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A. D.

MOST AFA, having led back, and disbanded, his army

1697. at Adrianople, removes to his other capital, which he enters with as much pomp as if his victories had been far fuperior to Moftafa's thofe of the conquerors of Conftantinople, Hungary, and triumph. Egypt (S). Yet the greatest ornament of this triumph was

dor.

the 24 pieces of cannon taken from the Germans near Temefwar, followed by feveral noble captives taken in the former battle against Veterani. On the third day after this publick entry, the Soltan vifits the monument of Abu Ayub Anfari, where he is girt with a sword by the Sheykh of that Jámi2.

Perfian On the ft of November, an ambassador from Perfia (T) ambaffa arrives at Conftantinople, and, on the 20th, makes his entry into Adrianoble, in great pomp, with a retinue of 150 perfons; and had audience of the Soltán. The business of his embassy was to get Babek Soleyman Bey removed from his government of Karamania, on account of his unquiet difpofition; to have a place affigned the Perfians to pray in the temple of Mekka, feparate from other nations; and that precedence might be given in the Holy-Land to the Armenian patriarchs, before others of the Chriftian fects who were fubjects of the king of Perfia. After 25 days ftay, the ambassador was anfwered, that Babek, being an hereditary prince, could not be removed without breach of the law: that the temple of Mekka being holy, and free alike to all Mohammedans, no feparate place could be affigned in it to the Perfians: laftly, that, in the time of the Wazir Mostafa Páfbâ, the preeminence in the Holy-Land had been given to the Franks, in fo folemn a manner, that it could not be taken away or violated. Indeed, at his request, a place of devotion at Balata in Conftantinople was restored to the subjects of Perfia, as having formerly belonged to the Armenians; but, after his departure, it was taken away, and the Armenian commiffary could find no redress ".

THE ceremonies before-mentioned being over, the Soltán applies himself wholly to warlike preparations, orders 36

z CANT. p. 402, & feqq.

(S) Ricant fays, they did not brag there much of their fuccefs this year, although they had, in reality, withstood a greater force of the Chriftians than for many years before: which they, in a great measure, afcribe to the valour of the Soltán himself.

RICAUT, ubi fupra.

(T) This must be understood to have been fent by Shah Selim II. otherwife called Soleymán Huffeyn, who fucceeded his father Shah Selim I. fon of Shab Abbâs II. in 1694, and was dethroned in 1722, by Mahmûd, fon of Mir Vaez, or Weis, commonly called Miriweîs.

large

A. D.

1696.

large fhips of war to be built, defigning part of them against the Venetians, and part against the Ruffians (who, fince the taking of Azak (V), had begun to raise a fleet in the Euxine fea), with a great number of gallies and galliots. He honours PreparaMezzo morto, the admiral, habited in a mariner's drefs, with tions for three Tags, and gives him the command of the whole fea, war. with the islands in it. He likewise bestows handsome rewards on the rest of the fea officers, who had diftinguished themfelves in former expeditions. To fupply his army, he enrolls 12,000 Yamaghi Fanizaries (U), and 8,000 Levendi (W); exercises daily the foldiers and courtiers in Kyaghiz Khaneh (X) in the ufe of arms; and having published a Fermân, orders the whole strength of the empire to be affembled at Adrianople about Hedrelez, (or St. George's day). To enable him to do all these things, his first care was to provide money, by laying taxes on the people and employments. He likewife made a new regulation in the coin, never thought Alters the of by any of his predeceffors, and unprecedented in any coun- coin. try except in England the year before; which was, that all the pieces of gold and filver current through the Othmân empire fhould be ftamped with his own name. In confequence of this the French five Sol-pieces, Venetian Chekins, and Dutch lion dollars, many millions of which had been imported in a few years, were carried to the mint; and when recoined were delivered out for bullion, or other coin. He likewife reduced the charges of officers as much as conveniently could be: among the rest Tekeli's pension suffered a great retrenchment, no more than five dollars a day being allowed for the

b CANT. p. 403. & feq.

