The Prince of India; Or, Why Constantinople Fell — Volume 02 — Story, Setting & Ideas

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In Category - Modern History Fiction

Authors: Wallace, Lew, 1827-1905 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2004 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Historical fiction; Fantasy fiction; War stories; Revenge -- Fiction; Sieges -- Fiction; Immortalism -- Fiction; Wandering Jew -- Fiction; Istanbul (Turkey) -- History -- Siege, 1453 -- Fiction Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 164,271

Reading time 715 min

Text sections 14

The Prince of India; Or, Why Constantinople Fell — Volume 02 — Story, Setting & Ideas can be approached with a clearer sense of reading commitment from its source measurements: 164,271 words, 11 hr 55 min estimated reading time, and 14 detected text sections.

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #6849

This editorial note examines how Lew Wallace's second volume of The Prince of India uses its opening garden scene, a coded fish delivery, and a theological debate to guide a first reading. Observations focus on the novel's layered espionage, religious discourse, and the gradual revelation of character motives.

Editorial Edition Score 4.8/5

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Title & short description10 pts
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Text length15 pts
Chapters / structure15 pts
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XI. THE PRINCESS HEARS FROM THE WORLD XII. LAEL TELLS OF HER TWO FATHERS XIII. THE HAMARI TURNS BOATMAN XIV. THE PRINCESS HAS A CREED XV. THE PRINCE OF INDIA PREACHES GOD TO THE GREEKS XVI. HOW THE NEW FAITH WAS RECEIVED XVII. LAEL AND THE SWORD OF SOLOMON XVIII. THE FESTIVAL OF FLOWERS XIX. THE PRINCE BUILDS CASTLES FOR HIS GUL BAHAR XX. THE SILHOUETTE OF A CRIME XXI. SERGIUS LEARNS A NEW LESSON XXII. THE PRINCE OF INDIA SEEKS MAHOMMED XXIII. SERGIUS AND NILO TAKE UP THE HUNT XXIV. THE IMPERIAL CISTERN GIVES UP ITS SECRET

I. A COLD WIND FROM ADRIANOPLE II. A FIRE FROM THE HEGUMEN'S TOMB III. MIRZA DOES AN ERRAND FOR MAHOMMED IV. THE EMIR IN ITALY V. THE PRINCESS IRENE IN TOWN VI. COUNT CORTI IN SANCTA SOPHIA VII. COUNT CORTI TO MAHOMMED VIII. OUR LORD'S CREED IX. COUNT CORTI TO MAHOMMED X. SERGIUS TO THE LION

I. THE SWORD OF SOLOMON II. MAHOMMED AND COUNT CORTI MAKE A WAGER III. THE BLOODY HARVEST IV. EUROPE ANSWERS THE CRY FOR HELP V. COUNT CORTI RECEIVES A FAVOR VI. MAHOMMED AT THE GATE ST. ROMAIN VII. THE GREAT GUN SPEAKS VIII. MAHOMMED TRIES HIS GUNS AGAIN IX. THE MADONNA TO THE RESCUE X. THE NIGHT BEFORE THE ASSAULT XI. COUNT CORTI IN DILEMMA XII. THE ASSAULT XIII. MAHOMMED IN SANCTA SOPHIA

THE PALACE OF BLACHERNE (_Continued_)

THE PRINCESS HEARS FROM THE WORLD

The sun shone clear and hot, and the guests in the garden were glad to rest in the shaded places of promenade along the brooksides and under the beeches and soaring pines of the avenues. Far up the extended hollow there was a basin first to receive the water from the conduit supposed to tap the aqueduct leading down from the forest of Belgrade. The noise of the little cataract there was strong enough to draw a quota of visitors. From the front gate to the basin, from the basin to the summit of the promontory, the company in lingering groups amused each other detailing what of fortune good and bad the year had brought them. The main features of such meetings are always alike. There were games by the children, lovers in retired places, and old people plying each other with reminiscences. The faculty of enjoyment changes but never expires.

An array of men chosen for the purpose sallied from the basement of the palace carrying baskets of bread, fruits in season, and wine of the country in water-skins. Dispersing themselves through the garden, they waited on the guests, and made distribution without stint or discrimination. The heartiness of their welcome may be imagined; while the thoughtful reader will see in the liberality thus characterizing her hospitality one of the secrets of the Princess's popularity with the poor along the Bosphorus. Nor that merely. A little reflection will lead up to an explanation of her preference for the Homeric residence by Therapia. The commonalty, especially the unfortunate amongst them, were a kind of constituency of hers, and she loved living where she could most readily communicate with them.

This was the hour she chose to go out and personally visit her guests. Descending from the portico, she led her household attendants into the garden. She alone appeared unveiled. The happiness of the many amongst whom she immediately stepped touched every spring of enjoyment in her being; her eyes were bright, her cheeks rosy, her spirit high; in a word, the beauty so peculiarly hers, and which no one could look on without consciousness of its influence, shone with singular enhancement.

