a wise method for the stranger to go more than 
 once to study this curious place before he goes to make 
 purchases; for these sleepy, dead-and-alive seeming mer- 
 chants have a very clear and arithmetical brain behind 
 their soft, dull eyes, and one needs to concentrate his 
 thought on his bargain when dealing with them. 
 
 In the bazaar of perfumes one is almost intoxicated 
 with the mixture of delicious odours. Jasmine, attar of 
 roses, bergamot, sandalwood, and odoriferous gums unite 
 to make an atmosphere of which one has not dreamed; 
 and one recalls that perfumes were one of the three best 
 beloved of all earthly joys by the Prophet, women and 
 children alone preceding them in his esteem. How human 
 this makes him seem! 
 
 This bazaar is much affected by the Turkish women, 
 who here purchase the numberless cosmetics with which 
 they endeavour to enhance the beauty which Nature has 
 bestowed on them, — Tcohl for eyelashes and brows, henna 
 for the fingers, and an endless variety of soaps, powders.
 
 SHOPS AND BAZAARS. 239 
 
 perfumed waters and jjomades, and all put up in the most 
 luxurious manner, — in velvet cases heavily embroidered, 
 and in little boxes and flasks that are entrancing. Here 
 too are combs, hand mirrors, rosaries, and the like, of 
 rare and costly as well as of less expensive materials. It 
 is not strange that the ladies in their yaslimaks and 
 feridjc-Wko. cloaks linger here longer than the eunuchs 
 think it necessary; and it is wonderful to see with what 
 utter indifference the merchant permits them to upset all 
 the wares in his shop. 
 
 One of the most fascinating bazaars to both men and 
 women is that of weapons. These are in one of the larger 
 shops, reached by ascending two or more flights of steps. 
 The merchants in the more spacious and serious shops 
 conduct their affairs with such dignity and leisurely 
 elegance that one should never visit them when in haste; 
 and if one will adapt himself to the consciousness of 
 i)eing master of all the time there is, he will find the 
 l)azaars most enjoyable, and the opening ceremony delight- 
 ful. This consists of taking a thimbleful of delicious 
 coffee from the most delicate of cups set in a holder of 
 filigree silver or gold, followed by a cigarette or a few 
 puffs from a narghile. 
 
 The weapons here are simply marvellous, with thoir 
 curious shape, cx(|uisito temper and sharpness, and the 
 magnificence and intrinsic value of thoir jewels. Thoy 
 have repousse and chased silver sheaths and scabbards, 
 which arc again enclosed in ex(iuisite velvet eovei'S 
 embroidered in pure gold or silver thread. The handles 
 are encrusted with turquoise, coral, garnets, and other 
 more precious stones, and these are intertwined with 
 texts from the Koran laid in with gold letters. There 
 are also exquisitely carved ivory, sandalwood, and mother- 
 of-pearl mountings to these priceless blades. 
 
 There are yatnuhans, poniards, scimitais, wicked-
 
 240 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 looking; sheath knives, Damascus blades, and many 
 curiously sha})cd daggers, all laid on low tables in the 
 centre of the apartment, while the walls are hung with 
 helmets, casijues, shields, coats of mail, and all kinds of 
 armour known from the days of the Israelitish battles to 
 the present time. 
 
 Suddenly, while you are speaking to the Moslem mer- 
 chant, he leaves you, sinks on his knees, touches the floor 
 with his forehead, and with his face carefully turned 
 towards Mecca, recites his prayers with as much devotion 
 as if he were in a temple and no other human being 
 existed, — as if Allah and he alone filled the universe. 
 
 The variety of goods to be found in the Grand Bazaar 
 and the beauty of them could be endlessly described. 
 There is an equal or even larger quantity of ordinary 
 objects; and one turns from the exquisite fabrics and 
 colouring produced by Oriental looms and hands to expe- 
 rience a sickening disgust at the crude productions of the 
 West, with their abominable designs and worse tints. 
 
 But one may revel for days in the midst of Tunisian 
 scarfs, Persian rugs and shawls, exquisite embroideries 
 from the cities of the East and the mountains of Syria; 
 tables and stools richly inlaid; a multitude of small 
 objects in gold, silver, ivory, pearl, and tortoise shell; 
 ancient porcelains and exquisite brasses; Broussa silks 
 that glisten like- icicles in the sun, and are as delicate 
 and elusive in their colours; fans of an endless variety; 
 chaplets of pearl, ivory, spicy woods, and precious beads ; 
 and a collection of exquisitely fashioned articles for 
 which I know no name. Truly, in these bazaars the 
 meaning of •' the wealth of Ind " dawns upon one as it 
 rarely can elsewhere. 
 
 The bazaar of the gold and silver wire drawers is a 
 fascinating spot. Here are made the threads for the 
 embroidery that does not tarnish, as well as the magnifi-
 
 SHOPS AND BAZAARS. 241 
 
 cent and costly cords and braids which are lavished on 
 some of the Turkish uniforms and costumes worn on state 
 occasions. The Turkish method of holding the work with 
 the great toe, or of passing a cord around it, is curious; 
 and one can watch these wire drawers a long time with 
 interest. 
 
 It would be difficult to draw a picture of the " Bazaar 
 of Arms " which would exceed the truth. It is the most 
 fascinating of museums, for it never seemed to me like a 
 place of merchandise. There are costumes and arms that 
 might well have answered to the needs of Timour, Gen- 
 ghis Khan, the great Akbar, Saladin, Richard Coeur de 
 Lion, or the Prince of Magicians himself. There too are 
 the housings for their steeds as well, stiff with embroi- 
 dery of silver and gold, and actually blazing with jewels, 
 diamonds, and other dazzling gems. It is a comfort to 
 know that even the fatalist and indifferent Moslems have 
 such an appreciation of the value of the objects gathered 
 here that it is forbidden to smoke in this bazaar. This 
 may be the reason why it is closed at noon, and the mer- 
 chants who own it retire to their homes to forget every- 
 thing save the pleasures permitted to the faithful followers 
 of the Prophet. 
 
 The fine jewellers' bazaar contains an incredible value 
 in precious stones. The Turks not only love them, but 
 esteem them as good investments. It is easy to carry a 
 large fortune in one's pocket, and to realize money on a 
 fine jewel at any time. Banks and stocks are an abomina- 
 tion to an orthodox Mohammedan, and small wonder that 
 it is so if one considers the history of Turkish finance! 
 
 The jewels one sees here are of amazing richness, but 
 the settings arc clumsy and inartistic. They make, how- 
 ever, great numl)ors of necklaces, bracelets, anklets, ear- 
 riii'is, nnd an immense variety of ornaments for the head. 
 Crescents, stnrs, and flowers are favourite designs, not 
 
 16
 
 242 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 only in jewellery, but in everything that can be called 
 ornamental in Turkish products. But the jeweller's 
 bazaar is not attractive to look at, as the rare and brilliant 
 gems are hidden away in wooden boxes, and these enclosed 
 in wire nettings; and nothing of beauty is to be seen 
 unless one wishes to buy, when the diamonds, rubies, 
 pearls, sapphires, and emeralds that can be produced are 
 simply incredible, and one could easily spend a million 
 and leave many most desirable gems behind, in a shop 
 that on his entrance had no appearance of being a mine 
 of treasures. 
 
 The shoe bazaar is curious and amusing, and, oddly 
 enough, it is a very decorative bazaar. It has a double 
 row of sbops; and when standing at one end and looking 
 through it, the eye docs not distinguish the precise out- 
 line of any special slipper, but the whole effect is that of 
 a brill innt hall. There are innumerable slippers of all 
 colours and of curiously ingenious styles. They are 
 lavishly ornamented with filigree work and jewels, and 
 are made in kid, velvet, satin, and even fur. There are 
 spangles and swan's down, and arabesques and flowers in 
 gold and silver, and exquisite embroidery in pearls. 
 
 These slippers are so tiny that they would make the 
 despair of even our own young girls, with their delicate 
 and well-formed feet; but it is well to bring some of 
 them away for ornament. With the addition of a silken 
 bag drawn with dainty ribbons they make charming bon- 
 bonnieres; and with no change they are pretty depositories 
 on a table or dressing-case for the numerous useless 
 nothings that will accumulate in thes ' days. 
 
 Perhaps, after all, the human beings who keep the shops 
 of the bazaar are the most remarkable objects in it. In 
 Paris, London, New York, and elsewhere we can find 
 goods of all kinds and from all lands, — not massed, ns 
 here, but as choice and desirable, —with a reasonable
 
 SHOPS AND BAZAARS. 243 
 
 search, and when found they can be bought in half the 
 time that is required in Constantinople; but nowhere 
 else can one see such an assemblage of men as are here 
 telling their beads, drijiking their narghiles, as they 
 express it, reading the Koran, or sitting as motionless as 
 the great Sphinx. 
 
 " Every one of them is odd and picturesque in his own way ; 
 every shop door is the frame of a picture full of colour and 
 fancy, that fills the mind with stories of adventure and romance. 
 That thin, bronzed man with the bold features is an Arab, who 
 himself drove from his own distant country his camels laden 
 with gems and alabaster, and has more than once heard the 
 whistle of the bullets of the desert robbers. This other, in the 
 yellow turban and with a lordly bearing, has crossed on horse- 
 back the solitudes of Syria, bringing silk from Tyre and Sidou. 
 This black statue with his head wrapped in an old Persian shawl, 
 and his forehead seamed with scars made by the necromancers 
 to save him from death, who holds his head so high, as if he 
 still beheld the Colossus of Thebes and the tops of the Pyra- 
 mids, has come from Nubia. That handsome IVloor with pallid 
 face and deep black eyes, wrapped in a snow-white mantle, has 
 brought his carpets from the uttermost western spur of the chain 
 of Atlas. The Turk in the green turban with the attenuated 
 visage has but just returned from the great pilgrimage, where 
 he has seen his friends die of thirst in the interminable plains 
 of Asia ]\Iinor, and, arriving at Mecca almost dead, dragged 
 liimself seven times around tlic Kaaba, and fell fainting as he 
 rovered the Black Stone with ardent kisses. The giant with a 
 wiiite face, arched eyebrows, and fiery eyes, who looks more 
 bl<e a wariior than a merchant, and whose whole being is full 
 of pride and ambition, has brought his furs from the northern 
 regions of the Caucasus, where in his younger days he has struck 
 many a Cossack's head from his shoulders ; and this poor wool- 
 merchant, witii his Hat face and small oblicpie eyes, muscular 
 and hard as an athlete, it is not long since he said his prayer 
 under the shadow of the immense dome that surmounts the
 
 :i44 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 sepulchre of Timour ; he started from Samarkand, crossed the 
 deserts of Bulgaria, passed through herds of Turkomans, crossed 
 the Dead Sea, escaped the bullets of the Circassians, gave thanks 
 to Allah in the moscjue of Trebizond, and came to seek his for- 
 tune at Stamboul, whence he will return, an old man, to his 
 beloved Tartary, which he ever holds in his heart." ^ 
 
 There are many bazaars of which I have not spoken, 
 having mentioned those only which especially interest 
 me, and are kept by Mohammedan merchants. Naturally, 
 all kinds of ordinary merchandise can be found here, 
 suited to the needs of the poorer classes ; and in the old- 
 clothes bazaar the most wretched beings can secure a 
 covering of some sort. Those who have been properly 
 instructed in the germ theory would hesitate to examine 
 this bazaar too closely, but en passant we may say that 
 even such a shop in an Oriental country differs widely from 
 those to which we are accustomed. With its Bedouin 
 cloaks, dervishes' tunics, caftans, turbans, and remnants 
 of rich shawls, it makes a picture which reminds one of 
 some delightful canvases of Goya and Rembrandt, and 
 other gifted painters, who give us the most realistic repre- 
 sentations of objects, not always agreeable, but surrounded 
 with an atmosphere that is deliciously poetic, and makes 
 a subject that one does not care for absolutely appeal to 
 his aesthetic sense. 
 
 And alas ! there is a class of merchants in the bazaar 
 much to be dreaded, as well as the middle-men, who are 
 as disagreeable, exasperating, and tormenting as it is 
 possible for human beings to be. They are noisy, artful, 
 obstinate, and determined to make you buy what you do 
 not want, and pay their price for it. They flatter you, 
 lie to you, and cheat you if possible. They do not seem 
 to belong to any one race of beings, but to be made up of 
 
 1 De Ainicis.
 
 SHOPS AND BAZAARS. 245 
 
 the dregs of various races. Tlicy liavc been everywhere 
 and speak all languages; they combine to cheat you, and 
 wink and make signs to each other continually. If, as 
 we hear, there are- schools in the Orient where Black 
 Arts are taught, these men ought to have diplomas from 
 them; for they carry their cheating to so nice and delicate 
 a point that, in its way, it merits the title of a Fine Art. 
 
 1 am told that there are portions of the bazaar to which 
 strangers cannot penetrate without a guide. But why 
 should one wish to go there, — where the goods are 
 inferior, a sort of hodgepodge of good, bad, and indiffer- 
 ent, and kept by rascals who can almost make one believe 
 that from pure sentiments of friendship they will confer 
 on him treasures worth a fortune in exchange for the few 
 napoleons he carries in his purse ? 
 
 Such is the Great Bazaar in the very heart of Stamboul, 
 a city within a city, always crowded by day and deserted 
 l)y night. Full of wonders and treasures, it imprints 
 itself indelibly upon the Western mind ; and the remem- 
 brance of the hours spent there makes one feel as if he 
 had seen the Palace of the Khalecfch, and the thirty-eight 
 thousand pieces of tapestry of gold-embroidered silk 
 brocade, and the twenty-two thousand magnificent carpets, 
 which El-Muktedir displayed to the ambassadors of 
 Constantino IX.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE SWEET WATERS. — HABITS AND CUSTOMS 
 OP TURKISH LADIES. 
 
