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A95099
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A true narrative of the great solemnity of the circumcision of Mustapha Prince of Turkie eldest son of Sultan Mahomet present emperour of the Turks. Together with and account of the marriage of his daughter to his great favourite Mussaip at Adrianople, as it was sent in a letter to person of honour by Mr. Coke secretary of the Turkie Company; being in company with his excellency the Lord Embassador Sir John Finch.
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Coke, Mr.
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1676
(1676)
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Wing T2793; ESTC R226307
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3,484
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8
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A True NARRATIVE OF THE Great Solemnity OF THE CIRCUMCISION OF MUSTAPHA Prince of Turkie Eldest Son of SULTAN MAHOMET Present EMPEROUR of the Turks Together with an Account of the Marriage of his Daughter to his great Favourite MUSSAIP AT Adrianople As it was sent in a Letter to Person of Honour By Mr. Coke Secretary of the Turkie Company Being in Company with his Excellency the Lord Embassador Sir JOHN FINCH LONDON Printed by J. C. for William Crook at the Green Dragon without Temple-bar 1676. Licensed January 10. 1675 6. ROGER L'ESTRANGE A True NARRATIVE OF THE Great Solemnity OF THE CIRCUMCISION OF MUSTAPHA Prince of Turkie Eldest Son of SULTAN MAHOMET Present EMPEROUR of the Turks SIR THese last five months I have spent in Adrianople it 's pleasantly scituated on the rising and top of an easie Hill which to the South and West gives the prospect of a large Plain where the eye is not lost but bounded with the Mountains of Haemus on the North and East are small Hills It 's watered with three Rivers the chiefest Hebrus which often uniting and separating their streams make many Islands capable of what the most refined Luxury could plant or build but Spring-Gardens and Walks adorn'd with Ladies and Gallants are things unknown to us Barbarians I have now told you all that 's good For this airy pleasure of the eye is lost in so many solid inconveniencies that I never yet was in any City more uneasie nay more insuportable the Buildings except a Mosque or two so mean and contemptible that they would disgrace a poor Village the Water bad Wine worse the Streets and all Avenues to the City so crouded with Carts Dunghills and Carrion that nothing can be more troublesome or offensive to the sight and scent In a word what the Riches and Invention of Mankinde did contribute to make Rome delightful and glorious the stupidity and fordidness of these people have outvied in the reverse making this place the Metropolis of filth and inconvenience Our arrival here was the 10 of May the 15th began the Festivals for the Circumcision of the young Prince In a large Piazza or rather Field before the Seraglio were pitch'd the Tents of the Grand Signior Visier and other great men which made a side and half of the Square Another side and half was taken up with Lamps hung upon Ropes and fastened to Poles disposed into several figures of Ships Buildings and Woods c. which were changed every night others as they use in Egypt at their rejoycing when they cut the Nile The fourth side was the Seraglio where the women had the convenience of seeing through Lettices The Show begun in the afternoon the morning being spent in Entertainments The Grand Signior sitting in an elevated place by his Tent much like a Summer-house in our Gardens which over looked all received the Presents brought him by the Basha's and all the Officers of the Empire and all the Arts of Constantinople These were not left to the liberty and generosity of the Presenter but they were taxt what they should give and an Officer appointed to survey the quality of them which if not approved was returned and perhaps augmented for in this Country it 's no ill manners to look a gift-Horse in the Mouth The Mechanicks and some of the Souldiery were every day entertain'd in a great Tent with a Turkish Feast after were antick Dances in several Habits Singing and Dancing with most obscene Gesticulations Jack-pudding and Punchinello's representations Wrestling Rope-dancing fears of Activity and Strength all these promiscuously in the Area of the Square Had there been but a Noise Rabble and abominable Pigs head nothing could have been an exacter Scene of Bartholomew-fair At night a row of Poles about a mans height were stuck in the ground on the top were Hoops of Iron in which burnt Pine-wood with a brisk and lively flame which with the Lamps gave a delightful and magnificent prospect About an hour in the night began the Fire-works which were plentiful and not amiss though I think those I have seen at Rome surpass them one sort indeed I never saw which was a great Bason like a Mortar-piece fixt into the Ground and filled with Wild-fire which sent out a violent stream of fire with a hideous noise a great height It was an Object equally terrible and delightful These were the constant Divertisements all the time of the Solemnity The 25th the Mufty Visier and all the Basha's and