8 04 
“ Treafury *, and his common and ordinary Charges, 
both at home and abroad, are born by the Tefterdar 
“ or Treafurer for the Empire. As he is a private 
“ Perfon, he receives Prefents, Fines, and Confifca- 
“ tions, and defrays many extraordinary Expences, as 
“ Buildings for charitable Ufes, Jewels for himfelf and 
“ his Women, Sc, Which Treafury is under the Care 
« of the Hafna Kiiaft or Treafurer of the Grand 
“ Signior. Here is to be noted, that in his private 
“ Capacity he is always vaftly rich, and heaps up 
‘‘ very great Treafures, when many Times the Publick 
“ Treafury is exhaufted ; fo that in Wars he is often 
“ forced to lend great Sums of Money to the Publick, 
“ which they are fure punctually to pay back again. 
“ The next in.J0ffice under the Grand Signior, in 
“ the Governme^ht, is the Vizier-Azem,^ or Chief Mini- 
“ fter, who is of that Credit in the Empire, that the 
“ Grand Signior calls him Tutor ; and, indeed, he atls 
all both in Peace and War. The Grand Signior 
“ minding his Pleafures, leaves all to him : And this 
“ happens not more out of Luxury, than from the 
“ Maxims of their Policy : But when the Grand Signior 
“ is an active Prince, and will look into Bufinefs him- 
“ felf ; or when he is jealous, and his Nature fickle, 
“ apt to hear and believe Complaints againft his Great 
“ Minifter, the Vizier fignifies much lefs. When the 
Grand Signior goes to the War, he carries with him 
“ all the Officers of the Court, even the Mufti,, Judges, 
“ and all. The like doth the Grand Vizier when the 
‘‘ Grand Signior flays behind : But then he leaves a 
“ Subflitute, which they call Kaimacham, to aCt like 
“ him in his Abfence 5 and all the other great Officers 
“ of State make their Subflitutes in the like Manner *, 
“ fo that the Grand Signior hath as formal a Court as 
“ he had before. So alfo in Cafe he doth not flay in 
“ the Imperial City of ConSlantinople, but removes to 
“ any other Part of the Empire, where-ever he goes, 
“ he carries with him his whole Court ; but then, not 
“ to leave the great City deflitute, a new Kaimacham 
“ and other Subflitutes are appointed, whereby, not- 
“ withfranding the Abfence both of the Grand Signior 
“ and Vizier, the City hath the fame formal Govern- 
‘‘ ment as if they were all there, with this Difference, 
“ that thefe are Underlings, and dare not meddle in 
“ great Matters. 
“ But in all Bufinefs of Concern, they receive Orders 
“ from their Principals abroad, and aCl accordingly. 
“ The Government being thus fupplied, there is no 
“ Need ( unlefs upon extraordinary Occafions) for the 
“ Ambafiador of any Nation to attend the Perfon of 
“ the Vizier ; but they may difpatch their Bufinefs in 
“ Conjiantinople, the Refident of Germany only except- 
“ ed, who continually attends the Vizier’s Camp at 
“ iome reafonable Diftance.” 
This gives us a clear Idea of the great Office of Vi- 
zier- Azem, and the Manner in which he executes in Per- 
fon, and by his Subflitutes. We are generally per- 
fuaded, that as the Grand Signior is an abfolute Mo- 
narch, and acountable to none, fo he governs entirely 
according to his V ill and Pleafure, which appears to 
us to be the foie Caufe of the frequent Changes that are 
made in the Adminiflration ; but in this we are cer- 
tainly much miflaken. I mufl confefs, it is a little be- 
fide the immediate Purpofe of thefe Remarks, to infifl 
upon this Point ; but as I have fome Reafon to be ac- 
quainted with the "Turkfh Polity, and the Difcuffmg of it 
cannot fail of pleafing the Reader, I cannot help in- 
dulging myfelf in letting this important Point in a 
true Light. A very wife and great Prince would be 
abfolute in any Country, let its Conflitution be what it 
will •, and in Defpotick Governments, a Prince of no 
great Parts, that will fuffer himfelf to be governed by 
an able Minifter, may ftretch its Authority to its utmoft 
Bounds, But let the Government be ever fo abfolute, 
an unfteady Prince would be ever a Slave ; and in Tar- 
key this is always the Cafe. 