 ONE should not fail to go to the Valley of the Sweet 
 Waters on Friday afternoon. Writing this line 
 brings clearly before me the scene of perfect enchantment 
 that I beheld on my first visit there. 
 
 The Golden Horn and the Sweet Waters were literally 
 covered with caiques filled with women and children on 
 their way to the charming valleys, where they are wont to 
 congregate on the afternoon of their Sunday. The caiques 
 were so' frail, and showed so little above the water, that 
 to one standing above and looking down on them their 
 passengers had the appearance of sitting on the water and 
 gliding over it as swans might do. 
 
 The dazzlingly white veils of the Turkish women are 
 the most exquisitely becoming head-wear that can be 
 imagined. They enhance the efl'ect of Itrilliant complex- 
 ions and soft, deep eyes, without concealing anything 
 except the little artificialities which help to make these 
 women so attractive. Would it not be well for ladies of 
 other climes who rouge and powder, who outline their 
 eyes and deepen their eyebrows, to tone down the crude 
 effect of all this by adopting the yashmak? 
 
 T\\Q ferejehs ,^v\\\c\\ were formerly worn — and should 
 never have been given up — were of the most delicate 
 shades of blue, green, rose, mauve, and yellow; and a 
 group of women was like a lovely bouquet in colour. 
 Turkish women do not walk well, as a rule; neither does
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE SWEET WATERS. 247 
 
 their dress give them what in other countries is called 
 " a good figure ; " and it follows that it is becoming to 
 them to sit down. Thus they look their best in a caique or 
 seated on their rugs, as they are often seen when on plea- 
 sure excursions or picnics, of which they are very fond. 
 
 The Koran says that a woman's veil shall be " a sign of 
 her virtue and a guard against the talk of the world." 
 That thought is now a part of ancient history, so far as 
 the women of Constantinople are concerned ; for one only 
 needs to look at them to perceive that in the arrangement 
 of the yashmak their first, last, and only intention is to 
 make it as becoming as possible, and to display their good 
 looks to the very best advantage. 
 
 The yashmak consists of two parts. One is bound about 
 the head, covers the forehead to the eyebrows, and is tied 
 at the back of the neck ; the other covers the lower part 
 of the face up to the eyes, and the two are so folded 
 together that they seem to be but one. The Koran prob- 
 ably contemplated veils of some thickness; but the ladies 
 of Constantinople wear the filmiest of gauze, and put them 
 on so loosely that they arc no inconvenience in any way. 
 The only exception to this that 1 have observed is in the 
 case of women who are no longer young, whom the Koran 
 would permit to leave a portion of the face uncovered; 
 but they do not apparently rely upon the good book for 
 their fashions any more closely than do their daughters 
 and granddaughters, for as years steal on they use less 
 transjjarent veils, and close them more carefully. We 
 constantly hear the legend repeated that the Turk does 
 not see his bride's face until the wedding night; and 
 visitors to Constantinople frcfpiently question the truth of 
 this statement, forgc^tting that the women seen by them 
 are all much too elderly to be unmarried, or even newly 
 married, in a country where girls are married at eleven 
 and twelve years of age.
 
 248 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 On the subject of the yashmak^ much may be said. The 
 skill with which the veils are handled is admirable; they 
 are shaped like turbans, or twisted into coronets, or given 
 an indescribable cloudlike lightness to suii the especial 
 face of the wearer. They disclose and they conceal enough 
 to provoke curiosity ; and frequently, I fear, they promise 
 more than could be realized were the yashmak thrown off. 
 In no case is the truth revealed; and a well-trained eye is 
 needed to form an approximate judgment as to what the 
 lady is really like, so many are the artificial methods used. 
 Turkish women apply a white paste to the face, put a cir- 
 cle, of /roA/, around the eyes, darken the eyebrows, and im- 
 part a desired tint to the eyelids. They sometimes resort 
 to patches, and in fact are perfectly acquainted with all 
 feminine methods of "making up." The young women 
 have long throats, oval faces, dimples in chin and cheeks, 
 and full lips, which are made more pronounced with car- 
 mine; but their tendency is to grow stout with advancing 
 years. 
 
 The caiques of which we spoke some time ago have had 
 time to reach the smiling valley of the Sweet Waters, 
 where the slaves will spread generous rugs and mattings 
 for each party, and the ladies will seat themselves in groups 
 beneath the spreading nut-trees, planes, and sycamores, 
 and chatter, eat, and smoke the afternoon away, while the 
 children play games, and the slaves and eunuchs watch 
 every motion and satisfy every demand. In many such 
 groups one probably sees four generations of a family, 
 and sometimes even more than that number. 
 
 Fruit, coffee, and sherbet merchants are always en evi- 
 dence at the Sweet Waters. A variety of instruments are 
 played by the musicians. Dancers and other entertainers 
 pass here and there, ready to display their skill for a 
 few piastres. There is a murmur of voices, a sound of 
 laughter, the music of flutes, and with it all a sense of
 
 THE VALLEY OF THE SWEET WATERS. 249 
 
 unreality and dreaminess, as if we were beholding charm- 
 ing visions in our sleep, or looking upon a stage where the 
 curtain mignt be rung down at any moment; and if it 
 were, one would certainly applaud enthusiastically. 
 
 All Turkish ladies should go to the Sweet Waters in 
 caiques; but truth compels me to say that occasionally 
 some grande dame arrives in a splendid carriage, is con- 
 ducted to an unusually luxurious carpet, and attended by 
 five times as many servants as she can possibly require. 
 In the distance a few Turks are seen, both young and old. 
 They walk, or ride on fine horses with splendid trappings. 
 If they approach the groups of ladies, no interchange of 
 smiles or of familiar glances can be detected ; but, curiously 
 enough, if a Frank comes near, these ladies frequently 
 reward him with a smile, and have the air of ingenuously 
 saying, "Stranger, I am pleased with you." 
 
 Such was the scene at the Sweet Waters long years ago; 
 but now, while the yashmaks are numerous, other kinds of 
 head-gear are also worn. The feridjcs have given way to 
 cloaks, mostly black; the caiques are fewer, and the 
 carriages are in greater numbers ; in short, my last after- 
 noon there was largely spent in regretting that all the 
 world over one human being seems to be striving to 
 resemble every other human being as far as dross c;in 
 produce that result. Much of the pictures(iuencss and 
 air of romance that once pervaded Constantinople is lost ; 
 and the afternoon at the Sweet Waters, that once seemed 
 like a gala day in Mohammed's Paradise, now resembles 
 a collection of picnic parties in the Prater of Vienna or 
 the Bois de Boulogne. 
 
 The Turkish ladies go about with a freedom Ihat ought 
 to be sufTicient for those of any nation. They shop in 
 Pera and in the Mussulman quarters. They row about 
 in caiques and visit their friends. On Tuesdays they 
 assemble in the cemetery of Scutari. On other days they
 
 250 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 go to Tlierapia, the Islands, or to the Sweet Waters of 
 Asia. They make their devotions in the mosques or at 
 the tombs of the Sultans. They witness the exhibitions 
 of the dervishes, and they do all these things with a will 
 and an air of extreme enjoyment such as Christian 
 women rarely show. Query, does it make one enthusi- 
 astic to live in a harem and see but one man ? It would 
 seem that freedom in the outside world has the effect of 
 champagne on these otherwise cloistered women, and 
 they have the merry air of children who have run away 
 and quite believe that "stolen fruit is the sweetest." 
 
 Having watched the Turkish women in public, one is 
 curious to know something of their home life, and is 
 pleased to find at the beginning of the inquiry that fresh 
 air, pure water, and sunshine are indispensable to the 
 Turk. For these reasons the Moslem quarter is almost 
 invariably on high ground, while the spacious houses 
 have gardens, and frequently fountains in their midst. 
 
 Turkish houses are divided into the larger haremlik, or 
 quarters for the women; the smaller selamltk, or quarters 
 for the men, for the reception of strangers and other hospi- 
 talities, and for the transaction of business. Between 
 these two there is a neutral ground, the mabepi, from 
 which a passage leads to the haremlik. The stables, too, 
 are always near at hand. 
 
 A large hall makes the entrance to the harem, around 
 which are sleeping-rooms for the slaves, and other useful 
 ai)artmciits, in one of which, almost without exception, 
 there is an old woman with a brazier, by means of which 
 she makes the coffee, so industriously imbibed by Turks 
 and their guests. The broad staircases and the floors are 
 kept very clean, as well as the apartments, which are 
 scantily furnished. A hard divan on two or three sides 
 of a room, with small square mattresses in the corners 
 piled with cushions, is an average of the amount of furnish-
 
 HABITS AND CUSTOMS OF TURKISH LADIES. 251 
 
 ing in the usual Turkish apartment; and even a fine 
 reception-room has but a small European sofa, a few 
 chairs, a mirror supported hy a console, some candle- 
 sticks, and a table to hold the necessities for smoking. 
 
 Bedsteads are not used, and the mattresses are taken 
 from the floor in the morning and packed into closets 
 made for this purpose. The walls are usually white- 
 washed and unadorned. The windows are innumerable, 
 and make the houses both ugly and uncomfortable; for 
 while they are always latticed in the harem, they are not 
 well draped, and admit the burning heat of the sun in the 
 warm season and the cold winds in the winter. The 
 means for lighting and heating are also crude and insuffi- 
 cient. A couple of candles or a petroleum lamp furnish 
 light to the apartment, while the passages are dark. 
 Various kinds of braziers furnish but little heat, and in 
 cold weather one can imagine that the curious tandour 
 must have been very desirable. This is a square table 
 having a footboard covered with metal, on which a brazier 
 is placed. A sofa runs around it, and a heavy quilted 
 counterpane being thrown over all is pulled close up under 
 the chins of the persons Ijeneath it, so that the first 
 impression is that of a company of people tucked up in 
 bed. These tandours are gradually falling into disuse, 
 but still exist in goodly numbers. 
 
 From what has been said concerning the palaces and 
 villas of Euroj.eanizpd Turks, it will l)e understood that 
 I am now speaking of the houses of Turks who are not 
 poor, l)ut are not in any sense denationalized, of which 
 large numlicrs exist in town and country. 
 
 Perhaps the bath is the best-made and best-furnished 
 part of a Turk's house. It consists of three rooms, 
 and is thus described in a ])ook calhnl "The People of 
 Turkey," written by a lady who long resided in that 
 country : —
 
 252 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 "The first room — the hammam — is a, square apartment, 
 chiefly coustriicted of marble, aud terminating in a kind of 
 cupola studded with a number of glass bells, through which 
 the light enters. A deep reservoir, attached to the outer wall, 
 with an opening into the bath, contains the water, half of which 
 is heated by a furnace built under it. A number of pipes 
 attached to the furnace circulate through the walls of the bath, 
 and throw great heat into it. One or two graceful fountains 
 conduct the water from the reservoir, and on each side of the 
 fountain is a low wooden platform which serves as a seat for 
 the bather, who sits cross-legged, aud undergoes a long and 
 complicated process of washing and scrubbing, with a variety 
 of other toilet arrangements too numerous to mention. The 
 second room, called the saoukiouk, is constructed very much in 
 the same style as the first, but is smaller, and has no furniture 
 but a marble platform, upon which mattresses and cushions are 
 placed for the use of those who wish to repose between inter- 
 vals of bathing, or do not wish to face the cooler temperature 
 of the hammam oda. This room is furnished with sofas, on 
 which the bathers rest and dress after quitting the bath." 
 
 Every Turk is dependent on his bath, and the poorest 
 houses have an arrangement which answers its purpose. 
 But the Turkish Ladies spend much time in the bath- 
 room. They smoke, eat fruit and sherbets, and repose 
 for hours on the sofas of the bath. Even this does not 
 suffice, as they must, go at least once each month to the 
 public hammam, where they meet their friends and 
 learn the gossip of the day. These public baths are 
 very numerous, and sometimes extremely elegant and 
 luxurious. 
 
 A Turkish lady is completely mistress of her time, and 
 begins her day with coffee and a cigarette. She will 
 then have her bath, and probably after that spend some 
 time with her husband, always treating him with cere- 
 monious respect, and herself serving him with pipe and
 
 HABITS AND CUSTOMS OP TURKISH LADIES. 253 
 
 coffee, while numbers of slaves stand about idle. The 
 children pay their father a visit, and are always given 
 money for sweets ; and not until the effendi leaves the 
 haremlik, does any work of the day begin. 
 
 Until recently the lady of the house joined her slaves 
 in all the household occupations; but now new tastes 
 have led in other directions, and these ladies study 
 music, languages, emljroidery, and other feminine accom- 
 plishments. 
 
 If one of these ladies wishes to go out, she must have 
 her husband's permission; and when she is to be seen in 
 public, the toilette requires much time, as all the processes 
 that I have suggested for beautifying herself demand a 
 deal of thought and care before the yashmak and feridje 
 can be adjusted. She is careful to return before sunset, 
 as the husband usually visits the harem before his 
 dinner; and after that, over coffee and cigarettes, all the 
 experiences of the day are discussed. 
 
 If a lady is not going out, she has no fixed hour for 
 dressing. If she is vain, it will jjrobably be before the 
 midday meal; but if she loves her ease, she will defer 
 her toilette until evening. 
 
