1 8 A Relation of the Grand Seignors Seraglio. 



A mifehiivoiu 



fraud gently 

 ■punJjhed. 



The ancient 

 ftneerity of the 

 Tur s corrupt- 

 ed by the com- 

 merce oj the 

 Europa^ns. 



that could be made to them, they would not be paid in any other kh.d ot Money ■■, and 

 fome difco ntentcd Pcrfons and Mutin eers,beginnirig to (hew their Teeth, they were 

 fbre'd immediately to to fend Gallics to Smyrna, and fome other Cities of great'Com- 

 merce, to bring away all that could be found of that fort of money. The incredible 

 quantity of thofe counterfeit pieces, difpers'd in all the Provinces of the OttomanEm- 

 pire, is at leaft vanilh'd, they are grown red, and no longer current. 



At thefirft crying down of that counterfeit money, before the news of it cculd 

 have been brought so foreign Countries, a certain Perfon named Goulin, engag'd all 

 he had in the world, to make up to the fum of five and twenty thoufand Crowns 

 in thofe pieces of five Sotr^ fo extremely faliify'd, that there was harldly fo much Sil- 

 ver as was requifite to whiten them. He came to Smyrna, where I then was and 

 where he foon found, that there was no way to put off his counterfeit Merchandize. 

 Whereupon he imagin'd, that he might get it off, if he could make a fpeedy Voyage 

 to Conftantinople, where, as he had been affur'd, fome Perlons took them, even after 

 they had been cry'd down. Being unwilling to hazard all by Sea, he fent away, by 

 Land, four or five thoufand Crowns, which were taken away by Thieves, near Burja 

 and carry'd the much greater part to Conftantmepte, in a patch VeffeL of which he 

 had alfo fufficient caufe to repent him. After he had expos à it at the Cultom-houfe 

 for the payment of the Duties , the Chief Officer of the Cuitoms told him that 

 he might return within two or three days , to tane back what belong'd to him ; 

 and as foon as the other was gone, he caus'd all to be melted down in hispreftnee. 

 The feparation being made, upon twenty thoufand Crowns, which was the fum he' 

 had brought thither, there was not the full fourth part of Silver, and the Merchant 

 coming again to the Cuftomer, fell down all along, out of pure fear kft a fevere pu- 

 hiftiment might follow the fraud whereof he was vifl bly convicted, feeing fo much 

 fcum of brafson the one fide, and fo little fil ver on the other. But theT«r%are not 

 fb rigorous, as fome perfons imagine, all was reffor'd to him, nay there was no pe- 

 nalty inflicted upon him, and they only order'd him to be gone. 



Certain it is, that the Europeans n ore addicted to fubtilty and circumvention 

 tl :n the Levantines, and for the moft part not endeavouring to be fincere in Com- 

 merce, have taught the feveral Cheats, which they were either ignorant of, or 

 did not pracfife, efpecially fince the Inhabitants of Granada , being driven out of 

 Spain, difpers'd themfelves into feveral Provinces of the Levant. Before that time, a 

 man might have rely'd on their integrity and fair dealing. But now, when you treat 

 with them, you mult ftand upon your guard -, fo prevalent is the example of evil to 

 corrupt mens minds. Nor are we to be aitonilh'd at that ancient undifguiied humour of 

 the lurks in their Commerce, lince we find,that the pocr Abyffw.es, who come from the 

 lower parts of Ethiopia to traffick at Cairo, and the Idolaters themfelves in the Indies 

 amonglf themfelves and with Strangers, with a ftrid obfervance of an inviolable 

 fidelity. 



CHAP. 



