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Heg.1108,

J.C. 1697 manifeftoes, promifing their countrymen the pre&1109. fervation of their privileges, abundance, and li

He conducts a numerous

army against prince Eugene.

berty, in the name of their new king, and under the protection of the Turks. The commotions of the Tranfylvanians and the advice of count Tekli determined the grand feignior to conduct a hundred and thirty thousand men thither. He took the field early; Tekli promised him a reinforcement of fifty thousand rebels, warlike foldiers, all ready to open their towns to him. As the grand feignior, with his numerous army drew near Temeswar, he learned that prince Eugene of Savoy, already greatly celebrated in Europe, was in the neighbourhood of Titul with fifty thoufand men. The grand vizier preffed Muftapha to march against the enemy. Prince Eugene meditated to cover Segedin, Peterwaradin, and the other places fituated on the Danube and the Teiffe, a river which falls into the former, and he was thoroughly refolved to avoid a battle if he poffibly could. Several marches and counter-marches of the two armies difplayed the fuperiority of the Austrian general, who beat all the parties fent out to endeavour to stop up the narrow paffes. At length Muftapha was on the point of laying fiege to Peterwaradin, believing Eugene prince Eugene encamped under Segedin, when the Turks he perceived the Austrian army, which took pofing fiege feffion of the plain between the Turks and the

Prince

prevents

from lay

to Peter

waradin. place that the latter meant to attack. Forced marches coft the Germans nothing under a gene

ral

Heg.1108,

vizier is

attacking

ral who always knew the motions of the enemy J.C. 1697. as well as they did themselves, and who ordered & 1109. nothing that had not its advantage. It was neceffary therefore for the Turks to pass the Danube The grand on a bridge, which they had just thrown over, to defirous of attack the enemy, before they befieged the town: him. this was the advice of the grand vizier, the particulars of which he gave in the divan with the authority of a chief who explains his intentions rather than asks advice; but an old bashaw of the A bahaw bench, called Coja Jafer, ftrongly oppofed this bench opdefign, faying, that, the experience which he had and carries had in the German wars had taught him, that the voice their fuperiority was infinite in plain ground. fultan.. "Don't you remember," faid he to the vizier, "that laft campaign eight thousand men ftood "against more than forty-five thousand; that "their victory perhaps would have been com

plete, if they had not loft their general in the "heat of the battle? Are you ignorant of the "reputation of the prefent commander? Don't

you fee the difpofition of his camp? If you " will take advantage of your fuperiority of "number, wait 'till you are attacked: then you

may extend your felf and furround the Auf"trians in the plain which you poffefs, or elfe

you may destroy them by counter-marches and "fkirmishes; but take care how you attack them "in an advantageous camp. They will not come ❝to action unless they are fure of having the advantage." All the bafhaws were of the

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fame

of the

pofes it,

with him

of the

Heg.1108,

J.C.1697. fame opinion as Coja Jafer. The grand vizier, &1109. irritated at this inaction, and ftill more, probably,

at an inferior bafhaw's prefuming to oppose him, and gain the voice of the council, replied with rage and treated him as a coward. Coja Jafer exclaimed: "Sublime emperor, if you hear me, "undraw the curtain which covers you, and "judge for the intereft of your glory between

your grand vizier and me." Mustapha was really behind the veil, which, in the pavilion of the camp, as in the divan chamber at Conftantinople, always represents the dangerous window, and enables the emperor to hear every thing without being perceived. The fultan appeared, and Coja Jafer, addreffing himself again to the grand vizier, faid: "Brother, Heaven may have "inspired you; if it be by revelation that you

speak, without doubt our troops will be vic"torious; but as there are but few miracles cc happen, I have no faith in the prefent. If

our glorious fultan permit you to go and at"tack the enemy, I conjure him to have me "immediately loaded with chains; and if you "be victorious, I will confent to be put to the "moft ignominious death; but, if you are "beaten, you will have to answer to God, ta "the holy prophet, and to our glorious emperor, "for your prefumption and imprudence. As to "myself, I am of opinion that we should in"trench ourselves. If the enemy advance on

us, he will lofe his advantage, and we are

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"fufficiently numerous to furround him; but J.C.1697. Heg.1108, "let us always have intrenchments between him & 1109. " and us, in order to oblige him to give the "first blow, and especially to make the first "movement." Muftapha, all prefumptuous as he was, inclined to the opinion of the old bashaw, and from this moment the grand vizier conceived a violent hatred for this man, whom he looked on as his rival.

march

Elmas, in order to regain the confidence of his master, advised the fultan to lay fiege to Segedin, TheTurks which prince Eugene had just left. Muftapha towards liked this project, and attempted it a few days Segedin. after the consultation about giving battle. Prince Eugene, hearing at break of day the tubulcham,* did not doubt a moment that the Turks were coming to attack him. But being informed a little after, by his scouts, that they were marching, rather precipitately, towards a town called Zenta, become famous by the battle which we trians folare going to mention, prince Eugene put himself low them at the head of the choice of his army, ordering the main body to follow him. Towards the end of the day, he came up with a corps of the Turks' rear guard, compofed of three thousand men, which he cut to pieces. Elmas bafhaw had the man who brought this intelligence ftrangled immediately, left it fhould fpread in the

army:

* This is a beat of the great drums of the janiffaries,, which, like the General in the British armies, announces a movement.

The Auf

and beat their rear

guard.

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The grand

pafs the

his army.

The

J.C. 1697.
army and as he could not conceal that a fort of
Heg.1108,
&1109. meffenger had been to him, he had the temerity
to deceive the fultan, affuring him that his rear
guard had entirely defeated the advanced guard
of the Auftrians. The grand feignior was already
congratulating himself on this fuppofed fuccess,
when the alarm was spread all of a sudden.
Some Tartarian scouts published throughout the
army the misfortune worfe than it was.
feignior emperor being undeceived, inftead of waiting
refolves to for the victorious enemy, ordered a bridge to be
Teife with immediately thrown over the Teiffe, by the bor-
ders of which he was then keeping. The work
was finished in four hours by means of pontons
or boats of leather, which the Turks always
carry with them. The emperor, who would
have had his foldiers have wings, paffed the
bridge the firft; the grand vizier being come,
according to custom, to kiss his stirrup, the ful-
tan thrust him back with a menacing air: "Take
66 care," faid he, "to bring over all the army,
" and even the baggage, with the greatest dili-
gence. If we lofe a fingle waggon, your head
"fhall anfwer for it." Elmas clearly perceived
that he was ruined. It was impoffible for all the
army to pass over before prince Eugene fhould
overtake them. However, Muftapha being got-
ten on the other fide haftened the paffing over of
the troops both by gefture and voice, and would
always have the bridge covered with men. This
narrow paffage could contain but very few people

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