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Heg. 1104)

ror Achmet, to come to that prince immediately .C.1693. in a pleasure houfe out of town, where he was & 1105. defirous of conferring with him. The prophet thought as he had been just preaching on obedience, he ought to give the example. Flattered with the honor which the emperor intended him, he began to think that his preaching had had fome effect. But he had no fooner entered his highness's carriage, which was brought to the mofque door for him, than the officers had him conducted a great way out of town, assuring him, that he would never return to Adrianople again, and that if he did not endeavour to disperse his profelytes, he would certainly be put to death in fecret. Mifri had not the courage neceffary for the head of a fect, at least he contradicted himself at the approach of danger; for the prophet never prefumed to appear again, though a violent storm, which the fame day beat down several tents in the camp, and even feveral houfes in the town, paffed for a prodigy in favor of his miffion, This fuppofed miracle ftaggered feeble minds; fo much so, that the emperor wrote with his own hand that he would fee Mifri and confer with him. The prophet, who remembered the menances of the vizier and mufti, preferred an obfcure, contemned life, to the glory and danger of apostleship.

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Conftan

About the fame time, a dreadful fire broke out Fire at in Conftantinople, which the fuperftitious might tinople. again take for a fign of God's wrath. A violent

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wind

J.C. 1693 wind carried vortices of flames into wooden Heg.1104,

&1105. houfes, which, being neither deep nor high, were

J.C. 1693.

fet on fire in an inftant. The Turks have neither fufficient order nor industry to guard against this too frequent calamity. Sir Paul Ricaut reports that in less than two days one quarter of the city was in a blaze. It is to be prefumed that this hiftorian exaggerates, as no other writer, nor the dispatches from the French ambassador, make any mention of this difafter. But, as we have already remarked, a fire at Conftantinople is of much lefs confequence than it would be elsewhere, as the houfes not being of much value, and wood being very common in European Turkey, the difafter is foon repaired.

The efforts of the English and Dutch ambafHeg.1105. fadors to make up a peace, and the ufual flow

Campaign

little im

late and of nefs of the Turks, prevented the campaign from portance. being opened 'till the middle of July.

The grand vizier, having learned that the duke of Croi had befieged Belgrade, haftened to the fuccour of that important place. The Auftrians not being fo numerous as the enemy, repaffed the Save precipitately; but their rear guard was beaten and their baggage pillaged. The war was fcarcely any thing on the frontiers of Poland. In Dalmatia the Venetians invested a small place, of which the Turks obliged them to raise the fiege. Bujulki Mustapha, who had faved Belgrade, returned to Adrianople, believing himself intitled to the thanks of his master and the esteem

of

of the nation; he entered the town, furrounded J.C.1693. Heg.1105. with a military pomp greatly refembling a triumph; but he had an enemy waiting for him there whom he little expected, and whofe blows it was difficult to parry. This was Fatima the favorite sultaness, whom her quality of mother of the two twin princes rendered abfolute over the heart of her husband. Fatima had never feen the grand vizier, and confequently could not have been perfonally offended by him; but, to oblige the mufti and the kiflar agafi, she refolved to be his ruin. Though the chief of the law had procured Bujulki the feals, he had been foon diffatisfied with his work, because, instead of a phantom of a vizier, as he had meant to give the nation, and under whofe naine he had expected to govern, he had found Bujulki an absolute, martial minifter, determined to govern the state and command the army himself. The care of the revenues of the royal mofques, intrusted to the killar agafi, gives that officer great intercourfe with the mufti. When they have the prudence mutually to affift one another, their power is very great, as the fultaneffes, always fuperftitious and in many respects dependant on the kislar agasi naturally enter into the intrigues of these two favorites, whom they confider almost as their masThe fultanefs Fatima, who was particularly fond of the mufti, because she thought fhe was indebted to his prayers for having brought two princes into the world at the fame time, faithfully related

ters.

VOL. IV.

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D2

Heg.1105.

J.C. 1693. related to the grand feignior what the kiflar agasi told her from the chief of the law against his minifter. Sometimes he was a traitor who wanted to put another prince upon the throne; at other times a fanguinary man who had the fubjects of the empire punished on flight fufpicions; and then again a careless fellow who neglected the affairs of the state that he might amuse himself in' hunting and shooting. Indolent, weak men always liften with more attention to scandal than praife. The emperor easily believed every thing that came from the mouth of his beloved fultanefs. One day they heard in the feraglio the noise of fowlers pursuing birds, which proved to be the grand vizier and some other officers; the fultanefs took care not to lose this occafion to renew her complaints. The depofition of the vizier vizier is was refolved on and executed fo fuddenly, that, during the on his return from shooting, he found the chiau pachi in his palace, charged with demanding the feals of him. The English ambassador, who had juft entered on a negotiation of peace with this minifter, wrote to London, on the occafion of the fall of Bujulki: "The minifters are changed fo

The grand

depofed

winter.

often in this court, that an ambaffador can fcarcely treat twice with the fame perfon; this " alone would be fufficient to overturn the best " established government in the world. Chance, "here, makes the generals and officers of the "divan; it is very difficult to know if they will

be capable or not of the employment given

of them;

" them; and if they should be fo, they are left J.C. 1694. Heg.1 ro5, "too little time to be able to turn it to advan- & 1106.

"tage."

The French

lends vef

vifion Con

The armain in

mies re

Tarabolus Ali bafhaw, who fucceeded Bujulki, had no thoughts of peace. Thofe, who had gotten him the place, had made that a condition of his elevation, Mr. Dechateauneuf, the French ambafador ambaffador, had not only employed the liberalities fels to proof Lewis XIV. to keep up this warlike difpofition ftantinople. in the divan, but provifioned Conftantinople by causing the corn and other neceffaries to be trans ported in French bottoms; for the Venetians, who kept the fea, had almost entirely destroyed the commerce of the Turks. This fuccour quieted the people, whom the dread of a famine had stirred up; preparation was then made for taking the field; but the operations were as flow this year as the preceding one. The grand vizier fent a feraf kier into Hungary. The two armies remained in obfervation during the whole campaign. The king and republic of Poland had dispatched a minifter to Conftantinople, who, notwithstanding the fupport of the French ambaffador, was fent back without having been heard; the Poles were revenged for it by beating an army of fifty thousand men, Turks and Tartars, which was efcorting provifions and ammunition to Kaminieck. The Venetians were still more fortunate; for being masters of the fea, they made a descent on the ifle of Scio and took the capital without much refistance. They took likewife two towns in Dalmatia.

It

obfervation

during the

campaign.

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