Live qui- 60,000 attending their camp". They trade with the Christians as well as the Ethiopians, and live in perfect friendship with etly. Great de them. THOSE of Egypt were like to have undergone a more feliverance vere fate, when Achmed, governor of it, revolted against Scin Egypt, liman II. and laid a tax on them of 200 talents; and because A. C. they pleaded infolvency, and had brought but 15 talents into 1524. the treafury, gave orders that all who had not paid fhould be imprifoned". But here providence proved on their side, Achmed was feized and put to death, and tranquility restored to the city of Cairo, where they celebrated a feaft in memory of their deliverance, and called it Naffimo, which fignifies both a miracle, and the post on which Achmed's head was affixed. That city was very full of Jews, moft of them very Vafi number, A.C. rich merchants; but the liberty that was granted to their 1673. nation, invited the reft to difperfe themselves all over that country, where they exercised a great variety of trades, and carried on fome confiderable manufactures; and they pretend to have been there more numerous about this time than ever they were in Mofes's days, but their number, we are affured, is fince very much dwindled, they having hardly any fettlements leffened. except at Cairo, and fome of the maritime towns, but fo far from having any in the country, that they were obliged to go disguised, whenever trade, or any other occafion, called them thither, to prevent being infulted or abufed by peafants and common people P, R. Mofes ABOUT the middle of the 16th century flourished the Alefcar, famed Mofes Alefcar, or the red (Z), who wrote a learned deA. C. fence of Maimonides, in which he confuted all that had been 1555. objected against that learned rabbi. Jews in Afric, MOST other known parts of Afric not only protect but encourage the Jewish nation; and they are the principal traders into the inland provinces, whence they bring not m Ap. LUDOLPH. lib. ii. c. 7. lib. iv. c. 5. N. 12. A SOLOM. BEN VIRG. p. 402. GANTZ TZEMACH, fub. an. SLEB Relat. of Egypt, p. 15. (Z) Suppofed from that furname to be descended from the noble family de Rubeis in that country. He wrote fome other fmall treatifes, befides Maimonides's defence, against R. Shem (49) Gedaliah Shalfheleth. p. 63. (50) Wolf, ub. fup. N. 1517.p.803. P VAN Tob (49). Buxtorf mentions one of them intituled Sepher Haggeulah, or, a Treatife on redemption, which was more probably wrote by R. Mofes Gerun denfis (50). Bartolos. ub. fup. tom. iv. p. 59, & 61. only only flaves and gold-duft, but abundance of other commodities, efpecially gums and phyfical drugs. The misfortune is, that they adulterate every thing that comes thro' their hands. And fo rich fome of them are, that it was by the bare rich and fpoil of one of them that Muley Archey, king of Taphilet, powerful. was enabled to feize on the province of Quiviana, and to difpoffefs his brother, then king of Morocco and Fez; in gratitude for which he granted the Jews all their former privileges, and made Jofuah Ben Hamafbeth prince of that nation His brother bmael, who fucceeded him, favoured them ftill more, and as an acknowlegement for the great fervices which he had received from Dom. Jofeph de Toledo, during his difgrace at Miquenez, not only made him one of the principal officers of his houfhold, but fent him envoy into divers courts of Europe, and he was the perfon who concluded the peace with the United Provinces, an. 1684. His fon had all the fame dignities confirmed to him. THEY had likewise been a long while settled at Oran, and Betray were intrusted in some of the highest places in that city, yet Oran to fuch was their fidelity to the Spaniards, notwithstanding the the Spa.. ill treatment they had received from them, that they were the niards. people who betrayed it to them, if it was not rather their avarice, and the great fums with which cardinal Ximenes bought their perfidy. However that be, they have continued very faithful to them ever fince; and when it was in great danger from their neighbours, of being re-taken, the Jews resolved to lose their lives in its defence; and when the garrison threatened to revolt, at another time, for want of pay and provifions, they fuppreffed it by a timely fupply of both. All this Banished did not prevent their being banished from the place, an. 16693, from it. on what account is not eafy to guess (A). Since which, they A. C. have not been able to get footing into it. 1669. THEY have likewife been very numerous and flourishing Numerous in the province of Suz, which formerly depended on the at Suz, kingdom of Morocco, but has been fince difmembered from A. Ć. it. They had in the capital of that principality a very rich 1535, and fumptuous fynagogue, which was ferved by feveral & feq. Hift. of Taphilet. Hiftor. general de Barrios. BASNAG. ub. fup. §. 