Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/227

THE CONDITION OF CONSTANTINOPLE IN 1200. 200 confidant, and sometimes the chief adviser, of his master, and, if he does not attain so high a position, is pretty certain to be a person of great consequence in the household, lie is the chief cliannel for intrigue, the principal instrument of cor- ruption. A savage usually in origin, he is elevated to a position which enables him, if in the imperial court, to sway the fate of a state. His power and influence act on the community like leaven. The continual renewal of relays of these savage or barbarian servants is the continual renewal in the body of a connnunity of the virus and corruption of savage or barbarian morality, and each eunuch is a centre of malign influence. At the opening of the thirteenth century eunuchs had long been known in the imperial city. Wherever they are men- tioned we see that their influence was very considerable. In the attack upon Prosacus by Alexis the Third in 1199, the generals of the army strongly advised that the city should not be attacked. This advice was, however, overruled by that of the eunuchs.' They rose to be ambassadors;^ they were named senators ; and within five years of the Latin conquest one had been appointed prefect of Constantinople. At the displays in the hippodrome they took part with the nobles. When Alexis heard the news of the departure of the crusade for Constantinople, which was destined to destroy the city, his preparations against attack were of the feeblest. He had given himself over to luxury, and had left the govern- ment of the empire in great part to his eunuchs. " These creatures," says Nicetas, "who guard the mountains and the forests for the emperor's hunting with as great care as the old pagans guarded the groves sacred to the gods, or with a fidelity like that vith which the destroying angel guards the gates of Paradise, threatened to kill any who attempted to cut timber for the fleet." ^ When this prince fled on the first victory of the expedition, it was a eunuch who assembled the troops, seized Euphrosyne, the empress, and her friends, took the blind Isaac out of prison, placed him on the throne, and sent across to Galata to inform the enemy of what had » Nicetas, " Alex." Book III. ^ cinn. VII. ii. p. 296. ^ Nicetas, p. 716. 14