 The neglige costume of a Turkish lady is attractive, 
 consisting of a long white dressing-gown, and a graceful 
 head-dress above her flowing hair, while her bare feet arc 
 tucked into some fascinating slippers. The more cere- 
 monious costume is the long open gown of silk or cloth, 
 embroidered in bouquets of flowers. Underneath this is 
 a delicate gauze shirt with large flowing sleeves, which 
 is disclos('(l about the neck and l)reast, while a richly 
 cmbroidf'iod jacket is worn over the gown, and a flat cap 
 covered with y»earls and j)i-ecious stones is jjlaced jauntily 
 on one side of flu; lioad. E\(|nisitoly ornnmcuied slippers 
 complete this graceful and fasciiuiting costume. 
 
 But, alas! a fancy for European dress has penetrated
 
 254 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 even the most carefully guarded harems, and the bad taste 
 manifested in the curious medley of garments and colours 
 that are worn would be ludicrous were it not pathetic. One 
 of these manifestations took the form of a yellow cotton 
 gown made a la prhieesse, with a blue bodice over it 
 belted with a gold band. With this was worn a quantity 
 of modern coral ornaments, and a scarlet turban loaded 
 down with diamonds and other precious stones. This 
 was the dress of an attractive Turkish lady, who wore it 
 with an air of self-gratulation that she was able to be 
 dressed so perfectly n la mode. 
 
 One cannot so seriously regret some of the changes 
 that have been made in the methods of taking food. No 
 one can object to the thumb and finger being retired from 
 the active service of conveying food to the mouth, and 
 that office being filled by a fork ; and certainly a table and 
 chairs are far more comfortable and proper than is a large 
 tray filled with edibles and deposited on the floor. The 
 two meals of the Turks are served at ten or eleven in the 
 morning and at sunset. Their food is simple, not highly 
 spiced, and sweets are served between the courses. Water 
 is the only drink permitted in the haremlik, besides coffee, 
 which is taken with cigarettes at the end of the meal. A 
 curious old custom, still observed, requires that while the 
 coffee is served all the slaves and attendants shall enter 
 the room and stand at one end with folded arms. 
 
 Turks are hospitable, and offer to visitors not only 
 coffee, but tatlon, a rich preserve, which is brought in 
 early when a visit is made. It is made of fruits, but more 
 frequently of roses, lilies, violets, and other sweet flowers. 
 The service used for this delicacy is often very costly, and 
 it is presented by a kneeling slave. The coffee service 
 is also rich, sometimes worth a fortune, and the cloths 
 which cover the salvers are heavy with pure gold embroi- 
 dery. On some occasions these services are extremely
 
 
 
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 HABITS AND CUSTOMS OF TURKISH LADIES. 25o 
 
 simple; but that occurs when the entcitainment is outside 
 the harem. 
 
 When the visitor shows signs of leaving, or when the 
 hostess wishes the visit to end, sherbet is served, followed 
 by coffee; and it is understood that this is the parting 
 ceremony, no matter by whom introduced. What a boon 
 it would often be to have a dismissal ceremony that should 
 be recognized as a perfectly courteous method of ending 
 a visit which was becoming tiresome to either visitor or 
 host !
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CEMETERIES AND FUNERAL CUSTOMS. 
 
 THE cemeteries of Constantinople are so situated, and 
 so much used as pleasure-grounds by the people, 
 that there is little of melancholy or sadness connected 
 with them. It is difficult for the Christian to accept this 
 view of a burial-place, but it is distinctly that of the 
 Moslem; and the cypress-tree, which is so numerous in 
 the cemeteries, does not stand as the symbol of death and 
 grief in this land, where it is the ornament of the garden 
 as well as of the city of the dead, and the guardian of the 
 fountain as of the tomb. We have already spoken of the 
 cemetery of Ayoob, which in its unrivalled position and 
 its arrangement has the effect of a garden rather than of 
 a burial-ground. 
 
 The cemetery of Pera soon becomes familiar to foreign- 
 ers, who, living as they usually do on the heights of this 
 quarter, pass and repass it continually. It might very 
 well be described as a cypress grove descending a some- 
 what steep hill, with curious little stone and marble 
 columns scattered through it. Some of these columns 
 are crowned with turbans. From others the tops have 
 fallen and lie on the ground. Here and there the columns 
 are pointed at the top; many lean at different angles, 
 while others have toppled quite over. Each grave has 
 sometime had a stone at each end, carefully provided as 
 seats for the two angels who are expected to come to 
 judge the souls of those whose bodies repose here. Occa- 
 sionally there is an enclosure protected by a barrier of
 
 CEMETERIES AND FUNERAL CUSTOMS. 257 
 
 some kind, a low wall or fence. These are the burial- 
 places of families of importance, and usually have a large 
 column with a turban in the centre, while smaller columns 
 cluster around it; and the arrangement of the folds in the 
 turban reveals to the Turk the dignity and importance of 
 the man who lies beneath. 
 
 This cemetery is called the Petit Champ des Morts; 
 but the Field of the Living would seem to be a more 
 appropriate name for it. Here Turks smoke, and cows feed. 
 Children play here, while hundreds of doves are softly 
 cooing, and many who pass up and down the hill find it a 
 convenient resting-place. If the stone on which one sits 
 is favourably located, he has glimpses of the Golden 
 Horn between the trees, while the procession of veiled 
 women, and men of various nations who move up and 
 down the hill, distract the attention; and in fact there 
 is so much of life to observe that it does not occur to 
 one to reflect on things past and things to come, as one 
 naturally does in a cemetery elsewhere. 
 
 To be quite frank, this burial-place is totally uncared 
 for, and in some parts of it there are usually a goodly 
 number of d(jgs taking their naps and jjreparing for their 
 nightly howl. One can l)ut pity these animals, who 
 belong to nobody and have no homes ; for as the Koran 
 declares them to Ije unclean, no Turk will own a dog or 
 give him a shelter. Yet Turks often bequeath sums in 
 their wills for the support of dogs, and they are fed on 
 Fridays, not only at the Bayezideh, but by benevolent 
 Turks at other places. The Sultan A])dul Medjid once 
 exiled the dogs on the Island of Marmora; but their 
 services as scavengers were sadly missed, and the people 
 were so much excited on the subject that the Sultan per- 
 mitted them to be brought Ijack to the city, where they 
 were received with a sincere welcome. 
 
 Galata, lying below Pera, is a bustling and busy, but 
 
 17
 
 258 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 not an interesting, quarter to the traveller who wishes 
 to observe Oriental peoples and customs, for here are 
 assembled the commercial elements of all countries. All 
 Continental languages are here spoken ; and here are the 
 Custom House, the Exchange, the offices of steamships, 
 ar.d various other features which render it a quarter to be 
 visited only from necessity. 
 
 But above its disagreeables, not far from the cemetery 
 of Pera, rises the stately Tower of Galata, which, with 
 the Palazzo del Podesta, constitutes what may be termed 
 the remnants of the Genoese rule in the Galata of the 
 past. This proud people, who had been here from an 
 early period, escaped the massacre of Mohammed II. ; 
 and although that conqueror rebuilt their tower, and other 
 Sultans have restored it, the entire world associates it 
 with the Genoese. They built a tower on the line of the 
 wall which divided Galata from Pera, and for centuries 
 they held this fortress against all enemies, while the 
 standard of their Republic proudly waved from its 
 summit. 
 
 The tower is round and lofty, of a dark colour, having 
 a conical copper-covered roof, beneath which are windows 
 so near each other that the apartment within is like a 
 glazed gallery or observatory, — which in fact it is, since 
 here are watchmen both day and night, whose office it is 
 to detect the very first indication of any fire that occurs 
 within the wide range of their vision. 
 
 One cause of a certain carelessness as to the conditions 
 in the Petit Champ des Morts may be found in the fact 
 that a large proportion of the graves here are said to be 
 those of the Janissaries. No one regrets that they are 
 safely buried, or cares to do them honour. 
 
 The odour of the cypress is believed to be an antidote 
 to all pestilential vapours; and as each person buried has 
 a separate grave and tree, it naturally results that cypress
 
 CEMETERIES AND FUNERAL CUSTOMS. 259 
 
 groves abound in Constantinople and its vicinity. The 
 central position of the Pera Cemetery, and the close 
 proximity of some of the principal tombs of Stamboul to 
 the very busiest of its streets, seem incongruous to us; 
 but where life is counted as so unimportant as with the 
 Mohammedans, death is viewed with an indifference that 
 we do not comprehend. 
 
 Thus the tomb of Mahmoud is close to the Street of the 
 Divan; and the burial-place of this great Sultan echoes 
 with the noise of traffic, the cries of children, and the 
 rumble of the tramcar, as well as the unending tramp of 
 horses. 
 
 The great cemetery, however, and one of the most 
 remarkable in any country, is that of Scutari, — a veri- 
 table City of the Dead. It is said that the Moslems 
 prefer this spot for burial because they believe that event- 
 ually their people will be driven into Asia, and they 
 do not like the thought of having their bodies left on 
 the European shore when their nation finally crosses 
 the Bosphorus. 
 
 The cypresses in this cemetery are magnificent; indeed, 
 wherever they grow in the East they are majestic and 
 grand. One can but admire the exquisite contrast which 
 the dark, massive jjyramidal form of this tree affords to 
 the blue of the sky and the water, to the fresher verdure 
 of the hills, and to the dazzling whiteness of the minarets, 
 to whose heights it seems to aspire. The growth of the 
 f'y|)rcsscs of Scutari is w^ondrously rapid and luxuriant; 
 and as the cemetery is several miles long, and each grave 
 has a tree, the effect of the cypress forest upon this hill 
 above the Bosi)horus is unique and impressive. 
 
 There are broad avenues through this cemetery where 
 millions have been interred since the Mussulman conquest 
 of Constnntinoi)le. The quarries of the Marmora, which 
 have already furnished countless stones for the graves,
 
 260 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 seem to be inexhaustible, and sufficient to afford grave- 
 stones for the entire human race. Not infrequently one 
 sees the stonecutter carving inscriptions on the columns, 
 many of which are crowned by a coloured fez, which has 
 largely replaced the folded turban of former days. The 
 stones which mark the graves of women arc carved in 
 relief, and the usual designs represent the leaves and fruit 
 of the grape-vine or the flower of the lotus. At tbo foot of 
 these columns a basin-like stone holds flowers, perfumes, 
 and milk, and often serves to feed the l)irds, which are 
 here in vast numbers and are an unending delight. 
 
 Occasional turbehs, or sepulchral kiosks, indicate the 
 graves of families of importance; and in the older part of 
 the cemetery many of the columns are leaning, and some 
 of them are fallen. There are also less agreeable sights, 
 where graves have been disturbed and reveal skulls and 
 other bones, some of which gleam like polished ivory. 
 
 In the modern portions of this great burial-place the 
 whole appearance of things is rapidly changing. There 
 are flower-patches gay with blossoms and other indications 
 that the same spirit which has discarded the feridjc and 
 dressed the Turks in frock-coats is also revolutionizing 
 the appearance of their cemeteries. 
 
 The indifference of the Mohammedans to death is but 
 the natural result of the teaching of the Koran, which is 
 pure fatalism, and declares that the hour of death is 
 imprinted on the forehead of every human being in 
 invisible letters. The common people spit before speaking 
 of death; but in i)olite society whenever it is mentioned 
 it is prefaced by "Far be it from you," or some other 
 equally courteous expression. 
 
 As death approaches, the Moslem is perfectly calm, and 
 his friends rarely show any deep emotion. They gather 
 about his couch ; and if he can speak he exchanges for- 
 giveness with them for anything that may have disturbed
 
 CEMETERIES AND FUNERAL CUSTOMS. 261 
 
 their harmony during life. The dying man frequently 
 makes charitable donations, gives freedom to slaves, and 
 bestows gifts on his friends; but there are no religious 
 ceremonies. No priest is called, or any sacrament admin- 
 istered ; and the only prayers are those repeated by the 
 friends present to ward off the evil spirits that are sup- 
 posed especially to frequent such scenes. 
 
 When death actually takes place, a short time is devoted 
 to the wailing of women, who tear their hair, beat their 
 breasts, and otherwise manifest their grief ; but attention 
 is soon fixed upon preparing for the burial, which occurs 
 as speedily as possible. 
 
 When the departed is a person of consequence, the 
 muezzin chants an announcement of death from the min- 
 aret, and friends are at once summoned to the funeral. 
 
 Every detail in the treatment of the corpse is regulated 
 by religion and custom. The formalities are wearisome, 
 and appear unimportant and even puerile to any but a 
 Moslem, but are all symbolical of something that is of 
 vital importance in his eyes. Everything is done with 
 great care and gentleness, lest those who perform these 
 duties should incur the curse of the dead. The tedious 
 ablutions being ended, the remaining ceremonies are thus 
 described by the author of "The People of Turkey": — 
 
 " The tabout, or coffin, is then bronglit in and placed beside 
 tlie stretcher, both of coarse deal, put together with the rudest 
 workmanship. Before laying the body in the coflin, a piece of 
 new calico double its size is brought. A strip about two inches 
 in width is torn off the edge, and divided into three pieces, which 
 are placed upon three long scarves laid across the shell. Tiie 
 calico, serving as :i shroud, is next stretched in the coffin, and 
 a thousand and one drachms of cotton, with wliich to envelop 
 the corpse, are placed upon it. Some of this cotton is used to 
 stop the issues of tlio ])ody, nnd is put under the nrm-pits and 
 between the lingers and toes. The body is tiicn dressed in o
 
 262 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 sleeveless shirt, called kajlet, and gently placed in the coffin. 
 Pepper is sifted on the eyes, and a saline powder on the face, 
 to preserve from untimely decay ; rose-water is then sprinkled 
 on the face, which is finally enveloped in the remainder of the 
 cotton. The shroud is then drawn over and secured by the three 
 strips of calico, — one tied round the head, the other round the 
 waist, and the third round the feet, — and the coffin is closed 
 down. When all is ready, the guests are admitted, and the Imam, 
 or priest, turning round, asks the crowd : ' congregation ! what 
 do you consider the life of this man to have been? ' ' Good,' is 
 the invariable response. ' Then give helal, forgiveness, to 
 him.' 
 
