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130 DESTRUCTION OF THE GREEK EMPIRE decisions of Florence and threatened with excommunication the priests ordained by the patriarch of Constantinople. Death of John lived nearly eight years after his return to Con- Octoier stantinople from Florence and died in October 1448. The events which happened during this interval relate principally to the marvellous success of the Turks over the armies of Central Europe, and will be better told in the story of their progress. It is sufficient to say that these disasters hastened his death. During his reign the condition of the empire had under- gone little change. Though when first associated with his father he had headed the war party, he recognised after the siege of the city in 1422 that his father's dying counsel to keep on friendly terms with the Turks was wise. This policy, as we have seen, did not prevent him from doing all he could to obtain aid from the Western powers. He had paid the price which Eome exacted and never lost hope that such aid would come. At the same time he was ready to join with the Hungarians and other Christian nations, even at considerable risk of precipitating an attack upon the city. His power, however, was too small to make any co-operation outside the capital and the Straits of much value. He did what he could. He repaired and strengthened the city walls. 1 He kept the fleet in at least as good a condition as he had found it. He was probably justified in believing that his wisest course was to obtain all the aid possible from the West, to be ready to co-operate, and in the meantime to keep quiet. His pliant policy delayed the siege of the city and thus for a while averted the final calamity. 1 Many of the towers near the Golden Gate bear inscriptions showing that they were repaired during John's reign. For the inscriptions see Paspates' Bv£aprival MeAeTat.