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J.C. 1327, fubjects, whom he fent to repeople the places least

to 1360.

to 761..

Heg. 727, inhabited. The fultan, feeing that his new dominions wanted cultivators, repaired, by the extreme care that he took of the children, the lofs of their fathers, facrificed in too great a number at his conqueft. He established in every town a cadi, a judge that was to be responsible to the bashaw or governor of the province. These officers began forthwith to render a speedy and arbitrary justice, alone known in the Ottoman empire.

J.C. 1330.

Of all Orcan's conquefts, Nice cost him most Heg. 73° time and men. He remained two years before that place, which was defended with more refolution than the Greeks had shown a long time. Orcan made ufe of war engines that were then in ufe for battering walls, but which could not be erected without much bloodshed. When the breaches were open, the befieged demanded folely the liberty of retiring to Conftantinople. Orcan. not only granted them their request, but he permitted even those who wished to change their refidence to carry away their property. This generofity retained at Nice a great many citizens, who, in hopes of being governed with justice, continued to dwell in their own country, paying tribute to the conqueror. Several even embraced Islanifm. Orcan took care to provide advantageoufly for all the women that were become

widows during the fiege of Nice, and from whom J.C. 1336, children might yet be hoped for.

to 1360. Heg. 736, to 761.

Orean

of fome

As yet Orcan had only made war with the r Greeks. Full of his father's maxims, he pretended, or at least he published, that the Muffulmen ought not to turn their arms against one another, and that the fword of a true Believer feizes the should never be dipped but in the blood of Infi poffeffions dels. This prejudice encouraged the foldiers, emir. and made their fultan appear to them as a minifter of the decrees of God; but it likewise seemed to forbid Orcan the hope of ever reigning over these countries near him, which Mahometan emirs poffeffed of the ruins of the Selgieucid empire. The children of the emirs that had divided Natolia with Othman I. had made new partitions between them, which weakened their power. This divifion of the Muffulman forces prefented a fine field for the avidity of Orcan. The fultan obtained by fraud what he durft not take by force. Being become the moft powerful of the Muffulman princes, he caused himself to be proclaimed guardian to an emir, the grandson of Sarkan, who, as yet but a child, inherited the throne of his father. The new guardian took poffeffion of the dominions of Rafim his ward; he garrifoned his towns, under pretence of defending them, and gathered the impofts which this prince drew from his fubjects, in order, as he faid, to œconomize them for preffing occa

J.C. 1336, fions. The feeble ward never durft afterwards to 1360.

to 761.

Heg. 736, reclaim rights which no one could enforce. He died the fubject of a prince, who had called himfelf his protector and ally in order to wreft from him his patrimony.

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Another emir, grandfon likewife of Sarkan,' young and without experience, amazed at the rapid fuccefs and power of Orcan, resolved to refign to him his eftate, which confifted of five towns, feparated by fome plains, forming together a small province, of which Pergamo was the capital. This emir was called Turfonbeg. Agilbeg, his younger brother, irritated at the propofal of refigning to a ravisher the inheritance of his father, and of giving the fubjects of his house a foreign mafter, declared, that he would defend the fceptre which his brother abandoned fo cowardly, and endeavoured to get himself acknowledged emir in his place. As this difference had occafioned a civil war, Orcan perfuaded the two brothers to fpare Muffulman blood, and to treat this affair amicably in a place agreed upon. Agilbeg no way diffembled to his elder brother the contempt which he held him in; the difcuffion became a quarrel, and finished by a fingle combat, in which Turfonbeg was killed. The vanquisher took refuge in Pergamo, refolved to fell dearly his patrimony to the ambitious Orcan, who, become the avenger of the blood of his ally, and of a fratricide which he pretended

Some

to 1360.

to 761.

pretended was a treachery, feized this pretext to J.C. 1336, turn all his forces against the unfortunate Agilbeg. Heg. 736, This prince did not make so long a refiftance as his despair might have enabled him to. traitors delivered him and his capital to Orcan, who foon took poffeffion of his ftate, and shut up Agilbeg in prifon, where he died, after two years of the hardest captivity.

paffes the

Orcan, master of Natolia proper, and of the Solyman borders of the fea which feparates Afia from fea & takes

Europe, longed to penetrate into this rich part of the world, to attack the Greeks there, whom he had already vanquished on his own ground. Solyman, the fon of Orcan, a young warrior full of ambition and courage, wifhed for conquest still more ardently than his father; but the Ottomans, used to fight only by land, had neither veffels, nor pilots, nor conftructors; they wanted even fishing barks, and every mean of attempting this element, more redoubtable perhaps for those that understand it, than for those who have never experienced it; at least Solyman risked what the most experienced feaman would have thought impracticable. Since the fultan had made himself mafter of all the fea coaft, the Greek emperor had published a decree, which forbade, under pain of death, the putting of any veffel, or even bark, on the Bofphorus of Thrace, or on the straits of Gallipoli; flattering himself that this barrier would be always impenetrable

to

Gallipoli.

J.C. 1335, to the efforts of Orcan. Solyman, having made to 1360.

to 761.

1341

Heg. 736, a hunting party, arrived by a fine moon light on the borders of the ftraits, at the head of eighty determined men. He conftructed three rafts of thin plank, fastened on corks and ox bladders tied by the neck, and thus rifked himself and attendants to crofs five leagues of fea on these frail fkiffs, by the aid of long poles which ferved him as oars and even rudders. This rafh enterprife fucceeded beyond the wishes of Solyman. He arrived, without the least accident, at the foot of the castle of Hanni in Europe. Both the night and the moon favored him. He met a peasant at break of day going to work. This man, enslaved by fear and gained by gold, introduced the Turkish prince, by a fubterraneous paffage, into the caftle of Hanni (the ancient Seftos). There was no garrifon in this place, as the Greeks thought it fufficiently defended by the fea; all was ftill hushed in profound fleep. Solyman made himself master of the caftle, and having affembled the principal inhabitants, he addressed them in the moft flattering terms, and made ufe of the most magnificent promifes, to perfuade these Greeks, who were all pilots or failors, and moreover very little attached to their prince, to take the veffels which they had in two fmall ports juft by, and conduct them to the other fide of the ftrait, to embark four thousand Turks, who were there attending him. In a few

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