<ji A Relation of the Chap. IX. 



in cider to my going to Baljara, and that ot the Threefcore and rive dayes, which the 

 Caravan fpest in that Journey, tor nine of them, we were deftitute of Water, which 

 mult needs prefs very hard^ both on the Men and the Camels. 



jkralfiro Ibrabiin? therefore, at his coming to the Crown, found, in the fecret Trcafury, that 



charged with prodigious quantity ot Gold, whereto he could not make any augmentation-, nay 

 ih management ibme, on the contrary, are ot" opinion, That he was fore'd to uie Tome part of it, 

 vftbt Treaty. ^ U gh his ill Condudt of the Warr oiCandia. True it is, That the long continu- 

 ance or" that VVarre made a great hole in the Revenues of the Empire ■■> but there are 

 Two peat Reafons, which divert me from giving abfolute credit, to fuch as affirm, 

 That thofe Exigencies rcach'd the Secret Trcafury. For, in ihort, it is as 'twere a 

 fundamental Law among them, That, before any thing is taken out thence, it is rc- 

 quifite, the Empire (hould be in imminent danger of mine •, And it is manifelt, 

 That though the 7ur\s could not reduce Candia under their Jurifdidion, yet their 

 Empire was fo far from being near its decadence, that it full continu'd powerful. 

 Betides, it is to be obferv'd, That when the Grand Seignor lofes a Battel, it is a dif- 

 advantage to his Provinces, upon the fcore of their being thereby depopulated, and fo 

 much the lets cultivated •, but that it is an advantage to his Cotters, in regard there's 

 fo much the lefs comes out of them. The reafon of it is evident, becaufe he payes the 

 Veteranes, or Sbuldiers of long Handing, fcven or eight Afters a day, and that thofe 

 of the new-rais'd Forces do not ftand him in above one and a half] or two at the 

 molt -, their pay augmenting with the time, anfwerably to their Cervices, and the 

 Prince's good Pleafure. Whereto it is to be added, That when an Emperour dies, his 

 SucceiTor augments the pay cf the Janizaries^ by an AJjur, or two, per diem. 



It rriuft be acknowledged indeed, That there died a great number of Turks in the 

 Warr ot Candia : but it is certain alfo, That if we confider the great number of Kino- 

 domes and Provinces, whereof the Empire conlilts, among which there are fome very 

 fertile, and very well peopled, it is an eafie matter to raiie numerous Armies, and to 

 recruit them, when they have been weakned, by a Defeat, or by fome Sickncfs, which 

 often happens among them. Upon thefe two grounds, I cannot be indue'dto be- 

 lieve, that Ibrahim was oblig'd to make any diminution of the Secret Treafury : but I 

 am very apt to believe, that he made not any great additions thereto, becaufe he had 

 not either the good Conduct, or good Fortune of Amurat, and ordinarily, the one 

 avails not much without the other. 



All the Gold that lies interr'd under that Vault is in Leather-bags, every Bac* con- 



be that of the Prince then reigning. Amurat's, Seal had thefe words graven upon it, 



Kafrum mm altahi abdihil melekd cMourath : Which llgniries, 7h e af 

 Jtjlance of God is upon his Servant the Emperour Amurath. 



lit Grand Ancl this lS the manner now tllc Ba S s °f Gold are brought into the Secret Treafurv. 



SeignoSs Pre- Al1 the Gold and Silvcr which come int0 the Seraglio, is^rirft carried into the Cham- 

 cautionsfortbt *** of thc Treafury, and each of them is difpes'd into the Coffers defign'd for them. 

 ftmity of his When there is as much Gold as will amount to two hundred Kizes, the Grand Vizir 

 Treafury. g j ves not } ce f } t t0 t ] lc Grand Seignor, who appoints a day, for the difpofal of it in- 



to the Secret Treafury. The day being come, the Grand Seignor, led under the Arm 

 by the Cbafnadar-bacbi, who is on the left hand, which is accounted thc more honou- 

 rable amongft the Turks, and by the Seligdar-Aga, who is on the right, comes into 

 thc Chamber of the Treafury, where the Sixty Pages expeel: him, ranked in order on 

 both tides, with their hands crofs their Breads. The Grand Seignor, having pafs'd 

 through the Chamber, and order'd the rirft Door of the Secret Treafury to be openU 

 enters into it, by the light of feveral Torches of white Wax, and is followed by the 

 Pages, two by two, till they are within the Vault, into which the Bags are brought, 

 ty d with a Silk-tiring. Upon the firing they put a piece of red foft Wax, whereto 

 the Grand Seignor Lets his Seal himfelf, which is upon a Gold-Ring, wherein are en- 

 graven 



