T H E V E N o t’^ travels . 
Book III. 
or Juftice, and none has any Right to enquire the 
Tws unlimited Power of their Sultan is foum^d on 
the Mahometan Religion, which en|Oins a blind Obedi- 
ence to all his Commands under Pam or Damnation ; 
but the Turks are freed in a great Meafure from the 
Elfefts of it, by his retiring fo much from Civil Con- 
cerns to his Pleafiires •, for as to all publick Bufinefs, he 
refers that to his Minilters, who have the whole Ma- 
nagement of his Affairs, yet are obliged, on certain 
Days every Week, to give him a fummary Account ot 
them. When the Grand Signior is weary of flaying m 
the Seraglio, he goes abroad to take the Air, either by 
Water or Land. , 
When he goes by Water he has little Attendance. 
His Galliot comes to the Kioske of the Seraglio, and 
from thence he goes to Scudaret, or the Black Sea, to 
take the Air, being row’d by two Eojlangi-Bajhads, and 
twenty-four others, being their Favourites, on each 
Side. When he goes by Land, it is either in Pomp, as 
he does through Confiantinople to the Mofque •, but then 
he has fo many Petitions put up to him againft the ill 
Management of his Minifters, that they hinder it all 
they can ; but he will often go abroad incognito in Dif- 
guife, to fee if his Orders be punflually obferved, and 
the Chriftians are glad of it, for by this Means they 
are free from Affronts. Sultan Amurath went often out 
thus, and one Day caufed a Butcher’s Head to be cut 
off, for felling Meat above the Price fix’d, and two 
Men more to be beheaded, at another Time, for fmoak- 
ing Tobacco, which he had flriftly forbidden, becaufe, 
by taking it in their Beds, feveral great Fires had been 
kindled in Confiantinople, which had burnt down great 
Part of the City. 
1 8. The chief Minifler of State is the Grand Vizier, 
who is called King by the 7urks. He it is that receives 
Ambaffadors, hears their Propofals, and gives them an 
Anfwer, the two Audiences which the Grand Signior 
allows them, being only for Ceremony at their coming 
and Departure. He takes Care to pay the Army, decides 
Law-Suits, condemns Criminals, and manages the Go- 
vernment, having in his Cuftody the Imperial Seal, and 
difcharges the Office of the Grand Signior. This is a 
very heavy Charge, and requires a great deal of Sagaci- 
ty and Prudence ; and yet for all that, few can hold it 
above fix Months before they are firangled, they create 
themfelves fo many Enemies ; and they that do efcape, 
mufl by their Gifts make great Friends at Court, and 
have the Protedion of the Mother of the Grand Sig- 
nior, the mofl beloved Sultana’s, and others. 
Next to this great Officer are the fix Viziers, called 
Viziers of the Bench, who are properly the chief Coun- 
fellors of State, but intermeddle not with the Govern- 
ment, being only confulted upon Points of Law by the 
Grand Signior and the Vizier Azem. The other chief 
Charges are the Cadilefquers, or Judges of the Army, 
which are as it were Chief Juftices, or Sovereign Judges, 
both of Civil and Military Affairs. They have under 
them Cadies, or Inferior Judges, being Bailiffs or Pro- 
vofts, before whom are tried ordinary Caufes, Mar- 
riages made, Liberties given to Slaves, and the Wri- 
tings .called Heudgets, or Decrees ordered. 
The Caimacan is the Captain and Governour of Con^ 
fiantinople. Lieutenant of the Grand Vizier, but has no 
Authority but in his Abfence, and then he performs all 
the Offices of that important Charge. The Balha of the 
, 5 ^^? is the Admiral of the Naval Forces of the Grand 
Signior *, and the Beys are the Governors of the Mari- 
time Provinces, and are obliged to keep the Grand Sig- 
nior’s Gallies in good Order, 
The Aga of the Janizaries, who is the Colonel- Ge- 
neral, or Commandant of that formidable Body of 
the Soldiers called Janizaries, is a confiderable Station. 
Pie is allowed to come into the Grand Signior’s Pre- 
fence with his Arms in abfolute Liberty, and with a 
confident Deportment, whereas all the other Grandees 
ot the Port appear witii their Arms crofs their Bodies, 
in Token of profound Submiflion. 