 " The coffin, covered with shawls and carrying at the head the 
 turban or fez of the deceased hung on a peg, is then borne on 
 the shoulders of four or more individuals, who are constantly 
 relieved by others ; and the funeral procession, composed ex- 
 clusively of men, headed by the Imam and Hodjas, slowly 
 winds its way in silence through the streets to the mosque 
 where the funeral service is to be read. The coffin is deposited 
 on a slab of marble, and a short Namaz^ or prayer, called Mihit 
 Namnz, is performed by the congregation standing. This con- 
 cluded, the procession resumes its way to the burial-ground, 
 where the coffin is deposited by the side of the grave, which 
 for a man is dug to the height of the waist, for a woman up 
 to her shoulder. A small clod of earth left at one end of the 
 excavation, in the direction of the Kib/a, takes the place of a 
 pillow. The coffin is then uncovered, and the body gently 
 lifted out of it by the ends of the three scarves, previously 
 placed under it, and lowered into its last resting-place. A short 
 prayer is then recited, a plank or two laid at a little distance 
 above the body, and the grave is filled up. At this stage all 
 the congregation withdraw, and the Imam is left alone by the 
 side of the grave, where he is believed to enter into mysterious 
 communication with the spirit of the departed, who is supposed 
 to answer all the questions on his creed which his priest puts to 
 him. He is prompted in these answers by two spirits, one good 
 and one evil, who are believed to take their places by his side.
 
 CJiMETERIES AND FUNERAL CUSTOMS. 263 
 
 Should he have been an indifferent follower of the Prophet, and 
 forbidden to enter Paradise, the evil spirit forces him to deny 
 the only true God, and make a profession unto himself. A 
 terrible battle is supposed to ensue in the darkness of the grave 
 between the good and evil spirits called Vanqueur and Veni- 
 rpiexr. The evil being is supposed to be of immense size, his 
 upper lip touching heaven, and his lower, earth ; and he liolds 
 in his hand a huge iron cudgel. The good angel spares not his 
 blows upon the corpse and the evil spirit, until the latter, beaten 
 and disabled, abandons his prey, who by Allah's mercy is finally 
 accepted within the fold of the true believers. This scene, how- 
 ever, is revealed to none by the Imam, and remains a secret be- 
 tween Allah, the departed, and himself. I have questioned 
 several Mohammedans of different classes about this super- 
 stition, and they all appear to believe in it implicitly. Most 
 credulous are the women, who embellish the tale with Oriental 
 exaggeration and wonderful fancies that pass description." 
 
 The funerals of women are conducted in much the same 
 manner as those of men, the chief difference being that a 
 female head-dress takes the place of the fez on the coffin. 
 
 The hasty burial of the Moslems has in times of epi- 
 demics caused the interment of people who were still 
 alive ; but when the knowledge of this is revealed to the 
 Moslem, he calmly attributes it to the fierceness of the 
 struggle with evil spirits after burial. 
 
 Naturally the absolute fatalism of their religion makes 
 the followers of the Prophet careless of the laws of health, 
 and few of them receive any adequate medical attendance 
 when ill. They have no curiosity as to the nature of 
 diseases and their remedies, and post-mortem examinations 
 are unknown. 
 
 It is considered so sinful for )):irents to mourn for their 
 children that the Moslem mothers bravely endeavour to 
 conceal their grief, — all flie more that they are taught that 
 if they mourn unreasonably their children will be driven
 
 264 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 out of Paradise, condemned to wander about weeping 
 and wailing as their parents do. In regard to children 
 whose parents die, the case is reversed. They must 
 mourn all their days, and owe it as a sacred duty to pray 
 continually for the happiness of their parents in Paradise. 
 
 It is usual to distribute a portion of the goods of the 
 deceased among the poor; and on the third, seventh, and 
 fortieth days after the funeral a certain cake made for the 
 purpose is distributed to the poor and to the friends of the 
 family, bread being added on the final day. It is believed 
 that these observances gratify the departed who are in 
 Paradise, and afford a slight alleviation to the sufferings 
 of those who are in torment. 
 
 The Moslems wear no mourning, and make no essential 
 change in their lives by reason of a death. Visits of 
 condolence are made, however, and friends and relatives 
 make a practice of saying prayers for the departed at 
 regular and stated times. But the general sentiment is 
 that whatever is must be, — that it is kismet, and calls 
 for little surprise or regret.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 BIRTH, CIRCUMCISION, AND MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 
 
 THE Turkish customs and ceremonies which attend 
 the birth of a child are tiresome, and, from our 
 point of view, even cruel to both mother and baby. There 
 are almost no skilful medical attendants for such cases, 
 and Nature is left to do its work, save for the assistance — 
 frequently worse than none — of a class of midwives who 
 are from a low caste, and have no scientific knowledge of 
 their profession. 
 
 The baby, as soon as born, is dressed in a chemise and 
 a quilted jacket. Other (}uilted pieces are wrapped around 
 it, and the whole is closely bound with a swathe until the 
 bundle is like a mummy. A silk cap, red in colour, and 
 decorated with gold coins and a pearl tassel, is placed on 
 the little head. As soo© as possible, charms and amulets 
 to ward off the influence of the evil eye are added to this 
 curious apparel ; these consist of verses from the Koran 
 plaited in triangles and sewn in blue cloth, hands and 
 horse-shoes made of blue glass, a bit of alum, and the 
 inevitable head of garlic. 
 
 When all this has been done, as quickly as possible the 
 child is placed in a quilted square of the richest material, 
 with one corner made into a hood. Wrapped in this, 
 with a red gauze veil thrown over the whole, it b(>comcs 
 quite unimportant; and an elaborate couch is prepared for 
 the mother, who must be most uncomfoi-tal)lc in sjiite of 
 the elegance of her sun-oundings. 
 
 The state bed is decorated with the most costly Oriental
 
 266 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 embroideries, silks, and gauzes. Several long pillows, 
 covered first with rich silks and again in cxquisitelj 
 embroidered pillow-cases, are placed at the head and on 
 one side of the bed. The sheets arc of gauze worked with 
 the finest gold thread. One or more coverlets heavily 
 embroidered in silk, with pearls and precious stones occa- 
 sionally added, and lined with exquisite gauze sheets,^ are 
 thrown over the whole ; and here the mother is placed to 
 receive the visit of her husband first, and then, during 
 some days, the calls of friends, bearing gifts and present- 
 ing their congratulations. Her head is enveloped in a 
 red scarf, the charms against the evil eye are added, a 
 stick with an onion on the end is placed in one corner of 
 the room, and the husband is then admitted. 
 
 After wishing all happiness to his wife, the child is 
 put into his arms, and he carries it behind the door, 
 where either he or an Imam reads the proper prayer for 
 the child. The father then shouts the name chosen 
 for the child into its ear three times, and, giving it back 
 to the mother, leaves the room. 
 
 For some days the mother is only allowed to drink a 
 tea made from maidenhair fern, and to taste a sweet, 
 sickening sherbet, composed of candied sugar and spices. 
 Not a drop of water is permitted, and her room is con- 
 stantly filled with friends who eat sweets, drink coffee, 
 and smoke incessantly. Two days after the birth, 
 old women, called Musdadjis, the official bearers of 
 invitations to all ceremonies, are sent out with bottles 
 of sherbet and invitations to a reception on the next 
 day. 
 
 Great preparations are made for this entertainment. 
 Dinners are prepared for the invited guests, and sherbet 
 for the uninvited, as the house is open to all. The dis- 
 tinguished visitors arrive in groups, and send their ser- 
 vants before them, bearing gifts of baskets of sweets, very
 
 BIRTH CEREMONIES. 267 
 
 tastefully arranged, and decorated with gauze and ribbons. 
 Bands of music attend the prominent visitors as they 
 ascend to the chamber of the mother and child. She 
 kisses the hand of the older ladies, and they repeat a 
 salutation which, being translated, is, " Wonderful ! let it 
 be long-lived and happy I " 
 
 Little attention is bestowed on the child, and that little 
 seems to us of a questionable nature. The visitors look 
 at it, ejaculate, "Xaughty, ugly, dirty," and so on, and 
 even spit on it. The Turkish women behave in this 
 manner because there is always a suspicion about flatter- 
 ing and complimentary words ; and if any evil occurs after 
 such have been spoken, it is believed to result from the 
 malice which the flatterer really felt while uttering her 
 sweet-sounding phrases. Great fear is entertained lest 
 the evil eye has been cast on the mother and child ; and as 
 soon as the guests depart, cloves are thrown into a brazier 
 to determine whether this has occurred. If a clove bursts 
 with the heat, alarm is at once taken, and measures to 
 avert the evil are instituted. Hair from the heads of 
 mother and child is burned for the fumigation of the 
 unfortunate pair, while prayers and incantations are said 
 over them, mingled with spittings and blowings, which 
 are continued until a fit of yawning seizes the victims and 
 indicates that the evil spell is overcome. If any one 
 person is suspected of having given the Nazar, or evil 
 influence, an old Avoman hangs about her, and ol)tains, if 
 possible, a scrnp of her dress, which is also burned in the 
 room of the mother and child. 
 
 Of course this description is that of a l)irth ceremony in 
 a wealthy Turkish family. Those of less means follow it 
 as closely as possible; but in all classes there is a con- 
 trolling idea that the mother and child must not ])c left 
 alone, lest they should be possessed l)y fhe I'ciis; and 
 when a poor woman is ol)liged to stay alone, :i l)r(jom is
 
 268 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 placed by the bed to guard her and her baby from these 
 uncanny folk. 
 
 The next important ceremony is the bathing of the 
 mother and child, which occurs on the third day with the 
 poor, and on the eighth day with the rich. If this takes 
 place at home, guests are invited, and an entertainment 
 is served. If it occurs at a })ublic bath, a carpet and bath- 
 ing linen are sent there. This linen is richly embroi- 
 dered and sown with pearls, and is frequently worth some 
 hundreds of dollars. 
 
 The company go to the bath in procession ; the midwife, 
 carrying the child, leading the way. The mother, laying 
 aside her garments, is wrapped in a silk scarf by the bath 
 mistress, and with silver-embroidered pattens on her feet 
 is led into the inner bath, the baby following. The little 
 creature is first bathed with hot water, and vigorously 
 scrubbed in spite of lusty cries of disapproval. This 
 being done, the mother's ablutions are begun by throwing 
 some keys into a basin of water, nuittering prayers over 
 it, and blowing into it three times. Pails of water are 
 then thrown over her, she is assisted in washing her 
 head, and is finally placed in a recumbent position on 
 a central platform, with her head resting on a silver 
 bowl. 
 
 The next operation is very tedious, and the friends of 
 the lady surround her and endeavour to amuse her while 
 her entire person is rubbed with a sort of salve made of 
 spicy preparations and honey, which is thought to be very 
 strength-giving. This remains on the lady about an hour, 
 and is frequently tasted (!) by those near her, as it is con- 
 sidered good luck to get this honne louche. What remains 
 is washed off, and the richly embroidered bathing-dress 
 is put on, when the lady makes the tour of the bath and 
 kisses the hands of the elderly ladies, who give her many 
 good wishes. This bath ceremony occupies the greater
 
 BIRTH CEREMONIES. 269 
 
 part of the day, and refreshments are frequently served 
 to the guests. Much is made of this occasion, as it is 
 only on the birth of a first child that these ceremonies are 
 necessarily observed. With other births the parents can 
 do as they choose. 
 
 One can but pity a Turkish baby so long as it is kept in 
 its cradle, — a narrow wooden box on rockei's, in which is 
 a hard mattress and no pillow. Into this the child is so 
 bound that the head alone can be moved. It is flat on the 
 back, with the arms straight down by the sides, and the 
 legs equally straight, with the toes turned in. 
 
 Fortunately this custom is dying out among the more 
 intelligent Turks and Armenians, who have also used this 
 method ; but the lower classes persist in it, and thus con- 
 tinue to make their children bow-legged and accustomed 
 to toe in when walking. While in the cradle babies are 
 occasionally fed, and suck almost continually a bit of 
 some sweet pre})aration tied in muslin. 
 
 But the most objectionable feature in the care of Turkish 
 babies is the manner in which they are drugged with 
 opium, poppy-heads, and other narcotics, by which they 
 are constantly kept half asleep, and in place of a healthy 
 cry make a sad little moan. They have no appearance 
 of activity, and are rarely hungry. Naturally many 
 maladies arc induced by this treatment, all of which the 
 Turkish mother attributes to the effect of the evil eye, 
 and treats the child with amulets and prayers by old 
 women and sheiks, who are believed to have a gift for 
 healing. Little faith is placed in the advice of doctors, 
 and their directions are not followed. If a child dies, it 
 is fate, — "kismet." 
 
 Death frequently occurs from over-eating in older 
 children, and the weaning-time is a very critical period 
 for a baby, as a basket containing all sorts of sweets nnd 
 fruits is left at its disjMJsal; and many of the distended
 
 270 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 bowels and ungraceful figures of Oriental children are the 
 result of improper feeding. 
 
 The important rite of circumcision is conducted with 
 some strange customs. The boys are from four to ten 
 years old at the time of the ceremony, and the poorer 
 people watch for an occasion when the son of a wealthy 
 man is to be circumcised, and beg that their sons may be 
 allowed to join in the ceremonial. When this occurs in 
 the Imperial Palace, the Sultan is not allowed to refuse 
 any one ; and it has frequently happened that the thousands 
 who apply make an enormous demand upon the public 
 treasury. Other rich men may decide what number they 
 will benefit. 
 
