74 



A Relation of the 



Clup.XV, 



Puffer me to touch it, only upon this fcore, that he look'd on it as a great Relick. 

 Once in three months this Chamber is made clean, and the Carpets are ehangM, 

 the Pages of the Treafury being employ'd in that Office. And then it is, that the 

 Cb.ifnadar-bachi opens the Box, and having in his hands an embroidefd Hand-ker- 

 chief, he takes out the Seal, with great refped and reverence, whillt the Senior of the 

 Pages holds a golden Cup, garnilh'd with Diamonds and blue Saphirs, on the top of 

 which there is a kind of Perfuming-Pot, out of which there comes an exhalation of 

 all forts of fweet Scents, whereby the whole Room is in a manner embalm'd. The 

 Page holds that Cup in both his hands joy'nd together, and lifting it up higher than 

 his Head, all thofe that are prefent immediately proltrate themfdves to the ground, 

 as an acknowledgment of their veneration. As foon as they are up again, the Page 

 brings down the Cup, lower than his chin, and the principal Officer of the Treafury, 

 holding the Seal over the imoke, all thofe who are in the P».oom, come and kifs the* 

 Chryftal which covers one of the molt precious Relicks, that they have of their Pro- 

 phet. I have us'd all the endeavours I could, to get out of my two Officers of the 

 Treafury, who had often kifs'd that Chryftal, what Obfervations they might have 

 made, as to the material whereof the Seal was made, and what Letters were en- 

 grav'd upon it -, but they told me, and by reafon of the fmoke,and the Chryftal, 

 which covers the Seal, not to infift on the fmall time they have to obferve it, during 

 the ad of killing it, it is not poiïible that any one can give a certain judgment of ei- 

 ther the Stuff, or the Engraving of it. 



Upon the fourteenth day of the Ramazan-, that is to fay, the Lent of the Turk/, 

 the Grand Seignor comes in perfon into that Chamber, accompany'd only by the -SV 

 ligdar-Agj, and taking off the Chryftal, which lies over the Seal,he delivers it into his 

 hands, ordering him to make the Impreffion of it upon fifty little bits of Paper, which 

 are not much bigger than the Seal it felf. This Impreiîïon is taken off with a certain 

 gummy Ink, which is prepar'd in a Pourcelain Dim, whereinto he thrufts his finger, 

 and rubs the Seal with it, and keeps all thofe Printed Papers, for the ufe, to which 

 his Highnefs defigns them, as we lhall fee, e're we come to the end of this Chap- 

 ter. 



The great su- Within the fame Chamber, and adjoyning to the place, where the Seal is kept, 

 x& Turks* ^ 1CrC lS anotner ^ ox or Coffer, of a larger fize, cover'd with a Carpet of green Vel- 

 vet, with a great fringe of Gold and Silver, wherein is kept Mahomet's Hirfy. It 

 is a Garment with large fleeves, of a white Camelet, made of Goafs hair, which the 

 Turks do alfo look upon as a great Relick. The Grand Seignor having taken it out of 

 the Coffer, kiffes it with much refped.and puts it into the hands of the Cap-Agajxho 

 is come into the Room by his Order, after they had taken the Imprelïîons of the Seal. 

 The Officer (ends to the Overfeer of the Treafury, for a large golden Cauldron,which 

 is brought in thither by fome of the Senior-Pages. It is fo capacious, according to 

 the defcription which they gave me of it, as to contain the fixth part of a Tun, and 

 the out-tide of it is garnilh'd, in fome places, with Emeralds, and Turquezes. This 

 Veffel is rill'd with water within fix fingers breadth of the brink, and the Capi-Aga y 

 having put Mahomet's Garment into it, and left it to foak a little while, takes it out 

 again, and wrings it hard, to get out the water it had imbib'd , which falls into the 

 Cauldron, taking great care, that there falls not any ot it to the ground. That done, 

 with the laid water he fills a great number of Fraia-Chryftal Bottles,containing about 

 half a pint, and when he has ftopp'd them, he Seals them with the Grand Seignor's 

 Seal. They afterwards fet the Garment a drying, till the twentieth day of the Ra- 

 rnazan-, and then his Highnefs comes to fee them put up again in the Coffer. 



A ridiculous The next day after that Ceremony, which is the fifteenth after their grand Faft, 

 TnacToTmvo- t ^ ie ^ tm & n ^ s to tne Sultanejfes, and the Grandees of Conjiantinople, as alfo to molt 

 tion, of the confiderable Bajjas of the Empire, to each of them, an Impreflïon of the Seal, 



in a little fcrip of Paper roll'd up, and well faften'd with Silk, and with that, one of 

 thofe Bottles full of water, which is look'd upon as a great favour. But it proves a 

 very dear favour to thofe who receive it, and for a fcrip of Paper, and a Chfs of 

 water, they rnuft fend back again to the Grand Seignor very confiderable Prefents, 



not 



