C.1523 money. Heg. 929. Though young and abfolute, he faw the inconvenience of unlimited power, the danger there was of governing men only by the caprices of other men often unjust or confined in their abilities, who, not being able to prescribe any rule for themfelves or thofe under them, rendered every thing arbitrary, and judged without justice, as they administered without prudence.. The fultan ordered different punishments for different crimes; the punishment of death for all murders and fome robberies, and other chaftisements proportioned to the nature of the crime; but he always fubmitted the criminal to the accufer, so that in Turkey there is no crime but may be ranfomed for money, or what elfe the party aggrieved fhall willingly confent to.. Solyman did not comprehend, that he, who commits a crime, attacks fociety as much and more, than the individual whom his crime has injured, and that the reparation is not fufficient, when the party aggrieved ceafes to complain. But it was. a great deal to eftablish fome fhadow of laws. among these people, who 'till then had not received any. The prince confirmed likewise testimonial proof, to which he gave too great a latitude, as every thing in Turkey is proved by witneffes,. even what does not appear of a nature to be understood, or things which fhould be contradicted by circumstances that might demonftrate its impoffibility. Moreover, the cadi is ordered to count Heg. 9294 count the teftimonies, rather than weigh them; I.C.1523. fo that the crofs examination of the evidence taking place but feldom, falfe witnesses risk but little, and are much more common in Turkey than any where else. As to the reft, the defpotifm which reigns throughout this empire remedies sometimes these inconveniencies, when the cadi is a man of understanding and means well; for the judges wander as much as they please from the laws, which certainly are very deficient. What was religioufly obferved whilft Solyman lived is at present often neglected, though new decrees have not repealed the ancient ones. The care which he took in the administration of justice got him the furname of Canuni,* which, in Turkifh, fignifies, Maker of Laws. He is always reprefented with a book in his hand. This prince liked order, and was defirous of establishing it in his empire; he ordered, that the treasures of the mofques built by his ancestors fhould be managed with economy; he appointed trustees, who were to be accountable to the divan for the money intrufted to them. The revenues of these mofques confift in the rents paid by those who hold under them the lands fettled on these buildings by their founders. These lands are, either fold for life to a perfon who farms them, or let out to a family for an annual quit rent. In both cafes, the product is carried to the treasury of the mofque, Tt2 ་་ *He is always ftiled the Magnificent by the European writers. T. eg. 929. C. 1523 mofque, out of which the imans or priests are paid, and the buildings kept in repair; the furplus is carefully laid up. When it amounts to fifteen hundred purfes (a purse is worth about fixty pounds sterling), this fum is carried to a particular treasury, which is called by the name of the prince in whofe reign it devolved to the ftate, and is never touched, or at least it never ought to be, but for wars of religion. But we have already remarked, that the Turks term wars of religion, all those which they make against the Chriftians or the fchifmatic Muffulmen. The fuperintendence of the treasury of the mosques belongs, by right, to the kislar aga or fuperintendent of the women. Solyman likewife made other laws for the mi.. litary; he multiplied the degrees of rank, both in the fpahis and janiffaries; he intrusted the guard of his feraglio to the boftangis or gardeners, of whom he formed a military company, who guarded the outfide of his palace whilst they took care of his gardens. The fultan did not find the janiffaries fufficiently under command to make them, in fome refpects, mafters of the perfon of their emperors. This establishment caused discontents, and occafioned a revolt, which the janiffaries had been meditating ever fince the taking of Rhodes, the pillage of which they remembered with grief they had been denied. They Heg. 929 the janif How ap They did not dare this time appear in arms J.C. 1523before the feraglio; they did not, according to n their custom, make use of reproachful words Revolt of against the emperor, but they pillaged the house faries. of the defterdar aga, or grand treasurer, and, peased. after having poffeffed themselves of all the money they could find there, cut him in pieces. Animated by the booty and the little refiftance that was made against them, these rebels attempted to pillage the treafury of a mofque. An oda paschi (this officer, among the janiffaries, answers nearly to the captains in the British troops) defended alone the door of the mofque, and, reminding the rebels of the respect which they owed to the Holy places, to Mahomet, and to the emperor, he killed with his own hand two of his brother officers who gave the private foldiers the example of fedition. On thefe occafions the fubalterns generally animate and command the rebels; and they are better obeyed than when they make ufe of the grand feignior's authority. This faithful oda paschi was called Ibrahim. He alone quelled the fedition; he gave the aga of the janiffaries, and the other fuperior officers, the time to come and announce to the janiffaries, already intimidated, that the grand feignior was coming himself, and who prefently appeared in the streets in reality. No fooner had he spoken to the troops than they difperfed at the found of his J.C.1523. his voice, each fleeing the chaftifement which Heg. 929. fell only on the four ringleaders. Solyman thought it beft to depofe the grand vizier, against whom the chief clamours had been raifed, and he gave this important place to Ibrahim, the oda pafchi who had juft fhewn fo much fidelity, courage, and addrefs. The news of this promotion awoke the emperor's brother-in-law, Muftapha Kirlou, who had been formerly grand vizier, and had been like to lofe his life at Rhodes, the remembrance of which rendered him the fecret enemy of the fultan. Mustapha was beloved; the credit of his wife and the cries of the army having faved his life, a fangiącate was given him at the extremity of Egypt, where the emperor, (not to fee him again,) had refolved that he fhould always remain. This discarded minifter undertook to make his brother-in-law repent of having left him authority when he had withdrawn from him his confidence. He had flattered himfelf that the laft revolt, in which he had fome indirect part, would have reftored him the place of grand vizier; but as foon as he knew that Solyman had given the viziership to another, he attempted to make himself an independent fovereign. He intrufted the fecret, for his misfortune, to one Mehemet effendi, fecretary to his fangiacate. The latter fent the Porte an account of all the perfidious Muftapha's plots. The emperor contented himself with fending the grant of fangiac to |