Chap. I. to the L 
cf Free-ftone, and in others of Free-ftojie and Brick. 
It hath twency-two Gates, fix toward the Land, as many 
.along the Port, and ten on the Streight ot the Propontis, 
which have all Landing-places and Stairs, and the whole 
City is about twelve Miles in Compafs. 
The Caftle of the Seven Towers joins the doubleWalls 
on the Continent Side to thole that lie upon the Pro- 
pontis. It was anciently one of the City Gates, called 
& Gilded Gate, from the gilt Ornaments of it, aqd had 
four Turrets ; but Mahomet II. becoming Matter of 
Confiantinople, added three new ones, and made it a 
Caftle, ftrong enough to keep the Treafures of the Em- 
pire, and for that Furpofe it ferved a long Time •, but 
at prefent it is only ufed as an honourable Prifon, where 
the Grand Signior (huts up fuch Perfons of Quality and 
Slaves of Note as have incurred his Difpleafure. If any 
Chriftians are confined in it, their Prietts are allowed to 
come and fiiy Mafs to them in a little Chapel •, and if 
they are Knights of Malta, or other Perfons of Quality, 
they are allowed to go out, if an Ambaffador, or other 
Perfon of Note, will be engaged for their Return. Sul- 
tan Ofman and HeuJJein Bafha were ftrangled in this 
Caftle. 
Without the Walls, hard-by one of thefe Caftles, are 
two large Statues of white Marble in Bafle Relief, the 
one feems to be Endimion^ and Diana coming down to fee 
him, and the other the Nine Mufes, with the Horfe 
Pegafus. They are done by a good Hand, but inferior 
to fome Pieces in Europe. In going by Sea from this 
Caftle to the Seraglio, there is a fquare Tower ftanding 
in the Sea, at about two Paces from the City- Walls, 
where, they fay, Jufiinian imprifoned Belizarius, his fa- 
mous General, out of meer Jealoufy, and having ftript 
him of all, forced him to beg his Subfiftence of chari- 
table Paflengers. Not far from this Tower is a Foun- 
tain, to which the Greeks always pay a great Veneration, 
and, upon the Day of Chrift’s Transfiguration, carry 
their Sick to it, to whom they give fome of the W a- 
ters, and cover their Bodies a While with the Sand, and 
they fay, wonderful Cures have been thus done by it. 
The Greeks have Abundance of thefe miraculous Foun- 
tains, which they fuperftitioufly honour, and the Priefts 
encourage them in it for their own Gain. Near this 
Fountain ftands the Kioske, or Pleafure-houfe of the 
Bofiangi Bajha, or Overfeer of the Gardens. It is a 
Pavilion cover’d over juft without the Walls of the Se- 
raglio, and overlooks the Propontis and Bofphorus Tbra- 
cius ; but he, being in the fourth Pott of the Empire, 
has no Time almott to take the Air. Beyond this Ki- 
oske are a great many Cannon planted, fo as to ftrike 
any Ships that pafs between Wind and Water, to hin- 
der the Entrance into the Seraglio or Port, if any fhould 
attempt it by Force. Thefe Pieces are always charged, 
but never difeharged, unlefs it be upon the firft or 
lecond Day of the Month Bair am, to give the Mujfel- 
men Notice of that folemn Feaft, or upon the Account 
of publick Rejoycings, as the Taking of a City, or con- 
quering fome Province. 
In the Middle of thefe Pieces of Cannon is one of the 
four Pofterns of the Seraglio, called Bojlan Capi, or the 
Gate of the Gardens. It is fortified with two large 
Turrets, and guarded by two Companies of Bojlangi’s, 
or Gardiners, who keep all from entring at this Gate, 
but the Sultanas and Officers of the Seraglio. After you 
have paired the Cannon, and doubled the Cape, where 
you pafs a Fountain, from which mofi: of the Ships take 
in their frefh Wateq you come to two Kioskes, built by 
Sultan Soliman to view the going out and coming in of 
the Men of War, and divert himfelf with his Women, 
of which he had Plenty. Both of them are well adorn’d 
and furnifhed with gilded Cupola’s, Alcoves, Sopha’s, 
Quilts, Cufhions, Carpets, and all other Things fit for 
fo great a Prince, but nothing can be imagined more 
noble than one of them. At thefe Pleafure-houfes al- 
ways attend fome fmall Galleys and Saicks, ready to re- 
ceive the Grand Signior and his Train whenever he 
pleafes to divert himfelf. Thefe Galleys and Barks are 
very neatly gilded and painted all over, the Oars and 
Grappling' Irons not excepted. Thefe are all the re- 
EVANT. 795 
markable Things without the Walls, both of the City 
and Seraglio. We mutt now go into the City. 
