[44^] 
Empire, where the malecontents ufed to rendezvouz them- 
felves, and find fault upon every ill fuccefs and mifcarriagc 
with the adminiftration of affairs. 
The cuftome of the Turks to falute the Emperor or the 
Viz.ir BaJJds with loud acclamations and wifhes of health and 
long life, when they appear firft in their houfes or any pub- 
lick place, is derived from the Greek:, who took it from the 
Romans. This was done by them in a kind of finging tone ; 
whence Lmtprandus Bifhop of Cremona tells US, that in a certain 
proceflion ( ^ogAt/o-/^ j at which he was prefent, they fang to 
the Emperor Nkephorm 'Tron.a, that is, many years, ( which 
Codmm^who lived juft about the taking of Confiantmofe, by the 
Turkjy exprefles by 4^^^v to nr^Kv^^vm or by rrnKu^ovi^^w, and 
the wifh or falute by '^oAt^^i^eovKriJ.ci ) and at dinner the Greeks then 
prefent wifh'd with a loud voice to the Emperor and Bardas^ 
Up Detts annos multif licet ^ as he tranflates the Gret k. 
The Turkjjh coyn in it felf is pitiful and inconfiderable,which 
I afcribe not only to their want of Bullion, but in their httle 
skill in matters relating to the mint. Hence it comes to 
pafs, that Zecchines and Hungars for Gold, and Spanijh Dol- 
lars and Zalotts forSilver ftampt in ChnBendom pafs current 
among them,mofl: of the great payments being made in them, 
they not caring either through ignorance or floth to follow 
the example of the Indian or Ferjian Emperors, who ufually 
melt down the ChriBian money imported by the Merchants 
into their feveral Countryes, and give it a new ftamp. The 
moft ufual peices are the Sheriphf of Gold, fomewhat lef- 
in value then a Venetian Zecchine, and Afpers i ten of which 
are equal to fix pence Englijh^ and fome few three Afper 
peices. A mangur is an ugly old Copper peice, eight of which 
make but one Afper, and is not I think a Turktjh coyn, but 
rather Greek, They have no armes upon their coyn, only 
letters embofled on both fides, containing the Emperors 
name, or Ibme fhort fentence out of the Alcoran. 
The Turkj look upon Earthquakes as ominous, as the vul- 
gar do upon Eclipfes, not underftandin^ the Philofophy of 
them. During my ftay in Qmitantinopk, which w^s above two 
years, there hapned but one which was O^Aoher ^6. Tddp. a- 
bout fix a clock in the morning, a ftarkcalme preceeding. 
it lafted very near a minute, and we at ^(^ra and Galata were 
-IS fenfible of it, as thofe who were on the other fide of the 
water 3 but praifed be God, nothing fell and we were foon 
