Chap. II. of the Inhabitants of 
wife Minifher, before they are put in Execution. The 
Grand Vizirs in Turkey, it is obferved, feldom die a na- 
tural Death ; on the other Hand, the Prime Minifter of 
Perfta, if it be thought fit to difcharge him, is ufually 
permitted to retire, and end his Days in Peace with 
his Family. The fecond Poll in the Government is, 
that of the Divan Beghis or Bey. This great Magiflrate 
is the laft Refort in all Caufes, Civil and Criminal, un- 
lefs where the Shah in Perfon fits in Judgment. The 
Divan can command any Caufe to be removed to his 
Tribunal, from any Court in the Kingdom ; and during 
the late Reigns it has not been known that their Shahs 
have ever fat in a Court of Juflice, or concerned them- 
felves in examining the Decrees of the Divan Beghi. 
In the third Rank come the Generals, and firll the 
Generaliffimo when there is one. The next Place is 
the General of the Court chis, which are a Body of thirty 
thoufand Horfe, of Turk or Tartar Original. The 
third is the General of Mufqueteers, a Body which 
ferve on Horfeback, but fight on Foot like our Dra- 
goons. The fourth is the General of the Coulars, or 
Royal Slaves as they are called *, and the laft the Maf- 
ter of the Ordnance. After the Generals, the Vacana- 
vifh or Secretary of State, poflefles the next Poll. This 
Officer regifters the publick Ads, and has the Care of 
the Records *, he alfo appoints a Deputy in every Pro- 
vince of the Empire, who tranfmits all Affairs of Con- 
fequence to him, to be laid before the Miniftry. The 
laft great Officer is the Mirab, or Lord of the Water. 
Every Province has its particular Mirab, who takes 
Care to diflribute the Waters of the Rivers and Aque- 
ducds in fuch Proportion, that every Part of the Coun- 
try may have an equal Share. 
Thefe are all the principal Officers of State. Thofe 
of the Houfhold are firfl the Nazir, who is both 
Lord Treafurer and Steward, and it is with this Gen- 
tleman, that all AmbafTadors and Foreigners tranfad; 
their Affairs, but there is a Comptroller and feveral 
other Officers which are a Check upon him, as he is on 
the Prime Minifter, and thofe two have a very great 
Influence in the Court of Per/ia. But to prevent the 
Shah^s Treafury being mifapplied, no Sums are paid 
out of the Treafury, but the Order pafles under the 
Seals of the Prime Minifter, the Nazir, the Divan Bey, 
and two other Officers of the Revenue. The next is 
the Ichicagafi Bajfa, who commands all that attend in 
the outward Palace, and the Guards. 
When the Shah goes out, this Lord marches before 
him with a great Staff, covered with Gold and precious 
Stones ; he does not fit, as feveral Officers do of infe- 
rior Quality, but ftands always ready to obey his Impe- 
rial Majefty’s Orders, and fee them executed. And 
after him is the great Huntfman, who has not lefs than 
a thoufand Huntfmen and Falconers under him. After 
this Officer the principal Phyfician and principal Aftro- 
loger take Place, which are Polls of great Honour and 
Profit. 
4. As to Ecclefiaftical Officers in this Empire, the 
Grand Pontif is ufually ftiled the Sedre in Perfta ; they 
alfo give him the Titles of Prince, Head of the true 
Church, Subftitute of Mahomet, and Lieutenant of the 
twelve Imans, or Caliphs, who fucceeded their Patriarch 
Baly. The Churchmen and bigotted Part of the Per- 
fians hold, that the Dominion of the Laity is an Ufur- 
pation, and that the Government belongs of Right to 
the High-Prieft ; but that of the Majority is, that the 
Regal Power exercifed by their Princes is derived from 
God, and that the High-Prieft and his Brethren ought 
not to meddle with Politicks, yet the Sedre and his Sub- 
ftimtes are the ordinary Judges in all civil as well as 
Ecclefiaftical Caufes •, Lawyer and Divine are Terms of 
the fame Signification in Perfta, their ecclefiaftical and 
civil Laws being indeed the fame. The temporal 
Judges have no written Laws to go by, but their De- 
crees are founded upon ancient Cuftom, or the Equity 
of the Cafe, and the Judges in their temporal Courts 
are ufually Men of the Sword. The Sed.re is the fupreme 
Judge in the Ecclefiaftical Courts, and takes Place in 
all publick Affemblies next to the Atamadoulet or Prime 
Minifter. 
the Empire of Persia. 