 The iSunnet Duhu7i, as it is called, occupies a week. 
 On Monday the boys first go to the bath, where their hair 
 is plaited with gold threads, and hangs down the back until 
 the moment for cutting it arrives. They are next pro- 
 vided with very rich clothing, their fezes being studded 
 with gems. Dressed in all this finery, they are led from 
 house to house by old women to invite their friends to the 
 ceremonies of the week. The first two days are devoted 
 to entertainments in the selamlik. The third and fourth 
 days are principally spent in the haremlik, where there 
 is music and dancing and much gaiety. The boys also 
 ride through the town in procession, in the company of 
 their Hodjas, or parish priests, the family barber, and 
 friends, as well as bands of music. On returning to the 
 chosen house, the fathers of the boys welcome them, assist 
 them to dismount, at the same time announcing the gifts 
 to be bestowed upon their sons. These may be lands or 
 any other property that the father can afford. If any boy 
 has no relative to give him a portion, the father of the 
 chief boy endows him with some gift. 
 
 Meantime the women prepare beds in the haremlik, to 
 which the boys are carried after the completion of the
 
 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 271 
 
 ceremonial. On this day there are gay doings in both 
 parts of the house; and at times the women all disappear, 
 in order that the men may visit the boys. Many presents 
 are given them as well as to the Hodja and barber, while 
 the old women who announce to the mothers the completion 
 of the ceremony also receive money. 
 
 Every effort is made to amuse the boys until they are 
 taken home, and entertainments still proceed in the prin- 
 cipal house. Hospitality is a virtue of the Turks, and 
 on these occasions it is most liberally shown. They 
 believe it to be a religious duty to provide thus for the 
 sons of the poor. 
 
 There is great mortality among the children of the 
 Turks. One preventive of this is the employment of wet 
 nurses, who are a highly privileged class, and their own 
 sons are foster-brothers of the adopted nursling; or if 
 the child of the nurse is a girl, she is permitted to see 
 her foster-brother freely, in spite of the rigid separation 
 of the sexes under other circumstances. 
 
 The Armenian birth customs very much resemble those 
 of the Turks, and have many superstitions connected with 
 them; but instead of the broom to warn off evil spirits, 
 the image of a saint is used, and the onion replaced by 
 frequent sprinkling of holy water. 
 
 The Turkish wedding ceremonies are burdensome for 
 every one concerned, and arc in many respects childish 
 and inconsequential ; but with orthodox IVIohammcdans 
 nothing of the strict custom may be omitted. 
 
 The bride and groom arc usually mere children, not 
 infrequently eleven and seventeen years old. The alli- 
 ances arc necessarily arranged by the parents or near 
 relatives of these inexperienced youths. A party of the 
 bridegroom's friends, which often includes his mother, 
 visits the house of the bride; and she serves them wilh 
 coffee, kissfs luinds, tnkfs cniply cups, nnd di.s;ij)jic:ii-s.
 
 272 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 From this sliirlit opportunity for seeing the girl she 
 must be described to the young man; and if he is favour- 
 ably impressed, his friends proceed to arrange all the pre- 
 liminaries of the marriage. 
 
 A rich tr<Kisseau is furnished for the bride by her 
 family, but the bridegroom gives her a dowry. This is 
 made necessary by the freedom with which he can divorce 
 her. He has only to say, " Cover thy face ; thy nekyah is 
 in thy hands," and she must go. But fortunately he 
 cannot control her property, and she can take with her 
 all that she owns. If the husband has spoken in haste, 
 he can take her back twice; but if he forgets himself the 
 third time, she must be married to another man before she 
 can return to him. This law is intended for a restraint 
 upon the husbands who too easily declare a divorce. Its 
 results are revolting. The husband hires a man to take 
 his place for one night. He is usually old and of an 
 inferior class. In the morning he leaves the woman, 
 saying, "Thy liberty is thine; thou art no longer my 
 wife." Instances have occurred, however, in which these 
 hired husbands would not thus easily resign their posi- 
 tions, in which case the quick-tempered husband can do 
 nothing. 
 
 Like most things in Turkey, divorce is a man's privilege 
 alone. No matter what a woman has to endure, she can- 
 not leave her husband without his full consent. Some of 
 the cases for which Moslems divorce their wives are bar- 
 renness, poor health, and a quarrelsome disposition. This 
 latter must naturally be very troublesome in a harem, and 
 it is not unlikely that fear of a divorce is necessary for 
 the maintenance of peace in these curiously organized 
 households. 
 
 To return to the marriage ceremonies, the preliminaries 
 being arranged and the amount of dowry agreed upon, the 
 legal requirements of a marriage are fulfilled when a
 
 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 273 
 
 Rodja, priest of the parish in which the bride lives, has 
 assured the Kadi, judge, that the girl is free to marry, 
 and obtains a license for a small sum. 
 
 The bridegroom's mother then visits the bride, and 
 presents her with a piece of red silk and some sugar- 
 plums. The silk is spread on the floor ; and standing on 
 it the bride kisses the hand of her mother-in-law, who 
 in return blesses the bride. The red silk is later made 
 into an under-garment. The bride bites one of the sugar- 
 plums in two, and one half is taken by the mother-in-law 
 to her son as a suggestion of the sweetness which the 
 bride is to bring into his life. 
 
 The next step is taken by the Imam, a priest of higher 
 rank than the Hodja, who goes to the door of the 
 haremlik with a company of the friends of the contract- 
 ing parties. The bride, standing behind the door, is 
 asked three times if she consents to marry the bride- 
 groom, and her three replies are heard by the witnesses. 
 The Hodja then announces the amount of the dowry which 
 the bridegroom has promised, and calls on those present 
 three times to witness the contract, after which this cere- 
 mony is concluded with a short prayer. The witnesses 
 then offer their congratulations in these words, "May 
 Allah grant harmony between their two stars!" 
 
 Thus is the betrothal completed, and the couple most 
 interested in it cannot see each other until after the wed- 
 ding festivities have been held, which may be deferred for 
 years even, during wliich time no communication is per- 
 mitted between the aflianced pair. It is not usual, how- 
 ever, for many weeks to elapse between the end of the 
 betrothal and the wedding. 
 
 The trousseau of a wealthy bride is rich and costly. 
 It includes many sets of bedding, each one having two 
 iiinttroRses, two coverlets, which arc richly embroidered, 
 and covers for the bolsters. Besides these there arc a 
 
 18
 
 274 CONSTANTINOPLE, 
 
 great number of dinner-trays with services, many being 
 of sterling silver. The kitchen utensils are of copper, 
 and very numerous. There must also be furniture for two 
 rooms, covered with gold-embroidered stuffs, as well as a 
 collection of curtains and rugs, and a handsome brazier. 
 
 The large wardrobe of the trousseau includes some 
 costly articles, such as fur jackets, valuable shawls, 
 expensive gowns and cloaks, embroidered slippers and 
 handkerchiefs, parasols, gloves, and many PJuropean 
 articles which have recently come into use by Turkish 
 ladies. 
 
 The Buhun, or wedding ceremony, occupies a week, and 
 is very expensive. Eight days before it begins the bride- 
 groom sends to the home of the bride, with great pomp 
 and ceremony, certain gifts which he must provide, 
 among which is the wedding dress. In very recent years 
 this part of the programme is varied in some instances ; 
 the bridegroom presents a certain sum to the bride, and 
 she purchases such things as he should give her. 
 
 The wedding customs arc slightly varied in different 
 provinces, while Armenian, Greek, and Bulgarian mar- 
 riages are conducted according to their several religions 
 and traditions; but Turkish weddings in Constantinople 
 are essentially alike, and such as are here descri})ed. 
 
 The actual festivities begin on Monday ; and one of the 
 most important matters is the sending of the trousseau to 
 the home of the bridegroom. Many relatives and friends 
 gather at the bride's house for this ])urpose, and the 
 affair is most carefully conducted. The trousseau is 
 carried by hammah, porters, who arc paid a sum of 
 money, and each receive an embroidered handkerchief 
 from the bridegroom's mother. The trousseau being 
 delivered to this lady, or to some one in authority, a 
 party of the bride's friends soon arrive for the purpose of 
 arranging the rooms assigned to the bride.
 
 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 275 
 
 Being first served with coffee and sweets, they proceed 
 to fasten cords along- the walls of the bridal chamber, on 
 which they hang the most important and costly articles 
 of dress, as well as the prayer carpet and furred garments. 
 Above these, on still other cords, the linen and lesser 
 articles are suspended. All being disposed to the best 
 advantage, garlands of artificial flowers are hung above the 
 rows of cords. An alcove is reserved for jewels and other 
 precious objects, which are placed beneath glass shades. 
 
 The bride's corner is converted into a bower by means 
 of artificial vines and blossoms made of crape and silk. 
 One of these bridal rooms, which it requires many hours 
 to arrange, presents a gorgeous appearance. Rich stuffs, 
 gold and silver embroidery, and other beautiful objects 
 are so skilfully mingled as to produce an effect of which 
 a magician might be proud. 
 
 This most important room completed, a second is 
 arranged with the furniture intended for it; and in a 
 third apartment or hall all the bedding — sometimes as 
 many as fifty sets — is spread on cases, and is imposing 
 in its rich silk, its embroidery, and its beautiful cotton 
 stuffs. Beside this the kitchen utensils are displayed. 
 Even the dust-pans are beautiful, made of walnut-wood 
 inlaid with silver. Many articles are inlaid with mother- 
 of-pearl; and the candelabra, stools, trays, and various 
 objects in ivory and crystal are in striking contrast 
 with the brilliant rich colouring of the copper kitchen 
 furnishings. 
 
 On Tuesday the luidcgroom is called on for the 
 expenses of the bride's bath, which is conducted with 
 great ceremony and care. On this day she must wear 
 borrowed garments, the reason for which I cannot learn. 
 Before leaving the bath the bride passes three times 
 around the centre platform, and kisses the hands of all 
 the guests.
 
 276 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 Wednesday is an important day, as the lady friends of 
 the bridegroom then visit the bride. They are conducted 
 upstairs to a separate apartment from that occupied by 
 the friends of the bride, and the two parties do not meet. 
 Bitter coffee and cigarettes are first in order, after which 
 sweet coffee is brought, and the bride is led into the room 
 by two hanouma, — women of importance who have been 
 married but once. She first kisses the hand of her 
 mother-in-law, and then that of each visitor present, after 
 which she sits a brief time beside her new mother while 
 they exchange bits of masticated sugar, which symbolizes 
 the harmony in which they intend to live with each other. 
 
 Dancing-girls and musicians entertain the two assem- 
 blies of guests by turn, and each visitor bestows small 
 pieces of money on them. When the friends of the groom 
 are about to leave, the bride is taken to the door; and as 
 the guests pass out, they shower her with small coins. 
 Great freedom is allowed to children, beggars, and all 
 sorts of street-venders on the occasion of a wedding ; and 
 there is a serious scramble by these people for the coins, 
 as they are believed to bring good luck to those who 
 secure them. 
 
 A general invitation is given to the Kena ceremony — 
 or the application of the henna — which occurs on Wed- 
 nesday evening, although it more especially concerns the 
 maiden friends of the bride. When the proper hour 
 arrives, the garden is illuminated, and a procession is 
 led by the bride and the dancing-girls. Each person 
 carries a taper, which lights up her jewels and the colours 
 of her costume as well as the flowers of the garden ; and 
 when this is extensive and fine, the whole effect is inde- 
 scribably weird and unusual, as the procession winds in 
 and out of the various paths to the music of the castanets 
 and a wild, semi-barbaric sort of singing. 
 
 Towards morning the henna mixture is made ready;
 
 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 277 
 
 and the bride, without lier wedding clothes, enters a room 
 where her mother-in-law awaits her. She shades her 
 eyes with her left arm, and is seated in the centre of the 
 apartment. Her right hand is covered with a scarf, and 
 then plastered with henna, on which the mother-in-law 
 first sticks a gold coin, and all present follow her example. 
 This ceremony is repeated with the left hand, and the feet 
 are also stained with henna. While the henna is impart- 
 ing its dye, a most immodest and revolting dance is per- 
 formed, accompanied with indecent songs and gestures. 
 
 The most solemn and impressive of all the wedding 
 ceremonies is the girding of the bride by her father, which 
 occurs just before her leaving home, and is witnessed by 
 her mother and sisters, wdio, as well as the father, are 
 usually in tears. The bride falls at her father's feet, 
 which she kisses. She also kisses his hands; while he 
 raises her, embraces her. and puts on her the bridal 
 girdle, while giving her his parental advice and his 
 blessing. 
 
 The hour on Friday at which the friends of the bride- 
 groom conduct the bride to his house varies from early 
 morning to late afternoon, but he does not see her until 
 evening. He goes to the mosque to pray ; and the Imam 
 accompanies him home, where a short prayer is said, to 
 which the guests all cry, "Amin, Amin ! " The much- 
 tried bridegroom is then pushed into his house amid a 
 shower of blows; and the company, being once more 
 refreshed at his cost, at length leaves his house in peace 
 for a few hours. 
 
 As the bridegroom ascends the stairs, he finds in the 
 way a bowl of water, which he kicks over. He is then met 
 by the Koulavoitz, who leads him to the bridal ai)artment, 
 where the bride receives him by rising and kissing his 
 hand. Her veil is then removed, and spread on the floor. 
 The husband kneels on it, and recites a prayer, while the
 
 278 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 wife stands on its border behind him. They then sit 
 down side by side; and the old hidy puts their heads 
 together and hokls a mirror befoi'e them, that they may 
 thus take their first good look at each other, after which 
 they are served with coffee and left alone. 
 
