48 -A Relation of the Chap. VIII. 



of civility, make a Prefent of the fore-mentioned remainders to the principal Women 

 attending on the Sultanejfes. 



There is moreover in one of thofe Goffers, abundance of Clocks and Watches 

 Gemw«-work, as alfo of Knives and Ink-horns, after theTttrki(h Mode, all thofe pieces 

 being the choice Productions and Mailer-pieces of great Artifts, and adorn'd with 

 pretious Stones. There is to fcen, in fine, all along the Walls, but cover'd with a 

 Scarlet Stuff, feveral Arms, after the Xwr/g'/fc-Mode, neatly kept in order, as Bowes 

 Arrows, Targets, Battlc-Axes, excellently well wrought, and moll of theft Pieces arc 

 of a confide rablc value. 



An intfii»able But wnat is moft P^cious in that Chamber and tranfeends all the reft, is a (tron* 

 coffer of all Coffer all of Iron-Vork, which contains another, of about afoot and a half fquar? 

 forts oj precious wherein there is a vaft Treafure. When this Coffer is open'd, you fee a kind of Gold* 

 stones. Smiths Jewel Box,wherein are ranked all forts of Jewels of higheft value, as Diamonds, 



Rubies, Emeralds, a huge number of excellent lopazes^nd four of thofe Gcms,caird 

 Cats-eyes, which are fo beautiful, that they are not to be valu'd. Having fatisfy'd your 

 curioiity with the former, you come next to certain little Drawers full of feveral Jew- 

 els, great Rofcs of Diamonds, Pendants, other Rofes of Rubies and Emeralds, Strings 

 and Chains of Pearls and Bracelets. There ftands alkie by it felf a Cabinet, where 

 arc the Sorgougcs, or the things wherein are faften'd the Heron-tops, which the Grand 

 Seignor wears in his Turbant. They arc as it were little handles, made in the fafhion 

 of Tulips, cover'd over with the moll precious Stones of the Seraglio, and 'tis into 

 this that the Heron-top enters, that rich Plume of Feathers, whereof I have clfewhere 

 given the defcription. Of thefc Handles, feme are higher and more precious than 

 others \ and my Overfecr of the Treafury affur'd me, That, of all forts of them great 

 and fmall,thcre are above a hundred and fifty. The lelTer ones ferve only for the Cam- 

 pagne, and the great ones, which are the richeft, are refcrv'd for the Pomps and Mag- 

 nificences of the Court, and when the Grand Seignor marches in Ceremony to Con- 

 ftantinople. If he has a defire to fatishe his fight with the luftre of his precious Tew- 

 els, he Orders the Coffer to be brought into his own Chamber ; but if he calls for 

 fome particular Piece of the Treafury, he gives order to the Chafnadar-bachi, to fetch 

 it, and that Chief Officer of the Treafury cannot enter into it, without abundance of 

 myfterious precautions. 



TrteMMtions and _, T ]} ere are Ljlwayes Sixty Pages, more or kfs, belonging to the Chambers of the 

 ceremonies ob- Treafury. The number of them is not rixt, but the Credit of the Capi~Aga s and the 



ftrv'i at the Chafnadar-bachi, may augment or diminilh it, according to their inclinations and in- 



Sfy tC /f r , U f"t thcy tal1 int ° dif S race > as he had done from w hom I have fome part 



of thele Inftmdrions, they never go out of the Seraglio, but upon their advancement to 

 fome coniidcrablc Government, or the fettlement of a handfome Penfion for their 

 maintenance i and fo, provided they do nothing amifs, they are well enough accom- 

 modated for their lives. The Chief Officer of the Treafury having received Orders 

 from the Grand Seignor to bring the Piece he would have, afTembles all the Pages in 

 their Chamber, and fends for the Anatyar-Agaf h who has the Cuftody of the Keyes. 

 This laft having given three ft roaks with his hand upon the Drawer, wherein they are 

 enclos d, takes them out of it, and following the Chafnadar-Bachi, attended by the 

 bixty Pages, they all make their appearance together at the door of the Treafury. 



The firft thing that is done is the untwifting of a Chain, which they had put there 

 tor the better fecuring of the Seal, which the Chief Officer of the Treafury had Cct 

 over the hole, and having found it entire, he orders it to be broken by the keeper of 

 the Keyes and commands him to open. AlToon as they are got into the Chamber in- 

 to which the Chafnadar-bachi knowes they are to go, he fets himfelf down upon a low 

 Bench, and declares what Piece it is that the Grand Seignor requires. They there- 

 upon open the Coffer, wherein it ought to be, then they prefent it to the Chafnadar- 

 bachi, and, if he be defirous of that honour, he has the priviledge to be himfelf the 

 Kearer of it to the Grand Seignor. Then has he a fair Opportunity to fecure fomc- 

 tning that is precious to himfelf, if he has the dexterity to do it without any difcove- 

 ry. When he is in the Trealury, he needs only fay, That the Grand Seignor defires 



alfo 



