1 ; the camp, rather than the city, distinguished their abode. Hence it followed, that with the houses, the furniture and even the garb of the Greeks would necessarily be associated neither do the divâns of Turkish apartments differ from those luxurious couches, on which the Greeks and Romans were wont to repose. At the capture of Constantinople, a certain portion of the city was still retained, in undisturbed possession, by those Grecian families, whose services to the conqueror obtained for them privileges, which their descendants enjoy even at this hour3; yet, in their domestic habits, and in all things, except their religious ceremonies, there is nothing which distinguishes them from their fellowcitizens the Turks. The temples of the citizens, we further know, were appropriated to the new religion. The sumptuous baths of the vanquished were not less prized by the victors. Few, if any, of the public buildings were destroyed; and, from the characteristic disposition of Oriental nations to preserve things as they are, we may reasonably conclude, with the exception of those edifices which have yielded to the attacks of time, of earthquakes, and of fire, Constantinople presents one, at least, of the cities of the Antients, almost unaltered. Passing thence into Asia, the traveller may be directed to other examples of the same nature, in which the CHAP. I. (3) They live in a part of the city which, from its proximity to the Light-house, goes by the name of Phanar. (4) Of which the Church of St. Sophia is a particular instance: and it may be added, that the crescent, which blazons the Turkish banner, is the most antient symbol of Byzantium, as appears by the medals of the city. CHAP. I. 2 the similarity of the antient and the modern appearance is even more striking: and perhaps the howling dervishes of Scutari, who preserve in their frantic orgies the rites of the priests of Baal', accommodated the mercenary exhibition of their pretended miracles to the new superstition which pervaded the temples of Chalcedon; exactly as Pagan miracles, recorded and derided by Horace, were adapted to the ceremonies of the Roman-Catholic religion 2. The Psylli of Egypt, mentioned by Herodotus, are still found in the serpent-eaters of Caïro and Rosetta: and in all ages, where a successful craft, under the name of miracle, has been employed to delude and to subdue the human understanding, the introducers of a new religion have, with considerable policy, appropriated it to the same purpose for which it was employed by their predecessors. The prejudices of the Christians against their Turkish conquerors were so difficult to be overcome, that while we lament the want of truth, which characterizes every narrative concerning their invaders, we cannot wonder at the falsehood; yet, in this distant period, viewing the events of those times without passion or prejudice, it may become a question, whether, at the capture of Constantinople, the victors or the vanquished were the most polished people. It is not necessary to paint the vices and the (1) "And they cried aloud, and cut themselves, after their manner, with knives and lancets." 1 Kings, xviii. 28. (2) The miracle of the liquefaction of St. Januarius's blood is alluded to by Horace, as practised in his time, under a different name. Hor. Sat. lib. I. 5. 1 the barbarism of those degenerate representatives of the (3) Capta a Turcis Constantinopoli, antiqua illa ac veneranda monumenta olim a varüs Imperatoribus Christianis magnificentissimè constructa, quæ Barbari illi adhuc integra in regiâ urbe repererant, alia solo æquârunt, alia spoliata suis ornamentis reliquerunt, donec sic neglecta in ruinam diffluerent." Bandurii Imperium Orientale, CHAP. I. CHAP. I. been more scrupulous than their conquerors. The first em- (1) Gyllius de Topog. Constant. lib. iii. c. 6. (3) "Primùm Imperatores dissentientes, deinde incendia creberrima, non modò fortuita, sed etiam ab hostibus tam externis, quam dissidentibus variarum factionum partibus jacta, &c. Neque modò ab hostibus antiqua monumenta eversa sunt, sed etiam ab Imperatoribus etiam Constantinopoli amicissimis, inter quos primus Constantinus Magnus, quem EUSEBIUS scribit templa deorum diruisse, vestibula vastâsse, tecta detraxisse, eorum statuas æreas sustulisse, quibus tot sæculis gloriabantur.” Ibid. tom. i. p. 427. ed. Par. 1711. served, and undergone fewer alterations than took place while it continued in the hands of their predecessors. It does not however appear, that the changes produced, either by the one or the other, have in any degree affected that striking resemblance which it still bears to the antient cities of the Greeks. Under these impressions, I eagerly sought an opportunity to examine the interior of the Seraglio; and, difficult as the undertaking may seem, soon found the means of its accomplishment. The harmony existing between England and the Porte, at that critical juncture when Egypt was to be restored to the Turks by the valour of our troops, greatly facilitated the enterprise. I felt convinced, that, within the walls of the Seraglio, many interesting antiquities were concealed from observation; and I was not disappointed. CHAP. I. Armoury. The first place, to which my observations were directed, was the Imperial Armoury: and here, to my great gratifi- Imperial cation, I beheld the weapons, shields, and military engines of the Greek emperors, exactly corresponding with those represented on the medals and bas-reliefs of the Antients, suspended as trophies of the capture of the city by the Turks. It is true, my stay there was not of sufficient duration to enable me to bring away any other than this brief representation of what I saw a Bostanghy soon put a stop to the gratification of my curiosity, and I was compelled to retreat; but even the transient view, thus obtained, was sufficient to excite a belief, that other interesting remains of the Palace of the Cæsars might also be similarly preserved. This conjecture was not without foundation : VOL. II. с nor |