204

THE DECLINE AND FALL

chap, gin; and besought her to defend, against Maho-

J_met, the city which she had formerly saved from

Chosroes and the Chagan. In the double in-toxication of zeal and wine, they valiantly ex-claimed, “ What occasion have we for succour,“ or union, or Latins? far from us be the worship“ of the Azymites!” During the winter thatpreceded the Turkish conquest, the nation wasdistracted by this epidemical frenzy; and theseason of lent, the approach of easter, instead ofbreathing charity and love, served only to for-tify the obstinacy and influence of the zealots.The confessors scrutinized and alarmed theconscience of their votaries, and a rigorous pe-nance was imposed on those who had receivedthe communion from a priest, who had given anexpress or tacit consent to the union. Ilis ser-vice at the altar propagated the infection to themute and simple spectators of the ceremony:they forfeited, by the impure spectacle, the vir-tue of the sacerdotal character; nor was it law-ful, even in danger of sudden death, to invokethe assistance of their prayers or absolution.No sooner had the church of St. Sophia been pol-luted by the Latin sacrifice, than it was desert-ed as a Jewish synagogue, or an heathen temple,by the clergy and people; and a vast and gloomysilence prevailed in that venerable dome, whichhad so often smoked with a cloud of incense,blazed with innumerable lights, and resoundedwith the voice of prayer and thanksgiving. TheLatins were the most odious of heretics and in-fidels; and the first minister of the empire, thegreat duke, was heard to declare, that he had