'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.' [‎81] (630/1024)

A Relation of the Grand Seigmrs S e r. a g li o. 81
buc his own Son, with the Secret of Affairs, whereof he only had the'Key, this
very AcbmeR who next to the Sultan, is the principal Perfon of the Empire, would
have been, at prefent, but a fimplc or Captain of a Galley.
The Grand Seignor Mahomet is handfome enough as to his Pe-rlon, his Stature rm Pourtm-
fomewhat exceeding that of the middle fort of perlbns 5 he has not too much cor- ture of Maho-
pulency, and hii> health is in an uncertain If ate. He is very much troubled with a met IV -.
rail, which he receiv’d in the violence of his Game, fome years fmee, by leaping pr ^ ent Prjnceo
his Horfe over a broad Ditch : And whereas that pallion is hill predominant in
him, this inconvenience attends it, That, when he is not fomewhat favourable and
indulgent to himfelf, in that violent Exercife, be is fomeeimes taken off his Horfe
in a miferable condition, the Remedies which might be apply’d to that indifpofition,
taking no effed, by reafon of the little care he takes to preferve himlelf. He is
a peribn of an nnconftant and unquiet d/fpofition, which creates the greater
trouble to thofe who wait 01 him? and though they ftudy hi^ humours, yet is
k a hard matter to fatisfie him. He has a Son, who lias been CitcUmcis’d with
great Solemnity, at the Age, wherein that Ceremony is to be perform’d: The
Sultan els, his Mother, a Woman of a Magnificent humour, to augment the
Pomp and Splendour of that Adion, to the Eyes, as well of the as Forreiners,
would have the Garment, which the Young Prince wore that day, to be all
cover’d with Diamonds, and, to that end, caus’d feveral Rich Pieces of the Trea-
fury to be broken; but after the Solemnity, all the Precious Scones were carried
back into it again. , # u '
I laid erewhile, that the prefent Sultan-Mahomet is extreamly addided to Hunting,
and makes it fo much his Darling Divertifement, that he makes lefe account of
the Lives of Men, than he does of his Dogs 5 and withal, that he is of a very.
Covetous Humour. 1 fhall, in one fingle Example make a fufficient dilcovery
of both thofe inclinations in him, and that will alfo further make it appear, hoW
well he was skill’d, in that Knack of exercifing great Liberalities, without any
dedudion out of his Revenues. ^ ; f
When the Grand Seignor goes a Hunting, there are Orders fent to a great
number of People, for the Ipace of four or five Leagues about the place where he r r \
intends to Hunt, in order to the f irrounding of a certak quantity of Ground, and
for the enclofing of it fo well, as that nothing can efcape thence. Tis not to be
imagin’d, this can be done, without great deftrudion to the Countrey, and, much
inconvenience to the poor People, who are forc’d to leave their Work, to carry
on an Exercife which is much more toiliome than it, in which they many times
come off with the Lofs of Limb, or Life, or fome other difaff rous Accident. Theft
continual impofitions oft rouble and toil,put many People into the repining humour,
infomuch that an Eunuch, who was in favour, having one day, taken the free
dom to represent to the Grand Seignor the prejudice his Subjeds underwent, by
thofe eourfes which occafion’d the fpoyling of their Grounds, and the lofs of their
Lives, he grew very Angry, and after fome days Imprifonment, he gave him a
ftameful Ejedion out of the Seraglio.
. But, in procefs of Time, the mifchievous Inconveniences occafion’d by this in
stable. purfuance of his Pleafures in Hunting, increafing more and more, the
Grand vizir, and the other Balia’s, rcfolv’d to intreat the Mwfti^ to make a Re-
monffrance ro liim, of the ill confeqaence thereof, he being the only Perfon who
might prefiime to fpeak any more of it to the Grand Scignor. The Moufti would
by no means hearken to it at firff, imagining, as he might well, that his Ha
rangue Would not be pleafing to the Sultan : But, at laff, being over-perfwaded to
do that good office to the Publick, he took Courage, and his opportunity, to fpeak
tohirri, withallthe inffnuation he A could.
He could not bethink himfelf of a better Expedient, to remove that predominant Hr Ancient
paffion out of his mind* than to reprefent to him, the Cuftom of his Predeceliors, Cuflom of the
who took their diverfion in fome handy-work, when the War, or the Concerns GrGek Em P e -
$ State gave them any remiffion i That, according to their Example, their Sub-
j^s apply’d themfelves to things chat were beneficial, and madp all Arts and ‘ ‘ '
Profeffions to BoutiM in the Empire, to the great Advantage of the PubJick .*
is
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