Kinglake's Eothen Author:Alexander William Kinglake Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: not be judged guilty of the plague, and so be cast back with horror from the doors of the shuddering Christians. Such was the condition of the little troop, w... more »hich fifteen days before had filed away so gaily from the gates of Belgrade. A couple of fevers and a northeasterly storm had thoroughly spoiled our looks. The interest of Mysseri with the house of Giusep- pini was too powerful to be denied, and at once, though not without fear and trembling, we were admitted as guests. CHAPTER III CONSTANTINOPLE Even if we don't take a part in the chant about 'Mosques and Minarets', we can still yield praises to Stamboul. We can chant about the harbour; we can say and sing that nowhere else does the sea come so home to a city: there are no pebbly shores— no sand bars—no slimy river-beds—no black canals— no locks nor docks to divide the very heart of the place from the deep waters. If being in the noisiest mart of Stamboul, you would stroll to the quiet side of the way amidst those cypresses opposite, you will cross the fathomless Bosphorus ; if you would go from your hotel to the Bazaars, you must pass by the bright blue pathway of the Golden Horn, that can carry a thousand sail of the line. You are accustomed to the gondolas that glide among the palaces of St. Mark, but here, at Stamboul, it is a hundred-and-twenty-gun ship that meets you in the street. Venice strains out from the steadfast land, and in old times would send forth the Chief of the State to woo and wed the reluctant sea ; but the stormy bride of the Doge is the bowing slave of the Sultan—she comes to his feet with the treasures of the world—she bears him from palace to palace—by some unfailing witchcraft, she entices the breezes to follow her,1 and fan the pale cheek of her lord—she lifts his armed navies to th...« less