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IT is customary upon a Translation to give some Account both of the Author, and his Writings. The AuthorPetrus Gyllius,as he stands enroll’d among the Men of Eminency, and Figure in polite Learning, I find to be a Native ofAlbi,inFrance.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 aGenius,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.Francisthe First, King ofFrance,the great Patron of Literature, and who was also a good Judge of his Abilities, sent him intoItaly,andGreece,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 theCorsairs.Some Time after, by the Application and Generosity of Cardinald’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 allGreece, Asia,and the greatest Part ofAfrica,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 the65ᵗʰYear 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 theBosporus, Thrace,andConstantinople,with an Account of theAntiquitiesof 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 intoLatin Theodore’s Commentaries on theMinor Prophets,and sixteen Books ofÆlian’sHistory of Animals. Petrus Beloniusis 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 byGronovius, Thuanus, Morreri, Tournefort,andMontfauconare of any Weight. These Great Men have recorded him to future Times, for his deep Insight intoNaturalKnowledge, his unweary’d Application to the Study ofAntiquity,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 thatNew Rome,in many Instances of that Kind, may seem to excell theOld.
I hope my Author will not be thought too particular and exact in describing the several Hills and Vales, upon whichConstantinoplestands, when it is consider’d, that he is delineatingthe 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 ofConstantinople,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 notNowto be compar’d with it self, as it stood in its Antient Glory. TheTurkshave 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 theAntiquitiesof that City given us byGyllius,is not only theBest,but indeed theOnlycollective History of them.
In tracing out the Buildings of OldByzantium,the antientGreekHistorians, which he perfectly understood, were of great Service to him; this, with his own personal Observations, as residing for some Years atConstantinople,furnish’d him with Materials sufficient for the present History.
The Curious, who have always admir’d the Accuracy of this Work ofGyllius,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 theAntiquities of Constantinople.The Catalogue and Order of the Cuts is as follows;
I.TheThracian Bosporus,with the Situation ofConstantinople,as antiently divided intoWards;fromDu Fresne.
II.A Delineation of that City, as it stood in the Year 1422, before it was taken by theTurks;from the same.
III.The Ichnography, or Plan of the Church ofSancta Sophia;from the same.
IV.The whole View of the Church ofSancta 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 SirGeorge Wheler.
VIII.The antientHippodrom,with theThebæan Obelisk,and the Engines by which it was erected; fromSponandWheler.
IX.The Three Pillars, viz.the Serpentine and Porphyry Pillars, standing in theHippodrom,as described byGyllius,with the Pillar of the EmperorMarcian,since discover’d bySponandWhelerin a private Garden; fromB. Randolph.
X.The Historical Pillar, described byGyllius,and since byTournefort;fromDu Fresne.
XI.A View of the Seraglio Point, with a Representation of the present Imperial Palace, and the Church ofSancta Sophia;fromB. Randolph.
When this Impression was almost finished, a learned Gentleman of the University ofOxon,to whom my best Acknowledgments are due, communicated to me a valuable Passage, relating to the Statues ofConstantinople,demolished by theRomans,which he transcribed from the Second Book ofNicetas Choniat,aMS.in theBodl. Lib.I have added a Translation of it by way ofAppendix;and I presume that the Reader will look upon it as a curious and an agreeable Entertainment.
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