Show A prophecy Pul fulfilling filling itself there are many prophecies which work out their own fulfilment fulfillment and there are many super sti lions ious which operate operas just as decided and important results as if they could be traced to a ratio rational pill origin it may be reck reckon eJi among the rarest if not the noblest forms lit in which the human genius manifests itself to biter such prophecies and to plant such su lions we propose to direct the attention of our waders to one of the most remarkable 11 cases of tills this kind where a prophecy created a a superstition which is evidently cooper co oper abing for its fulfillment fulfilment that we have any knowledge of or that is is to be found perhaps in all history it is referred to by gibbon in his history oft odthe I 1 he decline and fall of the roman romall empire speaking of certain naval expeditions of the R us against the llie greeks in the tenth or eleventh lie he I 1 at yet the threats or calamities of a russian war were more fr frequently diverted by treaty than by arms in fit these naval it every tage tag was on the side of the greeks their savage enemy afforded no mercy his poverty promised no spoil liis his impenetrable retreat deprived the conquer conqueror ar of the hopes of revenge and thi pride or weakness of empire indulged an opinion that no honor could be gained or lost in the intercourse with the barba tans ians at first th thir their ir demands worn high and inadmissible three pounds of gold for each mariner of the fleet the guestin youth adhered to t the he d design m ai I 1 0 of f conquest and glory but the counsels of moderation de ration wre were recommended by the hory honry sages be cou content tnt they slid il with tah the liberal offers of cmar is it not far better to obtain without a e combat the possession of gold silver silks aud bild all th alii ets of our desires are we sure of victory can we conclude a treaty with the seab sea we do not tread on land we float on the abyss of water and a common death hangs bangs over our heads I 1 the memory of these arctic fl fleets tet that seemed to descend from the polar circle left a dep deep impression of terror on the he imperial city by the augir ir of every rank it was asserted ted and baliv bl iV v ed that tin an eques tri in n statue in m the square of taurus Ws vos inscribed with a prophecy prophet y how tho the Russi tits in the tb pst days should become the masters of constantinople in our own time a russian armament instent of sailing from the has rated the continent of jEn europe rope and the turkish capital hus has been threatened with a squadron of a strong frong and lofty ships of war each of which wit with it its naval science science and thitu thundering dering artillery could have sunk an lann hundred lynndred dred canoes such us those of their wic ancestors estors Perli perhaps aps the present generation may yet behold the accomplishment of the prediction of a rare prediction of which the style is unambiguous and the dute date unquestionable we not use the concluding words of the storian historian now with a far of their proving true than existed when he wrote in ill the deail of poter peter the great and Cat catharine barine of to possess the city of constantinople and the far reaching policy of the former expressed in his will havo both been frequently alluded to the belief of the emperors of kussai that th of the cl city I 1 y of constantinople must be brought about thir instrument clity has be come aoi aae hereditary and hrs assumed the form of fanaticism nati cism a religious belief ballf that it is the mission of ef tho the czar 0 to o curry out ont this decree pathe of the ruler of nitikas Nit ioAs and for a thousand years they have cast their eyes ayes towards toward the BoBp horus biding their time if we add to this religious idea the fact that the russian nation is educated to the belief of the divine v ne mi mission of its emperor and it is alive to the an unlimited limited advantages commercial and political that will folio follow the co control atrol of the Dardat tells we I 1 can better estimate the important influence of the superstition here recorded the authorities referred to by gibbon are the imperium of ba duri the history of nicetas c cho and de origin ibus the first two of these works are to be found in the astor aitor library we are not aware that there is any copy of bodinus in the united states bandura was a benedictine monk born bora in the cou century tury while prosecuting some historical researches at the college of st at germain in paris tie he discovered a collection of greek manuscripts relating to the antiquities of constantinople ul and d w written ritten about the year I 1 1100 I 1 00 of the era he subsequently published these manuscripts which embodied the works of sev several oral writers tn in two wo folio volt volumes mes at paris in 1611 under the title of imperium the following paragraph which we translate from this work testifies most explicitly exe licitly to the main fact recorded by gibbon DE FORO fono |