^8 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 Coffers, abundance of Clocks and Watches, 

 German-work, as alfo of Knives and Ink-horns, after the Turkjfh Mode, all thofe pieces 

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

 pretious Stones. There is to feen, in fine, all along the Walls, but cove'r'd with a 

 Scarlet Stuff, feveral Arms, after the Turkjfh-Moâe, neatly kept in order, as Bowes, 

 Arrows, Targets, Battle-Axes, excellently well wrought, and moft of thefe Pieces are 

 of a confiderable value. 



'An iaeliimable But wnat * s mo ^ P rec i° u s ft that Chamber and tranfeends all the reft, is a ftrong 

 c offer of all Coffer all of Iron-work, which contains another, of about a foot and a half fquare, 

 forts of precious wherein there is a Vaft Treafure. When this Coffer is open'd, you lee a kind of Gold- 

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



Rubies 3 Emeralds, a huge number of excellent Tofazesjmà four of thofé Gems,caH'd 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 of Tulips, covered over with the moft precious Stones of the Seraglio, and 'tis into 

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

 given the defcription. Of thefe Handles, fome are higher and more precious than 

 others > and my Overfeer of the Treafury aflur'd me, That, of all forts of them,great 

 and fmall,the*e are above a hundred and fifty. The leffer 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- 

 fiantinople» If he has a defire to fatisfie his fight with the luftre of his precious Jew- 

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

 fome particular Piece of the Treafury, he gives order to the Cbafnadar-bacbi, to fetch 

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

 myfterious precautions. 



Precautions and There are alwayes Sixty Pages, more or lefs, belonging to the Chambers of the 

 ceremonies oh- Treafury. The number of them is not fixt, but the Credit of the Capi-Aga, and the 

 ferv'd at the Chafnadar-bachi^ may augment or diminifti it, according to their inclinations and in- 

 opning of the terefts. Unlefs they fall into difgrace, as he had done from whom I have fome part 

 ' w ^' of thefe Inftructions, they never go out of the Seraglio, but upon their advancement to 

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

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

 modated for their lives. The Chief Officer of the Treafury having receiv'd Orders 

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

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

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

 enclos'd, takes them out of it, and following the Cbafnadar-Bacbi, attended by the 

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



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

 for the better fecuring of the Seal, which the Chief Officer of the Treafury had let 

 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. Affoon as they are got into the Chamber in- 

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

 Eench, 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 Ckafnadar- 

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

 Bearer of it to the Grand Seignor. Then has he a fair Opportunity to fecure fome- 

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

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



alfo 



