66 enemy. Soltán Mostafa, after his return to Conftantinople, makes all poffible preparations for war; but with a mind troubled, and foreboding ill fuccefs. The Turks, who had before entered voluntarily into the fervice, are now backward in obeying even the Soltân's commands, and inflexible either to intreaties or threats. Mostafa, while he passes in disguise through the affemblies of the people, frequently hears thefe words from the citizens and foldiers: "For the Qth"mâns to defeat the Germans, is a thing beyond their power. "God has publickly testified, that he is on the fide of the Gyawrs. He has fignified his decree in that respect by "fufficient tokens. It is in vain therefore to fhed fuch torrents of Musulmân blood, while we are to contend as well against God as man." The Soltân, who knew how neceffary peace was to recover the exhausted state of the empire, earneftly wished for it but was prevented from propofing it, left the enemy should become elated, and the honour of the Othman empire diminished. The German emperor was no lefs impatient on his part for an end of the war: not that he defpaired of victory against the Turks, but he feared that if the king of Spain fhould die before the war was finished, the difputes which would arife, concerning the fucceffion, might ftop the progrefs of his arms. However, he thought it difhonourable to defire peace of a conquered enemy, and of his own accord offer him the palm. The English and Dutch ambaffadors, indeed, were at hand to mediate a peace: but their offers having been fo often rejected, they chofe rather to hear peace fought for, than to propose it. . A, D. 1698. THE chief interpreter of the Othman court, Alexander MauroMaurokordatus, perceives the inclination of both parties; kordatus and as he was no lefs fagacious, and fond of glory, than contridevoted to the intereft of the Porte, refolves to raise himself vance a great reputation by refcuing the Turkish empire from deftruction. As his hopes of this were chiefly grounded on the pacifick difpofition of the Wazir Huffeyn Pafbâ, he, in a vifit to him, turning the converfation upon the fubject of peace, tells him; that by confidering the present fituation of affairs in Chriftendom, he could with certainty affirm the German emperor was very defirous of a peace with the Othmâns. The Wazir anfwers, it was not probable that the emperor, flushed with his late victory, and full of hopes, would accept of peace, though offered, much less defire it. Maurokordatus replies, it might feem fo indeed: but that if a week's time was allowed him to found the Chriftian ambaffadors, he would engage to procure not only the emperor's confent, but even his request for a negociation. 4 HAVING A. D. 1698. to compass it. Sounds both par ties. French ppofition. HAVING eafily obtained leave, Maurokordatus waits on the ambaffadors, and pretending" that he came of his own "accord, in gratitude for the favours he had received from "the emperor, and to demonftrate the fidelity due from "him as a Chriftian; faid, he knew the emperor, from his "apprehenfions of a French war, was very defirous of peace; "that he would not discover this to the Turks, left it should "make them more large in their demands: but that, if they "would confide in him, with a power to manage the affair as he should think proper, he would undertake to fettle "a peace on fuch terms as the emperor might reasonably "defire." In the mean time he required of them an oath of fecrecy, alledging the danger both himself and family fhould be exposed to, if fufpected by the Turks of the least unfaithfulness. The ambaffadors replied, "That the em peror would not perhaps reject honourable conditions of "" peace, yet would never afk it of the Porte: but that in cafe "the interpreter, in his own name, would propofe the af"fair, he would lay a great obligation on his imperial ma"jefty." MAUROKOR DATUS, returning to the Wazir, gives him a very different account: for he tells him, he found by the Christian ambaffadors that the emperor was not only not averfe to peace, but very defirous of it, and had requested them, by any means, to put an end to the war. The Wazir feemed by this fpeech to be raised from the dead; and embracing the artful framer of lies (S), fays to him, “If you execute this divine work, and reftore the wifhed-for "tranquility to our empire, you may be affured that you will highly oblige the Soltân, and for ever endear the memory "of your ferviçes to the rulers of the Othmán ftate." By thefe artifices of Maurokordatus both the Turks and Christians are induced to speak a little more openly concerning the affair of peace, and think they may do it without detriment to the honour of their refpective mafters, because each party being deceived by the Othmân interpreter, imagines the first propofal came from the enemy. As foon as these things became publick, Feriole (T), the (S) Alexander, who had a perfect knowlege of the eastern languages and poetry, feems herein to have followed the in ructions of Sheykh Saadi, the famous Perfian poet, especially where he fays in his Gulilan, "A lie which does a [good] "work, is better than truth. "which breeds confufion." Cantemir. (T) He fucceeded Chateauneuf; was haughty and obfti, nate; opposed the Porte in ma ny French ambaffador endeavoured, by bribes, promifes, and other arts, to prevent a negotiation; alledging that his mafter had only made a fhort truce with the emperor, and that in a few years he would invade Germany with a greater force than ever. But the Othman court having, by fatal experience, often found the infincerity of French promifes, that ambaffador's efforts are to no purpofe; and he is ordered to defift from hisdefign *. A. D: 1698. Hej. 1109. A. D. 1697, MEAN time the Turks, omitting no measures proper to stop Hoftilities the progress of the Germans, Soltân Moftafa, in the end of flacken. Zilkaadeh, 1109, removes to Adrianople; from whence, on the firft of next month, he orders the Wazir to march with the army towards Hungary, while he spends the fummer in the village of Akbunar (U), expecting the iffue of the conferences relating to peace. In the fame hopes both armies, the imperialifts at Peterwaradin, and the Turks near Belgrade, continue without motion, and only guard their borders. The like is done by the Ruffians and Poles. The Venetians indeed have a flight engagement, near Mitylene, with