Читать книгу The Antiquities of Constantinople - Gilles Pierre - Страница 2

IT is customary upon a Translation to give some Account both of the Author, and his Writings. The Author Petrus Gyllius, as he stands enroll’d among the Men of Eminency, and Figure in polite Learning, I find to be a Native of Albi, in France. He was in great Reputation in the sixteenth Century, and was look’d upon as a Writer of so good a Taste, and so comprehensive a Genius, that there was scarce any thing in the polite Languages, which had escap’d him. As he had a particular Regard for Men of distinguished Learning, so was he equally honour’d, and esteem’d by them. Francis the First, King of France, the great Patron of Literature, and who was also a good Judge of his Abilities, sent him into Italy, and Greece, to make a Collection of all the choice Manuscripts which had never been printed, but in his Passage it was his Misfortune to be taken by the Corsairs. Some Time after, by the Application and Generosity of Cardinal d’Armanac, he was redeem’d from Slavery. The just Sense this munificent Patron had of his Merit, incited him, when my Author had finish’d more than fourty Years Travels over all Greece, Asia, and the greatest Part of Africa, in the Search of Antiquity, to receive him into his Friendship, and Family; where, while he was digesting, and methodizing his Labours for the Service of the Publick, he dy’d in the Year 1555, and in the 65^th Year of his Age.

Although it was his Intention to have published all the Learned Observations he had made in his Travels, yet he liv’d to give us only a Description of the Bosporus, Thrace, and Constantinople, with an Account of the Antiquities of each of those Places. In his Search of what was curious he was indefatigable, and had a perfect Knowledge of it in all its Parts. He had also translated into Latin Theodore’s Commentaries on the Minor Prophets, and sixteen Books of Ælian’s History of Animals. Petrus Belonius is highly reflected upon, in that being his Domestick, and a Companion with him in his Travels, he took the Freedom to publish several of his Works under his own Name: And indeed such a flagrant Dishonesty in acting the Plagiary in so gross a manner, was justly punish’d with the most severe Censures; since it had been Merit enough to have deserv’d the Praises of the Learned World for Publishing such valuable Pieces, with an honourable Acknowledgment of the Author of them.

I have no Occasion to vindicate the Worth and Credit of my Author, whose Fame will live, and flourish, while the Characters given him by Gronovius, Thuanus, Morreri, Tournefort, and Montfaucon are of any Weight. These Great Men have recorded him to future Times, for his deep Insight into Natural Knowledge, his unweary’d Application to the Study of Antiquity, and his great Accuracy and Exactness in Writing.

In the following Treatise, the Reader has before him a full and lively View of one of the most magnificent Cities in the Universe; stately, and beautiful in its Natural Situation, improv’d with all the Art and Advantages of fine Architecture, and furnished with the most costly Remains of Antiquity; so that New Rome, in many Instances of that Kind, may seem to excell the Old.

I hope my Author will not be thought too particular and exact in describing the several Hills and Vales, upon which Constantinople stands, when it is consider’d, that he is delineating the Finest Situation in the World.

The Manner in which he treats on this Subject is very entertaining; and his Descriptions, though with the greatest Regard to Truth, are embellish’d with a Grace and Beauty, almost Poetical. This, I look upon it, was occasion’d by the agreeable Variety of delightful Prospects and Situations, which the Subject naturally led him to describe.

The present State of Constantinople, I mean as to the Meanness and Poverty of its Buildings, is attested by all those, who have either seen, or wrote concerning it; so that ’tis not Now to be compar’d with it self, as it stood in its Antient Glory. The Turks have such an Aversion to all that is curious in Learning, or magnificent in Architecture, or valuable in Antiquity, that they have made it a Piece of Merit, for above 200 Years, to demolish, and efface every thing of that Kind; so that this Account of the Antiquities of that City given us by Gyllius, is not only the Best, but indeed the Only collective History of them.

In tracing out the Buildings of Old Byzantium, the antient Greek Historians, which he perfectly understood, were of great Service to him; this, with his own personal Observations, as residing for some Years at Constantinople, furnish’d him with Materials sufficient for the present History.

The Curious, who have always admir’d the Accuracy of this Work of Gyllius, have yet been highly concern’d, that it wanted the Advantage of Cuts, by which the Reader might have the agreeable Pleasure of surveying with the Eye, what my Author has so exactly describ’d with the Pen.

I have therefore endeavour’d to supply this Defect, by presenting to the View of the Reader a Collection of Figures, which do not only refer to such Curiosities as be will find mention’d in the several Parts of my Author, but such as have been describ’d by other later Travellers; and by this Means I hope I have given a compleat View of whatsoever is most remarkable in the Antiquities of Constantinople. The Catalogue and Order of the Cuts is as follows;

I. The Thracian Bosporus, with the Situation of Constantinople, as antiently divided into Wards; from Du Fresne.

II.A Delineation of that City, as it stood in the Year 1422, before it was taken by the Turks; from the same.

III. The Ichnography, or Plan of the Church of Sancta Sophia; from the same.

IV. The whole View of the Church of Sancta Sophia; from the same.

V. The outside Prospect of that Church; from the same.

VI. The inside View of it; from the same.

VII. The Plan of the Church of the Apostles; from Sir George Wheler.

VIII. The antient Hippodrom, with the Thebæan Obelisk, and the Engines by which it was erected; from Spon and Wheler.

IX. The Three Pillars, viz. the Serpentine and Porphyry Pillars, standing in the Hippodrom, as described by Gyllius, with the Pillar of the Emperor Marcian, since discover’d by Spon and Wheler in a private Garden; from B. Randolph.

X.The Historical Pillar, described by Gyllius, and since by Tournefort; from Du Fresne.

XI. A View of the Seraglio Point, with a Representation of the present Imperial Palace, and the Church of Sancta Sophia; from B. Randolph.

When this Impression was almost finished, a learned Gentleman of the University of Oxon, to whom my best Acknowledgments are due, communicated to me a valuable Passage, relating to the Statues of Constantinople, demolished by the Romans, which he transcribed from the Second Book of Nicetas Choniat, a MS. in the Bodl. Lib. I have added a Translation of it by way of Appendix; and I presume that the Reader will look upon it as a curious and an agreeable Entertainment.