The Grand Signiors coming to their Power without 
any Acquaintance with the World, and under the In- 
fluence oi an ambitious IVIother or an intriguino" Wife, 
feldom follow their own Choice in appointing a Vizier , 
Book ni. 
and it is a Maxim in the Eafl as well as the Weft, that 
the Minifter, who is raifed by a Fadlion, is ruined* by a 
Fadlion, Befides, in all Defpotick Governments the 
Populace or Mob is the dernier Refort j and it muft be 
fo in the Nature of Things, for where all Men are 
Slaves, as they are by Law in the Ottoman Dominions, 
though the Grand Signior has the Name, yet the Com- 
mons, that is, the Soldiery and the loweft of the People, 
have in Fad: the Supreme Power. Thus then it appears* 
that a Grand Signior of limited Abilities has a very lil 
mited Power, being under the Influence of the Fadions 
in the Seraglio on one Side, and under the Terror of 
the People on the other. The frequent Changes there- 
fore in the Government are fo far from being the Ef- 
fedls of Plenitude of Power, that in Reality they de- 
monftrate the Want of Power in the Sultan. But in 
Cafes of this Nature, it is beft to recur to Fads. 
In the Minority of the Emperor Mahomet IV. when 
the Seraglio was torn by Fadions, Viziers were made 
and depofed continually, and the greateft Part of Eu- 
rope looked upon this as the Effed of the Emperor’s 
Will ; At laft a great Mutiny happened amongft the 
Spahis, or 'Vurkijb Cavalry, who put the then Vizier 
Azem and all the Bafha’s to Death, except one old Man, 
whofe Poverty made him contemptible. This was the 
famous Cuperli, or, as the Name ought to be written, 
Kioprili. Yet in this Maffacre the Spahds miffed the 
chief Inftruments of thofe Mifehiefs which the Empire 
had fuffered. Thefe were the Kijlar Aga and the Se- 
lidfer, who really governed the young Sultan, and made 
and depofed Viziers at their Pleafure. Thefe fadious 
Men finding, as we fay, that they had only Hobfon^s 
Choice, dtchxtd Kioprili, Vizier Azem, upon a Promife 
that he would do nothing but by their Diredion ; to which 
he confented, provided they gave their Diredions in 
Writing. The Change of Men producing no Change 
of Meafures, the Spahis mutinied again, and Kioprili, 
inftead of fheltering himfelf behind the Sultan’s Throne, 
went diredly to the Mutineers, and told them, that if 
they were difpleafed with the Government, it was fit 
they fhould know who were the Governors, producing 
at the fame Time the Diredions he had received. This 
had its Effed, the Spahis went diredly to the Seraglio, 
and demanded the Heads of the Kifler Aga and the Se- 
lidiar, which the Sultan was not in a Condition to re- 
fufe. Kioprili had then a private Audience of that Mo- 
narch, who was exceffively alarmed, and doubted even 
of his own Safety ; but the old Man foon fet his Heart 
at reft ; he told him he was now a Monarch, and him- 
felf a Minifter, that the Spahis had done his Bufinefs, 
and he would do theris ; and he was as good as his 
Word, for in two Years Time there was not a Soul of 
them left alive. 
He governed the Empire with great Dignity for fe- 
ven Years; and as he lived, fo he died. Prime Minifter. 
His Mafter made him a Vifit when he was near his End, 
and deploring the Lofs of fo good a Servant, he defired 
he would recommend hisSucceffor ; upon which he told 
the Grand Signior frankly, that his Son Achmet Kioprili, 
who had been hitherto employed wholly in Civil Affairs, 
was the fitteft Man tofucceed him. He was according- 
ly declared Vizier Azem, held that Employment feven- 
teen Years, and was the greateft and beft Minifter the 
Turks ever had. Under their Adminiftration, which 
lafted near twenty-five Years, and ended with the Death 
of Achmet, the Emperor maintained his Pov/er, and the* 
Empire recovered its Credit. After his Deceafe Fac- 
tions revived, new Flu(5luations in Government enfued, 
and at the laft the unhappy Sultan was depofed, and 
five Years afterwards died in Obfeurity. 
In all Governments, Court-Faflions are dangerous, 
and the true Sources of popular Difeontent and general 
Infurreflions. Great Princes and wife Minifters know 
how to prevent, or to quell Fa£lions if they cannot be 
prevented ; and the Felicity of a People does not de- 
pend fo much upon the Conflitution under which they 
live, as the Genius and Capacity of thofe who admini- 
fter Affairs under that Conflitution, be it what it will. 
It is not therefore the Defpotick Power of the Grand 
Signiors 
T H E V E N o t’j Travels 