 A very curious feature of these ceremonies is now in 
 order. The bridal suj3per cannot be served until the hus- 
 band has induced the bride to speak to him ; and she has 
 been advised by her married friends to keep silence as 
 long as possible. This situation is most tantalizing to 
 the husband, as he can assume no control over his wife 
 until she replies to his questions. When at length he 
 succeeds in obtaining a few words from her, he makes a 
 signal for the supper to be served, and, having eaten 
 together, the poor Ijride is permitted to lay aside her 
 wedding finery, and is left alone with her husband. 
 
 But, alas ! this is not all. The tiresome ceremonies 
 which have now continued five days must continue two 
 njore. On Saturday great crowds of women — some with 
 invitations and many without — go to gaze at the bride, 
 who is again arrayed in all her splendour; for the wed- 
 ding dress is embroidered in pearls and gold, and costs 
 several hundreds of dollars. Innumerable gifts are made, 
 and various childish and monotonous amusements are 
 introduced. Conversation is accompanied by continual 
 smoking, coffee and sherbet drinking, while immodest 
 dancing and obscene remarks are not infrequent. The 
 vast expense of weddings in rich families is increased by 
 the fact that the entertainments proceed in the houses of 
 both bride and groom; and the cost taxes the family 
 revenues for years. 
 
 When the young couple belong to the highest circles, 
 the bride is frequently escorted to her new home by a 
 procession of mounted soldiers, officials of rank, and 
 numerous friends. The carriage of the bride is followed
 
 MARRIAGE CEREMONIES. 279 
 
 by others filled with her relatives and other ladies. I 
 have seen such a procession that was really imposing. It 
 was led by several companies of soldiers splendidly 
 mounted and finely dressed. The musicians were also 
 riding fine horses, and were followed by still other 
 military and civil officials. 
 
 There were three scarlet and gold state carriages that 
 were as effective as those that make the treasures of many 
 European museums. Each of these was drawn by four 
 spirited horses, while the coachman and eunuch on the 
 box, and the two footmen on the rack behind were in 
 scarlet and gold uniforms, the two latter with powdered 
 wigs and white silk hose. Many other elegant carriages 
 filled Avith ladies followed, and the whole cortege was 
 extremely brilliant. 
 
 When the bride is thus escorted to her future home, her 
 husband meets her at the door, gives her his arm, and 
 conducts her to the bridal bower, before which they con- 
 tend as to which shall first be seated. Each endeavours 
 to step on the foot of the other, and the successful one is 
 thought to have the right of supremacy and decision in 
 such matters as mutually concern them. 
 
 Possibly marriages of choice or romantic marriages 
 occur among the Turks ; but they are rare, and the con- 
 trary is more often true, while unsuitable matches for 
 purely selfish motives arc constantly made. Not infre- 
 quently a Turk marries a deformed or disagreeable wife 
 who can bring him rank or fortune, knowing that he may 
 have three other wives who are more to his taste, and as 
 many odalisks as he can support. It is readily seen that 
 so long as i)lural wives and liarems exist, the women of 
 Turkey must remain in a })itia))le and degraded condition, 
 tlu; essenlial miseiT of which is Imt little affected by the 
 changes they have been permitted to make in matters of 
 dress and a few unimportant customs.
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 SUPERSTITIONS, DERVISHES, RAMADAN, AND FATALISM. 
 
 IT is frequently said that no one is entirely free from 
 superstition. One person will not sit at table with 
 thirteen, another will begin no journey or other matter 
 of importance on Friday, and many are certain of some 
 " bad luck " if they happen to see a new moon over the 
 left shoulder. These common and frivolous superstitions, 
 however, seem to have no real effect on the lives of those 
 who cherish them, any more than does the drawing on of 
 the left stocking before the right, which some sensible 
 people esteem to be a grave matter. 
 
 Turkish superstitions are not so lightly considered. 
 They are far reaching in their effects, and not a few 
 human beings are permitted to die from curable maladies 
 because the friends of the patient, and even the patient 
 himself, believe that the illness is caused by witchery. 
 The most simple and natural acts of one's life are thought 
 to be concerned with the supernatural. Plain and simple 
 reasons for what happens are almost entirely ignored; 
 while magicians, spirits, the power of the evil eye, and 
 similar explanations are given for all the ordinary occur- 
 rences of life. These conditions are rendered as bad as 
 possible by the fact that no reasonable methods are fol- 
 lowed for the removal of evil influences and the cure of 
 the sufferers. The incantations and villainous doses of 
 quack-seers are the only recognized cures, and these 
 seers are frequently disgusting old women who should be 
 excluded from all communication with human beings.
 
 SUPERSTITIONS. 281 
 
 Certain localities are believed to be haunted by such 
 armies of ghosts, vampires, Peris, and other frightful 
 spirits, that they are shunned if possible ; or if they must 
 be visited, it is done with fear, with incantations against 
 the evil influences, and with all possible haste. The 
 many superstitions which cluster around Mount Olympus 
 belong of right to the Greeks; but the Turks arc singu- 
 larly ready to adopt the superstitions of other nations, 
 while carefully cherishing their own. 
 
 The deserted villages around Olympus are believed to 
 be inhabited by the ghosts of the Klephts, which can 
 never be laid to rest until their wrongs are avenged. 
 Annually on the day of the patron saint of this region a 
 pilgrimage is made ; and the descendants of the Klephts, 
 from the oldest to the youngest, are brought here to offer 
 such prayers as shall calm the disturbed spirits of the 
 dead, while they also keep alive the remembrance of their 
 wrongs and the desire to avenge them. 
 
 Turkish legends and poems are full of the most fear- 
 ful tales of horrid spectres, of which the vampire — 
 Vrykolakas — is the most repulsive and frightful. The 
 Greeks have an intense fear that their dead relatives may 
 become vampires. They visit their graves to judge 
 whether they rest in peace or not ; and if a body does not 
 quickly decompose, they use means to calm the unhappy 
 spirit. 
 
 To combat all these dreaded influences, the Turk has 
 recourse to his amulets and prayers; while his neighbour, 
 the equally superstitious Christian, appeals to Christ, io 
 the "Virgin, and clas[)S his cross and other images, which 
 he believes to be effective in dispelling the presence and 
 destroying the i)0wcr of these uncanny beings. 
 
 Happily everything has its opposite, and the Turks also 
 believe that good and benevolent i)owcrs exist among the 
 throngs of supernatural beings who surround them. To
 
 282 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 these they look for cures and for the alleviation of many 
 ills. Certain mineral baths which cure some maladies 
 are thought to do this through the aid of the beneficent 
 and invisible beings who haunt their waters. In short, 
 each precinct, each fountain, each bath, as well as each 
 grave, has its especial genii. 
 
 The belief in magic is so sincere that all who have any 
 important end to attain endeavour to add some charm to 
 their other methods of accomplishing what they desire ; and 
 all misfortunes, estrangements, and worries are promptly 
 attributed to spells, that of the evil eye which has been 
 cast upon the sufferer being most frequently regarded as 
 the untoward influence. The result is readily seen. 
 These people live in continual torment through the fear 
 of magic. 
 
 The throwing of the huyu hoghcha is an almost uni- 
 versal custom. This is made up of earth, charcoal, hair, 
 human bones, and some bit of the clothing of the intended 
 victim, all tied in a rag. If it is desired that the victim 
 shall die, this bundle represents his heart, and forty-one 
 needles are thrust into it. High and low resort to the 
 huyu hoghcha alike ; and it is believed to destroy or restore 
 love, according to the wish with which it is thrown. It 
 is said that after Sultan Abdul-Aziz was removed from 
 his palace an almost countless number of these bundles 
 was found in his apartments. Many were also found in 
 the rooms of Sultan Abdul-Medjid. The Validch Sultana, 
 the favourites of the Sultan, the viziers, the chief of the 
 eunuchs, and the numerous women of the harem, all try 
 this means of obtaining or strengthening their hold upon 
 the Padishah, who believes in the magical power of this 
 spell, and lives in constant dread of it. 
 
 The antidotes against the evil eye are numerous, many 
 of them being simple and harmless, such as blue glass, 
 turquoises, pearls, alum, wild thyme, bloodstone, carne-
 
 SUPERSTITIONS. 283 
 
 Han, written amulets, a certain gland from the neck of 
 an ass, hares' heads, terebinth, garlic, ostrich eggs, and 
 many other small objects which can be worn constantly. 
 
 The cures for those who have fallen victims to the 
 unfriendly glance are equally varied, and some of them 
 are extremely disagreeable. Sprinkling with holy water, 
 fumigating with the smoke of the Easter Palms, and 
 wearing sacred amulets are the chief remedies employed 
 by the Christians ; but the more ignorant of the various 
 superstitious peoples of Turkey employ many curious 
 spells against the Nazar. Six grains of salt are put on 
 each eye of the victim, and then burned with curses. Six 
 pieces of charcoal are put in a green vessel, and water 
 poured over them while making the sign of the cross. A 
 part of this water the patient drinks, bathes his face and 
 hands in the remainder, and then throws it on the ground. 
 Cloves are frequently placed on live coals in order to 
 detect the presence of the evil eye ; and if any explode, the 
 Nazar is surely present, and must be exorcised. Among 
 a certain class of very ignorant people, it is customary to 
 string the heads of forty small fish on a certain day in 
 February and hang them up to dry. Whenever a child is 
 thought to be the victim of the evil eye, these fish -heads 
 are soaked, and the poor sufferer is made to drink of the 
 nauseous and disgusting fluid. 
 
 A full account of the ])reventives and antidotes employed 
 against the malign influences of magic and of super- 
 natural beings would i-equii-e a volume; and in the use of 
 these, asti-ologers, fortune-tellers, and dream-readers arc 
 constantly consulted. One ol)vious effect of this widely 
 s])read and deeply rooted siqjerstition is to necessitat(! the 
 greatest caution in expressing praise or censure of any 
 person or thing. If you admire beauty, you arc thouglit 
 to envy it, and it follows that you will endeavour to destroy 
 it. If you praise an object, fc;ir is at once excited lest it
 
 284 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 should be spirited away, and a thousand innocent words 
 and glances are misinterpreted through the influence of 
 this omnipresent superstition. Dark-eyed people are 
 thought to be less dangerous than those with gray or blue 
 eyes, and those with red hair are always suspected of 
 witchcraft. 
 
 Certain remedies are thought to be necessary at certain 
 seasons, such as blood-letting in the spring, when the 
 gypsies sell living vipers to be used medicinally, the 
 exact manner of their use being unknown to me. Freshly 
 killed frogs and birds are used as a sort of poultice to 
 draw out pain ; and many curiously ineffective means are 
 relied on for driving away vermin, with a tenacity of 
 faith worthy of a better cause. The priests sell papers 
 on which sentences are written, and these are nailed to 
 the walls of the infested houses ; or on a certain day of 
 the year copper pans are beaten all over the house, while 
 serpents, scorpions, and all small vermin are vociferously 
 warned to flee. 
 
 One very curious feature of these superstitious customs 
 is the way in which Mohammedans and Christians, who 
 are so at variance in other matters, are agreed in these 
 practices. It is not unusual for these widely differing 
 sects to visit the sacred places of their religious oppo- 
 nents, especially when these shrines are noted for their 
 curative effects. Turkish children arc taken to Armenian 
 churches to be healed by the prayers of Armenian priests, 
 and Christian invalids return these compliments by being 
 blown upon, and even spat upon by Hodjas. I have heard 
 of cases in which Christians have taken their invalids to 
 the dervishes for cures, just as the Moslems take their 
 afflicted ones. 
 
 So great is the belief in dreams that the most important 
 transactions are controlled by them. The young girl 
 believes that happy dreams foretell her future bliss. Men
 
 SUPERSTITIONS. 285 
 
 of far-reacliing ambitions are encouraged or depressed by 
 dreams. Marriages are broken off by reason of unfavour- 
 able dreams, and alliances that had never been suggested 
 are brought about by more propitious visions. Indeed 
 the fate of a man, and of all who are related to him, may 
 easily be entirely changed by a dream; and wily people 
 frequently make use of a dream, and through their own 
 interpretation of it accomplish what would otherwise have 
 been impossible. 
 
 When one attempts to understand the importance which 
 the Turk attaches to omens, he soon comes to feel that 
 this is absolutely the only vital thought to these followers 
 of the Prophet. Every minute circumstance of life is an 
 omen. No Turk will throw away his nail-parings, lest if 
 he does so he shall 1)0 without nails at the resurrection! 
 All minor accidents forebode disasters. To break a mirr(jr 
 or spill oil indicates misfortune close at hand; and from 
 the lowest to the highest these omens are constantly in 
 mind. 
 
 When the birth of Abdul-Aziz was announced to his 
 father, the latter was in his bath, and was greatly dis- 
 turbed that he should have heard such news when 
 unclothed, since he interpreted the omen to mean that 
 his son, a future Sultan, would leave his i)ooj)lc and 
 country naked. We must admit that this jjredii'tion was 
 realized, even if we do not accept the omen; and where 
 such numberless superstitions are cherished, such coin- 
 cidences are naturally of frequent occurrence, — all the 
 more as omens are differently read by different seers, and 
 necessarily some one reader of mysteries will chance to 
 foretell what will actually occur. Predictions, too, carry 
 great weight with the Turks; and at certain important 
 junctures prophets and astrologers are consulted, and if 
 their predictions prove untrue, they are in great danger 
 of losing their lives. For Ibis reason they use a language
 
 286 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 SO cunningly mysterious that it may be construed to mean 
 whatever may happen. 
 
