Transcriber's Note: Inconsistent hyphenation, spelling and use of diacritics in the original document have been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. Italic text is denoted by _underscores_. This text uses UTF-8 (unicode) file encoding. If the characters in the next paragraph appear as garbage, you may have an incompatible browser or unavailable fonts. First, make sure that your browser’s “character set” or “file encoding” is set to Unicode (UTF-8). You may also need to change the default font. On page 38, "Theodore of Tyrone" should possibly be "Theodore of Tyron". On page 97, "εἰς πήγας" should possibly be "εἰς πηγάς". On page 215, "paying vengeance on his head" should possibly be "praying vengeance on his head". On page 256, the caption has been changed to agree with the text. On page 284, "πήγη" should possibly be "πηγή". On page 312, "Gül Kkâneh Kiosk" may be a typo. _The Story of Constantinople_ _All rights reserved_ [Illustration: Interior of S. Sophia. Showing the Sultan's pew and the stairs to the pulpit.] Constantinople _The Story of the old Capital of the Empire by William Holden Hutton, Fellow of S. John Baptist College, Oxford. Illustrated by Sydney Cooper_ _London: J. M. Dent & Co. Aldine House, 29 and 30 Bedford Street Covent Garden, W.C. 1900_ This superb successor Of the earth's mistress, as thou vainly speakest, Stands 'midst these ages as, on the wide ocean, The last spared fragment of a spacious land, That in some grand and awful ministration Of mighty nature has engulfed been, Doth lift aloft its dark and rocky cliffs O'er the wild waste around, and sadly frowns In lonely majesty. * * * * * I was the daughter of Imperial Rome, Crowned by her Empress of the mystic east: Most Holy Wisdom chose me for her home Sealed me Truth's regent, and High Beauty's priest. Lo! when fate struck with hideous flame and sword, Far o'er the new world's life my grace was poured. PREFACE A word of introduction is necessary to explain the nature of this sketch of the history of Constantinople. It is the holiday-task, very pleasant to him, of a College don, to whom there is no city in the world so impressive and so fascinating as the ancient home of the Cæsars of the East.