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particular officers, and he fubjected the whole J.C.1360, corps to a chief, called an aga, who, by his credit Heg. 761, and authority, became one of the firft officers of the empire. As Amurath wifhed to give this corps, of infantry the renown of great valour, he refolved to confecrate it by religion. The first enrolled were fent to a dervis, whofe holy life rendered him recommendable. As foon as these new foldiers were proftrated before him, the folitary man, affecting a prophetic tone, and placing the fleeve of his garment on the head of the first of them: "Be their name janiffaries," faid he; be their countenances fierce, their "hands always victorious, their fwords always "fharp, their lances always ready to strike at "the head of an enemy, and their courage the "cause of their conftant profperity." Since this period, they have always retained the name of janiffaries, which fignifies new foldiers, and their cap has retained the form of a fleeve. This foldiery became, as we fhall fee in the fequel, very useful to the Ottoman empire, and fometimes fatal to its masters.

The mufti

testimony of the em

Confequen

All abfolute as Amurath was, he affected to refufes the fubmit himself ftrictly to the ufages, and even to the minifters of the Alcoran, though he could peror raise or depose them at his will. The mufti, who ces. is the chief of the religion, was likewife, in the beginning of the empire, judge of the contests which happened between private perfons.* The fultan

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The mollahs and cadis, who are the Ottoman judges, are ecclefiaftics.

J.C. 1360, fultan wanted to appear one day as a witness in

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Heg. 761, a procefs between two officers of the feraglio: the mufti had the boldness to refufe to hear his mafter: "Your word is facred," faid he to him, being the word of the fultan; but if you appear as a private perfon, I cannot hear you, because you do not mingle your prayers with "thofe of your brethren in our mofques, as it "behoves every Muffulman to do." Amurath, ftruck with this reproach, built a mofque at Adrianople, oppofite his feraglio, where he went afterwards the days and hours ordered by the law of Mahomet.

tween An

Contufus.

The janiffaries, the very first year of their inftitution, fhewed great proofs of valour. The fovereigns, that had feized on the ruins of the Greek empire, feared the fultan infinitely more than the feeble enemy whom they had plundered. John Paleologus faw the impoffibility of League be- fuftaining himself on his throne, without the afdronicus & fiftance of this new ally, whofe ufurped power he detefted, but which he was obliged to implore. Andronicus and Contufus, the one fon of John Paleologus, the other of Amurath, with the janiffaries, the spahis, and a few imperial troops, defeated, at a place called Sirmen, a confederate army of Moldavians, Walachians, Transylvanians, and Bulgarians, neighbouring nations, enriched by the fpoils of the Greeks, whom we fhall fee foon become tributary to the Turks. Age, cons formity

to 791.

formity of inclinations, and fuccefs, united the J.C. 1387, to 1389. two young princes; but Andronicus beheld with Heg. 789, the fame eyes as all the Chriftians the progrefs of the Turks both in Europe and Asia. He fumed to think he should never afcend the throne of his ancestors, but dependant and almost tributary to a barbarian. Contufus was ambitious; Andronicus undertook to arm him against his father and mafter; hoping one day to throw off the Turkish yoke, by deftroying the father by the fon. To complete this enterprise, it was likewife neceffary for Andronicus to arm against Paleologus. Both thefe princes governed their fathers' European dominions, whilft Paleologus and Amurath were gone into Afia for reafons which history does not fay. The two young rebels formed a league offenfive and defenfive, and had their names placed in the public acts, The fultan, on receiving these news, reproached Paleologus as bitterly, as if he had been the accomplice of the young prince who aimed at dethroning him. The emperor of the Eaft de. fcended to the loweft juftifications; and, whatever reafon he had to wifh the divifion of the barbarians, he promised to chaftife his fon, if he could take him prisoner.

In effect, the two monarchs repaffed the Bofphorus, at the head of an army compofed of Turks, for the Greeks were in fo finall a number, that they fcarcely merited to be counted. Amurath

found

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J.C. 1387, found the rebels encamped at fome leagues from

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Heg. 789, Conftantinople, and intrenched between palifades and a river. He approached the camp at night, by favor of the moon light, and made himfelf known to the advanced guards. This fage prince made use of flattery and promifes in order to prevail on the foldiers to return to their obedience. The careffes of a monarch, 'till then always vanquisher, and of whom the rebels were afraid they should foon experience the courage and fortune, fhook their conftancy: they returned to the camp only to impart Amurath's promises to their comrades. In less than an hour Contufus faw more than three-fourths of his army defert to his father's camp: the two revolted princes had no other choice than to retreat. They both fled to Didimotica, refolved to merit a capitulation by their courage. They were received with respect; but, after much blood fpilt, the city was taken, and the two princes fell into the hands of an inexorable vanquisher.

Bad fuccefs of this League.

Amurath fent Andronicus under a ftrong guard to Conftantinople, and fummoned the emperor his father to keep his word by punishing this rebellious fon, after which he had the eyes of his own put out in his prefence, and all the foldiers of the garrifon precipitated from the tops of the towers of Didimotica into the Heber which runs at its foot. Amurath fatisfied his fanguinary humour under a fhadow of juftice; but he made himself

detested,

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detefted, when he condemned several young citi- J.C.1387 zens, who had prefumed to carry arms against Heg. 789, him, to be put to death by the hands of their fathers. The fathers, who refused to execute this barbarous order, were maffacred with their fons. The emperor Paleologus did not dare refift the will of an ally who was almost his master. Though Andronicus had acted only for the intereft of the empire, he was condemned to have his eyes put out, as was likewise his fon, a child of five years old. But, either through chance, or pity in the executioners, neither of the two princes loft his fight. Andronicus had but one eye abfolutely put out, and his fon had only the fight injured, which he recovered fome time after.

throne. He

falonica.

Immediately after this execution, Paleologus Manuel declared Manuel, his fecond fon, his affociate in afcends the the empire. This young prince fixed his refi- lofes Thefdence at Theffalonica. He was no fooner arrived there, than, vexed to see the Greek empire become the prey of the Turks, he undertook to recover fome of the neighbouring towns by force or by stratagem. Manuel procured intelligence in the town of Phera, but it was not fo fecret as not to be foon known to Amurath, who fent Karatine, the moft experienced of his generals, to befiege Theffalonica. The townsmen, dreading the fate of thofe of Didimotica, threatened to deliver Manuel to his redoubtable enemy. The young emperor implored in vain the fuccour of

his

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