Heg.1130. vizier fells new digni ties. J.C. 1718. on himself to fpend. His avarice however was nothing but a delirium; for he loved gold more as a precious metal than as a mean to extend his power, to fubjugate mankind, and to remedy the misfortunes of his empire. The fultan filled crystal vafes with all forts of gold and filver money; he had them ranged on fhelves in his private apartments, and ftupidly enjoyed the fight of thefe riches whilft the enemies of his empire were maffacring his foldiers and wrefting provinces The grand from him. The new grand vizier Ibrahim, who knew that the only way to please his master was to flatter his caprices, would by no means think of depriving him of the idol of his adoration. Perfuaded too that, in order to obtain any tolerable conditions from the Imperialifts, it was neceffary to fhew them that the empire was not without refources; and that a peace could be procured only by preparing for a war; he contrived to lay an impoft on men's vanity. Titles of ferafkier, bashaws of the different orders, and agas in the different military corps, were created and fold to thofe who were rich enough to pay for them. Though elevation among the Turks is fubject to more frequent and fatal falls than among other people, yet the thirft of grandeurs is neither lefs common nor ardent than elsewhere. Thofe, who wish to excufe it, fay, that the prophet has decided that the just shall have the fame rank in the other life as they have in this; and, as we have faid elsewhere, the Muffulmen abufe the the dogma of predeftination fo far as to believe IC.1718. Heg.1130. that human prudence can have no effect on the future; that the days of man are numbered; and that he cannot, in any cafe, prolong, or preferve his life. The new created dignities were bought at the price which the grand vizier put on them: four thousand purfes were raised by this novelty, which ferved to levy troops and repair the difafters of the last campaign. at Paffa Meanwhile the mediation of England and Hol- Congress land was accepted. Lord Montague, the English rowitz. ambaffador, and baron Colliers, the Dutch ambaffador, endeavoured to bring about matters between the belligerent powers. A place was agreed on for the conferences: this was the small town of Paffarowitz, fituated in Servia on the Moravia. The preparations of the Turks for the continuation of the war, and the menaces of Spain, which had not yet concluded a very folid peace with Charles VI. rendered that, prince more tractable. Moreover, neither England, nor Holland, nor France, would have confented that the Turks fhould be confined to Afia, as Charles VI. feemed to defire. The balance of Europe required, that this barrier fhould be kept up against the ambition of a house, heretofore accused of aiming at univerfal monarchy. The emperor of the Weft fent as plenipotentiaries to Paffarowitz baron Dalleman his refident at the Porte, and count Virmont. The republic of Venice fent thither the noble Ruzzini; and the aga Ibrahim Ii2 VOL. IV. and Heg.1130. J.C.1718. and Mehemet effendi were the plenipotentiaries] from the Porte. Sir Robert Sutton and baron Colliers reprefented the mediation of England and Holland. There were eight conferences, in which the rights and interefts of the two empires were warmly difcuffed on both fides. The Germans, who opened the first conference, demanded from the Turks all that prince Eugene had comprifed in his laft difpatches, and likewife that the pleni- prince Ragotski should be delivered up to them Debates between potentia ries. as a rebel fubject. Mehemet effendi, the fame who a little time after was fent on an embaffy to France, fupported the cause of the Porte with ability, and even dignity. He treated prince Eugene's firft propofitions as chimerical, faying, that the Ottoman plenipotentiaries would not have come to the congrefs, if they had foreseen that they would again be insisted on ; that the Ottoman empire had still fufficient resources to defend effectually what was meant to be wrefted from it with fo much injuftice, and to recover what it had loft; that with refpect to the propofal which the Imperialifts had prefumed to make, of delivering up prince Ragotski to their mafter, bound hand and foot, he was unable to conceive how they could think that the Muffulmen would listen to fuch an infamous requeft; that the fublime emperor of the Turks was the refuge, support, and confolation of the unfortunate, and that he would fooner fee his empire overturned, which was eftablished on fuch a folid bafis, than deliver to his enemies enemies a prince that he had invited to his court, J.C. 1718. Heg.1130. and armed himself; that with regard to the Morea, the Turks had done no more than re-enter their domain; and that if the Imperialifts were refolved to take advantage of their fuccefs over the Ottoman arms, not only to keep their conquefts but even to expect to ufurp new provinces, it was neither juft nor reasonable to think that the Turks, who were vanquishers of the Venetians, should give them up the poffeffions which they had recovered; that, in fine, if the Germans had nothing to alter in fuch extravagant propofals, they, the plenipotentiaries of the Porte, declared they fhould leave Paffarowitz; and they withdrew in fact from the congrefs room. cluded on It was the intereft of the two mediators to make up matters between the litigant parties. Being Pease con very certain that the Germans had not exhausted the bafis ute their powers, they followed the Turkish pleni Pidatis. potentiaries, in order to prevail on them to put off their departure for fome days; and in this interval, by perfuafions and intreaties, they procured a fecond conference. At length, after all the plenipotentiaries had debated their refpective interefts during eight long fittings, the mediators brought them to confent, that each should keep what he poffeffed at the time of the figning of the treaty, and that prince Ragotski should continue under the protection of the grand feignior. The preliminaries were figned on the bafis uti poffidetis, and the three powers voluntarily ratified what Heg.1130. J.C. 1718. what their reprefentatives had concluded. Prince Ragotski was fent to Rodosto, with a thaim of a hundred piaftres a day.* This is what they call at the Porte the daily fubfiftence granted to foreign princes, and ambaffadors and minifters extraordinary. However difadvantageous this peace might feem for the Turks, they recovered the Morea, a province without doubt much richer than the countries of Belgrade and Temefwar, and they prevented the discouragement of their troops, over whom the Austrians had taken an afcendency which might laft a long time. Ibrahim, having loft the Ottoman frontiers opposed to the most formidable enemy of this empire, haftened to fortify the barrier towns, with the money that he had drawn from the new bashaws, and which he had at firft intended for the war. He caufed Niffa, Viden, Nicopoli, and Sophia, to be fortified, in order that Servia and Bulgaria might not be open to a neighbour against whom it would be always neceffary to guard. The troops, difcouraged, faw with pleasure an end to the war; but all the true Muffulmen regretted the ancient Difcontent barriers of the empire. They grieved to think that Chriftian churches would be raised on the ruins. of Paffa of the mofques. They faid, that the imposts with which the commerce had been burdened for feveral years past should have fecured the Ottoman empire from this difgrade; that a difadvantageous on the occafion of the treaty rowitz. The Turkish piastre is valued at half-a-crown fterling. peace, |