Weekly Trinity journal., 1877-05-26
THE TAKING OF CONSTANTI-
N0PLE.

has remained undisturbed in the posses
sion ot the Turks. On May 20, 1853
the city wa Ihen the capital OF the BY
zantne kmplre-it wa sturmnd by the
Turks, the last Byzantine Emperor,
Constautine Nil, losing his lie in the
defence. The taking ot the city is thus
powerfully described by Richard Knolles
in hi, history Of the TtrhS, published in
1908, aud a second edition in 1910:
n little betore day the Turks approached
the walls and began the assault, where
shot and stones We're delivered upon them
from the walls, could not see in the dal k
how to defend themselves, but were with
out number wounded or slain but these
Were ot the common aud worst soldiers,
OF whom the Turkish King made no more
reckoning than to abate the first force
of the defendants. Upon the first APP
pealance Of the day, Mohammed gave
the sign appointed tor the genera assault,
whereupon the city was IN moment, and
ut one instant, on every side mot turl
ou>ly assaulted 5y the Turk; Tor Mo
BANNED, the the more to distress the de-
PENDANTS, and the better to see the tor
waldness Of the soldiers, had before ap.
pointed which part ol the city every Col
Onel, With his regiment, should a,sail, a.,
which they vamutiS rrtolmed, deliver
cung then rows and shot upon the de
PENDANTS 80 thick that lhe light of day
wa, herewith datkened others, in the
mrantlme, coungrou>ly mounting the
scaling ladders, and coming even to hand
stroke, with the defend ,nts upon the
wall, where the foremost were, for the
most part, violently borne forward by
tnem which followed after. On the other
side, the Christians, with no less cou age,
withstood the Turkish fury, beating them
down again with great stones and weghty
piece, OF timber aud 50 overwhelmed them
with shot, darts and arrows, and other
hurttul devices from above, that the
Turks, dismayed with the terror thereof,
were ready to retire.
Mohammed, seeing the discontinue OF
his men, sent in fresh supplies OF his jan
is,aries and best men OF war, whom he
had tor that purpose reserved rs his last
hope and retuge by whose coming on
his Ianting soldiers were again encour
aged, and the terrible assault began afrrsh
4 I which finn tI., ha rhut,us l. ina, ,o.,. 4. 4
not 10 use all possible mrau~~to maintain
the assault; by name calling upon this
and that captain, promising unto some,
whom he saw forward, golden mountains
and unto others, IN whom he saw any
signs OF cowai dice threatening mostterri
Bile death by which means the assault
became most dreadful, death there rag
ing in the midst OF many thousands.
Aud 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 50 terrible conflict, il chanced
in the arm, who, losing much blood
cowardly Withdrew himself from the place
OF hi charge, not leaving any one 10 sup.
ply his room, and so got into the city by
the gate called Rpmana, which he had
caused to be opened in the inner wall
pretending the cause OF his depa -ture to
be for the binding up OF his wound, but
being, indeed, a mar now altogether dis
cournged.
The soldiers there present, dismayed
with the departure of their General, and
sore charged by the jnni.sares, lorsook
their stations, and in haste fed u the
same gate whereby Justnianus was en-
tered with the sight whereof the other
soldiers, dismayed, ran thither by heaps
But whilst they violently strove together
to get in at once, they so wedged one
another in the enhance Of the gate that
few of SO great multitude got in; in
which So great press and confusion o.
minds, 800 persons were there by them
that followed trodden under foot, or thrust
to death. The Emperor himself, fol
safeguard of his life, flying with the res
in that press Of man not regarded, mis-
eraby ended his days together with th'
Greek Empire His dead body wal
shortly alter found by the Turks among
the slain, and known by his rich apparel
whose head being cut off, was forthwith
presented TO the Turkish tyrant, by whose
! commandment " was 9ftegyard thrus