"deliver you this letter, adorned with our im- JC. 1712.

cr

perial feal, be perfuaded and convinced of the << truth of our intentions therein contained, to "wit, that though we had propofed once more "to march our ever victorious army against the "czar; yet that prince, in order to avoid the

Сс

juft refentment which we had conceived at his "delaying to execute the treaty concluded on "the banks of the Pruth, and afterward renewed "at our fublime Porte, having furrendered into "our hands the caftle and town of Afoph, and "endeavoured, by the mediation of the English "and Dutch ambaffadors, our ancient allies, to "cultivate a lafting peace with us, we have "granted his requeft, and delivered to his plenipotentiaries, who remain with us as hostages, our imperial ratification, after having receiyed "his from their hands.

"We have given to the moft honorable and "valiant Delvet Gerai, khan of Budziack, Cri

Heg.1124.

mea, Nogai, and Circaffia, and to our most "wife counsellor and noble ferafkier of Bender, "Ifhmael, (the magnificence and wisdom of "whom may God preserve and increase,) our "inviolable and falutary orders for your return "through Poland, according to your first inten"tion, which has again been reprefented to us "in your name. You must therefore prepare to "fet out next winter under the protection of "Providence, and with an honorable efcort, in "order to return to your own territories, taking

<< care

J.C. 1712. care to pass through thofe of Poland in a "friendly manner.

Heg.1124.

He refufes

"Whatever is neceffary for your journey shall "be furnished you by my fublime Porte, as well

"in money as in men, horses, and waggons. "Above all things we advife and exhort you to "give the most particular and exprefs orders to all "the Swedes and other perfons in your retinue, "to commit no outrage, nor to be guilty of any "action that may tend, either directly or indi"rectly, to break this peace and alliance.

Κ

By these means you will preserve our good "will, of which we fhall endeavour to give you "as great and as frequent proofs as we shall have " opportunities. The troops defigned to attend "you fhall receive orders agreeably to our imperial intentions.

"Given at our fublime Porte of Conftantinople the 14th of the moon Rebyul Eureh, 1124 (which answers to the 19th of April 1712).”

This letter did not deprive the king of Sweto comply. den of all hopes. He wrote to the fultan, that he fhould ever retain a grateful remembrance of the favors his highness had bestowed upon him; but that he believed the fultan was too juft to fend him back with the fimple efcort of a flying camp into a country that still fwarmed with the czar's troops. And indeed the emperor of Ruffia, notwithstanding the first article of the treaty of Pruth, by which he had engaged to withdraw all his troops from Poland, had fent fresh ones into

that

Heg.1124.

that kingdom; and what feems aftonishing is, J.C. 1712. that the grand feignior knew nothing of it.

The bad policy of the Porte, in being fo much guided by the motives of vanity as to allow Christian princes to have ambaffadors at Conftantinople, without ever fending a single agent to any Christian court, gives the latter an opportunity of discovering, and sometimes of directing, the most fecret refolutions of the fultan, and keeps the divan in a profound ignorance of what paffes in the Christian world.

The fultan, shut up in his feraglio, among his women and eunuchs, can only fee with the eyes of his grand vizier. That minifter, as inacceffible as his master, his time wholly engroffed with the intrigues of the feraglio, and having no foreign correspondence, is commonly deceived himfelf, or else deceives the fultan, who depofes of causes him to be ftrangled for the first offence, in order to choose another minifter as ignorant or ast perfidious, who behaves like his predeceffors, and foon fhares the fame fate.

So great, for the most part, is the inactivity and fupine negligence of this court, that, were the Chriftian princes to combine against it, their fleets might be at the Dardanelles and their land forces at the gates of Adrianople, before the Turks would think of taking any measures for their defence; but their jarring interefts, that must ever divide the Chriftian world, will preferve the Turks from a fate to which they feem at prefent

expofed,

Heg.1124.

I.C.1712. expofed, by their want of policy, and by their ignorance of the art of war, both by fea and land. So little was Achmet acquainted with what paffed in Poland, that he fent an aga to inquire if it were true that the czar's troops were still in that country. The aga was accompanied by two secretaries of the king of Sweden, who understood Turkish, and were to serve as evidences against him, in cafe he should give in a falfe report.

He hopes

Turks in

< The aga faw the Ruffian forces with his own eyes, and informed the fultan of every particular. Achmet, fired with indignation, was going to have the grand vizier ftrangled; but the favorite, who protected him, and who thought he should have further occafion for him, obtained his pardon, and fupported him fome time longer in the miniftry.

The cause of the Ruffians was openly espoused by the vizier, and fecretly favored by Ali Coumourgi, who had changed fides. But the fultan was fo provoked, the infraction of the treaty was so manifeft, and the janiffaries, who often make the ministers, the favorites, and even the fultans tremble, called out for war with fo much importunity, that no one in the feraglio durft offer a more moderate propofal.

The grand feignior immediately ordered the to arm the Ruffian ambaffadors to be committed to the Seven his favor. Towers, who were already as much accustomed to go to prifon as to an audience. War was declared anew against the czar, the horfe-tails were displayed, and orders were given to all the

bafhaws

bafhaws to affemble an army of two hundred J.C. 1712. Heg.1124. thousand men. The fultan himself quitted Conftantinople, and fixed his court at Adrianople, that he might be fo much the nearer to the feat of the war.

Meanwhile a folemn embaffy, fent to the grand feignior by Auguftus and the republic of Poland, was upon the road to Adrianople. The palatine of Maffovia was at the head of this embaffy, with a retinue of above three hundred perfons.

All the members of the embaffy were feized and imprisoned. Never was the king of Sweden's party more highly flattered than on this occafion; and yet these great preparations were rendered abortive, and all their hopes were again difappointed.

If we may believe a public minifter, a man. of fagacity and penetration, who then refided at Conftantinople, young Coumourgi had already formed other designs than that of disputing a defert country with the czar of Mofcovy, by a war the event of which muft have been fo uncertain. He had refolved to strip the Venetians of Peloponnefus, now called the Morea, and to make himfelf master of Hungary.

These projects he proposed to carry into execution, as soon as he should have attained the poft of grand vizier, from which he was ftill excluded on account of his youth. In this view it was more for his advantage to be the ally than the