great Officers with the Janizaries walking before and the Chiaux a horse-back attended the Prince who was so adorned or over-laden with Jewels both himself and his Horse that one might say he carri'd the Value of an Empire about him The 27th which was Mahomet's Birth day he accompani'd his Father to the Moschea here was no solemn Cavalcade onely the Grand Signior's own Retinue and though it was less in number far than the Cavalcade yet adjusted neater and Court-like the Grand Signior's Footmen and Pages being very rich in Clothes and Jewels This evening the Prince was Circumcis'd in the arms of his Father he is about eleven years old of a good Aspect his name Mustapha About two thousand others were cut at this Solemnity who had Money and a Quilt from the Grand Signior It was done publickly in the Tents and any one Turk or Christian admitted to see them June the 5th this Solemnity was concluded with Horse-races After ten days repose began the Feasts for the Marriage of the Grand Signior's Daughter of about seven years old unto the Mussaip or Favourite who by the Tefterdar or Lord Treasurer who was the Compare in a solemn show sent his Presents to her thirty Mules laden with Sugar-plums and Sweet-meats figures of several sorts of Birds and Beasts of Sugar so ill-favouredly represented that they could not be said to break the Law against making Images though the Solemnity of the time had not dispenced with it Fifty six men each with five more Vests of Cloth of Gold Satten c. then her Jewels several Suits very rich five led Horses with rich Furniture of Pearls and precious Stone and at last Coaches with Slaves On the 19th of June was the Visier c. in a solemn Calvalcade to accompany the Presents the Grand Signior gave her Eighty six Mules laden with rich Houshold-stuff very rich Habits for her and Jewels of all sorts twelve Coaches with Slaves and six and thirty black Eunuchs And the 23 was the last Cavalcade of all the great men to attend her from the Seraglio to her Husbands house They were in a close Coach plated with Silver attended with five and twenty others At last came the Hassaki or Queen-regents Coach attended with ten more to every one of these Coaches were two black Eunuchs In a great Court-yard of the Mussaip's Palace were repeated all the Sports and Fire-works that were before at which the Grand Signior was a constant Spectator Besides there was a Rope fastned to a high Steeple whence several men came flying down one having a Boy tied to his back with a Drum the Rope broke but being neer the ground and falling on another man they had none of them any considerable hurt The most remarkable was a man that walked up a Rope fastned to the same Steeple forward and backward and another man that upon a high loose Rope hanging by his hand his body extended swung himself over twelve times without stop or touching any thing But too much of these trifles though the Grand Signiour was much delighted with them and made them be continued many more days than were intended He took that fancy to a Gypsie-boy that swang and danced as he hath him in the degree of a Favourite being taken into the Seraglio and presented by the Great Basha's The Mussaip that hath married the Grand Segnior's Daughter is a man meddles in no business nor is thought to be much capable of it for being Chimacham in the Visiers absence he shewed no great abilities The Grand Signior takes him for a constant Companion in all his Divertisements and hath a strong affection to him which time does not impair but rather augment he being a Prince most constant where he fixes You would think this Marriage would make him happy but it 's quite contrary for it not onely cuts him off in his pleasures to which he is indulgent he being forced to discharge all his women even his own Sisters but it ruines his fortune both by the expence in maintaining her while she lives and should she die he must refund to the Treasury all he hath had with her besides four millions according to common report of Dollars which is her Dote which he is so far from an ability of that he cannot pay his present Debts She hath good proofs of his abilities another way he having it 's said two and thirty Children To our own private Affairs his Excellency my Lord Ambassador Sir John Finch had all satisfaction and hath obtained very advantageous additions to our Capitulations but they being things Mercantile and though not beyond yet beneath your knowledge I shall not particularize We had a very hot Plague My Lord Ambassador retired to a Village but it soon arrived there so he lived in his Tents till the Sickness got among the Servants of whom five died then he returned to the Village Mr. North and I stuck to the City where though in our street onely two houses were free besides our own and the two adjoyning had five sick on the one and two on the other side yet God be praised we and our Servants passed well along the Road and here it 's not much less Sir Thomas Baines my Lord Ambassador's Companion that attended him in his Chamber three days after our arrival was taken and in three more died he is the onely English man hath been visited His Excellency hath retired upon this a little way out of Town for some time Dated from Pera the 9th of October 1675. FINIS