Part 37
The winters at _Constantinople_ are sometimes extraordinary severe. I have heard it related by several old _Greeks_, as a thing most certain, that the _Bosphorus_ was frozen over in the time of _Achmed_, and that a Hare was coursed over it. It happened thus; that upon a thaw, huge cakes of ice came floating down the _Danube_ into the _Black Sea_, and were driven by the current into the _Bosphorus_, where, upon the return of the frost, they were fixed so hard, that it became passable. In the year 1669, there was ice in the haven, to the great amazement of the _Turks_; and some were so frighted at this unusual accident, that they look’d upon it as a dismal prodigy, and concluded that the world would be at an end that year. The _Aguglia_, or Obelisk, in the _Hypodrome_, is betwixt fifty and sixty foot high.
The historical pillars in _basso relievo_, raised in honour of the Emperors _Arcadius_ and _Honorius_, may be in height about an hundred and forty seven feet.
_Alexus Comnenus_, lies buried in the patriarchal church against the wall, and his daughter _Anna Comnena_, the historian, who lived about the year of _Christ_ 1117. They pretend to shew there, the relics of St _Anastasia_, who suffered martyrdom under the Emperor _Valerianus_, and of St _Euphemia_, virgin and martyr, who lost her life most gloriously for Christ’s holy religion at _Chalcedon_ under _Dioclesian_.
In _Sancta Sophia_, there are pillars so great, that a man can scarce fathom them at twice. At the end of the gallery that joins the other two, each about thirty of my paces wide, there is a piece of transparent marble, two or three inches thick. In the north gallery, upon the pavement, is a reddish sort of a marble stone, brought, as the _Turks_ and Christians relate, from _Palestine_, on which they fable, that the Blessed Virgin used to wash the linnen of our Saviour.
I observed but one step from the body of the church to the _Bema_, or place where the altar formerly stood.
The great mosque at _Chasim-bassa_ on _Pera_ side to the west, was formerly a church dedicated to St _Theodosia_.
_Gianghir_, a mosque so called upon a hill at _Fondaclee_ near _Tophana_.
In _Constantinople_ there are several narrow streets of trade, closed up with sheds and penthouses, which I suppose were in use before the _Greeks_ lost their empire, and are the same with the σκεπαστοὶ καὶ φρακτοὶ δρόμοι, in _Chrysalaloras_’s Epistle, p. 119. But besides these places, several trades have their distant quarters. The streets are raised for the most part on each side for the greater convenience.
Not far from _Suleimania_, is the house of the _Aga_, or General of the _Janizaries_, which so often changes it’s masters.
_Pompey_’s pillar, as the _Franks_ erroneously call it, is of the _Corinthian_ order, curiously wrought, about eighteen foot in height, and three in diameter.
_Beshiktash_, a village within three or four miles of _Constantinople_, towards the _Bosphorus_, where lies buried the famous pirate _Ariadin_, whom the Christian writers call _Barbarossa_, who built here a handsome mosque, having two rows of pillars at the entrance. The captain Bashaw usually, before he puts to sea with his _Armada_ of gallies, visits the tomb of this fortunate robber, who had made several thousand Christians slaves, and makes his prayers at the neighbouring church for the good success of his expedition.
They reckon in the city above a hundred public baths, every street almost affording one. They are esteemed works of great piety and charity, there being a continual use of them, not only upon the account of religion, but of health and cleanliness: For their diet being for the most part hot spiced meats in the winter, and crude fruits in the summer; their liquor fountain water or coffee, to which we may add their lazy kind of life (for walking is never used by them for digestion, or otherwise in the way of diversion) frequent bathing becomes necessary.
There are several receptacles of water under ground, and one particularly under the church of _Sancta Sophia_, as I was informed; but I did not think it worth my curiosity to descend into it. These were of great use to the poor _Greeks_ in the last fatal siege; but the _Turks_ are so secure, that they do not think that they deserve either cost or pains to keep the waters sweet, or the cisterns in repair.
The aqueducts, which answer to those glorious aqueducts near _Pyrgos_, and convey the water to the great cistern near Sultan _Selim_’s mosque, are in that part of _Constantinople_ which lies between the mosque of _Mahomet_ the Great and _Shazade_.
The _Turks_ began to besiege _Constantinople_ on the fifth of _April_, and took it the twenty-ninth of _May_, on _Whitsun_-tuesday morning, 1453, or as the _Turks_ reckon in the year 857, of the _Hegira_, or flight of _Mahomet_, the twenty-second day of the first _Jomad_.
