Travels into the -Levant 
Part I 
and fome lower, they reprefent a kind of Amphitheater, from whence with 
eafe and pleafure the Port and Sea may be feen. 
CHAP. XXI. 
Of LcanderV Tomr, Scudaret, the Princes Ifle, 
and the Black Sea. 
T Hough the Countrey about Confl antinomie be not fo delightful, nor fo well 
peopled, as in France-^ yet it is not without pleafant Walks ; you muft 
IJiedit. take a Caique^ and go to Scudaret^ called in Tarkifti Ifcodar, and it is a good 
mile over to it : You pafs by the Tower of Leander, which Hands betwixt the 
Serraglio 2ïid Scudaret, and you may go into it if you pleafe. This Tower is 
built upon a Rock in the Sea, and is pretty ftrong; there are feveral great 
Guns mounted in it, which may batter the Port of Co«/?^2«^/«oj5/e, and the two 
mouths of the Boffhorus of Thrace and of the Propoms, or, as they fay, of the 
Black nnd White Seas ; there is a Well of excellent good frelh Water in this 
Tower, but I cannot tell why they call it Leandefs Tower. From thence you 
go to Scfidarety which is a Village m Afu^ upon the Sea-fide, over againft the 
Serraglio'of ConSi antinomie \ where the G rand Sigmor hath a fttately Serraglio^ and 
very lovely Gardens. A little lower, on the fame fide, over againfl: the feven 
Towers, h^dsChalcedon -, a Town anciently Famous, and celebrated by the 
Fourth general Council that was held there ; but, at prefent, it is no more but 
a pitiful Village. The Princes Ifle, which is four hours going from Co;/i?^»?/- 
«o/>/p, is another Walk, where the Air is excellently good j though this Ifle be 
not great, yet it is very pleafant, and contains two little Towns of Greekf, 
The Chanel of the Black Sea is a rare place to take the Air upon ; this is the 
Bof^hormoïThrace, which coming from the Black Sea to ConFiantimple^ enters 
into the Propomis, and mingles its Waters with the White Sea ; at the broadeft 
place it is about a mile over, and is twelve miles in length. Going from 
T'pham towards this Chanel, you fee to the left-hand, on the fide oîEnropCy 
a great many lovely Houfes and Gardens ; when you have entered into the 
Chanel, you have on both fides the moft charming and delightful Profpedl in 
the World ; nothing offering to your view but ftately Houfes, and Gardens 
full of all forts of excellent Fruits : Upon the fide, in Jfuiy I faw a very pretty 
Caftle, where Sultan Ibrahim^ the Father of Sultan Mahomet^ who Reigns at 
prefent, was hid for the fpace of twenty years, to avoid the Death which 
iSultan Âmurath put his Other Brothers to. ThisCaftleis covered with many 
very high Trees, that hinder it from being feen, which is the realbn fas thofe 
who live there told usj that few come to fee it. Along both the fliores, there 
are alfo a great many good Villages, where one may have whatfoever is needful. 
They take in this Chanel great quantities of good Filh, of feveral forts, 
Svvord-fifh, efpecially Sword-filh, which are great, and fo called, becaufe on their Snout 
they have a long broad bone, like a Sword, or rather a Saw ^ there are many 
Dolphins to be feen there, which follow Boats, playing and leaping out of the 
Water. Six miles from C onHantinople, there are two Forts on this Sea, the 
one in £«yope,and the other in JJia^ which ferve for Prifons for Perfons ofqua- 
lity,and were built to puta ftop to the Cofacks^viho^Yitxç. it not for that) would 
often come and make Booty ,even in C<?«/?<««?z>?(7p/e,feeing,notwithftanding thefe 
Forts, they fometimes give the alarm to that City : In three or four hours time 
one comes to the end of the Chanel or Bofphorus oîThrace, where the Black Sea 
begins. . In the middle of this mouth, which is very narrow, there is a little 
Ifle, or rather Rock, diftant on each hand from the main Land about fifty 
paces, where being come, you may go up to the top of it, and there fee 
a Pillar of white Marble, which is called the Pillar of Pompey^ becaufe (they 
fay) 
