T H E V E N o t’j travels 
Book III, 
Jgliam-Oglans as are brought up to thi's Service, called' 
Askees or Cooks. They wear white Caps for Diftinftion, 
and are about two hundred from the higheft to. the 
meaneft Officers of the Kitchen. They begin their Bu- 
finefs early in the Morning, for the Grand Signior rifing. 
betimes, they muft have always fomething ready for his 
Breakfaft. He dines at Ten o’Clock in the Forenoon, 
and fups at Six in the Evening, both in Summer and 
Winter. He fits down with his Legs acrofs, according 
to the Faffiion, and has a rich Napkin laid be- 
fore him. He carves for himfelf, but ufes neither Knife 
nor Fork, for his Meat is fo tender and delicately dref- 
fed, that he eafily pulls it in Pieces with his Fingers. 
He hath two wooden Spoons, the one to eat his Pot- 
tage, and the other to fup the Syrups with, which he 
■ufes to quench his Thirft. He ufes no Salt nor Antipaft. 
He rafteth of all the. Diffies one by one, and clofes 
his Meal commonly with a Boclava^ or Tart ; and when 
he has dined or fupp*^d, waflaeth his Hands in a golden 
Bafon, fet with precious Stones. 
His ufual Diet is wild Pigeons, Geefe, Lamb, Hens, 
Chickens, Mutton, and fometimes wild Fowl, and ufu- 
ally as much ' boiled as roafted of all of them, with 
Broths, Preferves, and Syrups in Porcelaine Diffies, and 
fome Tarts and Pies. When he has done eating, he 
concludes with a Draught of Sherbet, and feldom drinks 
more than once at a Meal. He feldom or never fpeaks 
at Table, but to favour fome Aga, to whom he fpeaks 
a Word or two, and throws him a Loaf. The Grand 
Signior’s Diffies are all Gold or yellow Purcelane, fcarce 
to be had for Money, in which he eats chiefly in their 
Ramazan or Lent^ which lafts a whole Moon, and only 
by Night, as all the Burks do j but they make no Dif- 
ference of Meats, excepting Swines Fleffi, and Things 
ftrangled, which are forbidden by their Law at all 
Times, The Sultan feldom eats Fiffi, unlels when he 
is by the Sea-fide with his Women, where he fees it 
taken. The M^eat which is left at the Grand Signior’s 
Table is carried to the Aga’s that wait ; and after Din- 
ner the Sultan diverts himfelf with the Mutes and Buf- 
foons. The Capee-Agz. hath a Table by himfelf, drefled 
in his own Kitchen, and with him the Hafnehdar-Bafha, 
Saras Aga/ee, the Sultan’s Pbyficians, eat, and what 
he leaves ferves all the White Eunuchs. The Youths 
in the Oda*s have two Loaves a-piece and boil’d Mut- 
ton, with Pottage made of Rice, Butter and Honey al- 
low’d them daily. 
The Queen and Sultana’s are at the fame Time ferved 
by the Black Eunuchs, but in Copper Diffies, unlefs the 
Sultan be with them. They drink their Sherbet with 
Snow, which cofts dear to bring it from the Hills, and 
keep it under Ground. They eat no Cheefe but W- 
mcfan, fent by the Bailo, or Refidentiary of Venice. All 
thefe Things are done in fuch Order, that all is finiffied 
in lefs than two Hours Time. The Grand Signior’s, 
Sultana s, and Baffia s Bread is made of W^heat, brought 
from Burfa., and ground there, and is very white and 
favoury ; the reft of the Bread for the Seraglio is made 
of Corn brought out of Velo in Greece. There are vaft 
fi^uantities of Bread fpent in the Seraglio, becaufe every 
one has a large Allowance made by the chief Vifier. 
