OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

pire: 1 he promised, he conjured, and he vainlyattempted to infuse the hope which was extin-guished in his own mind. In this world all wascomfortless and gloomy; and neither the gospelnor the church have proposed any conspicuousrecompence to the heroes who fall in the serviceof their country. But the example of theirprince, and the confinement of a siege, had armedthese warriors with the courage of despair; andthe pathetic scene is described by the feelingsof the historian Phranza, who was himself pre-sent at this mournful assembly. They wept,they embraced; regardless of their families andfortunes, they devoted their lives; and each com-mander, departing to his station, maintained allnight a vigilant and anxious watch on the ram-part. The emperor, and some faithful compa-nions, entered the dome of St. Sophia, which ina few hours was to be converted into a mosch,and devoutly received, with tears and prayers,the sacrament of the holy communion. He re-posed some moments in the palace, which re-sounded with cries and lamentations; solicitedthe pardon of all whom he might have injured; kand mounted on horseback to visit the guards,and explore the motions of the enemy. Thedistress and fall of the last Constantine are more

1 I am afraid that this discourse was composed by Phranza himself;and it smells so grossly of the sermon and the convent, that I almostdoubt whether it was pronounced by Constantine. Leonardus as-signs him another speech, in which he addresses himself more respect-fully to the Latin auxiliaries.

k This abasement, which devotion has sometimes extorted from dy-ing princes, is an improvement of the gospel doctrine of the forgive-ness of injuries: it is more easy to forgive 490 times, than once to askpardon of an inferior.

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CHAP.

LXVI1I.