10. It ftands upon feven little Flills, as old Rome did, 
and the Houfes are fo difpofed, that one takes not away 
the Sight from the other. The Streets are narrow for 
the moft ^art, but there are feveral ftacely Buildings in 
them. 'I here are many magnificent Mofques in it, of 
which the moft magnificent is that of Santa Sophia, which 
was anciently a Chriftian Church, built by the Emperor 
JiiJHn, enlarged, enriched, and adorned by Jufiinian, 
and dedicated to the Wifdom of God, Hagia Sophia. 
The Turks have changed it^ into a Mofque, but retain 
the Name. This Fabrick is 1 14 Paces in Length, 80 
in Breadth, and as many in Fleight, fquare without, but 
round within. The Mofque is very fpacious, hath a 
Dome in the Middle, in the Form of a flatted Globe, 
which is a fingular Kind of Architecture. It is paved 
with fine Marble, and matted, that the Cold may not 
hurt fuch as come to worfhip without Slippers, and fquat 
down in their Service. There is a Tomb, which, the 
Turks fay, is Conjiantine's, and a Stone on which, they 
believe, the Virgin waffled our Lord’s Linen, and they 
bear a great Reverence to it. 
The Church was painted in Mofaic with CrofTes and 
Images of Chrift, the Holy Ghoft, the Virgin, and other 
Saints, which yet appear, though the Turks have endea- 
vour’d to deface them, for they fufler no Images. Within 
are two Galleries one over another, that go round the 
Church, and are fupporced by fixty-two Pillars, which, 
’ris fuppofed, were for the Women when it was a Church, 
On the Out- fide of the Church are four Steeples, very high 
and flender, on which are feveral Balconies, from whence 
the Maezims call to Prayers. It’s big enough to hold 
40,000 People, which Number ufually meet in it at their 
Bair am or Paflbver. In a little Street on the Back of 
this Church are two large thick Pillars, where, they fay, 
Juftice was wont to be adminiftred, and by them an 
old Tower, where the Grand Signior’s Beafts are kept, 
viz. Lions, Wolves, Foxes, Leopards, a fpotted Lynx, 
the Skin of a Giraff, and other rare Creatures. 
Befides this Mofque, there are feven others, call’d 
Royal or Imperial, of which the Chief is called Soli- 
mania, becaufe it was built by Sultan Soliman, whofe 
Coffin remains in it, adorned with Carpets, a Turban 
fet with Heron-Feathers and precious Stones, and Lamps 
burning. Several Alcorans are chain’d to it, that the 
People may read them, and pray for the Defunfl’s Soul, 
and fome are hired to do it, for the Grand Signiors take 
care to leave a Fund for continual Prayers to be faid 
for them after their Death. Near this there is another, 
where lies the Body of a Sultana whom Soliman loved ex- 
treamly, as alfo of Sultan Selim, his fccond Son. This 
Mofque hath a moft lovely Cloifter, with Bagnio’s 
and Fountains. The New Mofque, built by Sultan 
Achmet, is one of the faireft and moft magnificent in 
Confiantinople. The Entry into it is through a large 
Court. It is a great Mofque, hath a ftatdy Dome, 
and is full of Lamps, and many Curiofities in Glafs- 
Balls. 
The faireft. of all, are the Mofques of Sultan Mehem- 
met, Sultan Selim, and that which is call’d Chahzadeh 
Mefdgidi, i. e. The King’s Son’s Mofque, being built: 
by one of Soliman'’^ Sons, and Bajazet’s. All thefe 
Mofques have Hofpitals and Schools, where a great 
many poor Scholars are maintained, and educated. Moft 
of the ancient Statues, Obelisks and Pillars, fet up by 
Confiantine and his Succefibrs, are entirely ruined, yet the 
large Hippodrome, called by the Turks, Atmeidan, where 
they exercifed their Horfes in Racing, is ftill to be feen. 
It is a large Square, 550 Paces long, and 150 broad. 
In the Midft of it is an Obelisk pretty entire, miark’d 
with Hlerogliphick Letters, and at a little Diftance 
from it a pretty high Pillar, made of large Stones, laid 
one upon another without Cement, and towards the 
End of it is a Pillar made of three brazen Serpents 
twifted together, and the Heads make the Capital. It 
was faid to be the Talifman or $pell, raifed by Leo Ifau- 
ricus the Emperor againft Serpents, fo that none would 
come near, till Mahomet II. when he took Confiantinople, 
beat 
