'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎28] (577/1024)

d 8 A Relation of the Grand Ser.aglTo/' .
„ ... The Council fits, ordinarily, four days in the week, which davs
mm ' ayS ~ to the Saturday^ Smclay, Munday^ and Rmfday of the Cbriflians. £ra ^ c
Caufes foon k- Juftice is there exadfly adminiftred to any one that defires it, and for whar
aid. foever it be^ fo, as that the differing Parties have no need either of Proft^
Advocates, Names not known in and the Perfons concern’d are m ^
open their Cafes themielvcs. There is no talk of delays, or putting off
one time to another; People fcall not languilh in Expedation, but the
is decided immediately, what nature foever it may be of. ' nes
the Reafon of Though this Cuftom be very commendable, yet can it not be fo Well mfV vi
that Expediti- amongfi Chriftians^ becaufe they hand upon the property of what thev hnL IS j
'n Of juftue. thx is dcriv . d by inheritance from feme to others, and the litigious panMonl
them do many times engage the Proprietors thereof in long Suits of Law ’T 0
quite btherwife amonglt the Great Officers of the Port, who are all Slaves eitl-
taken in War, or lent up, as Prefents, by the Balia’s, and Governours of Province?
All their Efiates, when they die, return to the Grand Seignor, from whom thev
had receive’d them, fo that it is a perpetual Circulation, and their Children as I told
you in the begining of this difeourfe, are brought up to the Seraglio^ to be educated
v v there, and that without any hope of ever fucceeding their Parents, either in their
Efiates, or Employments. The Ottoman Monarchy has always obfery’d thisfubtle
Policy, not to permit that any Family fiiould aggrandize it felfi and be powerful
from Father to Son: but they bring it down, as foon as they have rais’d it up and
timely enough deprive them of the means whereby they might create Fa&ions to
the difturbance of the State. Thence it comes, that, befides the Royal Family of the
Ottomans , they know not what Gentility, and antiquity of Extradiion means; there’s
W emulation upon that fcore, Charges and Dignities are bellow’d anfwerabl to the
Merit of the Perfon, without any confideration of his Extradfion. Nay,it fometimes
happens, that the Principal Miniflcrs of the Empire are the Sons of Cow-keepers
as was one Rufian, a Grand Vizir, who made fo much noife under the Reign of
Solyman. And fo, being not any way oblig’d to their Birth,they acknowledge their
Fortunes to be the reward of their Education.
But to return to theadminiflration of Juffice amongfi: the Tw^/.Thofe who make the
Taw their profeffion, and are look’d upon as the Clergy of Mahomet ^ leave no place
for fuits at Law; every one knows his priviledges, and what, belongs to the fundion
of his Charge, and there arife no differences among them, becaufe all things are
perfedlly well regulated. '
In like manner, the people are ignorant what pleading fignifies. There’s no
occafiop for publick Notaries, in order to Matrimonial Contradls; There’s no great
fums given with a daughter, and the jewels and cloaths which fhe can get out of
her Fathers houfe, are all the portion fhe brings to her Husband. And this, in few
words, is^ the reafon that the turky can put an expeditious end to all their affairs,
without giving any toleration to that pettifogging, which, among Chriflians, proves
the mine of fo many People.
The Officers, who fit in the T)it>an are, fir ft, the Grand Vizi r, the Lieutenant-
General of the whole Empire, who is Prefident of it, and reprefents the Grand
Seignor’s Perion; Then the fix ether Vizirs ; Then the Cadikfquers of Romania ard
Natalia^ who are the Judges and Intendants of the Armies; Then the three tfterdars t
or Treafurers-General; Then the Niffangibacba^ the Lord Chancellour; -And the
Netang'u who is as ’twere the Secretary of State, with feme Clerks, or Notaries.
All thefe Officers come into the Divan-Hall, at four in the Morning, and continue
there till No m, to adminifter Juftice. The Chiaoux-bacbi has his ftation at the Gate,
with a troop of thofe that are under his charge, to execute the Grand Vizirs Orders,
and has a filver-rod in his hand, as a badge of his Authority.
ihe care taken C)n thofe days that the Divan fits, the Officers are en ten rain’d at dimer in the
to prevent rfe fame Hall, which is done with much Sobriety, and little Ceremony. Allisover
ImlLnJ. S anc ? takenawa y 5 in half an hours time. The Grand Vizir eats alone, unlefs he call
J ' a Bajfa or two, to keep him company. There are carried alfo merfes of Cbomk
which is a kind of pottage made with Rice, for the dinners of the Janizaries, who
^are in their ftations, under the Galleries. But if it happen that they are in a
x rautmous humour, and incens’d againft a Vizir, or againft the Grand
Seignor himfelf, not one of them will put his hand to the Cbottrbd ; rnc
C they