Page:The Fall of Constantinople.djvu/105

 DYNASTIC TROUBLES. 87 an iota, which were taken to indicate Isaac. The emperor judged this indication to point to Isaac, the Isaurian, whom lie had for some time distrusted as a claimant to the tlirone. Ilagiochristophorides determined to obtain possession of an- other Isaac to whom he believed the prediction to refer, and, in order to prevent its fulfilment, went with a sufficient fol- lowing to his house to arrest him. This was Isaac Angelos, who appears to have been regarded by the emperor as a man not worth troubling about. Isaac refused to go with Ilagio- christophorides, and, when the minister attempted to arrest him, rushed at him, sword in hand, and struck off his head. Immediately afterwards he galloped at full speed to the Great Church to seek sanctuary, crying, as he entered, that he had killed Ilagiochristophorides. As the news spread throughout the city a great crowd, sympathizing with Isaac, rushed to the church. Those who had given bail for the good conduct of the fugitive, and all his friends, were in the utmost alarm, and in their despair appealed to the people to hide them or to fight for them. Isaac remained all night in the church, accompanied by some of his friends. On the following morning many of the inhabitants returned to the church and vowed to do all that they could to save him and to ruin Andronicos. On the day of the death of Ilagiochristophorides, the em- Revoitof peror was absent at his summer palace, probably Isaac. ^^ Maltepe on the Marmora.' When the news reached him he appeal's to have recognized that the sympa- thy of the city was with the slayer, and to have believed that his safest policy was to make no fuss about the death. He wrote at once to warn the people against sedition, but he commenced his warning with the declaration : "Let bygones be bygones. There will be no inquiry into what is past." His friends endeavored to quiet the people, and the emperor returned to the capital for the same purpose. It was indeed ^ At Meludion, Scays Nicetas. Constantius says that this was at Ilun- kiar Scalessi, near Bcicos on the Bospliorus. But this is inconsistent with the description given of the locality by Nicetas.