3 6 A Relation of the Chap. VI, 



are advanc'd to the dignity of Buff as, Bey/, Capigi-bacbis, Haznadar-Bacbis, and the 

 other great Offices of the Port. But they are particularly cull'd out of the number of 

 The witched trie Tributary Children, who are taken away from the Chriltians, or taken in War, by 

 the Baffts ^ ea or Land. For, as to the Beiczades, or Children of Bajfas, whom they bring up 

 children. in the Seraglio, you are. to remember what I have already faid, that they can never 

 afcend higher, than to the Charges of Beys, or Captains of Galleys. 



- When any one of thefe Icboglans is defirous to remove out of the Seraglio, or if 

 any one of the white Eunuchs has the fame defire, he prefents a Petition to the Capi- 

 A^a, who carries it to the Grand Seignor, he receives his difmiffion, and is ' allow'd 

 a "certain Pay, proportionably to the continuance and quality of his Services. But there 

 are others, whom the fame Capi-Aga turns out of the Seraglio againft their wills, and 

 that after they had weather'd out the firft years, which are the moft infupportable. 

 And that is done fometimes upon this fcore, that the Capi-Aga having had lbme con- 

 tell with any one of thofé Icboglans, while they were Camerades in the time of their 

 youth, and fearing left he mould come one day to traverfe his defigns, he employs all 

 his credit and intereft, to remove him out of the Seraglio,but withal procuring him a 

 Recompence and Salary, according to the number of years he has ferv'd. 



The firft of the four Chambers, into which the Icboglans are diftributed, has the 

 ttoougl f which g reate ^ number of them, becaufe they are yet very young, and as it were Novices, 

 the Lads under the firft Ferula : and it is called the Coucbouk^Oda , that is to fay, the little 

 brought into the Chamber, though it be the largeft of them all, in regard it is the loweft in point of 

 Seraglio are to Dignity. There they are taught to read and write, aud arc initiated in the firft 

 t a ' s ' grounds of the Mabometan Law. And after they have (pent lix years in that Cham- 



ber, they are remov'd into the fécond, which they call Quilar-Oda, wherein being 

 grown more robuft, they are inftructed in the Exercifes of the Body, in (hooting with 

 the B( we, ufing the Lance and other divertifements of that kind. They are more 

 perfected in the fpeaking of the Turkjjh Language, whereto they alfo adde the Arabian^ 

 and the Perfian, which they (hall have occalïon to ufe, in the Governments whereto 

 they may be fent. 



There are four years fpent in this fécond Chamber, out of which they are again re- 

 mov'd into the third, which they call Cbafnadar-Oda, or the Chamber of the Treafu- 

 ry. In this Chamber, they begin to do the Grand Seignor (bme îèrvice, and to be im- 

 ploy'd in the Wardrobe, and the Baths, and there they are alfo taught to ride, and to 

 perfect themfelves in the Exercifes mtable to that Station, wherein they ordinarily fpend 

 four years. Each of thefe three forementioned Chambers has a white Eunuch for its 

 chief Overfeer. The Serai-Agafi has the direction of the firft ■•> the H^ilargi-bacbi Com- 

 mands in the fécond ; and the Cbafnadar-bacbi is the Govemour of the third. 



I (hall have occafion to fpeak more at large of the two laft, when I come to the 

 Chapters of the Cup-bearers Office, and the Treafury ; and therefore I (hall only add 

 here, concerning all the three in general, That the Icboglans, who are inftructed there- 

 in, have not any commerce with thoiè of the fourth Chamber, ol whom I mail give 

 an account by and by, nor with any other perfon out of the Seraglio, or in the other 

 Courts, but with the particular permiffion of the Capi-Aga, and in the prefence of an 

 Eunuch, who hears all that is (aid : That they cannot converfe amongft themfelves, 

 but at certain regulated hours h and that converfation muft be manag'd with a great 

 obfervance of Modefty, as there is an exact Obedience remarkable in all their deport- 

 ments : And laftly, that they are all clad in ordinary Cloath, even to the Beiczadésy 

 that is, the Sons of Vizirs and Baffîis who are dead, while thofe of the fourth Cham- 

 ber wear Cloath of Gold and Silver, becaufe they come into the Grand Seignor's pre- 

 fence, and often approach his perfon. I lhall give you an account anon of their Dor- 

 mitories, that is the places where they take their repofe, as alfo of the F unctions of the 

 Oda-bacbi and the Veflergi-Aga^ who act according to the Orders they receive from the 

 four Eunuchs. 



The fourth Chamber, which is the Prince's Chamber, is called Haz-Oda, and I 

 flaall {peak of it, when I come to treat of the Cup-bearers Office, and the Grand 



Seignor's 