(V) This feems to confirm Ricaut's account, that Asof was taken at the time when the Turkish hiftorians fay the fiege was raised.

(U) Thofe newly lifted, or taken occafionally out of the Jebeji, or other new troops. Cant.

(W) A corruption of fome Italian word. It denotes the marine forces; a diforderly kind of men but brought under fome regulation by Mezzo Morto. They are 14,000 in time of peace. In war the Soltán raifes any number for 6 months,

paying them for that time 25
dollars. It is the only branch of
the Turkish militia wherein Chri-
ftians are admitted. Cant.

(X) That is, the paper shop,
or houfe; fo called from paper-
mills formerly there; now a
foundery for ammunition. "Tis
a very pleasant place, near the
fuburbs of Ayub. In the mea-
dows about it the Soltân's horses
graze in fpring; and the mud
of its river has fupplied Conftan-
tinople with very good bricks
and tiles, which have been used
in the buildings erected there
for fo many ages. Cant.

A. D.

1697.

A. D. maintenance of himself, his confort, and retinue; only to 1697. help them, they were licensed to fell wine, which was at that time prohibited. Accordingly the prince fet up a wine-cellar within the Greek liberties, where he followed the vintner's trade to great advantage.

French vanity.

Rebellion in Afia.

Moitafa

ward.

THE French prefuming on the obligations which the Porte had to them, grew very imperious; of which we meet with an inftance in the cafe of the Pafbá of Kayro's Bankier, the most confiderable Jew in Egypt. This Jew being complained of by the French conful in that city, for being wanting in fome punctilio of refpect which he claimed to himself, Chateauneuf, the ambaffador, made fuch a noise about it, threatening to depart home, if fatisfaction was not given, that the Wazir thought fit to fend for the Jew from Egypt, and imprison him. However, foon after the French influence began much to decline, when the court came to discover that they were bufy in making peace with all the confederate powers then at war with them, although, at first, the ambaffador confidently denied it.

SECT. II.

Battle of Zenta, and Panic of the Turks.

THE

'HE Soltân all the while was very intent on preparing for the campaign but the troops of Afia were detained by the progrefs which the rebels made in that part of the empire; where they were grown fo powerful, that they were forbidden by proclamation to tranfport themselves into Europe, on penalty of having their houfes demolished, their Timârs and Ziamets destroyed, with all the lands they held of the Soltan. These menaces fo incenfed them, as being foldiers, that they cut off the ears and nofes of all they took prisoners; and in that condition fent them to Conftantinople. However, foon after, the Soltán promifing them a general pardon, 10,000 deferted the caufe, and came to ferve him in his war.

MOSTAFA was now at Sofia in his march to Hungary, fets for where the imperialifts had been forced to raise the fiege of Bihacz; and though for want of recruits from feveral parts he had not above 40,000 men, yet he was refolved to proceed. He was fo well pleafed alfo on hearing the prince of Conti was elected king of Poland, that he ordered the Wazir to write Tekeli word that he had declared him king of Hungary; and at the fame time fent him his commiffion, with a letter fuperfcribed Orla Majjar Králi; To the king of Hungary. This miferable prince was gone to the baths of Prufa, or Burfa, ia Anatolia, for the benefit of his health; and though

he

he was then grievously afflicted with the gout and palfey, was hurried away in a waggon by the Chaufh, without the least regard either to his dignity or indifpofition. At length the Soltan marched to join the forces already in Hungary . But it is time now to return to the Turkish historians.

