22 A Relation of the Chap.IL 



The hguUtl- On the right hand of that firft Court, there runs all along a fpacious ftru&ure, con- 

 ons of the in fir- taining feveral Appartments or Chambers, and ferving for an Infirmary to the whole 

 mary of the St- g era g|i 0# The Gate of it is.kept by an Eunuch, who has under him a great many 

 rogho. p e0 ple 5 employ'd in attending On, and miniftring to the fick, whom, anfwerably to 



their quality, they difpofe into convenient quarters in that houfe, -where they may be 

 better aififted, then in thofe which their indifpofition had obligM them to quit. The 

 two principal Phyfitians, and the two principal Chirurgeons, whom they call Hequinz- 

 W>/,and Geirak-bachi^rmke their vifits there every day,at certain hours. A man cannot 

 imagine a place better order'd and regulated then that is : and the Grand Seignior hirn- 

 felffometimes comes thither in perfon^to take an exacl account of the Sick and their con- 

 dition, as alfo to enquire whether they are well treated, whether the Phyfitians vifit 

 them often, and whether every officer of the Infirmary perform the duty incumbent on 

 him. There is feldom any place void in that Houfe, for affoon as one is gone out, ano- 

 ther comes in : and though it be defign'd only for fuch as are fick, yet feveral perfons, 

 who are well, are brought thither, under pretence of indifpofition, or to enjoy them- 

 felves a while, or to weather out fome trouble or difcontent. They continue there for 

 the fpace of ten or twelve daies, and are diverted, according to their mode, with a 

 wretched kind of vocal and inftrumental Mufick, which begins betimes in the morning, 

 and holds on till night. The permiffion they have there to drink wine,which they never 

 have elfewhere, is a greater inducement for their coming in thither, than the Mufick. 

 But that permifliton, which they would as 'twere conceale, and which the fuperftition of 

 the Turks dares not publickly own, is accompany'd by a thoufand difficulties. They are 

 not permitted to bring in any wine in the fight of the Eunucb, who ftands at the entrance 

 of the place : and if any one mould be furprix'd in the doing of it, his punifhment 

 would be to receive three hundred baftinadoes, and a penalty of three hundred Afyers y 

 to be paid to thofe from whom he had receiv'd them. But if he can cunningly get in 

 with the Wine, not having been ftopp'd at the Gate, affoon as he is got in, he runs no 

 rifque at all, and may drink of it without fear of any chaftifement, though 'twere in 

 the prefence of the Grand Seignor, 



the difficulty of The fmall quantity of wine which can be got in by this way, would lîgnifie "biit 

 getting wine little among fo many People, if there were not forae other lefs difficult contrivances to 

 into the m fir. f U pply them therewith. And this is one of them. The Inrirmary adjoins to one fide 

 mry ' of the Gardens, from which it is feparated only by a wall which is not very high i fo 



that the Bojlangis, who find that wine goes off at a good rate, and that they who are 

 within the Seraglio know not how to (pend their money, do, in the night time,by ropes 

 convey over the wall, fo many Borrachoes or bags of Buck-Skins, full of wine, contain- 

 ing forty or fifty quarts, which fome other perfons of the Inrirmary ftand ready to re- 

 ceive. This way brings in abundance of wine, but not without fear of being iurpriz'd 

 by the Bojlangi-bachi^ who goes the rounds every night. 



rhefubtilty of Nor is the drinking of wine the main inducement which makes thofe counterfeit fick 

 fome perfons to perfons to feek out pretences, to go and pafs away fome daies in the Inrirmary -, infb- 

 be receiv'd in, much that fome have the lewd artifice to put themfelves into a flight Feaver, which is 

 though not/icÇ. p re f ent iy remov'd. A deteftable paffion, and which is in a manner naturall to them, 



though it be againft nature, makes them ftudy all the imaginable waies to fatisfie it. 



This proves a hard matter for the lcboglans to do, while they are in their chambers ob- 



(èrv'd and watch'd night and day by (evere Overféers, who never pardon them the 



leaft mifdemeanour. 



For though the Grand Seignor be himfelf fubjedt to the fame paflion,the very name 

 whereof caufes a horrour, yet he orders cruel punilhments to be inrlicled on thofe who 

 (hall prefume to imitate him. He does what he can to prevent the mifchief, which he 

 would not have countenanc'd by his example, and impofes the prevention of it as a task 

 upon the Eunucbs^ a vigilant fort of animals, whofe Eyes are alwayes open. But in the 

 Infirmary, all thefe precautions prove fruitleis i the Eunucbs belonging to that place be- 

 ing corrupted partly by prefents, partly by treats, or being made drunk with wine, 

 or fome other liquors, they bring in thither fome young lads, of whom there is great 

 ftore in the City of Conftantinople. The better to over-reach the Eunuchs, they put thofe 

 young lads into the habits of the Halvagif^ and fo the cheat fucceeds, in regard they are 



the 



