the large Palaces of their Emperors, seated in the middle of the City, nor the Seats of the Nobility enclosing great Tracts of Land, nor how the old Foundations still appearing above Ground, nor the Remains of Buildings, discover’d by the nicest Discernment under it, are almost entirely defac’d. Had I not seen, the Time I liv’d at _Constantinople_, so many ruinated Churches and Palaces, and their Foundations, since fill’d with _Mahometan_ Buildings, so that I could hardly discover their former Situation, I had not so easily conjectured, what Destruction the _Turks_ had made, since they took the City. And tho’ they are always contriving to beautify it with publick Buildings, yet at present it looks more obscurely in the Day, than it did formerly in the Night; when, as _Marcellinus_ tells us, the Brightness of their Lights, resembling a Meridian Sun-shine, reflected a Lustre from their Houses. The Clearness of the Day now only serves to shew the Meanness and Poverty of their Buildings; so that was _Constantine_ himself alive, who rebuilt and beautify’d it, or others who enlarg’d it, they could not discover the Situation of their antient Structures. The Difficulties I labour’d under in the Search of Antiquity here were very great. I was a Stranger in the Countrey, had very little Assistance from any Inscriptions, none from Coins, none from the People of the Place. They, as having a natural Aversion to any thing that’s valuable in Antiquity, did rather prevent me in my Enquiries, so that I scarce dar’d to take the Dimensions of any Thing, being menac’d, and curs’d if I did, by the _Greeks_ themselves. A Foreigner has no way to allay the Heat and Fury of these People, but by a large Dose of Wine. If you don’t often invite them, and tell them _you’ll be as drunk_ as a _Greek_, they’ll use you in a very coarse manner. Their whole Conversation is frothy and insipid, as retaining no Custom of the old _Byzantians_, but a Habit of fuddling. It is not the least, among these Inconveniencies, that I could not have Recourse to so many Authors in describing _Constantinople_, as a Writer may have in describing Old _Rome_. They are so fond of Change and Novelty, that any Thing may be called _Antique_ among them, which is beyond the Memory of them, or was transacted in the first Stages of Humane Life. And not only the magnificent Structures of antient Times have been demolish’d by them, but the very Names of them are quite lost, and a more than _Scythian_ Barbarity prevails among them. The _Turks_ are so tenacious of their own Language, that they give a new Name to all Places, which are forc’d to submit to their Power, tho’ it be never so impertinent and improper. They have such an Abhorrence of _Greek_ and _Latin_, that they look upon both these Tongues to be Sorcery and Witchcraft. All the Assistance I had was my own Observation, the Memory, and Recollection of others, and some Insight into antient History. By these Assistances