The Bafioa^s are a Kind of Viceroys in the Provinces ; 
their Office is to adrainifler Juftice exaflly, and to keep 
the People in Subjeblion to their Government. They 
are obliged to pay a Tribute of Money and Slaves 
yearly to the Grand Signior, befides the Carache and 
other Impofts, But they generally abufe their Authority, 
and are more arbitrary than the Grand Signior himfelf, 
their Aim being to raife a Fortune fpeedily by their 
Spoils and Oppreffions. The Sultan is forced to dif- 
femble his Knowledge of thefe Difordars for Want of 
Power to fupprefs them, becaufe they have the Soldiers 
fometimes more at their Service than he. 
The five chief Bafha’s are thofe of Babylon, Cairo, 
Buda, Natalia, and Romania, who have a Privilege of 
having Horfe-tails carried before them. 
The Beglerheys are next to thefe, and are as it were 
fo many Sovereigns in the general Government of the 
Empire, which the Grand Signior gives them. Under 
the greateft of thefe are feveral Sangiac-Beys, who govern 
fmall Provinces. 
The SpahBs are a Body of 15000 Men, maintained 
out of the Revenues of the Grand Signior’s Manors, or 
Timars, They pafs for the Nobility or Gentry of the 
Country, and Hand much upon their Honour. The 
Zaims differ not much from them. 
19. The Chiaux-Bajha is the Chief of the Purfuivants, 
or Meffengers, who carry the Prince’s Commands to 
all Places, are fent of Ambaffadors, and have the Cuflo- 
dy of all Prifoners of Quality. The Government of 
Cities is managed by five Kinds of Officers j the Bajha, 
who judges criminal Caufes ; the Suh-Bajha, who is his 
Deputy ; the Waiwod, who regulates Affairs in the City, 
walks the Rounds twice a Week, examines Weights 
and Meafures, fuppreffes Tipling-houfes, punifhes Drun- 
kards, and all fuch as commit any Diforders, feverely ; 
the Cadi, who is the Judge of all Civil Suits, and the 
Receiver of the Cufloms, and not only receives the 
publick Duties, but takes Cognizance of all fraudulent 
Pradices relating to pecuniary Duties, and judges as 
he fees fit. Thefe Officers make it their Bufinefs to 
ruin and difcredit one another. 
They have no written Laws but what are contained 
in the Alcoran, which they hold to be the Rule of 
Faith, and Standard of Juftice ; and every Thing that 
it forbids is efteemed unlawful and punifhable. Never- 
thelefs the Bafha’s and Cadies judge as they pleafe, for 
the Book is fhort, has but few Laws and moral Precepts, 
and thofe it has are fo ambiguoufly exprefs’d, and deli- 
ver’d in fo loofe a Manner, that thofe greedy Officers 
cannot defire a more favourable Opportunity to fatisfy 
their Avarice, for they judge without Appeal, and caufe 
their Sentence to be executed upon the Spot. It is true, 
fome injured Perfons have appealed to the Divan, but it 
is fo hard, as well as chargeable to carry a Caufe thi- 
ther, that few will attempt it. 
The Divan is the great Council and Affembly of the 
Nation, where all Affairs of State are debated, all 
Suits are finally decided, for any body may be heard 
there, of what Country, Quality, or Religion foever he 
be, and the pooreft Man has Liberty to ask Juftice of 
the Grand Signior in Perfon, and deliver him his Peti- 
tion, which as foon as he has read, he gives Sentence 
according to Equity. If it be for Debt, the Vizier, 
upon Supplication, fends a Chiaux to fetch the Debtor 
into Court, and the Creditor bringing his Witneffes, 
the Prifoner is condemned, and the Sentence is imme- 
diately put in Execution ; for all Things are difpatched 
with fo much Expedition, that a Matter no fooner 
comes to a Hearing, but it is prefently judged and final- 
ly determined. . 
No Trial, unlefs in a difficult Cafe, will laft above 
four or five Hours without Sentence given one Way or 
other, fo that no Man is wearied and ruined by Law- 
yers and Delays, as in other Places : Nor is there any 
Fear that Juftice will not be adminiller’d, becaufe at 
the End of the Hall where they fir, is a Window co- 
vered with black Crape, where the Grand Signior hears 
and fees when he pleafes, without being difcerned, and 
the Judges, fearing he may be there, dare not admi- 
nifter partial Juftice, for if he finds it out, it would 
immediately coft them their Lives. 
■Th'e 
