Ghap, I. L E ^ 
all Ranks among their own People, who very unwilling- 
ly fubmit to their Impertinences for Fear of opening the 
Eyes of the Vulgar, who cannot but bear a great Re- 
verence to Religion, when they lee that tiie more ftnct 
Profeffion of it, fets the meaneft Man on a Level with 
the greateft. Some of the enthufiaftical Bervifes are fin- 
cere°in their Way, and do fome Service to Society by 
reproving the great People for their Offences. 
As to the Slaves in Turkey^ they are the moft fubmif- 
five, traflable and obedient Creatures in the World, and 
tho’ there are Makers, that from the natural Brutality of 
their Tempers, treat them harflily enough, yet generally 
fpeaking they are tolerably well ufed •, nor are they to- 
tally precluded from the Benefit of the Laws, for a Slave 
may fummon his Maker before the Cadi for ill Ufige, 
and if he alledges that their Tempers are fo oppofite, 
that it is impokible for them to agree, the Cadi will 
oblige his Maker to fell him ; but then it muk be allow- 
ed, ^that this Way of coming to Market does not 
much recommend him to the next Maker j what 
affords thefe poor People mok Ground of Complaint, 
is, the little Care taken of them in the Time of the 
Plague for the Turks upon a Principle of Fatality, ^ and 
a Belief that every Man’s Fortune, as they phrafe it, is 
written in his Forehead, when they lofe one Slave by 
the Difeafe, put the next not only into his Room, but 
into his Bed, without taking any Precautions, and fo 
lofe perhaps half a Score, one after another. 
An Englijh Merchant who was very intimate with an 
honek and fenfible Turk, that was half ruined by this 
wild Way of ading, convinced him of the Folly of it, 
by a very eafy and natural Experiment. He bid him 
take three large fine Lemons, one of which had juk 
begun to rot, and place them fo as that this rotten 
Lemon touched one of the found ones, and not the 
other ; the next Day the found Lemon corrupted ; the 
Turk fkw the Force of the Argument, caufed his Slaves 
Chamber and Bed to be well walked with Vinegar, all 
the Utenfils changed, and every Thing to be thoroughly 
perfumed, and thefe Precautions had their Effcd, for 
the next Slave he had did very well, and it is to be 
prefumed, the Maker was cured of his Folly ever after. 
By the Way let us obferve, that the Price of Lemons 
is a fure Way of knowing whether the Plague increafes “ 
or decreafes, when Conjlantinople is infeded, for almok “ 
the foie Nourifhment they give the Sick, is the Juice “ 
of that Fruit, which they fuck continually, and as foon “ 
as one Lemon is exhauked, a frefh one is put into the “ 
Hands of the Patient, Experience having taught them, “ 
that Acids contribute mok of any Thing to the Cure “ 
of this Dikemper. “ 
That the Turks are exceffively jealous, is a Fad as “ 
certain, as that their Women are exceffively lewd ; and “ 
therefore if a Woman fpeaks to a Man, they take it for “ 
granted, that fhe has lain with him, or would lie with “ 
him, if fhe had an Opportunity •, and when a Frank “ 
attempts to perfuade a Turk of the contrary, by infinua- 
ting that they may like the Company of a Man, for “ 
the Sake of Converfation, their common Anfwer is, “ 
Friend, if you catch a Perfon’s Hand in your Pocket, “ 
would you think it was a fufficient Excufe if he fhould “ 
tell you he did it only out of Curiofity, to fee what was “ 
in it. The bek Security they have againk their Slaves, “ 
the only Males that have any Opportunity of coming “ 
near their Women, is the Severity of their Chakife- “ 
ments, for an Offence of this kind he is punifhed with “ 
Death without Mercy j yet even this dreadful Remedy “ 
is not always effedual, for their Women having fo much “ 
Leifure on their Hands, have Intrigues always in their “ 
Heads, and it is allowed that none in the World exceed “ 
them in their Skill of managing them with Dexterity “ 
and Secrecy. We have already obferved, that the def- “ 
potic Power of the Grand Signior and the Vizir Azem “ 
is neceffary, according to the Scheme of their Conki- “ 
tution 5 and though it is not limited by Law, yet it finds ‘‘ 
, a natural Rekraint from the Fear of popular Infurrec- 
tions, which are more terrible in this than almok any “ 
other Country. As to the TurkiJJo Jukice, it is a Point “ 
of all others, the leak underkood by Strangers, at 
which we need wonder the lefs, when we confider. 
