THE WAKINGS. 159 doned her, but presented her with liis property, and left liis body without burial, as if he had committed suicide/ The AYarings, who had been converted to Christianity by the Greek priests, belonged to the Orthodox Church. The English who joined them acknowledged the spiritual rule of Rome, and had their church in the New Eome dedicated to St. Augustine of Canterbury.^ AVarings and English, while occupants of the Greek palace, still spoke their own language, had their own laws, and chose, with certain exceptions, their own ofHcers.' The one in command was called the acolyth,* or follower, be- cause his place was immediately behind the emperor. No Deserving of body-guard in any country was ever more complete- trust. ]^ trusted than the Yarangians. None more com- pletely deserved such trust. They retained their sturdy north- ern independence in the midst of a corrupt court. They were ^ Cedrenus, p. 735. ^ Their church was dedicated to SS. Nicolas and Augustine of Canter- bury, and is said by Gotselinus to have been built by an English exile who arrived in Constantinople after the battle of Hastings. It was con- verted into a mosque after 1453, and was situated between the palace and the Adrianople Gate. Dr. Paspati found upon one of the towers near this gate many funeral inscriptions relating to Warings. The Eng- lish ambassador, about 1865, endeavored to have them removed to the English cemetery at Scutari, but, unfortunately, without success. The stones were used by the Turkish government for building. Still more unfortunately, the only two copies which were taken were burned in the great fire of Pera in 1870. See " Ilistoire de FEglise Latine de Constan- tinople," par M. Belin, pp. 4 and 20. Also " Constantiuop. Christ." p. 130. Also Dr. Paspati's " Meletai," p. 308. 3 Cedrenus. Readers will remember that Sir "Walter Scott has given a vivid picture of the Waring guard in Constantinople in " Count Robert of Paris." Ilis local color and a considerable part of his plot are taken from Anna Comnena. Ilis descriptions of the prisons in the Bhichern, as well as of the life in Constantinople, are singularly exact, though occa- sionally he falls into error, as when he makes the Crusaders wait before crossing a bay on the Bosphorus until the tide has ebbed. There is no tide in either the Bosphorus or the Marmora.
- Anna Comnena, however, calls him 7rseKV(p6piov t^dpx(jjv. Codinus
gives the following description of the acolyth : 'O aKoXovOog EvpicrKe-ai fiiv ivoxoc Twv (3apdyyu)Vj cLKoXovOei Cf. T(^ iSaaiXd t^nrpodOeu avruJv. cici roi tovto teal aKoXovOoQ Xfyfrai.