A. D. 1697.

THE Soltan relying on this military force, though informed Marches that the king of France had concluded the war with the em- to Belperor, yet rejects the peace offered by the English and Dutch grade ambassadors, boafting that he was alone able not only to reprefs but fubdue him. Towards fummer therefore he marches his troops to Belgrade, where, on mustering his army, he finds it to confift of 135,000 men; besides the families and fervants of the Pâfhâs (a very great number of which attend the camp), with a multitude of other useless perfons. To this ftrong army the emperor had only oppofed 46,000 Germans, under the command of prince Eugene of Savoy, with orders not to attack the Turks, or engage in battle without compulfion; but only to guard Peterwaradin, and the other fortreffes of Hungary fituate on the Danube.

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THE Turks having extorted this intelligence from the pri- against the foners by torture, it is refolved in council to avoid the Ger- Germans. mans encamped at Segedin, and penetrate into Tranfilvania. This advice was given by Tekeli, who alledged that it would be easy to fubdue that country, both because the emperor's general had drained the garrifons of their men, and the Hungarian rebels, affembled to the number of 50,000, offered to join the Othmân troops. The army, having paffed the Danube, was ordered to move towards Temefwar: but in his fecond day's march, hearing that the imperialists were advanced to Titul, he again calls a council, wherein it was determined to attack the enemy, left while the Soltan was in Tranfilvania they fhould take Belgrade; and by defeating them, lay all Hungary open to the Turkish arms. To put this defign in execution, the Soltân orders his fleet to mount the Danube to the mouth of the Teiffe, and marches his land forces towards Titul.

MEAN time the Germans, though but 6000 horse, per; The Turks ceiving the approach of the Turks from the high mountain worfied. on which that fortrefs ftands, to prevent their paffage, fortify its banks with ramparts and cannon. The Soltán, per ceiving himself braved by fo fmall a body, orders feveral Pâfbas to cross the river in open boats (Y); promifing to the fol

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for the foundation of bridges
run over rivers.

A. D. diers 50 gold crowns for every German taken alive, and 25 1697. for every head. Not knowing that the banks were fortified, they pafs over without any order: but when several thousands of them were gotten on the other fide, and their number began to encrease, the Germans, who were quiet at first, discharge their cannon among the thickest of them, and mounting their ramparts attack them fword in hand. The Janizaries, terrified with the unexpected noise of the cannon, and taking to flight, three thousand of them were flain: nor could one have escaped, if the fleet had not luckily come up in the nick of time, and feized the ifle in the middle of the Teiffe; by which means the Janizaries crofs the river lower down, and then march in a body against the enemy's ramparts. Hereupon a fecond but flighter engagement enfues: for the Germans feeing the Janizaries continually encrease, to avoid being oppressed by numbers, retire first to the city, and thence to the plain of Kobila (Z). In the evening fome Hayduks, who stayed behind, fet fire to the caftle, and then follow their companions d.

Attempt THE Soltan hereupon paffes the Teiffe with the rest of his Peterwa- forces, and marches towards the enemy, ftill encamped at radin. Segedin. Finding in the plain the bridge left intire by the Germans (through defign or hafte), he turns his army towards the Danube, and ftops at the lower end of the ille formed by that river oppofite to Peterwaradin. Here in a third confultation it is refolved to befiege that fortrefs, and running a bridge over the stream, pafs the army, before the imperialists could march thither from their camp. This bridge was computed a work of two days, and might have been finished the second day, if fome of the garrifon of Peterwaradin, concealed in the island with four cannon, had not, when they faw the Turks near the bank, pierced several of their boats with great shot. For although, on the coming-up of the Othman fleet, they are obliged to quit the ifle, yet they prevented the Turks from finishing the bridge till the third day, and by that means deprived them of the victory.

The Germans ap

pear.

FOR prince Eugene, who, on news of the Soltân's march, had left Segedin, with great expedition arrived that day at fun-fet; and paffing-by the enemy's camp, haftens to the head of the bridge, in spite of the endeavours of Shahbaz Gyeray

• Cant. p. 404, & feq.

(Z) So the Turks call that Titul, Segedin, and Peter-waralarge plain which reaches from din. Cant.

the Danube to the Teile, between

Soltán

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