The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-06-14
eNisreAatrenns.
THE TAKING OF CONSTANTINE
PIE.

For nearly four hundred and twenty
five years Constantinople has remained
uudisturbed in the possession of the
Turks. On May 20, l453-the city was
then the capital of the Byzantine empire
it was stormed by the Turks, the last
Byzantine emperor, Constantine XIII,
losing his life in bis defense. Tie taking
of the city is thus described by Richard
Knolles in his History Of the Turks,'
published in 1908 and second edition
in 1910;
"a little before day the Turks ap-
preached the walls and began the assault,
where shot and stones were delivered
upon them from the walls as thick as
hail, whereof little fell in vain, by reason
of the multitude of the Turks, who, pres
sing fast unto the walls, could not see in
the dark how to defend themselves, but
were without number, wounded or slain;
but these were of the common or worse
soldiers, of whom the Turkish king made
no more reckoning than to abate the
first force of the defendants. Upon the
first appearance of the day, Mohammed
gave the sign appointed for the general
assault; whereupon the city was in mo-
ment, and at one instant, on every side,
most furiously assaulted by the Turks;
for Nobammed, the more TO distress the
defendants, and the better to see the for
Wardness of the soldiers, had before ap-
pointed which part of the city every col.
Onel with his regiment should assail;
which they valiantly performed, deliver
ing their arrows so thick upon the defen-
dants that the light of day was there
with darkened; others in the meantime
courageously mounting the scaling lad
ders, and coming to handstrokes with the
defendants upon the wall, where the
foremost were for the most part violently
borne forward by them which followed
after On the other side, the Christians
with less courage withstood the Turkish
fury, beating them down again with great
stones and Weighty pieces Of timber, and
80 overwhelmed them with shot, darts
and arrows, and other hurtful devices
from above, that the Turks, dismayed
with the terror thereof, were ready to
retire.
'Mohammed, seeing the great slaugh-
ter and discontinue of his men, sent in
fresh supplies of his janissaries and best
men of war, whom he had for that pur.
pose reserved as his last hope and ref
uge; by whose coming on his fsinting
soldiers were again encouraged, and the
terrible assault began afresh. At which
time the barbarous king ceased not to
use all possible means to maintain the as
sault, by name calling upon this and that
captain, promising to some whom he
saw forward golden mountains, and unto
others in whom he saw any kind Of cow
ardice threatening most terrible death;
by which means the assault became most
dreadful, death there raging in the midst
,1f many thousands. And albeit that the
Turks lay dead by heaps upon the ground
yet other fresh men pressed on still in
their places over their dead bodies, and
with divers event either slew or were
slain by their enemies.
''In this so greata conflict, it chanced
Justinianus, the general, to be wounded
in the arm, who losing much blood, cow
ardly withdrew himself from the place
Of his charge, not leaving any to supply
his room, and SO got into the city by the
gate called Rom ma, which he had caused
to be opened in the inner wall; pretend
ing the cause Of his departure to be the
binding up OF his wound, but being, in