the Othmân fleet, which is put to flight; and in Dalmatia attempt to take Stolaz by ftratagem, but are forced to retire. The Serafkier, on the other hand, endeavours to reduce Cing; but on the approach of the Venetians raises the fiege. THUS much for the ftate of hoftilities, this campaign. AmbassaLet us now see what paffed with regard to peace. The dors meet preliminaries having been fettled at Conftantinople, ambaffadors were appointed by all the princes engaged in the war. The Turks chofe Rami Mehemed Reis Effendi and Alexander Maurokordatus, honoured with the title of Beg and Mahremî Efrar (X); the emperor, count Pettingen and count Schlik, his privy counsellors; the Czar of Ruffia, Prokopius Bogda * CANT. p. 422, & feqq. ny refpects, and demanded feveral things contrary to the ufage of the Othmân court: which caufed ill blood, and fometimes danger; of which our author produces inftances. Yet he was endowed with many virtues, was courageous, liberal, an agreea ble companion, of eafy accefs, a moft fincere and conftant friend in all times. He fell at laft into a frenzy, and was fent chained to France. Cant. (U) That is, the white fountain, near Adrianople. (X) That is, to whom fecrets are difcovered He invented this name himself, and long folicited the princes of Moldavia and Walakhia to give him the title of moft illuftrious in their letters, instead of most excellent, which ufed to be given him as chief interpreter, and is not reckoned fo honourable as the other. Cant. nowitz, A. D. nowitz Woznicini; the Poles, Stanislaus Mikhelowski, Way1697. wod of Pofnania; and the Venetians, Ruzini; Paget and Collier, the English and Dutch ambaffadors, were to act as mediators of the peace. They all met about the end of the year 1110 at Carlovitz, between Peterwaradin and Belgrade, where they pitched their tents on both fides of the river of the fame name. at Carlowitz. Peace con cluded. AT first there arofe difputes concerning the place of conference, the feats of the ambaffadors, and the order in which they were to vifit each other. The Turks infifted on having the first place, which was claimed by the emperor's ambaffadors; next to whom the Polish plenipotentiary demanded to fit, which was objected to by the Ruffian, and all the reft, excepting the Venetian minifter, who claimed the next seat to the English. The conteft on this head grew fo high at last, that what had been already done must have come to nothing, had not Maurokordatus found out an expedient to reconcile the ambaffadors, now incenfed beyond measure against each other. He proposes that a round building fhould be run-up for the place of conference, with as many doors as there were parties, each facing the country from whence the ambassador came that the tents fhould be ranged in the fame manner round the building; and on the first day of the conference, the minifters proceeding from their pavilions with an equal pace, should reach the house at the fame time, and faluting one another at the entrance, take the feats next. to them (Y). THIS expedient being approved by all, after many conferences, and difputes, the peace wifhed for by the whole world, excepting the French, is at laft concluded on the 26th Hej. 1110. of Rajeb 1110 (Z), and the inftruments figned by all the amA. D. baffadors. The emperor made a truce for 25 years, upon 1698. condition that all Transilvania fhould be refigned to him in (Y) The tent or houfe appointed for the conferences had four doors, at which the feveral ambaffadors entered; and after mutual compliments took their feats, placed in the middle of the tent, one oppofite to the other, in fuch a manner as that there could be no exceptions taken, or difpute about precedence. The fecretaries were placed behind their refpective ambaffadors, at a fmall table, where they took down the minutes of articles. Mauro Cordato ftood a while behind the Reis Effendi ; but afterwards was ordered to fit on the ground after the Turkish manner. The doors were guarded by an equal number of Turks and Germans. Ricaut. (Z) This year begins June 29th, 1698; fo that the 26th of Rajeb falls on January the 15th, 1698-9. the the fame extent as it had been held by Mikhael Apaffi, and his predeceffors: that Temeswar should be left to the Soltân; and to prevent its being blocked up by the adjacent caftles, Lippa, Khonad, Karanfebes, Lugos, Herkonifia, Bech, Bechkerek, and Sabbia (A), were to have their walls demolished : that the navigation of the Teile and Maros fhould be free to the fubjects of both empires; and the country between the Danube and Teiffe, called Bachkáb, remain in the emperor's hands that the boundary of the eastern part of Hungary, belonging to the emperor, should be a right line drawn from the mouth of the Maros towards the banks of the Teile, to the mouth of the Boffut, where it falls into the Save: that towards the fouth the Save should part the Turkish from the imperial limits, till it receives the Unna; and that no new caftles, befides Belgrade and Peterwaradin, fhould be erected, or old ones fortified, any-where within those boundaries. A. D. 1698. THE Ruffian ambaffador made a truce only for two Terms years (B), upon the foot of each party poffeffing what he agreed on had taken. The Poles made a truce on like terms with the Soltân; namely, that they should have Kaminiek, Podolia, and Ukrania, reftored to them in the fame extent as poffeffed by them, before Soltân Mohammed's first expedition into Poland: and, on the other hand, refign Soczava, Nemoz, and Soroka in Moldavia, to the Turks. The Venetians obtained thefe conditions, that all the Morea, as far as Hexamilos, fhould belong to them; and the firm land, with Naupaktum (or Lepanto) Prevefa, and the castle of Romania, which had been demolished, should be restored to the Turks that the bay of Korinth fhould be common to both; and the Venetians poffefs Lenkade, with the adjacent islands. The yearly tribute paid by the islands in the Archipelago, to the by all par Venetians, was to be abolished; and Zakînth to be declared ties. free from the like burthen by the Turks. In Dalmatia Knin, Cing, Kiklut, Verlika, Duare, and Vergoraz, were to be left to the republic, and fixed as the boundaries of their dominions on that fide. The Ragufians were to continue free, and the Venetians to retain the caftles of Caftelnuovo and : from the Turks; only Kafikermen Rifano, |