that even in Europe, one Nation knows very little of 
the Laws and Cukoms praftifed in another. But How- 
ever it is certain, that the Turkijh Lav/ very much re- 
fembles what is kiled the common Law in this King- 
dom ; that is to fay, it depends upon Maxims and Rules 
that are founded chiefly in Ufage, 
But there is one Thing that deferves particular No- 
tice, and that is, that in no Country in the World there 
are fuch Numbers of falfe Witneffes, nor are thefe lefs 
ufed by the Chrikian Merchants ekablifhed amongk 
them, than by xhtTurks themfelves ; for as every Thing in 
their Courts of Jukice muk be proved by two legal 
Witneffes, that is, by Mujfulmen, Merchants would find 
it impoffible to recover their Right, if they were fo fcru- 
pulous as not to make Ufe of this Pradlice. In fuch a 
Cafe they call in a Couple of Turks of their Acquain- 
tance to their Affikance, and thefe having firk very fe- 
riouky afked the Merchant, if the Fad be as he kates 
it ; upon his anfwering in the affirmative, immediately 
tell him. Well, upon thy Credit we will fwear u, and 
are as good as their Words, for which they are grati- 
fied with a fmall Prefent ; nay, in puhiick Caufes, fuch 
as Petitions for repairing a Church, if the Caufe kicks 
for want of a Witnefs, a grave Turk that kands by will 
come in a Volunteer, and tell a formal Story how he 
came to know fo much of the Matter as will fet the 
Thing a-going ; but he expeds to have his Prefent next 
Day, and it would be a Thing of very bad Confequence 
to negled it ; but the greatek Objedion to the Turkijh 
Law arifes from the Corruption of thofe who difpenfe 
it ; for every Man is at Liberty to apply to the Cadi 
privately, and then without Doubt what he fuggeks is 
fupported by more weighty Arguments than can be 
delivered in Words. Yet with all thele Diladvantages, 
and without Doubt they are not inconfiderable, an 
Lawyer who had great Opportunities of examin- 
ing this Point to the very Bottom, has fuggeked, that 
the Turkido Manner of Proceeding is not wichout fuch 
Conveniences as balance all thefe Defeds. The Reader 
no doubt will be glad to hear him, as his Remarks up- 
on this Head are more to the Purpofe, than tnofe that 
could be made by any other Man, not of the Profeffion. 
“ One fovereign Virtue, fays he, of the Turkifh Law, 
is this, that every Man is his own Bailiff and Sum- 
moner, without the Plague of Procefs, Returns, 
Alias, Pluries, and I know not what Hooks or Crooks, 
that often beggar a Suitor, before he can bring his 
Adverfary to anfwer him. But a Man, in this Country, 
requiring the Adverfary to go before the Judge, he 
muk without Shift or Delay go ; and if he offers to 
efcape, a Thing fcarce known there, he muk run 
quite away, for the very People will almok dekroy 
him if they catch him. Here is no fuing out a Writ, 
going to the Sheriff, from him to the Bailiff, with a 
farther Train of ill Confequences I am afhamed to 
remember. 
“ Another Virtue, and a fingular one, is, that no Man 
anfwers by Attorney, but in proper Perfon only. 
The Courfe is, when the Parties come before the 
Judge, the Plantiff makes his Demand for Money 
lent, the Price of Goods fold, or the like. The Judge 
fits all the while with his Paper upon his Hand, and 
writes his Minutes. What Say you to it ? Says he to 
the other, and then he^makes his Defence ; if there 
be a Writing fhewed, the Defendant fails not to 
own it; there are no Non ejl fadhims for pure Delay, 
to be tried. It is there infamous in the greatek De- 
gree for a Man to deny his Writing, when ffiewed 
to kirn, before a Judge, or indeed any Matter of Fa6t 
that is true, after it appears to have been fo to his 
Knowledge. What a vak Retrenchment of Delay 
and Charge is this } Men anfwering in Perfon can 
fcarce be brought to fpeak falfe ; they muk be 
krangely abandon’d to all Shame, that in the Face 
of a Court, without kammering or bluffing, will do 
fo. Whereas when they fit at Home, and leave 
their Attorneys and Council to plead for them, 
there ffall be falfe Pleas for Delays profeffedly, 
and no Concern at all to their Countenances. 
