'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.' [‎6] (555/1024)

The prodiiiiom
number of Eu
nuchs all over
the Eafi.
Obfervations
upon this Sub-
ietf.
A Relation of the Grand Seignors Seraglio,
And thus you have an account of the principal charges and DignitiesoftheHrnn^
all poheis’d by Perfons taken out of the rank of the Ichoglans. I now come to If 5
Officers of the Seraglio, and in regard they are Eunuchs, on whom the Grand Se'
nor bellows the mod eminent Charges, and who, bdides, haye the Government a
the Ichoglans ^ I (hall follow the order of the things, in my placing of them here 'r
fore I fay ought of the fecond order or rank of tributary Children, or fuch as J'
taken in War, who are the Azamoglans.
Of the Eunuchs there are alfo two ranks. There are fome white, who have en
dur’d only a fimple caftration 5 and there are black ones, who haveall cut off even
with the belly. Both forts of them are fevere, humorous and morofe, and their
Treatments are almoft infupportable to allthofe who are under their Charge. Them
is a prodigious number of them, as well in Conftantwople, as all over the Empire and
generally all over the Eaftern parts of the World, where there is hardly a private
Perfon,having any thing of abilities, but keeps an Eunuch or two, asSentinels over his
Women. And ’tis this that caufes fb great a commerce of Eunuchs in feveral partsof
d fia and Jfrkk^ and in the flngle Kingdom of Cokonda^ where I chanc’d to be in the
year 1659. there were put off of the n in that very year about two and twenty thou-
fand. It comes into my mind, that the Grand Mogor's Ambaflador, in whofeCoun-
try that Barbarifm is not differ’d, but the Eunuchs he makes ufe of are brought out
of other places, took me one day afide, to tell me that he car’d not how foon he re
turn’d into his own Country, out of the fear he was in, left that Kingdom of Ohnda
. might fink into the ground, after flich cruelties. Moil of the Fathers and Mother^
who are extreamly poor, and have no love for their Children, and whom they are
alfo afraid that they cannot maintain, have no other fhift, upon thegfirfl dearth of
Provifions, than to fell them to certain Merchants, who afterwards have them gelt,
and fometimes make clear work, and cut of all Some of thofe who have not any
thing left, when they would urine, are forced to make ufe of a little Cane or Pipe,
and to put it to the bottom of the belly. And whereas few efcape after fo dangerous
an operation , fuch are accordingly much dearer than the others, and they are fold
in Perfa and turkgy at the rase of fix hundred Crowns; when a hundred, or a hun
dred and fifty, is the price of the ordinary Eunuchs.^ For the fupply therefore of all
Turkey, all Perfa, all the Indies, and all the Provinces of Africa, it may be eafily
judg’d that there muft come millions of them from feveral places. The Kingdom of
Colcmda, in thePeninfula on this fide Ganges, and the ^Kingdoms of Affran, Boutan,
Arachan, and Pegu, on the other fide of it, afford a prodigious number of them. All
thefe Eunuchs are either white, or of duskifh colour. The black Eunuchs, who are
brought out of Africa, much inferiour in point of number, are, as I faid, much the
dearer. The moft deformed yield the greateft price, their extream uglinefs being
look’d on as beauty in their kind. A flat Nofe, a frightful Afpeff, a large Mouth,
thick Lips, the Teeth black, and handing at a diftance one from another (for ordi
narily the Moors have fair Teeth) are fo many advantages to the Merchants who
fell them. The Seraglio at Conftantinopk is full of thefe two forts of Eunuchs : The
black are defign’d for the cuftody of the Apartment where the Women are, andfent
to Court by the Bajfa’s of Grand-Cairo. The white, who are fomewhat lefsfavage,
and have been educated with fome care, are for the Grand Seignor’s own Apart
ment.
The principal The four principal Eunuchs, who approach the Prince’s Perfon, are the Hazodak-
Charges of the chi, the Chafnadarhachi, the Ktlargibachi, and the Sarai-Agafi, who have for their oil-
Seraglio. periour the Capi-Aga, who has the fuperintendency of all the Chambers of the lekgr
Ians. They ordinarily fucceed one the other, that is to fay, the Sarai-Agaf Succeeds
the Kilargihdchi ; the Kdargibachi fucceeds the Cbafnadarbachi ^ and the laft named iuc-
ceeds the Hazodahachi ; and in fine, the Hazodabacbi fucceeds the Capi-Aga, who is
always of the longeft (landing in fervice of the white Eunuchs. .
The noble Ad- The Capi-Aga, or Capou-Agaji, is as it were the Grand Mafter of the Seraglio, he is
vantages of the t [ lc principal in dignity and repute of all the white Eunuchs, and he is always near
the Grand Seignor’s Perfon, where-ever he is. He is the Perfon who introduces Amba -
fadors to Audience, and all great Affairs paffing through his hands, e’re they come
into thofe of the Prince,his Charge renders him neceffary to all others, and P roCl1 !
him many rich Prefents- All thofe perfons alfo who are to make any Prdcnt to t
Grand Seignor, mtift addrefs themfelves to the Capi-Aga, in order to their being p ^