News that she was in the garden spread rapidly, and where she went everyone arose and remained standing. Now and then, while making acknowledgments to groups along the way, she recognized acquaintances, and for such, whether men or women, she had a smile, sometimes a word. Upon her passing, they pursued with benisons, "God bless you!" "May the Holy Mother keep her!" Not unfrequently children ran flinging flowers at her feet, and mothers knelt and begged her blessing. They had lively recollection of a sickness or other overtaking by sorrow, and of her boat drawing to the landing laden with delicacies, and bringing what was quite as welcome, the charm of her presence, with words inspiring hope and trust. The vast, vociferous, premeditated Roman ovation, sonorously the Triumph, never brought a Consular hero the satisfaction this Christian woman now derived.

She was aware of the admiration which went with her, and the sensation was of walking through a purer and brighter sunshine. Nor did she affect to put aside the triumph there certainly was in the demonstration; but she accounted it the due of charity--a triumph of good work done for the pleasure there was in the doing.

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The second volume of Lew Wallace's historical novel opens not with battle but with a garden party at the Palace of Blacherne. The sun shines clear and hot, guests rest in shaded promenades, and children play while old people exchange reminiscences. This serene tableau is immediately undercut by covert activity: a fisherman delivers a coded message inside a red rag, and Count Corti receives instructions from an unseen master. The contrast between leisurely surface and secret purpose sets the tone for a narrative where diplomacy, espionage, and faith intersect.

A Garden of Appearances

The opening chapter, 'The Princess Hears from the World,' establishes a world of polite gatherings where information is currency. The garden is described with precise details: a basin fed by a conduit tapping the aqueduct from the forest of Belgrade, the noise of a little cataract, and visitors lingering in groups. Yet within this pastoral setting, Count Corti orchestrates a clandestine meeting. The fisherman Ali, son of Abed-din, arrives with fish and a strip of fine parchment. The exchange is ritualized: Corti asks about 'our master,' and Ali replies with news of Padishah Mahommed building cannon to shoot bullets 'big as his father's tomb.' The scene demonstrates how Wallace layers political intrigue beneath social ritual, rewarding readers who attend to small gestures and coded language.

The Mechanics of Espionage

Wallace devotes considerable space to the logistics of spycraft. Ali's fish delivery is a cover; the red rag conceals a water-resistant parchment. Corti reads the message, which instructs him to trust the bearer and report first of himself, then of 'her.' The note is unsigned, but Corti recognizes the handwriting and kisses it. Later, Corti prepares a package wrapped in leather and sealed carefully for his master. These details ground the novel's romantic plot in practical deception. The reader learns that communication is dangerous: Ali complains of damp bones from waiting on a floating dallyan, and Corti warns against coming too often. The narrative thus emphasizes the cost of secrecy, making every encounter feel precarious.

Faith as a Political Instrument

Later sections introduce theological debate as a central action. In 'The Prince of India Preaches God to the Greeks,' the titular character delivers a sermon advocating a new faith. The chapter title signals that religion is a tool for influence, not merely personal belief. Wallace presents the Prince as a figure who uses rhetoric to sway audiences, and the Greek listeners respond with varying degrees of acceptance and skepticism. The novel does not endorse any single creed; instead, it shows how faith becomes entangled with power. Readers should note that the Prince's arguments are embedded in a larger strategy—his preaching coincides with political maneuvering, suggesting that spiritual appeals serve earthly ends.

The Weight of the Past

Wallace frequently invokes history through allusions and objects. The Sword of Solomon appears as a chapter title and a physical artifact, linking the narrative to biblical legend. The imperial cistern gives up its secret, and the festival of flowers provides a backdrop for romance. These elements remind the reader that Constantinople's fall is not merely a military event but a culmination of centuries of cultural and religious tension. The novel's subtitle—'Why Constantinople Fell'—frames the siege as a question to be answered through character actions and divine providence. The excerpts suggest that Wallace treats history as a web of personal motives, where a single spy or a sermon can alter the course of empires.

Readers approaching this volume for the first time will benefit from attending to the interplay between public spectacle and private conspiracy. Wallace does not rush to battle; he builds suspense through conversations, letters, and covert transactions. The garden party, the fish delivery, and the theological debate are not digressions but essential threads in a dense narrative fabric. By tracing how information moves between characters—and how faith is wielded as a weapon—one can better appreciate the novel's account of a city's doomed grandeur.

There’s something about Lew Wallace’s garden scene—how the coded fish arrives so quietly, shifting everything—that reminds me of the patient unease in Dickens’ Paris. Both books ask us to sit with secrets until they ripen. I still recall the weight of that first reading, the slow dread. A Tale of Two Cities — A Closer Reading lingers the same way, like a half-remembered street at dusk.