17. • Hift. univerfal Judaic, de Miguel, de Barrios. (A) They do indeed accufe the marquis de las Voles to have used several artifices at court, to obtain this edict of banishment, in order to bestow on an ambitious favourite woman a post which had been of long date priests prielts and officers. They had their judges and interpreters of the law, who were maintained at the charge of the people, and thefe get their living by traffic and labour. There are great numbers of them in the mountains of Morocco, who are employed in the iron manufacture, building, and other fuch laborious employments, to which the inhabitants are averfe. But this doth not hinder others from trying their fortunes at court, and raifing themselves to eminent pofts. It was one of that nation, named Pacheco, who was fent ambaffador to the United Provinces, and died at the Hague, an. 1604, and was buried there with great pomp. Some time Synagogues re-built, after, their fynagogues having been demolished in the kingA. C. dom of Fez, Muley Mohammed not only caused them to be 1660. rebuilt as foon as he came to the throne, but made one of that nation his high treasurer and prime-minister. Jews in BUT of all other countries the Turkish dominions have the Turky greatest number of, and favour them moft, and Conftantinople and Con- above all other places; infomuch that there is neither lord or ftantino- merchant, Molem or Chriftian, but hath one of them in pay, ple. who is the chief steward of the houfhold, makes all his bargains, takes care of affairs both at home and abroad; befides which they are employed by the ambassadors, as well as the inhabitants, as couriers, in all their negotiations (B). We formerly took notice that they had their quarter in the fuburb of Ga lata, called from thence the Jewry; but it hath been fince removed to the fea-fide, where they have their fynagogue, houses, and fhops, and have the privilege of felling of wine, of which they make a confiderable gain, because theirs is preferred to that of the Armenians, on account of the Jewish law forbidding all mixtures; fo that they reckon Trade and theirs the purest and best. They carry on likewise a great privileges. commerce, and are brokers between the Turks and Chriftians, and lend money on ufury, as they do in most other counCapita tries (C). For all these privileges they pay a capitation to the tion. CARIO Marochenf. Regn. Defcript. p. 308-341. (B) They are accordingly diftinguished by their drefs into two different orders; thofe that belong to foreign princes, or to their minifters there, wear the livery of thofe they ferve: the rest wear a high crown'd hat without a brim, with a bluish turban and flippers; which is no Porte, mark of ignominy to them, becaufe every nation hath its particular diftinction. (C) A vaftnumber of them are employed likewife as porters; but with this difadvantage, that they are forbid the use of knots or of a bag filled with hay un. der their burdens, which is only allowed Porte, but instead of its being levied on them by the officer of the empire, they have agreed with him for a certain fum, which is brought to him by the chief of each synagogue, who lays it on them according to every man's worth, by which the poorer fort are relieved from too heavy imposts ". W NOTWITHSTANDING all this, they have a great many Poverty, among them, whom extreme misery obliges to turn Moflems in which no other ceremony is required' than an examination of the motives of their change, and their pronouncing the following words, La Illah Illalah Mohammed Refoul Allah; that is, There is no other God but God, and Mohammed is his prophet (D); but for the generality, they are very thriving and in great credit. The