that was stretched from that tower to the Byzantine shore. After some fruitless attempts, their intrepid perseverance prevailed: twenty ships of war, the relics of the Grecian navy, were either sunk or taken: the enormous and massy links of iron were cut asunder by the shears, or broken by the weight, of the galleys; [63] and the Venetian fleet, safe and triumphant, rode at anchor in the port of Constantinople. By these daring achievements, a remnant of twenty thousand Latins solicited the license of besieging a capital which contained above four hundred thousand inhabitants, [64] able, though not willing, to bear arms in defence of their country. Such an account would indeed suppose a population of near two millions; but whatever abatement may be required in the numbers of the Greeks, the _belief_ of those numbers will equally exalt the fearless spirit of their assailants. [Footnote 60: From the version of Vignere I adopt the well-sounding word _palander_, which is still used, I believe, in the Mediterranean. But had I written in French, I should have preserved the original and expressive denomination of _vessiers_ or _huissiers_, from the _huis_ or door which was let down as a draw-bridge; but which, at sea, was closed into the side of the ship, (see Ducange au Villehardouin, No. 14, and Joinville. p. 27, 28, edit. du Louvre.)] [Footnote 61: To avoid the vague expressions of followers, &c., I use, after Villehardouin, the word _sergeants_ for all horsemen who were not knights. There were sergeants at arms, and sergeants at law; and if we visit the parade and Westminster Hall, we may observe the strange result of the distinction, (Ducange, Glossar. Latin, _Servientes_, &c., tom. vi. p. 226--231.)] [Footnote 62: It is needless to observe, that on the subject of Galata, the chain, &c., Ducange is accurate and full. Consult likewise the proper chapters of the C. P. Christiana of the same author. The inhabitants of Galata were so vain and ignorant, that they applied to themselves St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians.] [Footnote 63: The vessel that broke the chain was named the Eagle, _Aquila_, (Dandolo, Chronicon, p. 322,) which Blondus (de Gestis Venet.) has changed into _Aquilo_, the north wind. Ducange (Observations, No. 83) maintains the latter reading; but he had not seen the respectable text of Dandolo, nor did he enough consider the topography of the harbor. The south-east would have been a more effectual wind. (Note to Wilken, vol. v. p. 215.)]