Exeter.
_Istamboul--Constantinople._--Mr. (afterwards Sir George) Wheler, who
took holy orders and became rector of Houghton-le-Spring in the diocese
of Durham, makes the following remarks in his _Journey into Greece, &c._
(fol., Lond. 1682), p. 178.:
"Constantinople is now vulgarly called _Stambol_ by the Turks;
but by the Greeks more often _Istampoli_, which must needs be
a corruption from the Greek ... either from Constantinopolis,
which in process of time might be corrupted into _Stanpolis_
or _Istanpoli_; or rather, from it being called πόλις κατ'
ἐξοχήνο. For the Turks, hearing the Greeks express their going
to Constantinople by εἰς τὴν πόλιν, which they pronounce
Is-tin-polin, and often for brevity's sake Stinpoli, might
soon ignorantly call it _Istanpoli_ or _Stambol_, according as
either of them came into vogue first. And therefore I think
theirs is a groundless fancy who fetch it from the Turkish word
_Istamboal_, which signifies a city full of or abounding in the
true faith, the name being so apparently of Greek original."