Page:Constantinople by Brodribb.djvu/159

 tournament to a battle, and lavished the treasure of the empire on the unbridled indulgence of every passion. But at the commencement of his reign Manuel was probably the tallest, the most handsome, and the strongest man in his own dominions. Never was seen so splendid a prince. He wore armour heavier than an ordinary man could lift; he carried a heavier spear and shield than even any Norman; he could tear a stirrup in two with his hands. As he had the strength, so he had the vices of the Latins, whose society he courted, and with whom he intermarried. He drank wine to excess, and spent a large part of his time in feasting. Yet he far surpassed the ignorant Westerns in learning; like all the Greeks, he could argue about theology; he interfered with the decisions of the synods; and understood the practice and science of surgery.

The following is an account of the city in the reign of Manuel, given by a contemporary traveller.

The circumference of the city of Constantinople is eighteen miles, one half of the city being bounded by the continent, the other by the sea, two arms of which meet here, the one a branch or outlet of the Russian, the other of the Spanish, sea. Great stir and bustle prevail at Constantinople, in consequence of the confluence of many merchants, who resort thither, both by land and by sea, from all parts of the world, for purposes of trade—merchants from Babylon and Mesopotamia, from Media and Persia, from Egypt and Palestine, as well as from Russia, Hungary, Lombardy, and Spain. In this respect the city is equalled only by Bagdad, the Mohammedan metropolis. At Constantinople is the place of worship called St. Sophia, the metropolitan seat of the pope of the Greeks, who are at variance with the pope of Rome. It (St. Sophia) contains as many altars as there are days in the year, and possesses countless riches, which are augmented every year by the