The Rice, Lentils, and other Pulfe, is brought twice a 
Year out of Egypt in Galleons. There is a vaft Qtian- 
tity of Sugar fpent in Sherbets and Boclava’s, but^hey 
eat little Spice, except Pepper. This is brought out of 
Egypt, with a great Quantity of Conferves, Dates 
Prunes, pickled Meats, and dried Plumbs, though four 
hundred are continually at Work to preferve 
others. ^ 
The Honey ufed at the Sultans Table comes from C 
but the reft comes from Walachia, Branfilvania, a 
Moldavia, m great Earthen Jars. The Oil is brous 
from Modm and Coron in Greece, and is much ufed^ 
Meats and Lamps •, but the Sultan eats only what coo 
from Candia and Zant, which is the deareft and be 
Their Butter comes by Shipping out of the Black S 
from Bogdtam and Caffa, in Ox and Buffalo’s Hid 
They eat very ktle or no freffi Butter, nor eat mu 
Mil , unlefs It be Toghurd, i. e. fower or clotted Crea: 
la the Seraglio are fpent in dried Beef of Cows of B 
turma, killed when they are great with Calf, becaufe 
they fay their Fleffi is then more tender and favourv 
ffiur hundred yearly ; and the daily Provifion is two 
hundred Sheep, one hundred Lambs and Kids in their 
Seafon, ten Calves, fifty Geefe, one hundred Hens, one 
hundred Chickens, and two hundred Pigeons In tho 
Seraglio there is little Fiffi eaten, though the Sea yields 
Plenty, and therefore the Chriftians buy it cheap The 
Seraglio is plentifully ferved with Fruit from the Sultan’s 
Gardens, and Prefents fent to the Grand Signior from 
all Parts ; fo that they fell a great deal, and the Money 
IS given to the Sultan for his Privy Purfe, 
The Furniture of the Sultan’s Kitchins are of Brafs 
but fo well kept, and fo large, that they are as fine a 
Sight as can be leen. The Grand Signior’s Cloaths dif- 
fer little in Faffiion from other Mens, only in Length 
and Richnels. His Turbant is like the Bajha^s, only he 
wears Plumes and Gold Clafps, which they do not He 
fieeps upon Matraffes of Velvet and Cloth of Gold co- 
ver’d in Summer with Sheets, embroider’d with Silk 
and in Winter with Luferns, or Sables. When he lies 
alone in his own Lodgings, he is watched by the Pages 
of his Chamber, two at a Time, and two old Wo- 
men wait on him with burning Torches to light him, 
if he pleafes to fay over his Beads, which they pray 
by at the Hours of Prayer in the Night, viz. at Mid- 
night, and two Hours before Day,. The Women’s 
Habit is much like the Men’s, for they wqm Chachjhirs, 
or Breeches, and Buskins, and fleep in them j but 
they have thin ones for the Summer, and thick for 
the Water. 
1 7. The feveral Stipends of the Officers of the Se- 
ragho are paid by the Befterdar, out of the outward 
Treafury, who fends them their Vefts againft the Car- 
nival ; and if he fails at the Times appointed, upon 
any Complaint he will be utterly ruined, or at leaft dif- 
placed. If any of the Itchoglans or Agliam-Oglans die, 
his Chamber- fellows are his Heirs ; and fo it is with 
the young Women that never lay with the Sultan : But 
if any of the Eunuchs, who are generally very rich, 
dies, all comes to the Grand Signior himfelf, except he 
be out of the Seraglio, for then the Sultan has only two 
Thirds, and the reft he may difpofe of by Will, if the 
Sultan will confent to it ; but to fecure his Parts, there 
is an Officer, called the Beytel Mawlgee, who, as foon 
as any one dies, enquires after their Eftates, and cer- 
tifies the 1 efterdar of if, that he may feize it for the 
Grand Signior ; yet the Beytel Mawlgee, for his own 
private Gain, will very often conceal a great Part of 
the Eftate of the Deceafed, to divide it privately be- 
tweeen the Kindred and himfelf. if any falls fick in 
the Seraglio, they are immediately carried, in a Cart 
cover’d with Cloth, and drawn with Hands, from their 
Chamber to the Lazaretto or Holpital belongino" to th& 
Palace, where they are kept fo clofe, that° none can 
fpeak with them without great Difficulty, but the Phy- 
fic.an and Apothecary and, when recover’d, they are 
carried back in the fame Manner to their Chambers. 
The Grand Signior is at vaft Expences in Gifts to the* 
Sultana Queen, chief Vifiers, Serdars or Generals, and 
Captains of his Forces by Sea and Land, B’efterdars and 
others, in Vefts, Bows, Swords, Plumes, Cfc. and he al- 
lows the Sultana Queen and Vifter-Azem in the Wars to 
be very generous, according to their Stations. He 
may go out of the Seraglio when he pleafes, either by 
Water or Land. When he goes abroad by Water, he 
is carried in his Saick or Barge cover’d with Crimfon- 
Velvet, richly embroider’d, under which he fits, his 
Aga^s ftanding all about him, and is row’d by the Ag-- 
liam-Oglans, the Boftangee- Bajha fleering, When he 
goes by Land, he always rides on Horfeback, and com- 
monly goes out of the great Gate of the Palace. When 
he goes to the Mofque on Fridays, he is accompanied 
through the City by all the Bajhal^s and Grandees of the • 
Port, befides a large Retinue of Servants, who march 
at his Stirrup. 
The People in his W^ay follow him with repeated 
Acclamations of Happinefs, which he returns by a 
Nod, and fuch as are, or believe themlelves wronged, 
prefenc to him their Arzes, or Petitions, which his 
Highnefs 
