Chap. II. of the E a s 
Front, and all Europe behind. It is in Virtue of this 
Situation that this City is very juftly ftiled the Key both 
of the Mediterranean and black Sea. The Emperor, its 
Founder, took all imaginable Care to render it the molt 
magnificent Place in all the World, to adorn it with 
Churches, Palaces, and other publick Buildings ; and to 
provide for its Security, by all the Arts of Fortification 
pracfiifed in thofe Days. But ftill the Conveniency of its 
Situation feems to have had a greater Share in rendering 
it populous, and in preventing fucceeding Emperors 
from thinking either of going back to Rome, or of 
chufing any other Place of Refidence, than all the 
Pains taken by Conftantine to render it equally ftately and 
commodious. 
The fpacious Fields of tfhrace that lay immediately 
behind it, furnilhed Corn in Abundance, and that Part 
of Afia which was over-againft it, was, for many Ages, 
the beft peopled, and the bell cultivated Country in 
the World. The Markets were always full of Fleffi 
and Fowl, at the cheapeft Rates ; and for Fifh it had, and 
has ftill a greater Abundance than any other City in the 
Univerfe, infomuch that twenty Boats have been laden 
with one Net. The Inhabitants were fupplied with 
Wines of the richeft Growths, in the greateft Plenty, fo 
that in ancient Times, they were reproached with being 
continually at the Bottle ; and, even to this Day, the 
Greeks lie under the fame Imputation ; though the 
furks being reftrained by their Religion, are lefs addicted 
to this Vice, though not wholly exempt from it neither. 
As to Timber, Conftantinople is fo plentifully fupplied 
from the Woods which extend from Propontis quite to 
Colchis, in a Tra6t of more than forty Days Journey, that 
in the Space of fo many Ages as flie has already flood, 
flie has never felt the leaft Inconvenience, notwithftand- 
ing flie has fupplied all the neighbouring Parts with 
what was requifite for building Ships' and Houfes, and 
even Egypt, Arabia , and Africa, have likewife received 
Materials from her Stores. 
But the greateft Beauty, the greateft Advantage, the 
nioft diftinguifliing Felicity of this imperial City is, her 
Port, by Nature, the moft lovely in the World, being 
fix Miles in Compafs, a full Mile over, and every where 
fo deep that Ships may lie with their Heads afhore, 
without Danger. This Harbour is not more fafe and 
fpacious than convenient ; for when the Winds are 
N. N. E. or N. W. fo that no Ships can come in from 
the Mediterranean, they bring in thofe from the black 
Sea ; and when they vere about to the oppofite Points of 
S. S. W. or S. E. they bring up the Veflels from the 
Mediterranean ; fo that confidered in this Light, Conftan- 
tinople feems defigned by Nature to be the Centre of 
Commerce for Europe, Afia, and Africa. 
2. It was very probably the Senfe which they had of 
thefe prodigious Advantages that induced the Emperors, 
for a long Series of Time, to bend a great Part of their 
Endeavours to the Encouragement of Merchants and Ma- 
riners. The Emperor Conftantius , for Example, ex- 
empted them from all Charges and Contributions to which 
the other Subjects of the Empire were liable ; and this in 
fo ample a Manner that no pretended Cafes of Neceffity 
could affesft them. Succeeding Emperors diftinguiffied 
between Merchants and Mariners, fubjecting the former 
to Duties and Impofitions, but exempting the latter, and 
extending their Privileges to a very great Degree. The Rea- 
fon of this was, becaufe that Merchants reaped all the Pro- 
fits of Commerce to all the Hazards and Dangers of which 
the Mariners alone were expofed. As the Emperors had 
frequent Occafion to fit out Fleets for the publick Service, 
and as the manning of thefe might have been very preju- 
dicial to Commerce, a Law was provided which reme- 
died this Inconvenience, and that in fo lingular a Man- 
ner, that it deferves to be particularly taken Notice of. 
There were certain Lands, in the Nature of Fiefs, granted 
for this Service ; that is to fay, the Owners poffeffed them 
together with the Privileges incident to Mariners, upon 
exprefs Condition, that in Confideration of thefe Eftates, 
they fhould fumifh according to their refpedtive Values, 
a certain Number of Seamen, whenever the publick Ser- 
vice required them. Thus the Burthen was laid upon 
Numb. 35. 
r Indies. 505 
Lands, and not upon Perfons •, and as the Circumftances 
of People might change, and this Duty of providing Sea- 
men, become inconvenient, or even imprafticable ; for the 
original Poffeffors of fuch Eftates, the Law provided 
that they might be at Liberty to dilpofe of them to 
fuch as might be more capable of complying with the 
Terms upon which they were held. 
