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236 DESTEUCTION OF THE GEEEK EMPIEE The Turkish army on April 6 advanced three quarters of a mile nearer to the walls, and on the following day again approached still closer. The imperial guard extended from the height crowned by Top Capou 1 to the Adrianople Gate, and thus occupied the valley of the Lycus. This district was known as the Mesoteichion. Their camp was so near to the walls as only to be just out of range of missiles discharged by the besieged. 2 offerS* ^ e * aw °^ ^ e Koran requires, or is believed to require, peace. that before war is definitely declared there shall be a formal offer of peace, and accordingly before the siege commenced Mahomet made such a proposal. To men who knew their own weakness and the tremendous odds against them any such offer must have been tempting. He sent messengers to declare that if the city were given up to him he would consent to allow the citizens to remain ; he would not deprive them of their property, their wives or their children, but take all under his protection. As the inhabitants knew well the fate of a population when conquered by a Turkish army, they might possibly have accepted the proposal, if they had had any confidence in the oath of the proposer. The answer sent was that they would consent to other conditioDs, but never to the surrender of the city. 3 Upon this refusal Mahomet at once made his dispositions for a regular siege. 1 As may be seen from the note in the Appendix on the position of the St. Komanus Gate, I believe that when Top Capou, which beyond doubt had been known as the Gate of Saint Eomanus, was closed, the Pempton was generally spoken of as the St. Komanus Gate. The Italians, who had the largest share in the defence in the Lycus valley, probably ignorant of any name for the Military Gate which led from the city into the peribolos, called it by the name of the nearest Civil Gate. Hence I propose to speak of the Pempton as the Eomanus Gate and of the Civil Gate crowning the seventh hill by its present Turkish name of Top Capou — that is, Cannon Gate — a name which it probably acquired by a reversal of the process which had led the Italians to speak of the Pempton as St. Komanus. 2 Crit. xxvi. 3 Crit. xxvi.