Heg.1021, J.C. 1612. to the highest dignities. He heaped up great fums, and obtained, feveral years after, the government of Diarbekar, with the title of bashaw of two tails. He found means to fatisfy his rapacity in this new poft, richer and more honorable than any of thofe that he had 'till then poffeffed. On the acceffion of Achmet to the throne, Nafuf learned that the new monarch had chofen Murad, the beglerbeg of Grand Cairo, for grand vizier. Murad's reputation and advanced age infpired Nafuf with a defire to make himself neceffary to the grand vizier, to gain his confidence, and to fucceed him. He joined this minifter in his Afiatic expeditions to reduce the rebels, and took care to make himself useful to him; at length he got himself chofen lieutenant of the army which Murad was conducting to the frontiers of Perfia. The reader has already feen how Nafuf became grand vizier. It remains then only to relate how he fell from this pinnacle of grandeurs to which he had rifen from fo low a ftate. J.C. 1613. The fall of almost all the great men in Turkey His fall proceeds from their not having been able to foreand death. fee it, and from their being inebriated with their unlimited power, notwithstanding the numerous examples of thofe who have been punished for having abused it. According to the Ottoman manners, the grand viziers are much more powerful than it is pofible for the prime minifter of any Hèg.1022. any other monarchy to be, as the grand feignior, J.C. 1613. generally fhut up in his haram, fees nothing of his fubjects, fhewing himself to them, only in the pomp of his marches from one feraglio to the other, or from the feraglio to the mosque. All the rest of his time, furrounded by women and eunuchs, he has no communication with those that he governs, but through the grand vizier, or fome other officer of the empire dependant on the latter. As no vizier had been ftrangled for a long time paft, Nafuf, to whom all gave way, thought his favor invariable, and his power more confirmed than that of any of his predeceffors. Some infringements of the treaty of peace with Perfia, had been committed on the frontiers of the two empires; but Nafuf, who would rather reign at Conftantinople than command armies in the deserts of Perfia, concealed from the prince the information he had received; he had even some secret commerce with the minifter that governed Perfia under the fophi, and received conGiderable presents from that minifter, without the grand feignior's knowing any thing of it.. He made a practice of impofing on his master, in order to render himself more and more neceffary, and to give a good opinion of his government. A veffel having taken a bark from the Coffacks, which carried at most but fifteen men, the grand vizier had fifteen veffels joined to it from the arfenal armed with cannon, and four hundred VOE. II. PP flaves Heg. 1022. J.C. 1613. flaves to the prisoners. The prime minifter fhewed these fhips and men to the grand feignior in the port of Conftantinople, as a prize of confequence taken by his veffels from the Coffack corfairs which infefted the feas. This notorious falfity was the first cause of Nasuf's fall. Though the captain bashaw feemed equally interested with the grand vizier to conceal it, yet he or his officers could not hold their tongues, and the mufti foon learned what was to be thought of the prizes taken from the Coffacks. He knew likewise that the grand vizier drew large fums of money from the public treafury under pretence of building galleys which were never made; that there had only been laid on the shore a great many dif masted carcaffes, and that the grand vizier perfuaded his mafter they were as many new veffels on the stocks. The mufti retained a fecret hatred against the grand vizier ever fince the fnuff affair. As his dignity gave him a right to speak to the monarch in private, he discovered to him this impofition. Achmet was greatly enraged: nevertheless, he could not then depofe Nasuf, as he thought he had great occafion for him. But a very short time after, the bashaw of Aleppo having been fummoned to fend a confiderable fum to the grand vizier, without paffing it through the hands of the defterdar or receiver of the public money, the bafhaw at first paid no attention to this order; but presently he received a new Heg.1022. a new one with a menace of being depofed if he J.C. 1613did not inftantly obey. The bashaw of Aleppo wrote to the mufti, who protected him, and he even sent his fon to Conftantinople, in order that he might obtain pardon or at least fome delay from the grand vizier. The chief of the law, convinced that the knowledge of this oppreffion would complete the overthrow of this greedy minifter, advised the bashaw of Aleppo's fon to place himself in the way of the grand feignior when the latter should go to mosque, and to hold over his head a lighted match, which is the practice of all those that want to address fome complaint to the emperor. They endeavour by this mean to get themselves remarked. This flame is fymbolical; it fignifies that the fultan will burn in the other life, if he do not adminifter juftice to his fubjects in this. Achmet, having perceived this fire raised over a head, fent a capiggi to tell the person who held it, to carry his complaint to the grand vizier. The fon of the bashaw of Aleppo cried aloud, that it was precifely that grand vizier whom he had to complain against, The emperor, who heard it, ordered him to go to the feraglio, and in fact admitted this young man to the foot of his throne. The two letters produced by the fon of the bafhaw of Aleppo, which commanded that officer to remit a large fum to the grand vizier himself; the pofitive order not to give any information of it to the def VOL. II. Pp2 terdar; Heg.1022. J.C. 1613. terdar; the menace of deposing this bashaw if he did not punctually obey; in fine, the certainty of there having been commotions in Georgia which the grand vizier had concealed from the emperor ; all these accumulated mifdemeanors fo enraged Achmet, that the death of the grand vizier was foon refolved on. Nafuf learned the arrival of the bashaw of Aleppo's fon, and the means which that young man had taken to obtain an audience of Achmet. He foon fufpected his difafter. In order to avert the ftorm, or at least to abate its fury, he sent to the feraglio the fultanefs his wife, fifter to the emperor. This princefs pleaded the cause of Nafuf whom the loved; and after having endeavoured to justify his conduct, though she knew not all the grand vizier was accused of, fhe concluded with saying, that if her husband had merited his highness's difpleasure, she fupplicated that he might be made a mazul, and be permitted to lead a private life, detached from all the cares of government. The emperor, who wanted to entice Nafuf to the feraglio, diffembled to his fifter. She left Achmet, perfuaded that her hufband would foon refume all his credit and autho rity; but the vizier, conscious of his guilt, and who, without doubt, knew his master better than a young, unexperienced princefs, put no confidence in these favorable appearances. It was not then customary to put any one to death in his own house: Nafuf thought he could avert his destiny: |