Heg.1143.

to range themselves under the banner of Maho- J.C. 1730. met, and to attack this troop, if it appeared to increafe. This precaution augmented Patrona's party with a great number of citizens, drawn at first to the standard of the prophet, but who, reflecting on the good order that reigned in the city notwithstanding the rebellion (for not a fingle house had been pillaged), and on the bad government, which every body had to complain of, began to look on Patrona and his friends as the deliverers of the country, and to range themfelves under his colours. No one came to dif perfe these rebels, who, by their number and discipline, began to deferve the name of an army. The inaction and trouble that reigned in the feraglio clearly announced the terror of the master and of the divan. After having loft The grand a great deal of time, they attempted to affemble the bostangis; but this timid troop was fo difperfed, that thirty of them could not be gotten together. The icoglans were in so small a number, and fo little formed for carrying arms, that fit would not have been prudent to oppose this feeble foldiery even against the detachment of Ali, who, being pofted before the ftandard of Mahomet, threatened the feraglio. The captain. bafhaw, more courageous than all the other members of the divan, refolved to go and affemble the levantis; he gave orders for the galleys to be brought to the feraglio-point, where he went himself. Four hundred levantis were already

landed,

feignior finds no foldiers to

oppofe

"

Heg.1143.

vours to

fuccefs of

that attempt.

1.C.73 landed, and the drum was beating, as much to affemble the old levantis as to enlift new ones, He endea- when they faw Patrona's little colours appear affemble on the ftrand. This general (we will call him tis. Bad fo for the future) had not loft a moment fince he learned the moving of the galleys. Two battalions, which advanced in good order, fired on the levantis with their muzzles close to them, who were not yet formed in battalion. This dif charge, killed thirty of them and put the reft to flight. Patrona Calil then stepping up to the captain bafhaw, who did not run away: "Abdi," said he to him," why wouldft thou affemble 'poltrons to defend tyrants? Thy life is in my power; but I remember that thou favedst mine when I was a levanti. One good "turn deferves another. It will be thy own

fault if thou do not continue captain bafhaw, "in cafe thou be willing to command brave fel"lows and ferve thy country; but thou muft "fwear on thy fword the deftruction of thefe "rafcals whom we are purfuing." The circumftance was preffing. Abdi, after having bound himself by the oath which they required of him, affembled his fugitives together as well as he could and joined the rebels. He caufed the cannon of the port to be tranfported to their army, which continued in order of battle in the Atmeidan.

Though the feraglio was not yet invefted, a general terror reigned there. The grand feignior

Aldi had faved Patrona from Leing hanged for a theft.

fent

ས

Heg.1143

feignior

the fecond

time to the

rebels.

£.

Profcription of fe

veral officers of the empire.

their

fent the officer of the boltangis, who had already .C. 1730. fpoken to the rebels, a fecond time to the Atmeidan, to demand of them what they would The grand have, and for what they were affembled. Pafends for trona Calil, Musli, and Ali, replied unanimously, that they demanded to have the mufti, the grand vizier, his kiaia, the caimacan, and the reis ef fendi, delivered to them alive, and that they would not lay down their arms till they were dipped in the blood of thefe five culprits. As the grand Pillage of feignior delayed his anfwer, and it was neceffary to houses. have money to fubfift the army with, Patrona Cali fent fome of his men to pillage the houses of the five minifters All the gold and filver that they found there was paid into the hands of the man that the rebels had made defterdar, and the valuable furniture was inftantly fold at a low price. There five houses were not the only ones that were! pillaged fome that belonged to the creatures of the profcribed minifters experienced the fame fate by order of Patrona, They alfo pillaged the palace of the governor of Galata and Pera, two quarters which are almost entirely inhabited by Chrif tians and Jews. Patrona, who was defirous of pleafing all, ordered that the money found at the governor's fhould be thrown out at the windows, in order, as he faid, to restore the Infidels the rapines and extortions which they had Tuffered from this robber. Never was there fo much ordet obferved in a pillage. The Chriftians who were always afraid to take any part in eommotions,

were

Heg.1143.

J.C.1730 were invited and almost constrained by the janiffaries charged with unfurnishing the governor's house, to come and pick up the pieces of gold and filver under his windows which they were throwing out without reserve.

Patrona blocks up

However, no answer arrived from the grand the feraglio feignior, and no one came out of the feraglio. and caufes Towards the end of the fecond day, Patrona

the shops

to life to be

1

neceffary thought it was time to block it up. He conopened. ducted his army thither; but he first caused to be published, that all the butchers, bakers, and other dealers in the neceffaries for life, fhould open their fhops, and that thofe, who fhould be convicted of having done the leaft mifchief to one of them, fhould be empaled immediately. He likewife published, that, if the Chriftians made no riot, and did not appear to take any part in the present event, no violence fhould be done them, Patrona took this precaution, because it was reported that the emperor had some thoughts of foliciting the affiftance of the Chriftians. At length, the officer of the boftangis, who had always carried the emperor's meffages to the rebels, came to tell them in his name, that he would depose the ministers whom they thought they had reason to complain of; but that the law forbade him to have the, mufti put to death, and that he could never refolve to order the execution of the other minifters, who had ferved him faithfully. The rebels replied immediately, that the mufti's life should be faved, provided he were fent into

Heg.1143.

exile, but that they would take the other four JC.1730. from the feraglio by force, if the emperor continued refolutely bent not to give them up. The three chiefs, who knew that the fultan never faw any thing but by the eyes of those whom they had condemned, hoped that his conftant refufal would foon give them reafon to dethrone him himfelf. They were defirous of conducting the rebels by degrees to this laft blow. Recollecting that Achmet had put those to death who had feated him on the throne of Muftapha, they did not foresee more favor for themselves. Patrona faid to his friends, that the fword once drawn against the fovereign fhould never be fieathed again. Their aftonishment was great about the middle of the third day, when they were beginning to take measures to force the feraglio, to fee the doors feignior suddenly fly open, and the four dead bodies of four mini

The grand

caufes his

fters to be

the profcribed minifters brought out on litters, ftrangled. preceded by the officer of the boftangis, who announced to them the condefcendency of their mafter, and repeated in his name the order to feparate...

The grand feignior, advised by his women and eunuchs, had hoped that this act of weakness would appease the fedition: and in fact a number of the rebels, filling the air with acclamations of victory and thanks, feemed inclined to retire, when Patrona and his moft faithful con-fidents exclaimed, that the dead body brought them for the grand vizier's, was not really his;

VOL. IV.

Tt

that