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J.C.1696.
Heg.1107,

& 1108.

of the most furious zeal. The latter having at- J.C. 1696. tempted to defend his proceeding, the enraged mufti repaired to the place where it was building, ordering all the good Muffulmen to deftroy the refort of the Giaurs: which was done immedi

ately with great tumult. The vizier having complained of it to Muftapha, the chief of the law was ordered before him, where he supported this proceeding by feveral paffages of the Alcoran, with the non-obfervance of which he reproached his adverfary, and concluded with faying, that he had been forced to arm the friends of God against the oppofers of his worship, and that he should find in the zeal of good Muffulmen the protection which he was refufed by government. His clamours overcame the prince and his minifter. The church which had been meant to be rebuilt, instead of being fo on the proposed plan, was given up to the mufti, who, without any pretext, had it converted into a mofque.

They learned in the beginning of the spring that Frederick Auguftus had befieged Temefwar. This intelligence increased the grand feignior's eagerness to take the field. He paffed the Danube with what troops he had, refolved to caufe the fiege to be raised, or to fight the Germans. They went and pitched their camp in an advantageous place, called Olach, twenty-four miles from the town which they had befieged. Muftapha came up with and defeated them, but would

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Heg.1107,

J.C. 1696. not pursue them. Proud of this fuccefs, he con& 1108. tented himself with the flaughter that his troops

Taking of Afoph by the Rui

hans.

had made, and twenty-four pieces of cannon which the Germans were constrained to abandon. The emperor of the Weft was fo employed against France, that it was enough for him to guard his frontiers on the fide of Turkey. Prince Frederick Auguftus was ordered to keep on the defenfive the rest of the campaign, and Muftapha, fonder of triumphs than of victories, returned to Adrianople, where he learned that the Poles, who had lately loft their king, had been taken up the whole fummer with other matters than infulting his frontiers.

It had not been the fame on the confines of Ruffia. The czar, Peter the Great, more fortunate this year than the preceding one, had recommenced the fiege of Afoph with the affistance of German engineers and matroffes. The town had been fo hard preffed, that in two months the garrifon, reduced to four hundred men from fix thousand which at firft compofed it, was obliged to furrender to avoid being put to the sword. This confiderable lofs opened the commerce of the Black fea to the Ruffians, in cafe that nation fhould be capable of trading. The Venetians in Albania confumed themselves at the fiege of Dulcigno, which they did not take. Their Inaction of fleet, watched by that of the Turks with all the tians. vigilance of the captain bashaw Mezzomorto, remained in the most perfect inaction. The Vene

the Vene

Heg.1107,

of Mufta

pha at A

tians faw with grief their enemy become as for- J.C. 1696. midable by fea as he had been a few years before. & 1108. Such was the ftate of the war, when Muftapha Triumph haftened to go and triumph at Adrianople. He caused the twenty-four cannon, taken in the laft drianople. battle, to be drawn before him, and thefe to be followed by fuch captives as he had been able to collect, imitating, as much as he could, the triumphant pomp of ancient Rome. He fupplied by the appearance of gold, by the beauty of horses, by the luftre of precious stones, in a word, by Afiatic luxury, the reprefentation of the fubjugated provinces, the innumerable crowd of captives, and all thofe ftriking images that marked the triumphs of the Romans. This pomp fo flattered his pride, that he would fain go and difplay it again at Conftantinople. Muftapha had not appeared in the capital of the empire fince his acceffion to the throne. A ceremony had even been left out at his proclamation at Adrianople, because it could not be performed any where but at Conftantinople, and which the fuperftitious Turks confidered of great importance. We will mention the cavalcade which the new emperor makes to Jub mofque foon after his acceffion. There, the mufti, or in his abfence the fcheik of the mofque, girds on the fword on the monarch, which anfwers nearly to the crowning of our kings. Muftapha went through this ceremony in presence of the inhabitants of his capital, whofe good opinion he wished to gain,

with

J.C. 1696. with great pomp and an apparent affability

Heg.1107,

&1108. which his predeceffors had rarely fhewn. He not

only often walked the ftreets in difguife, both at Adrianople and Conftantinople, to know by his own eyes what it would have been impoffible for him to perceive from his throne, but fometimes admitted fubjects to his audience, and did not disdain to speak to fhipwrights or other artifts, interrogating them on their profeffion, and praifing or blaming according to circumstances.

J.C.1697, Having learned by his own experience in two & 1109. different battles how neceffary it was to maintain

Heg.1108,

order in the different regiments, to make them march and fire together, and to form of a group of foldiers a moving machine, obedient to the voice or gefture, always formidable to the enemy: the emperor endeavoured, during the first winter which he paffed at Conftantinople, to profit by the bloody leffons which the enemy had given him. He had the janiffaries manoeuvred in a large fquare, where he himself faw the efforts that they made to learn military difcipline; but whether the officers, little formed for janiffaries this fort of fighting, had not the art to bring tary difci- their foldiers to it, or that they beheld with an

The empe

ror at

tempts in vain to make the

learn mili

pline.

evil eye this familiarity of the emperor with his troops, which was contrary to the custom of the empire, and leffened in their opinion their fuperiority over those who were under them, neither the janiffaries nor the other corps ever learned these evolutions, by means of which well difci

plined troops have gained fo many battles. All J.C. 1697. Heg.1108, this winter was paffed in gathering up the remains & 1109. of the treasures of the mofques, raifing recruits, and building veffels. Muftapha was so attentive to these matters, that he left the grand vizier and the other minifters little more than the trouble of giving him an account, and the fear of failing therein.

pares to

The peace that was preparing between France and the confederate powers, and which was concluded the following fummer, gave the ambaffadors of England and Holland an occasion of renewing their efforts to get the Turks to accept it likewife. They reprefented the German power as more formidable than ever, as all the forces of the empire would be turned against the East. The reasons of the two ambaffadors, far from intimidating Muftapha, made him redouble his effors to oppose the house of Auftria. His public He pretreasury had been filled by economy, vigilance, bring a and confifcations. The rebels of Hungary were army inte more and more animated. The fultan, in order to take advantage of this diverfion, thought it would be right to iffue a catcher if declaring count Tekli king of Hungary. This prince, who was much troubled with the gout, had been to Burfa to endeavour to get fome relief from the baths there; but the ftate of affairs foon forced him to join the Turkish army. The Hungarian malecontents had taken Tockay in the name of their new king; they filled Hungary with their manifeftoes,

VOL. IV.

G

numerous

the field.

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