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206 DESTEUCTION OF THE GREEK EMPIEE CHAPTER X CHAEACTEE OF MAHOMET THE SECOND J EECEIVES DEPUTA- TION FEOM city; EETUENS TO ADEIANOPLE FEOM ASIA MINOE ; HIS EEFOEMS BUILDS EOUMELIA-HISSAE ; BE- JECTS OVEBTUBES FEOM EMPEEOE ; CASTLE COMPLETED, AUGUST 1452; WAE DECLAEED ; MAHOMET EETUENS TO ADEIANOPLE ; HE DISCLOSES HIS DESIGNS FOE SIEGE OF CITY. CONSTANTINE'S PEEPAEATIONS FOE DEFENCE ; AEEIVAL OF SIX VENETIAN SHIPS ; AID EEQUESTED FEOM VENICE ; JUSTINIANI AEEIVES, JANUAEY 1453 ; BOOM ACEOSS HAEBOUE PLACED IN POSITION. TUEKISH AEMY, ESTIMATE OF ; NOTICE OF JANISSAEIES MOBILITY OF AEMY ; EELIGIOUS SPIEIT OF ; CASTING OF GEEAT CANNON ; TUEKISH FLEET AEEIVES IN BOSPOEUS ; DESCEIPTION OF VESSELS COMPOSING IT. MAHOMET' S AEMY MAECHES TO CITY ; OFFEE OF PEACE. As Mahomet plays the principal part in the great tragedy of the Capture of Constantinople, we may turn aside from the narrative in order to form a general estimate of the young man, leaving until after the conquest of the city the attempt to make a more complete sketch of his character. As he was only twenty-one years old when he became sultan, the events of his subsequent life inevitably colour any attempt to delineate him in his youth. There exist many notices in regard to his character drawn by con- temporary writers, and though Gibbon's remark, that it is dangerous to trust either Turkish or Christian authors when describing Mahomet, is useful as a warning, these notices and especially the Life of Mahomet by Critobulus 1 enable 1 The MS. of Critobulus was found in the Seraglio Library about thirty- five years ago by Dr. Dethier. It was published by Karl Muller with excellent