412 SIEGK OF CONSTANTINOPLE. 



Isauriau At the well-known passage of Abydos 

 the Mohammedan squadrons weve transported from 

 Asia to Europe ; and by a circuitous march they ni- 

 vested Constantinople on the land side. Moslemah 

 had instructed his troops to furnish themselves with 

 two months' provisions, which they piled in a vast 

 heap on one side of the encampment. They next 

 planted their engines of assault, reared habitations 

 of wood, and prepared the ground for tillage ; thus 

 declarincr, by word and deed, their patient determina- 

 tion of expecting the return of seed-time and harvest, 

 should the obstinacy of the besieged prove equal to 



their own. ,, n i i, „ ^„-. 



The terrified citizens would willingly have pui- 

 chased the departure of the invaders by an assess- 

 ment of a piece of gold on the head of e^f 1^ i^^^^b- 

 itant • but the proposal was rejected by Moslemah, 

 whose confidence was elevated by the speedy ap- 

 proach of the Syrian and Egyptian navies, which 

 are said to Ivave amouuted to 1800 ships. This 

 huge armada made its appearance in the Bosphorus, 

 and the Greeks beheld the smooth surface of the 

 strait overshadowed with a moving forest. A night 

 was fixed for a general assault by sea and land ; and 

 to allure the confidence of the assailants, Leo had 

 caused the chain to be removed that usually guarded 

 the entrance to the harbour. The stratagem took 

 effect- for while the Saracens hesitated whether 

 thev should seize the opportunity or avoid the 

 snare, the ministers of destruction were at hand. 

 The Greeks introduced their celebrated fireslups, 

 and the Arabs, with their arras and vessels, were 

 instantly wrapped in the unquenchable flames. 

 Disorder seized their ranks ; the flying barges were 

 either dashed against each other or overwnelmed in 

 the waves ; and soon not a vestige remained ol tne 

 fleet that had threatened to extirpate the Roman 



name 



Yet the siege was prolonged through the winter by 



