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318 DESTEUCTION OF THE GEEEK EMPIEE which might be demanded. I am disposed to give credence to Chalcondylas. 1 Ismail was a very likely man to be em- ployed by Mahomet. The sultan rightly judged that the besieged would be willing to accept conditions, and would desire to learn what his conditions were. The answer con- vinced him, however, that his only chance of gaining the city was by fighting for it. 2 On Friday, May 25, and Saturday the Turks continued their cannonading against ' our poor walls ' even harder than ever. Greeks and Italians busied themselves in repairing the damages as fast as they were made, and this in such good fashion, says Barbaro, that even after all that the great guns could do ' we made them as strong as they were at first.' Sultan Meantime it was necessary for the sultan to put an end <jalls council to to all hesitation as to the commencement of the general desfrabmty attack. A council was held for this purpose on Saturday the siege Sing 26th or Sunday the 27th, in which the arguments in favour of and against the siege were fully discussed. Halil Pasha, the grand vizier and the man of greatest reputation, declared himself in favour of abandoning it. He reminded his master that he had always been opposed to it and had foretold failure from the outset. The strong position of the city made it invincible, now that the Latins were aiding the citizens. He urged that sooner or later Christian kings and people would be provoked by its capture and would intervene. The Genoese and Venetians, against their wish, would become enemies of the Turks if the war went on. He therefore advised retreat while this could be done in safety. 3 Halil Pasha's rival and enemy was the Albanian Zagan Pasha, who was next him in rank. "While Halil was always 1 Ducas also mentions the attempt recorded by Chalcondylas, but without mentioning the name of Ismail. Ducas thus mentions two negotiations for peace, the first (if it ever existed) being towards the end of April and the second nearly a month after. 2 The Turkish historian Sad-ud-din, (p. 20) represents the emperor as offering to surrender everything except Constantinople ; to which Mahomet's reply was, 4 Either the city, the sword, or El-Islam.' 8 Leonard.