CONSTANTINOPLE. 145 
tiJiople. The expressive words oi Buonaparte, chap. 
*'DlEU ME GARDE DES RuSSEs!" OUo^ht tO be . , 
adopted as a motto for the arms of Turkey. 
Once in their possession, Constantinople, like its 
opposite neighbour Chalce.don, would soon be 
without a vestige to tell where it stood ; and 
Athens would be razed from the earth. Russia, 
however, was gradually advancing, and, under 
some pretence or other, annually approaching 
from the north. Towards the south, the Beys, in 
Egypt, were aided by the hostile dispositions of 
the Pashas of Syria and the Dey of Algiers. 
Upon the west, as a wolf ready to sally from his 
den upon the neighbouring folds, was couched 
Ali Pasha; and, from the frontiers of his terri- 
tory, even to the Black Sea, were hordes of 
banditti, ready to side with the stronger party, 
or to pillage both, when any favourable oppor- 
tunity for so doing might be presented. More 
towards the Danube were collected the menacing 
forces of Pasvan Oglou ; who, with his com- 
rades in arms, regarded triumphantly the 
coming overthrow of the Ottoman power. 
By the people, he was beloved and protected : 
and wonderful it was that he did not reap 
the full fruit of those talents, and of that 
energy, which, to inspire universal esteem 
and admiration, wanted only to he known, 
VOL. VIII. L 