 After the death of Abdul-Aziz an important prediction 
 was made to the effect that seven sultans must rule and 
 most of them be slain, before the Turkish power cor be 
 firmly established. I am told that the present S .an, 
 Abdul-Hamid 11. , is in constant terror of cholera, as it 
 has been predicted that he will die of this plague. 
 
 The absolute control which superstition exerts over 
 Moslems, and their unquestioning faith in all soi .s of 
 supernatural powers, account in great measure for the 
 popular acceptance of the dervishes to the neglect and 
 even scorn of the Ulema, or orthodox clergy and learned 
 men of Islam. 
 
 The C/^(?ma embrace three principal orders, — the Iniams^ 
 or Ministers of Religion; the Muftis, who expound the 
 Sacred Law ; and the Kadis, or MoUahs, who are juages. 
 The Sheik-ul-Islam is the spiritual head of all Moham- 
 medans, and even the Sultan cannot deprive him of his 
 life or of his property. This exalted religious official 
 wields immense power, and can under certain circum- 
 stances sentence the Sultan to deposition or death. In 
 fact, neither of these penalties can be inflicted on a Sultan 
 except under the authority of a fetvah, or order, from the 
 Sheik-ul-Islam. 
 
 The dervishes, who are hated by the Ulema, are per- 
 sistently supported by the people. Their power rests on 
 their claim to inspiration.. They are believed to be 
 miracle-workers, and as such are sincerely venerated. 
 Moreover, they scorn rich and titled men, and work in 
 behalf of the masses. This fixes the affection of the 
 people on them; and so powerful is Turkish superstition 
 that even the wealthy and exalted, whom the dervish 
 curses, often seek his apj)robation and blessing. The 
 boldness of the dervishes in their reproofs and even
 
 DERVISHES. 287 
 
 anathemas against all who offend them is proverbial ; and 
 their escape from the consequences of their words is owing 
 to the fear of the masses, who believe in the supernatural 
 pow s of these fanatics. This l)elief is strengthened by 
 the 'observation of the manner in which these men 
 eudu d hardships, and the uneducated firmly believe that 
 the good or evil wishes of a dervish will surely be 
 realized. They have unbounded faith, too, in their healing 
 powers ; and the sick, especially children, are taken to the 
 public services of the dervishes, week after week, in the 
 confident hope of their cure; and even Christians, 
 influenced by what they see and hear of the wonders 
 performed by the dervishes, are occasionally known to 
 put their sick under the treatment of these strangely 
 repulsive beings. 
 
 The dervishes are very numerous, and are of various 
 nationalities. There are many different orders among 
 them, and individual dervishes vary in character as widely 
 as it is possible for men to do. There are those of l)road 
 culture and enlightened views who chei-ish naught but 
 good-will towards humanity. Others arc. men of the 
 most brutal and sensual depravity, which proclaims itself 
 in foul aljuse of others and in vicious cunning, while 
 their lives are an absolute contradiction of the asceticism 
 which they profess. The wandering dervishes roam 
 through all Mohammedan countries, a-nd are skilful in 
 arousing the passions of the people in times of war or of 
 political excitement. Many of them join the moving 
 armies, and play upon the religious feeling of both officers 
 and soldiers Ijy every argument at their command. Afany 
 instances can be given in which some one dervish of this 
 class has exerted an almost superhuman influence in 
 arousing the Moslem hatred of Christians, and initiating 
 the most frightful persecutions. 
 
 The three importani iMr.tlicilioods among the dervishes
 
 288 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 are the Mevlevi, or whirling dervishes; the RifaH, or 
 howling dervishes, and the BektasMs. The last are very 
 numerous, and deem themselves the most important 
 religious sect of the whole world, on account of the miracu- 
 lous manner of their founding by Iladji Bektash, the 
 same holy man who blessed the Janissaries after their 
 institution by Sultan Orchan, and gave them their name, 
 — Yeni cheri, "the new troop." Most of the Janissaries 
 became Bektashis, and combined the s{)irit of the monk 
 with the profession of the soldier in such wise as to render 
 them a most formidable body. They have been called the 
 " Knights Templars of Islam. " 
 
 Strictly orthodox Moslems gradually came to regard 
 the Bektashis with the same disapproval that they felt for 
 the Janissaries ; and after the extinction of the soldiers a 
 persecution of the monks was inaugurated, which has been 
 especially cruel in Albania, where the Bektashis were 
 numerous and popular. One of the chief offences of these 
 dervishes, in the eyes of strict Mohammedans, is the 
 manner in which their wives are permitted to dispense 
 with the customs of concealment, so vitally important to 
 the true followers of the Prophet. 
 
 There is much to approve and even to admire in the 
 creed and rules of the Bcktashi order ; but the forgetful- 
 ness of these rules manifested in the lives of these men 
 makes it impossible to believe in any essential self-dedica- 
 tion to a religious life, such as is implied in the solemn 
 words of their Sheik when he receives them into the 
 brotherhood. He puts a stone in the girdle of the new 
 brother, which he withdraws and replaces seven times, 
 saying, "I tie up greediness and unbind generosity; 1 
 tie up anger and unbind meekness; 1 tie up ignorance 
 and unbind the fear of God ; I tie up passion and unbind 
 the love of God; I tie up the devilish and unbind the 
 divine."
 
 RAMADAN. 289 
 
 Mohammedan customs vary but little in the countries 
 where the religion of the Prophet is that of the govern- 
 ment. Friday is the Sunday of the Moslems, but is 
 not observed with the strictness with which Christians 
 keep their Sabbath. Moslem men go to the mosque for 
 prayer, and there is a part of the mosque to which 
 women may go; but except in the season of Ramadan 
 but few women frequent the mosques, and these are prin- 
 cipally so old that their comings and goings occasion no 
 comment. 
 
 The fast of Ramadan is a very important feature of the 
 religious duty of the Moslem. It is a season of fasting 
 by day and feasting by night. The poorest and hardest- 
 working classes are most faithful in their observance of 
 it; and it tells severely on them, for they labor as hard 
 as when not fasting, and can eat nothing until the sunset 
 gun is fired. Among the better classes the fast is more 
 strictly observed by the women than by the men ; in fact, 
 I am told that while the officials and gentlemen of 
 Tui-koy show an outward respect to Ramadan, on account 
 of the hold it has upon the masses, they care but little 
 for it personally. There are still, however, many good 
 Moslems who devote a large part of this month to the 
 study of the Koran and to good works, to hospitality 
 and almsgiving, and to the cultivation of peace and 
 charity with all men. The author of "The People of 
 Turkey " gives the following account of some Ramadan 
 customs : — 
 
 " Last year I went dressed as a Turkish lady to the evening 
 prayer during the fast. It was a strange sight to me, and tlio 
 excitement was increased by tlie knowledge of tlie unpleasant 
 consequences that would follow the penetration of my disguise. 
 The Turkish women seemed out of place there ; their levity con- 
 trasted markedly with the grave bearing of the men on the other 
 side of the pMi-tition. The view I thus obtained of the beauti 
 
 ] I
 
 290 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 fill mosque of Sultan Ahmet was singularly impressive. The 
 IJlema iu their green aud white turbans and graceful robes, ab- 
 sorbed in the performance of their religious duties ; officers in 
 bright uniforms, and civilians in red fez and black coat, side by 
 side with wild-looking dervishes, and the common people in 
 the varied and picturesque costumes of the different nations, — 
 all knelt in rows upon the soft carpets, or went through the 
 various postures of that religion before which all men are equal. 
 Not a whisper disturbed the clear, melodious voice of the old 
 Hodja, as he pronounced the Terravi prayers, which the congre- 
 gation took up in chorus, now prostrating their faces on the 
 ground, now slowly rising; you could fancy it a green corn- 
 field, studded witli poppies, billowing under the breeze. Above 
 were the numberless lamps that shone in the stately dome. . . . 
 " I have often partaken of an Iftar, or Ramadan dinner. It 
 is very curious to observe the pliysiognomy of the Terrialus, or 
 great smokers and coffee-drinkers, who, as the moment of in- 
 dulgence approaches, become restless and cross, now sighing 
 for the firing of the gun that proclaims the fast at an end, now 
 indulging in bad language to the people who gather round and 
 tease them. As the sun approaches the horizon, a tray is 
 brought in laden with all sorts of sweets, salads, salt-fish, Ram- 
 adan cakes, fruit and olives, contained in the tiniest coffee- 
 saucers, together with goblets of delicious iced sherbet. When 
 the fun is fired, every one utters a Bismillah and takes an olive, 
 that fruit being considered five times more blessed than watet 
 to break the fast with. After the contents of the tray have 
 been sparingly partaken of, dinner is announced, and all gather 
 round the sofm; few, however, eat with appetite, or relish the 
 dinner half so much as they do the cup of coffee and cigarettes 
 that follow. 
 
 " During Ramadan night is turned into day, and the streets 
 then remind one of carnival time in Catholic countries. The 
 wealthy sit up all night, receiving and returning calls, giving 
 evening parties, spending the time in a round of feasts and 
 entertainments. At Stamboul, when the prayer of the Terravi 
 — which is recited two hours after sunset — is over in the
 
 RAMADAN. 201 
 
 mosque, all the people betake themselves to the esplanade of 
 the Suliraanieh, and hundreds of elegant carriages containing 
 Turkish beauties may be seen cutting their way through the 
 dense crowd of promenaders. The bazaars are illuminated, 
 and all the fruit and refreshment shops are open. Eating, 
 drinking sherbet, and smoking is the order of the evening, 
 besides a great amount of flirtation. I cannot say that there is 
 much taste or refinement in this unusual but tacitly recognized 
 passing intercourse. The ladies all appear in high spirits, and 
 tolerate, and even seem amused by, the acts of gross imperti- 
 nence to which they are subjected by male passers-by. Some 
 of the fast men andmauvais sujets indulge in acts and langua<i^e 
 that would certainly cause the interference of the police in an 
 orderly society. . . . The little respect paid to women in this 
 indiscriminate melee, where the dignity of tlie Sultana was no 
 more regarded than the modesty of the lowly pedestrian, struck 
 me forcibly. It made the greater impression on me as it con- 
 trasted strongly with the respect paid to her under other cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 "Three hours before dawn, drums are beaten and verses sung 
 through the streets to warn the people to prepare for the sahor, 
 or supper, after wliich an hour's leisure is accorded for smoking 
 and coffee-drinking, when tlie firing of a gun announces the 
 moment for rinsing the mouth and sealing it against food until 
 sunset. All business is put off by the wealthy during the day, 
 which is filled up by sleep ; while the poor go through the day's 
 work unre freshed." 
 
 Pilgrimages arc not now considered by tlu^ Moslems 
 so obligatory as they formerly were; and yet the assem- 
 bling and departure of the pilgrims which occurs fifteen 
 days before the beginning of Ramadan is one of the most 
 interesting sights for the stranger in Constantinople. 
 The great pilgrimage embraces visits to Damascus, Jeru- 
 salem, Mecca, and Medina, — the most sacred spots of the 
 whole earth to the Mohammedan. Those who are will- 
 ing to undergo the hardships, fatigues, and dangers of
 
 292 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 this terrible journey receive certain aid from the govern- 
 ment, in the way of free passes and certain other privi- 
 leges. Returning, they must bear a special tattoo-mark 
 on the arm and between the thumb and forefinger, which 
 is the sign and seal of the faithful performance of this 
 pilgrimage. We have not space for any adequate descrip- 
 tion of this journey, to which many lives are annually 
 sacrificed. 
 
 If the religions of the world are examined, it is difficult 
 to find one that has no hint of al)clief in an inevitable des- 
 tiny ; but it has been left for the followers of Mohammed 
 gradually to assume, teach, and act upon the principle 
 that if fate — kismet — has ordained a thing, no human 
 effort can avert it. The Prophet did not teach this doc- 
 trine in its present absolutism; for to-day, in Turkey, 
 whatever occurs, from the gravest matter which affects 
 the entire nation to the most insignificant detail in the 
 life of the humblest individual, is due to kismet; and kis- 
 met alone is regarded as the cause of everything alike. 
 
 The demoralizing effect of this doctrine in personal life 
 is easily apprehended. No one strives energetically to 
 accomplish anything, no matter how capable he may be 
 or how ambitious, because of this upas-tree of doctrine 
 which forever hangs over him. He does nothing; he 
 simply smokes, and waits to observe what his kismet will 
 bring to him. 
 
 Taking a wider view, that which renders the individual 
 of no account, works out the same result in the nation; 
 and to this blind and absolute belief in kismet may be 
 largely attributed the inefficiency and weakness of the 
 descendants of the great Orchan, Mohammed II., and 
 Suleiman the Magnificent, who, Moslems as they were, 
 submitted to no adverse fate without bravely struggling 
 against it. 
 
 The one endeavour of the absolute fatalist is to stifle all
 
 FATALISM. 293 
 
 emotion; to accei)t with equanimity both good and bad 
 fortune; to attain to the full spirit of the word "Moslem," 
 which may be translated " resigned ; " and if he succeeds 
 in his design, he becomes less even than the beasts, who 
 strive to feed themselves rather than starve, and to 
 protect their young rather than let them die by any 
 untoward fate.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 EDUCATION IN CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 THE evil influences of the harem system are by no 
 means exhausted in their effects upon the mothers, 
 but are visited upon the chiklren with a double severity. 
 The influence that a mother should have over her chil- 
 dren in leading them to all that is good and great is 
 acknowledged by all civilized nations; but what can be 
 expected from mothers who are as degraded as Turkish 
 mothers ? 
 
