d encouraged the troops to expect victory by
his cheerful demeanor. He then visited the Church of St. Sophia, already
deserted by the orthodox, where with his attendants he partook of the
holy sacrament according to the Latin form. He returned for a short time
to the imperial palace, and, on quitting it to take his station at the
great breach, he was so overcome by the certainty that he should
never again behold those present that he turned to the members of his
household, many of whom had been the companions of his youth, and
solemnly asked them to pardon every offence he had ever given them. Tears
burst from all present as Constantine mounted his horse and rode slowly
forward to meet his fate.

The contrast between the city of the Christians and the camp of the
Mahometans was not encouraging. Within the walls an emperor in the
decline of life commanded a small and disunited force, with twenty
leaders under his orders, each at the head of an almost independent band
of Greek, Genoese, Venetian, or Catalan soldiers. So slight was the tie
which bound these various chiefs together that, even when they were
preparing for the final assault, the Emperor was obliged to use all his
authority and personal influence to prevent Justiniani and the grand duke
Notaras from coming to blows. Justiniani demanded to be supplied with
some additional guns for the defence of the great breach, but Notaras,
who had the official control over the artillery, peremptorily refused the
demand.

In the Turkish camp, on the other hand, perfect unity prevailed, and a
young, ardent, and able sovereign concentrated in his hands the most
despotic authority over a numerous and well-disciplined army. To excite
the energy of that army to the highest pitch of enthusiasm, the Sultan
proclaimed to his troops that he granted them the whole plunder of
Constantinople, reserving to himself only the public buildings. The day
of the battle was regarded as a religious festival in the Ottoman camp,
and on the previous night lamps were hung out before every tent, and
fires were kindled on every eminence in or near the lines. Thousands of
lanterns were suspended from the flagstaffs of the batteries and from the
masts and yards of the ships, and were reflected in the waters of
the Propontis, the Golden Horn, and the Bosporus. The whole Ottoman
encampment was resplendent with the blaze of this illumination. Yet a
deep silence prevailed during the whole night, except when