Page:Destruction of the Greek Empire.djvu/248

214 DESTEUCTION OF THE GEEEK EMPIEE would be a blow to the trade of Venice and Genoa as well as to the emperor. Ships would be prevented from trading freely with, and bringing supplies from, the Black Sea. It might have been expected that the emperor would have put forth all his strength to oppose the execution of such a design. The all-sufficient explanation is, that, even if his naval strength had been sufficient to delay the crossing of Mahomet's crowd of builders, the army was too hopelessly insignificant to hold the shore against that which could soon arrive from Adrianople on its rear. Eemon- When the emperor and citizens learned, in the spring of against 1452, the preparations which were being made by the project collection of building materials and the bringing together of crowds of workmen, they recognised all the importance of the project and its danger to the city. Ambassadors were sent to the sultan at Adrianople to learn whether it was possible in any way to divert Mahomet from his purpose. They urged the existence of treaties with the grandfather, the father, and even with Mahomet himself : treaties which had expressly stipulated that no fortification or other build- ing should be erected on the European side of the Bosporus. 1 They claimed that these stipulations had hitherto been scrupulously observed, that armies had been allowed to pass, but Mahomet's predecessors had prevented any of their subjects putting up fortifications or other buildings. The messengers urged upon the sultan that to break the treaties was to commit an act of injustice to the emperor. Mahomet's In reply, the sultan, who was determined to avoid war reply. ^ wag rea( jy y declared to the messengers that he had no intention of breaking treaties : a statement which was, of course, in flagrant violation of the truth. He pointed out, however, that in the time of his father the Italians had tried to hinder the passage of his troops when it had become necessary to fight the Hungarians, and urged that it had become essential for the protection of his European pos- sessions that he should be in a position to prevent such detention in future. He claimed that the land on which he 1 Grit. vii.