Chap. XVIII. Grand Seignor's Seraglio. 89 



(he was defperately fallen in love, having made fruitlefs attempts, by other ways, to 

 fatisrie her infamous inclinations. The Father, not fufpecling any thing of her wic- 

 ked intentions, and being withal poor, grants her his Daughter, the Marriage is ft> 

 lemniï'd in the prefence of the Cadt 3 and the impofture having been difcover'd the ve- 

 ry Wedding-night,the old woman was condemn'd the next day to be thrown into the 

 Sea, there to quench the Gomorrhean Inflammations of her lewd délires. This Story 

 is to this day related in Conjiantinople> and I have had it from feveral good hands. 



Thefe infatiable falacioufnefs amongft the Women, are the effects and confequences Polygamy pre* 

 of the fame inclinations in the Men -, and the Tm-hx are Co much the more execrable I***'** 1 \° 

 and abominable as to this particular, the more they are permitted a plurality of Wives. W* amt 

 But, whether it happens through a jufi: punithment from Heaven, or proceed from their 

 Sorceries, which are common and allow'd in Ya>-%y, and ordinarily pradis'd by the 

 Women, in oppofition one to another, to appropriate the affections of their Husbands, 

 it has always been obferv'd, That the Turks who keep many Women, are not Co well 

 ftor'd with Children, as they, who obferve Conjugal Chaltity, and confine themfelves 

 to one. I queftion not but thofe Authors, who have written of the Mabumetan Re- 

 ligion, have given a fufficient account of that plurality of Wives, and of the Cere- 

 monies of Matrimony, amongft the Titras. 



As to the manner, how the Grand Seignor demeans himfelf in the profecution of The Stmcy of 

 his Amours, it is a Secret, which I fhall not enquire into -, I have not much endeavour'd tbrGrmd 

 to make any difcoveries of it, and it is a hard matter to give any account thereof, ^"° rs 

 without fome hazard of travelling Hijhry into Romance. They are Intrigues, which 

 do not admit of any Confident, by whom they may be difclos'd, and all that is com- 

 monly related thereof, is haply at a great diftance from the true ftate of things : not to 

 prefs this, That we ought to have a refped for all Princes, and to forbear divulging 

 what informations we may poffibly have receiv'd, of their fecret Amours. 



CHAP. XVIII. 



The Entrance into Conftantinople of the Sultane f s , Mother to 

 the Grand Seignor, whom they honour with the Title of 

 la Validé, on the Second of July, 1 668 , 



The Principal Heads. 



The order of the JMarcb. 7be Wealth of the Grand Seignor's Fa- 

 vourite. The Sultanefle's Coaches. The prohibitions to look 

 on her. > 



ON the Second of July, in the Year of our Lord, One Thoufand, fix Hun- 

 dred, Sixty and Eight, the Sultanefs, Mother to the Grand Seignor Re- 

 gent, at her return from Adrianopk, made her Entrance into Conftanti- 

 nopk? where I then was, of which Entrance take the eufuing Description. 



About Six in the Morning, lbme numbers of Janizaries, notobfaving any order, Tbeordtroftbs 

 took their way towards the Seraglio, fometimes ten, or more, îbmetimes twenty, in March. 

 little detachments, which lafted for fome time. 



After them came two hundred men on Horfe-back, belonging to the Houfe of the 

 Cologlou, that is to fay, the Grand Seignor's Favourite, with Ihort Guns refting on 

 the Bowe of their Saddles, and all very meanly clad, as alfo the Officers of his Klt- 

 chiiijwho coming in the Rear of the others,were, in like manner, poorly habited, and 



