Chap. XI. GrandSeignor's Seraglio. 



of another, much exceeding it in value, to the Grand Seignor. And that confifts or- 

 dinarily in excellent Horfes, good pieces of Gold-Brockado, or rich Furrs. But his 

 work is yet not half over -, there muft be much more done for him, through whole 

 hands he has receiv'd the Prefent, and he fcapes very well, when, not accounting what 

 he fends to the Grand Seignor, the carriage of it cofts him but Ten thoufand Crowns. 

 Nay many times, he is fore'd to double the Summe, when he has not been fo liberal, 

 as the Prince expedted he Ihould have been * for he prefently difpatches away an Offi- 

 cer, to reproach him with the (lender account he has made of his Prefent, and the 

 fit) all recompence he had receiv'd, whom he had employ'd to bring it him. To thefe 

 reproaches he fends him an cxprefs Order, to make him an additional Reward of 

 Twaity or thirty Purfcs, which is immediately put in execution : and as to the Pre- 

 fent, which the Grand Seignor has receiv'd, he commonly makes a diftribution of it, 

 amongft thofe, who are then about him. 



And thefe are the Advantages which the Grand Seignor fcrews out of the Bajfas, 

 and other Grandees of the Port, whillt they are alive. Let us now conlider thofe 

 which accrew to him by their death, in order to the recompenting of thofe, whom 

 he favours, without being oblig'd to take any thing out of his Coffers. When the 

 death of a Bajfa is refolv'd upon, the Grand Seignor delivers the Commiffion to him, 

 whom he has defign'd to be kind to i and he finds it much more advantageous, to 

 bring him the Sentence of his death, than to bring him a Prefent from the Prince. 



If the Execution is to be done in Conftantiunple, the ordinary Executioner is the Formal/ties eb- 

 Bojiangi-bacbi, who is alwaies about the Grand Seignor's Perfon, and he himfelf does ferv'd at the 

 the Work. But if there be a neceffity of going into fome remote Province, 'tis com- àmtbof the 

 monly either a Kapigi-bacbi, or one of the principal BoftangU, whom the Prince has a ^„a/ a lf^ 

 mind to ("hew his kindnefs to, who is fent to perform the Execution. He who car- u t y, e p r ; na ' s 

 ries the Order, accompany'd by five or fix Capigjt, fometimes manages his Affairs fo, Orders. 

 as to arrive at the place, while the Council is fitting. But if that cannot be fo order'd, 

 he goes to the BaJJa, and commands him in the Grand Seignor s name,to call one imme- 

 diately. That Council conlifts of the Bajfa s Lieutenant, the Mufti, the Cadi, the chief 

 Commander of the Janizaries belonging to that place, and fome other perlons con- 

 cern'd in the administration of Juttice , who are of the moft conllderable of the 

 Province. 



The Council being afTembled, the Capigi-bacbi enters, attended by his people and 

 prefents the Baffa with the Grand Seignor s Letter. He receives it with great refpeâ:, 

 and having put it three fcveral times to his forehead, he opens it, reads it, and rinds 

 that the Prince demands his head. He makes no other anfwer to that Order, then 

 what he does in thefe few words h Let the Willi fayes he, of my Emperour be done : 

 only give me leave to Jay my Frayer s which is granted him. His Prayers being ended, 

 the Capigis feize him by the Arms, and the chief of them prefently takes off his Girdle 

 or Safche, and cafts it about his Neck. That Girdle conflits of feveral fmall firings of 

 Silk, with knots at both ends, which two of the company immediately catch hold 

 of, and one drawing one way, and the other, t'other-way, they difpatch him in an 

 inftant. 



If they are unwilling to make ufe of their Girdle, they take a handkerchief, and 

 with the Ring which they ufe, in the bending of their Bowes, and which they ordi- 

 narily wear on the right-hand Thumb, they thruft the hand between the handkerchief, 

 which is ty'd very clofe, and the Throat, and fo break the very Throat-Bone. Thus 

 they make a fhift to ftrangle a man in an inftant, fuffering him not to languifh in 

 pain, that he may dye a faithful Mabumetan^ and not have the time to enter into de- 

 fpair s thcTnrks thinking our way of hanging Criminals, who 3re fb long in torment 

 upon the Gibbet, a ftrange kind of Execution. 



Though I have often us'd this exprellion, That the Grand Seigmr fends to demand w ^ in 

 the Head of any perfon, whom he would rid out of the way s yet they never cut it off, ^ iffiff 

 but when he exprefly declares his defire to fee it, and then it is brought to him. If Turkey, 

 it be from lbme place at a great diftance, they take out the Brains, and fill the empty 



(1 ) place 