Chriftians accufe one of them that was phyfician to Bajazet II. of having been bribed by his fon Selim, to Bajazet poifon him in his flight to Demoticha; which he had no fooner poisoned, A. C. done, than Selim caused him to be put to death *. But neither Selim nor the Jew are charged by the Turks with that black deed; Bajazet's death being looked upon by them to have been natural. However that be, it was a Few named Michfes, who out of fpight to the Venetians, inspired Selim II. with the first notion of conquering the fair island of Cyprus; which he foon after did, and granted the Jewish nation very Cyprus great privileges in it (E); and not long afterwards fent ano- taken by ther * SMITH Notitia vii. Ecclef. p. 116. RICAUT, HILL, THEVENOT, & al. THEVENOT'S voyag. into the Levant, lib. i. ch. 132. * D'HERBELOT. Bibl. Orient. p. 104. allowed to the Turkish ones. And we are told of one of the former, who having met Mahomet IV. ftraying in a wood (where he had been hunting, and muft in all likelihood have ftaid all night) and conducted him to his capital, was bid to afk what reward he would have for his fervice; and only begged that he might be permitted the ufe of the Turkish knot; which was granted him as a fingular favour. (D) Thefe words are esteemed fo facred among them, that whoever pronounces them, muft either turn Moflem, or is condemned to the flames. Mon. HIST. VOL. XIII, There is a common notion, that a few cannot be received into the Turkish mosk unless he firft turn Chriftan, and is baptized; but that is a raillery rather than a truth. And as for circumcifion, they never repeat it, because their old one is reckoned fufficient. (E) Among other encomiums which Michfes gave of that ifland to the Sultan, for which it was juftly ftiled Macaria, or the abode of the bleffed, he commended its excellent wines; and Selim, who was very fond of that liquor, promifed, in a drunken fit, to make him king of it. He did not, however, keep his C c word 1472. B. XVI Selim II. ther Jew, 'called Solomon Rephe, to Venice, to negotiate a A. C. peace with that republic. 1579. Printing Set up at tinople, A. C. 1576. THEY obtained foon after a much greater privilege from him, viz. that of setting up printing both in his metropolis and in Theffalonica, by which their books, especially the facred ones, which were then very scarce and dear, came to be dispersed every-where, and were bought at fuch an easy rate, that people applied themselves more closely and universally to the study of them. The confequence was that there appeared foon after several eminent rabbies, and chiefs of the fynagogues there. Solomon the fon of faphe, who had left Germany to fettle in that capital, read his expofitions on the Jerufalem thalmud, and rendered it much eafier and clearer by them (F). R. Gedaliah, another learned doctor, who boasted himself defcended from king David, did likewise leave Lisbon, his native place, to fettle there as a physician, and at the fame time taught the rites of the Jewish nation. He became afterwards chief of the fynagogue, and laboured much to re-unite the Caraites and rabbinifts, but found both fides too stiff to yield; fo that the former only took the advantage of their mutual conferences to print and publish feveral of their own books (G). The last of note we shall mention, is Mordecai, the fon of Eliezer, who called himself the Conftantinopolitan; tho' he commonly refided at Adrianople, and there expounded the grammar of Aben-Ezra, intituled, Jeffod Morah, or, The Foundation of Fear (H). word with him, but recom- (F) He printed feveral other (G) Gedaliah likewife printed his treatife of Shibha Enajim, or feven eyes, alluding to Zachariah's vifion (2); and fome others which are not known. He muft not, however, be confounded with a relation of his of the fame name, of whom we fhall speak in the sequel. (H) There hath been fince difcovered another work of his; viz. a MS. comment on the Pentateuch, the expofitions of which are. fo litteral, that he hath been thought a Caraite: but whether he was really fo or not, this work hath been much commended by a learned author, who had thoroughly examined it (3). (1) Bartoloc.ub. fup. tom. iv. p. 395 & 549. (2) Zachar 39. (3) Frey's Bafileenf. Excerpt. Aaronis. Vid. Bajnag, ub. fup. c. 30. §. y. THERE |