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Heg.1108.

and earnestly conjured him to give up a claim J.C. 1697which was without foundation, and might em- & 1109. broil two powers which had been friends for feveral years, faying, that it was the duty of ambaffadors to furmount or elude difficulties, not to start them. Mr. Deferiolles replied haughtily to this pathetic exhortation, that he was not come to start difficulties, but at the fame time he would not debase his character and nation; that, fuppofing he were not an ambaffador, as a French gentleman he never ought to lay afide his fword but by order of his mafter; that as to the reft, the account given in to Lewis XIV. by his predeceffor was in his inftructions; that he was ordered to conform thereto; and that he could not disobey his master. The chiau pachi, to whom the grand vizier had left every thing, durft not introduce the ambaffador into the throne chamber, nor deny him the entrance of it. He fent for the grand vizier to inform him of what was paffing. The fultan had been feated on his throne for more than half an hour, furrounded by the bashaws of the bench, the mufti, the mollacs, all the agas of the feraglio, in fhort, all the pomp which the Porte never fails of difplaying on fuch occasions. The grand vizier intreated Mr. Deferiolles to take off his fword, for the fame reasons as Mauro Cordato had given him; but he could not prevail more than the interpreter. As he was on the point of declaring to him that he should not be admitted to the

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Heg.1108,

& 1100

J.C. 1697. grand feignior's audience, the chiau pachi took the prime minifter afide, and conferred with him fome moments, after which the grand vizier returning into the throne chamber, without speaking to the ambaffador, the chiau pachi told him that he was going to have audience, and that he must begin his march. Mr. Deferiolles thought he had obtained by his perfeverance what the officers of the Porte had attempted to refufe him; he arrogantly placed himself between the two. capiggis pachis who were to walk by him during the ceremony. Those of his attendants, who - were to follow him into the throne chamber, being ranged in order, marched between two rows of boftangis, capiggs, and black eunuchs, which extended from the divan chamber to that of the throne. As foon as the door was opened, Mr. Deferiolles faw the eftrade of the grand feignior, and at the fame time felt a hand endeavouring to wreft his fword from him, on which he immediately directed his thither, and, making a few steps backward, exclaimed: "Is it to my "master or me this infalt is intended, and what "is the meaning of this violence ?" Thefe words, pronounced very loud, were heard by the emperor, who, though he did not underftand them, fufpected what was the matter. He sent the capi aga, or chief of the white eunuchs, to forbid any violence being ufed. The grand vizier followed the chief of the eunuchs; he found Mr. Deferiolles returned to the place from whence

he

he had begun his march, and who bitterly com- J.C. 1697.
Heg.1108,
plained to him of the infult that he had received. & 1109.
Huffain replied, that it was contrary to the ful-
tan's orders and his own that his perfon had
been touched, and that he was affured it had
happened entirely through inadvertency, on
account of the crowd that furrounded the door
and without any intention to take his fword from
him; but he told him at the fame time that he
would never appear before Mustapha, unless he
voluntarily laid it afide. Mr. Deferiolles an-
fwered only by taking off his caftan, ordering his
retinue to do the fame, and his equerry to bring
his horfes. The caftans were piled up on the
fofas, left the Turks fhould accufe the ambaf-
fador's officers of having rejected them with con-
tempt; and Mr. Deferiolles remounted his horfe,
without being accompanied by any but his houf-
hold and the janiffaries appointed to attend him.
It was thought for fome time that this affair
would produce ferious confequences. The Turks
had often violated the law of nations on less im-
portant occafions; but the low ftate in which the
Porte was, would not permit Mustapha to fhew
the leaft refentment. The prefents intended to
be offered were fent back the fame day to the
ambaffador's palace, and the grand vizier feemed
to forget this affair, to attend only to that which
interested the Porte before all others.

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The preparations were making for the enfuing campaign with great difficulty and discourage

VOL. IV.

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ment.

J.C. 1698.
Heg.1109,
& 1110.

+

J.C. 1698. ment. The people no longer fhewed that eagerHeg.1109, & 1110. nefs which they had discovered at firft for inlifting in the different military corps. The tirnarians

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were obliged to be fummoned feveral times to appear with the number of men which they were to entertain, before their troop was complete. The grand feignior, who, in order to know the fentiments of the people and of the army, mixed often with the crowd, heard nothing but complaints and fatal prefages. Since the battle of Zenta he had loft the esteem and confidence of the people. They said aloud, that God had declared for the Infidels, and that, the European poffeffions must be expected to be entirely loft if the war lafted much longer; that the treasuries of the mofques being foon drained, the impofts with which the fubjects of the empire would be oppreffed, would only enrich the enemy and expose more men to the destroying fword; and that generals without talents led to certain death foldiers without courage. These repeated complaints grieved the emperor to the very heart; he felt his incapacity, and knew no one in his empire that he could oppose against prince Eugene. His grand vizier Huffain bafhaw was continually repeating to him, that a peace must be had at any price; but neither he nor his master expected that the victorious enemy would liften to reasonable conditions. The minifter earnestly defired to renew the conferences with the English and Dutch ambaffadors, who,

disheartened

disheartened by the little fuccefs of their former J.C. 1698. Heg.1109, efforts, observed the profoundeft filence. The & 1110. grand vizier was afraid if he spoke first, that he Mauro should be made buy what he so much wished for at too dear a rate: At length Mauro Cordato, a confe

Cordato

brings on

rence for

the Greek whofe addrefs and abilities were fo a peace. much esteemed by the Turks, and whom the money of Lewis XIV. had 'till then made very much against a peace, being at variance with Mr. Deferiolles, who was exceedingly displeased with him on account of the audience affair, went to the grand vizier, to give him to understand, that - it would not be impoffible to bring on a negotiation, and that there was every reason to think it would be attended with fuccefs; that Leopold, all victorious as he was, had many reafons to defire a peace with the Porte; that every one knew how much his finances were drained; that the treaty lately concluded at Ryfwick would not procure him a long repofe, as the king of Spain, on the brink of the grave, would foon leave a fucceffion to dispute between the house of France and the branch of Leopold; that the king of France and the emperor of the Weft, the dauphinand the king of the Romans, were equally defcended from Auftrian princeffes of the Spanish branch; that the Germans had the greatest intereft to fix this rich fucceffion in the house of Auftria which had remained in it a long time, but that the French claimed the right of primogeniture; for the princefs that was mother to

the

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