200

THE DECLINE AND FADE

CHAP.

LXVIII.

to Phranza; h and, after a diligent addition, heinformed his master, with grief and surprise, thatthe national defence was reduced to four thou-sand nine hundred and seventy Romans. Be-tween Constantine and his faithful minister, thiscomfortless secret was preserved; and a suffi-cient proportion of shields, cross-bows, andmuskets was distributed from the arsenal to thecity bands. They derived some accession froma body of two thousand strangers, under thecommand of John Justiniani, a noble Genoese ; aliberal donative was advanced to these auxilia-ries; and a princely recompence, the isle of Lem-nos , was promised to the valour and victory oftheir chief. A strong chain was drawn acrossthe mouth of the harbour: it was supported bysome Greek and Italian vessels of war and mer-chandise; and the ships of every Christian na-tion, that successively arrived from Candia andthe Black sea , were detained for the public ser-vice. Against the powers of the Ottoman em-pire , a city of the extent of thirteen, perhaps ofsixteen miles was defended by a scanty garri-son of seven or eight thousand soldiers. Europe and Asia were open to the besiegers; but thestrength and provisions of the Greeks mustsustain a daily decrease; nor could they in-dulge the expectation of any foreign succour orsupply.

The primitive Romans would have drawn

h Ego eidem (Imp.) tabellas ex h ibui non absque dolore et mcesti-tia, mansitque apud nos duos aliis occultus numerus (Phran 2 a, I. iii,c. 8). With some indulgence for natural prejudices, we cannot desirea more authentic witness, not ouly of public facts, but of privatecounsels.