 In many directions these women are as childish and 
 as much in need of guidance as the children themselves. 
 Not infrequently the disobedience or misbehaviour of the 
 child simply arouses the temper of the mother, and a 
 brawl ensues ; they strike, abuse, and even curse each 
 other with great energy. And little boys learn at an 
 early age to hold themselves sujjcrior to every living 
 member of the opposite sex, their own mothers being 
 singularly unimportant. In the presence of the father, 
 and other men, among the better classes, children are 
 quiet, and even unnaturally sedate ; but at no other time 
 are they under any restraint. Neither is there any 
 proper method or system in the care bestowed on chil- 
 dren. They have no regular hours for sleep, their phys- 
 ical cleanliness is much neglected, and they are dressed 
 in the most slovenly and careless manner; while no wis- 
 dom is used in the regulation of their diet, and they are 
 absolutely objects of pity, and fit subjects for diseases of 
 all sorts. They are also under the worst of moral influ-
 
 EDUCATION IN CONSTANTINOPLE. 295 
 
 ences, constantly witnessing deceit and the exhibition 
 of the most contemptible traits of character, while they 
 listen to vulgar and disgusting conversation, nothing 
 being withheld on account of their presence. Such is 
 the life of children whose parents are opposed to all 
 change, and object to the companionship and influence 
 of Europeans. 
 
 In recent years, however, there have been instances in 
 which the little girls in Turkish families have been given 
 a slight education. They have been taught to use a 
 needle, and to occupy themselves in certain feminine 
 ways; but the Turks so fear a spirit of independence or 
 insubordination in their daughters, that progress in this 
 direction is discouragingly slow. Comparatively few 
 Turkish girls arc provided with European governesses, 
 taught European languages, or given anything that merits 
 the name of education. 
 
 The boys of the best Turkish families have been sent 
 to study in Europe for some years, and are frequently 
 fond of study and quick to acquire knowledge. But it 
 also happens that these boys prefer the study of Euro))ean 
 life before that of the schools; and their acquaintance 
 with ballet-dancers and other people who amuse theui 
 and help to spend the liberal supplies of money whicli 
 they receive, is far more intimate than with (he studies 
 they are sui)poscd to i)ursue. 
 
 Returning to Turkey, they are anything but useful men ; 
 for if they iucliuo to be good Mohamuiedans, it is almost 
 impossiljlc for (hem to approve of such progressive move- 
 ments as would Ijcnefit their country. If, on the other 
 hand, they have essentially thrown off the Moslem religion, 
 they have acquired nothing of serious value with which 
 to replace it; they are simi)ly sceptics, — or perhaps that 
 word they so freely apply to Christians — Ginnur, 
 infidel — better expresses what they have become. Ilav-
 
 296 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 ing thus no principle or governing motive of their own, 
 they arc incapable of conferring benefits on others or 
 of advancing the interests of their country and their 
 people. 
 
 Within the present century attempts have been made 
 to raise the standard of education in Turkey. No schools 
 worth mentioning exist in country villages, but in Con- 
 stantinople and in the chief cities of Turkey there are 
 preparatory schools in which the elements of mathematics, 
 /geography, and the history of Turkey are taught. From 
 these the pupils pass to a higher grade of schools, also 
 preparatory, in which gratuitous instruction is given in 
 such branches as shall fit them for the professions which 
 they propose to follow. The courses in these schools 
 require from three to five years of study, and are followed 
 by the marine, artillery, and medical schools. There are 
 also, at Constantinople, schools for teaching foreign lan- 
 guages to those whose employment in government offices 
 demands such knowledge; others for the instruction of 
 teachers for the various schools, for mechanical teaching, 
 and certain other technical instruction. 
 
 But, alas ! the wise plan of these institutions, originat- 
 ing with the sagacious Sultan Mahmoud and inaugurated 
 by him with great difficulty, has never been carried out. 
 The students are not properly disciplined, the professors 
 are not fully equippe(3 for their work, and there has been 
 no systematic management of these schools ; neither has 
 their number been increased. They have not been intro- 
 duced throughout the country ; and, in fact, what is dig- 
 nified by the name of the "Turkish System of Education" 
 is a poor apology for anything that is known by so com- 
 prehensive a title. 
 
 The few schools which exist for Moslem girls labour 
 under grave difficulties. The pupils, on their entrance 
 to the school, are often engaged to be married, and hare
 
 EDUCATION IN CONSTANTINOPLE. 297 
 
 SO short a time for study that if they acquire a scanty 
 knowledge of reading and writing it is most encouraging. 
 It is certainly to their advantage to be taught sewing, 
 crochet-work, and the like industries ; and in cases where 
 they are sent to school at an earlier age, they learn what 
 seems like a vast store of wisdom to their female relatives 
 who are in a state of absolute ignorance. 
 
 In 1868 those enlightened men Ali Pasha and Fouad 
 Pasha determined to found a lyceum, in which the 
 youths of all races and creeds should be educated together, 
 with the aim of establishing more friendly relations be- 
 tween the different peoples who are subjects of the Sultan. 
 It was a bold scheme and a wise one, but the antagonisms 
 which it aroused were not easily overcome. In spite of 
 the benefit which should have resulted from the teaching 
 of the physical sciences, history, literature, and both 
 classic and modern languages, the race prejudices and 
 the different religions of the pupils constantly prevented 
 the realization of the grand intkicnccs for which the 
 founders of the Lyceum, its French Director, and his 
 teachers had so enthusiastically hoped. 
 
 The Mohammedans wished the Koran to be read, and 
 the fasts and feasts which it enjoins to be strictly ob- 
 served. Naturally, the Jews and Christians could not 
 agree about their food and other matters of vital impor- 
 tance to the former. Greeks, Armenians, Bulgarians, and 
 Roman Catholics each had their special grievances, all 
 of which were of great moment to each separate sect. 
 The vexatious question as to what Day of Rest should be 
 observed was a crucial matter, as well as that of the 
 observance of festivals, l)oth national and religious. 
 
 However, in spite of all this, the Lyceum licld its own, 
 had hundreds of students, and showed satisfactory results 
 during the lives of its founders ; but its success was never 
 sufficient to warrant the fuKilment of the original idea,
 
 298 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 which was to found like institutions in all the chief towns 
 of Turkey. 
 
 The Mosque-Colleges, called MedressSs, and supported 
 by the Mosques, are for the special education of priests 
 of all classes. We are told t^hat Language and Theology 
 are the branches taught; but to the Arab the word "Lan- 
 guage" includes many things : poetry, rhetoric, grammar, 
 and still other branches, may all be included in this one 
 study of Language. Until something better can be estab- 
 lished in Turkey, the Medresses are very important in 
 their influence in that country; for not only the priests, 
 but the scholars of all professions in modern times, have 
 been instructed in these Mosque-Colleges. 
 
 As in every country of the world, so in Turkey, the 
 Roman Catholics have established schools, which are con- 
 ducted on their usual principle, and are chiefly directed 
 to the religious instruction of their pupils rather than to 
 the imparting of what is known as "book knowledge." 
 
 The Protestants, especially the Americans, have made 
 a greater success in the two principal colleges — one 
 for each sex — whi«h they have founded at Constanti- 
 nople. 
 
 In 1871 there was established here, by some American 
 women, a High School for girls, which so prospered, and 
 so clearly proved that there was a field for the broader 
 education of women in Turkey, that in 1890 the "Amer- 
 ican College for Girls " was founded by Act of the Com- 
 monwealth of Massachusetts, where the young women of 
 the Orient are offered opportunities for intellectual cul- 
 ture, and for the formation of a character symmetrical 
 with high moral and intellectual standards. 
 
 The Corporation of the College is authorized to grant 
 such testimonials and confer such honours and degrees as 
 are conferred by the various institutions of learning in 
 Masssachusetts.
 
 EDUCATION IN CONSTANTINOPLE. 299 
 
 The college is located on the Asiatic shore of the 
 Bosphorus, and has a charming site. The first building 
 which was erected here is called Bowker Hall, and was 
 built in 1876; in 1882 Barton Hall was added. There 
 are four acres in the grounds of the college, which are 
 laid out with skill and taste, and command extensive 
 views of the Bosphorus and the Sea of Marmora. 
 
 This college has all the departments necessary to such 
 an institution; its social life is pleasant, and of great 
 advantage to the girls who gather here, where teachers 
 and pupils make a well-ordered family. The curriculum 
 is extensive; and although the language of the college is 
 English, the courses in languages are necessarily many, 
 as the students represent eight or ten different nationali- 
 ties, embracing Armenians, Bulgarians, Russians, Greeks, 
 French, Germans, English, Americans, and Turks. Pupils 
 come from great distances, — Russia, Roumania, Greece, 
 and Macedonia, as well as the most distant parts of the 
 Turkish Emjiirc ; while the attendance from Constantinople 
 is always large. 
 
 In 1893-94 there were one hundred and seventy-three 
 students, ninety-five of whom were l)oarding pupils and 
 completely under the influences of the college. There 
 are preparatory courses which admit girls at an early age, 
 and even classes for children wliich arc under the over- 
 sight of the college. Thus a little girl may be put under 
 the training and influence of the college, and there grow 
 into young womanhood. 
 
 A visit to this institution is a true pleasure, and Com- 
 mencement Day is an important occasion; the large audi- 
 ence which gathers is of unusual interest by reason of the 
 many nationalities of which it is composed. In June, 
 1894, there were present the irj)rcsontatives of the Sul- 
 tan, of the Ministry oC Piil.Iic Inslnicf ion, and of vari- 
 ous legations, as well :ks of Rol)ert College, and of the
 
 300 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 people of the highest position and widest influence in 
 Constantinople. 
 
 The last-named college, founded by Christopher R. 
 Robert of New York in 1863, has become an acknowl- 
 edged and important factor in the life of the young men 
 of Eastern Europe and the Turkish Empire. This col- 
 Icii'e has raised the standard of national education in that 
 part of the world, and has been largely instrumental in 
 establishing the Bulgarian nationality. 
 
 More than three hundred students had graduated here 
 in 1894, and men have gone out from Robert College who 
 are filling posts of responsibility in all walks of life, — in 
 Church and State, in the various professions, in the 
 armies of their several countries, and in commercial and 
 agricultural pursuits. About two thousand students, 
 embracing sixteen nationalities, have attended Robert 
 College ; and a recent graduating class, which numbered 
 twenty-two, delivered orations in six languages. 
 
 Robert College has as fine a site as any educational 
 institution in the world. It is on the hill which over- 
 looks the Castle of Roumelia, perhaps the most beautiful 
 of the many beautiful sites on the Bosphorus. The report 
 of the college for 1893 says: — 
 
 "The people of the East have responded heartily to this 
 mauifestatiou of American sympathy, and given the college 
 their confidence and support, so that its influence has been 
 constantly extending in full harmony with the educational 
 development of the country. . . . The college has existed 
 thirty years, and its reputation now rests upon the character 
 of its graduates and the work they are doing in the world." 
 
 If a boy enters the preparatory department and finishes 
 the course, he is eight years in the college, — years in 
 which his character is formed, his standards fixed, and 
 his best characteristics and tastes developed. It is a
 
 EDUCATION IN CONSTANTINOPLE. 301 
 
 pleasure to hear, as I have several times done, the praises 
 of their Alma Mater from young Bulgarians who have 
 graduated from Robert College, and been long enough in 
 the world to know, from their own experiences, what its 
 privileges had done for them, — what was its full power 
 and meaning in their lives. 
 
 That these American colleges have made a great im- 
 pression on this part of the world, and that their moral 
 power is felt, could scarcely be more clearly demonstrated 
 than by the fact that an address by the President of 
 Robert College, on the "Nature and Object of College 
 Education," was published in full by the Armenian, Bul- 
 garian, and Greek newspapers, as well as by the English. 
 
 After repeated and somewhat protracted visits to Con- 
 stantinople, my fust and last thought of it is always a 
 pleasure and a regret, — a pleasure from the recollection 
 of the unequalled natural beauty of its position and sur- 
 roundings, and a regret that no words can conjure up a 
 satisfactory picture of these. 
 
 Not long ago a friend asked me, "What is the very 
 pleasantest thing to be done in Constantinople? " I 
 involuntarily answered, "To go out of it and all around 
 it," as the delights of its suburbs and the excursions to 
 be made in them presented themselves to my recollec- 
 tion. On one occasion, being detained there much longer 
 than I liad ])lnnii(.(l to stay, I had an opportunity to sec 
 what I had not found time for in previous visits; and 
 since that cxp(!rience the mention of this city calls up 
 to me a vision of lovcdy liin(]sca])('s, enchanting waters, 
 beautiful gardens, splendid trees, luxurious vines, and 
 exfpiisite flowers, which is so much more vivid than the 
 vision of (illhy streets, detestable wooden houses, and lean 
 dogs tli.'it lliese hittei" ai-e rpiite overshadowed.
 
 302 CONSTANTINOPLE. 
 
 He who sees but the usual " sights " of this strange city 
 loses many delightful days which should be spent at the 
 islands of the Marmora, and in visits to various points on 
 both shores of the Bosphorus, which impress one again 
 and again with the overflowing loveliness of all this 
 neighborhood of villages and villas, bordering the love- 
 liest of waters and overarched by the most charming of 
 skies. 
 
 It has frequently been said that the Turk has always 
 regarded himself as a pilgrim and stranger in Europe, 
 and there are wise men who believe that the remaining 
 days of his pilgrimage are few. However this may be, 
 and whoever may succeed him, it is true that if any spot 
 exists on earth where peace and good-will to men should 
 reign, where the influences of Nature should develop 
 all that is lovely and elevating to mankind, — poetry, art, 
 and all the gentler virtues and graces of human life, — it 
 is in and around this city of Constantine, which for nearly 
 four centuries and a half has been the Home of the 
 Sultans.
 
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