By this Method the Greek Emperors were able to fit 
out very great Fleets in cafe of Neceffity, as appears by that 
of the Emperor Leo, in the Middle of the fifth Century, 
which was intended againft the Vandals , and confifted of 
eleven hundred Sail, v/hich, however, were all deftroyed 
on the Coaft of Africa by the Treafon of him who com- 
manded them. This alone is a ftrong Proof of the great 
maritime Power of the Conftantinoplitan Empire, while it 
flouriffied 5 but we have a much more fignal Proof in the 
Eftabliffiments made by thefe Emperors for the fevera! 
Fleets appointed for the Defence and Support of their 
Empire, which Eftabliffiments appear very clearly from 
the feveral Bodies of their Laws ftill remaining, and which 
prove, beyond all Contradiction, that fo long as this Em- 
pire continued in a flouriffiing Condition, the utmoft Care 
was taken for the Encouragement and Protection of Com- 
merce, by a right Application of that maritime Force we 
have before defer ibed. 
3. The Province of Egypt was of no lefs Importance to 
the Greek, than to the Roman Empire ; and the utmoft Caie 
was taken to regulate the annual Fleets from that Province, 
fo that the City of Conftantinople might be regularly fupplied 
with whatever Provifions fhe had Occafion for from thence, 
and have likewife the moft valuable Returns that were made 
from the Indian Commerce by the way of the Red-Sea. It 
was by this means that immenfe Riches were regularly drawn 
from thence, and the beft Part of the Profits of that ad- 
advantageous Trade conftantly conveyed to the Imperial 
Refidence, as appears by a Multitude of Laws yet extant 
in relation to the Fleet of Alexandria , on Board of which 
thofe Treafures were carried to Conftantinople . The next 
ftationed Fleet was that of Africa , which was chiefly de- 
figned for the Benefit of Old Rome for all the Commerce 
of Alexandria being diverted to Conftantinople, that Supply 
of Provifions, for which hitherto Rome had depended upon 
the Fleet of Egypt , was now to be received by this of 
Africa ; and for a long Courfe of Years this Expedient an- 
fwered the End very well. 
The third Fleet was that of the Eaft, the principal Sta- 
tion of which was at Seleucia, a City of Syria, feated on the 
River Or antes ; and this Fleet feems to have been divided 
into feveral Squadrons, and from the many Laws made 
about it, appears to have been of very great Importance. It 
was chiefly by the Help of this Fleet that the Commerce of 
Perfia and the Higher Afia was carried on, which was very 
rich, and included fome Branches of that of the Indies. 
Great Care was taken in the regulating this T rade, to pre- 
vent the Empire from fuffering by the fending of Perfian 
Spies, in the Garb of Merchants, into the Roman Provinces. 
The Places therefore to which the Perfian Merchants might 
repair, were pointed out, and fettled by Law ; as aifo 
the Seafons at which Fairs were to be held, and the Time 
they were to laft, by which Contrivance a Door was opened 
for conveying all the Trade of Afia into this Channel; 
for when the Goods purchafed at different Places were 
brought by the refpedtive Fleets attending the Provinces in 
which thofe Fairs were held to Seleucia , they were there 
embarked on Board the Grand Fleet for Conftantinople. 
Befides thefe there was another Fleet in the Pontus EuxV 
mis, or Black Sea, which brought annually vaft Quantities 
of Com to Conftantinople, together with abundance of rich 
Commodities, and amongft them fome from the Indies , 
which were brought thither by a Rout, that wijl be ex- 
plained in the next Sedition. This Fleet ferved likewife to 
awe the feveral barbarous Nations inhabiting the Coafts of 
that Sea, and thereby contributed exceedingly to the Tran- 
quillity of the Empire. It is very probable from the Laws 
that we find in the Code of the Emperor Juftinian , that 
befides thefe great Fleets, every maritime Province of the 
Empire had its peculiar Squadron ftationed at a certain Port, 
which every Year carried the Revenues of the Province to 
Conftantinople. There were likewife vaft Numbers of flat- 
6 N ’ bot- 