The fecond Ecclefiaftical Judge, is the Ancient of 
the Lawi whom the Perfians ftyle Cheik I/lam j his Ju- 
rifdiclion is little inferior to xh^ Sedreh, and the People 
feldom appeal from one of thefe Courts to the others 
but to the Divan Beghi, who is the fupreme Judge' in, 
all Caufes, ecclefiaftical as well as temporal, Cadi 
is the third Ecclefiaftical Judge in Perfta, he takes 
Cognizance of the fame Caufes with the two former, 
but his Authority is confined to fome particular Town 
or Diftrid. The Mufti is the fourth, who has not that 
Authority here as in Turkey, for he cannot controul or 
Reverfe the Proceedings of inferior Courts^ but is re- 
verenced however as a Perfon well skilled in the Eccle- 
fiaftical Laws, and his Opinion frequently demanded 
by the other Judicatures, who notwithftanding a6l as 
they think fit. Thefe Judges do not fit all in one 
Court, but have each their refpeftive Tribunal, and 
the People apply indifferently to the one of other, as 
they are inclined. 
5. There is in every Province of this Empire, a Chan 
and a Vizier ; the Vizier has the Government of all 
thofe Towns and Villages which are the King’s De- 
mefne Lands, or which belong to the Crown in Pro- 
priety, and the Chan of the Province in general. This 
Word Chan, or Caun, as we pronounce it^ and Cham, 
fignify the fame Thing, namely, viz. a puifiant or 
mighty Prince ; and this is the Title of all the Tartar, 
Princes in Afta ; and the Perfian Provinces being of 
the Extent of Kingdoms, and formerly diftind Sove- 
reignties, the Perfian Court have thought fit to give 
their Governors the Titles of fovereign Princes ; 
and the Shah of is frequently ftiled now, as his Pre- 
deceffors of old. King of Kings. Indeed the Chans in 
their refpedive Provinces, live almoft in as much State 
as their Sovereigns, having exactly the fame Kind of 
Officers as are in the Shah’s Court with the fame Ti- 
tles, there being fcarce any Difference but in Numbers 
and Penfions. The Chan commands the Militia of the 
Province, and affigns Lands for their Maintenance ; he 
reviews them at certain Times, and fees that they are fit 
for Service, their Arms and Horfes in good Order, and 
that they all perform their Exercifes well ; but every 
Soldier is permitted to live in his own Houfe in Time 
of Peace. 
The Chans or Governors of Provinces have their Pofts 
for Life, and if they behave well, their Children after 
them. There are two Degrees of thefe Chans, the 
greateft is called Beglerbeg, or I.ord of Lords ; the 
other is ftiled Coulembeg, or Lord of Slaves. The Go- 
vernors of the Frontier Provinces are for the moft Part 
Beglerbegs, as the Chan of Armenia, from whom the 
Chans of Churs, Marega, and other Diftrids, in Time 
of War, receive their Orders, and are obliged to march 
under his Standard. Sometimes thefe inferior Govern- 
ments are made independent of the Chan of the Pro- 
vince. In every Province there are three Officers put 
in by the Government, who are independent of the 
Chan, namely, the Janitelim his Lieutenant, the Vizier 
or Receiver General of the Shah’s Revenues, who hath 
alfo the Management of the Lands belonging to the 
Crown, and the Government of all Places where the 
Crown Lands lie ; and the Vacanavifh, or Secretary jj 
whofe Bufmefs it is to take an Account of all Tranf- 
adions of Moment in the Province, and tranfmit them 
to Court. 
One principal Defign of placing thefe Officers about 
the Chan,' is to obferve his Condud, and oppofe him if 
he fliould undertake any thing againft the State. Be- 
fides thefe, the Governors of Cities and Caftles^ who are 
called Darogas, are put in diredly by the Shah, and 
have their Lieutenants and Vacanavifo alfo independent 
of them *, and the fame Perfon who is Governor of the 
City is never made Governor of the Fortrefs which be- 
longs to it. The Minifters of State, and Generals of 
Armies, have alfo their Lieutenants and Comptrollers^ 
to fuperintend their Condud, with fecret Orders how 
to ad on certain Emergencies % but it is obferved, that 
unlefs in Matters where the Safety of the State is concern- 
ed, thofe Officers have a very good Underftanding, and 
and agree _fo well together, that the Shah is no lefs 
cheated 
