Part I. 
Travels into the L e v a n t. 
255 
for about a tlioufand ; for it is the cuftome when a new Bafha comes, or a 
new Gonful enters into Office, to fend the Bafha a prefent of fo many Vefts, 
and fomany befides to fome other Officers, which are rated at above a thou- 
ÙLudPiafires, not reckoning a great many other Vails that are to be given The Confuls 
every day almoft to the Souf-Baffia and feveral other Knaves. When the cxpence to- 
Conful hath fent his Prefent, he demands Audience of the Baffia, who having wards the 
affigned him a day, he goes to v^ait upon him, and the Bafha makes him to 
fit down over againft him in a Chair or Couch, or eife near to himfcif upon a 
Divan, and when the Conful takes his leave, the Bafha gives him a Veil of 
Cloath of TifTue to put on, and one to the chief Trucheman, on whomalfo 
he beftows a fmall Penfion, and raifes the pay of the Confuls Janiz^aries, 
Herteofore the Confuls had the honour of Beys, but at prefent they are pul- 
led down very low, and fo little regarded, efpeciall y in ^£ypt-y that a Bafha 
makes no fcruple to put Avanies upon them when he pleafes j and while I 
was in <!y^^ypt I knew the Turks and jews fqueeze from the French Nation 
above fouricore or an hundred thoufand Ptafires iu one year, becaufe the 
Jews are very powerful in Mgyft^, and govern all the affairs of thatKingdom ; 
the Cuftomes being in their hands, and they being the only Serats or Bankers, 
Befides that, they enjoy fome Offices about the Bafha, v,?hich make them have 
his Ear ; and they daily put new inventions into his Head, for railing of Ava- 
nies: He has three principal Officers, to wit, the Bafha's Schelebi, which is 
an Office inftituted within thefe few years j the Saraf Baflia, and the Saraf 
of the Bafha, who fet their Wits continually a devifing, and think of nothing 
elfe but of ways how to perfecute the poor Franks. A Turk told me one 
day, that the Jews were the Turks Hounds for catching Money from the Franks ; 
for the Turks of themfelves are neither malicious nor cunning enough, to chafe 
the Prey-, but when once the Jews have made fureof the Game, the Turks 
come in and carry all away. I have known the Confuls feveral times put in 
Prifon, and always moft unjuflly. An Engliffi Merchant-man bound for lE^ypt 
was met and puriTued by fix Turkiffi Ships coming from Candie -, in the Chafe An Avanie 
he fired feveral Guns, and killed three Jamz^aries-, but fo foon as the Ships upon the 
arrived in R^yft^ and this was known, the Englifh Gonful was put into Pri- Engiifh Con- 
fon, and for fome days kept there j but this is nothing, in rcfpedt of what 
happened fome time after: 
The Turks having freighted two French Ships with goods in ^/fArWr/^, 
the one commanded by Captain Vnrheqm, and the other by Captain Civilliers^ tïeFranb in 
and one Englifh Ship, to all which they gave a good Freight ^ Captain Dnrhequi }igypu 
inftead of going to Conftantimple^ fas he ought to have done ) went to Legorn^ ^ 
with a defign to make the beft of his Cargoe -, Captain CtvUUers and the 
Englifh Captain followed the Example; upon this, Ships duril not come 
from Chriftendom to iEgypt, fearing the lofs might be revenged upon them j 
but in the meantime, the Jews having had advice from Legom that the Ships 
were arrived in that Port, prefently acquainted the Bafha with it, who at 
that time diffembling his Indignation, fent an Aga to affure the Confuls that 
the Ships of their Countrey were in no Danger, and that they might come 
as freely and with as muchfafety as they did before, entreating the Confuls 
to fend this advice into Chriftendom ; each Conful prefented the A^a with 
a Veft to the value of fifty Piaftresj for it is a general rule that Agà's never 
comeiu MefTage to any perfon v/hatfoever, Conful or private manj'^Chriflian 
or Turk, but they muft be prefented according to the merit of the bufinefs, 
whether good or bad. A few days after,when they thought that the Confuls 
had fent Letters into Chriftendom, according to the orders fent to them, on 
which the Confuls did really rely; one morning an A^a with a Chlasnx and ilich 
other Rogues, came to their feveral Houfes, and hailing them out like 
Ttieves and Robbers by force, put them upon ugly Horfes without allowing 
them time to drcfs ihomfeives, one being in his Slippers, and another in his • 
Night-Cap, and with all imaginable rigour carried them Prifoners to the 
Caftle, being even in danger of being knocked on the Head in the Streets, 
for the Villains fpead about a report that the Franks had robbed the Grand 
5z^mor's Money, which muchincenfed the People. The Dutch and Venetian 
Confuls were carried away in the fame raaniiçr, though they were not at all 
concerned 