The chapel where _Ejub Sultan_ is interred, at whose head and feet I observed great wax candles, is inclosed with latten wire grates, for the better accommodation of such religious _Turks_, as come to pay their respect to the memory of this great Musulman Saint. In the middle of the area, there is raised a building sustained by excellent marble pillars, ascended by two several pair of stairs, where the new Emperor is inaugurated, and where he usually goes in _Biram_ time.
_An account of the city of ~Prusa~ in ~Bythinia~, and a continuation of the historical observations relating to ~Constantinople~; by the reverend and learned ~Tho. Smith~, D. D. fellow of ~Magd. Coll. Oxon.~ and of the ~Royal Society~._
_Montanea_, formerly called _Nicopolis_, according to _Bellonius_, or rather _Cios_, the bay hence called _Sinus Cianus_, lies in the bottom of a bay about fourscore miles from _Constantinople_, and is the scale or landing place for _Prusa_, from which it may be about twelve miles; in the middle way to which, is the village _Moussanpoula_.
_Prusa_, now call’d by the _Turks_ _Bursia_, the chief city of _Bythinia_, is seated at the foot partly, and partly upon the rising of the mount _Olympus_, which is one of the highest hills of the lesser _Asia_. It’s top is covered with snow for nine or ten months of the year, several streams of water flowing down the hill continually, accounted very unwholsome from the snow mixed with it. In the upper part of the city to the north-west, lies the Seraglio, which is walled round; but the Emperors not residing here since their acquists in _Thrace_, or scarce making visits to this imperial city, and none of their sons living here of late, according to the former policy of the _Turkish_ Emperors, who did not permit their sons, when grown up, to be near them, but sent them to some honourable employment, accompanied with a Bashaw or Cadi, to instruct them in the arts of war and government; it lies now neglected and despoiled of all it’s ornaments.
In this part also are the sepulchres of _Osman_, the founder of the family which now reigns, and his son _Urchan_, who took the city, near a mosque, formerly a Christian church dedicated to St _John_, and where was formerly a convent of religious, built by _Constantinus Iconomachus_, where I saw the figure of a cross still remaining upon the wall. Here hangs up a great drum of a vast bigness, such as they carry upon the backs of camels, and I suppose is one of those which they used in the taking of the place.
In the lower part, near the bottom of the hill, _Norad_ II. the father of _Mahomet_ the Great, lies buried; near whereunto was formerly the metropolitical church of the holy Apostles. The _Bezesten_, or exchange, seems to be much better and larger than the great one at _Constantinople_, as are the several _Caravanserais_ built for the use and accommodation of Merchants and travellers; in one of which, the Rice-chane, I took up my quarters.
Without the city, toward the east, is the mosque and sepulchre of the Emperor _Bajazid_ I. whom the _Turks_ call _Jilderim_, or lightening, and the _Greek_ writers λαίλαψ. Not far from hence, is the mosque of _Mahomet_ I. and his sepulchre. Toward the west, upon the side of the hill, is the mosque of _Morad_ I. whom they call _Gazi_, or the Conqueror, near which he lies buried. There are in the whole about 124 mosques, several of which were formerly Christian churches, and between fifty and sixty chanes. The castles built by _Osman_, when he besieged the city, are slighted and altogether unfortified, the one to the north, the other to the south-west.
At _Checkerghe_, about a mile and a half out of town, are the hot baths, much frequented both by Christians and _Turks_. They are made very convenient to bathe in, and are covered over, that they may be used in all weathers. Among others, there is a large round bason, where they usually divert themselves by swimming.
What opinions the _Turks_ have of our Blessed Saviour, and the Christian religion, I shall briefly shew, as they lie dispersed in several chapters of the _Koran_, according to which they frame their discourse whensoever either zeal or curiosity puts them upon this topic; for _Mahomet_, upon his setting up to be the author of a new religion, finding such a considerable part of the world professing the doctrine of Christ, with all the mysteries of faith therein contained, was cast upon a necessity of saying something both concerning him and it. By which it will appear how great the power of truth is above imposture and subtility, and that as the devils in the possessed confessed, though against their wills, Christ to be the son of God, so this _Dæmoniac_, in the midst of all his forgeries and lyes, and ridiculous and childish narratives, not being able to contradict the universal belief of the Christians of that, and the preceeding ages, founded on the history of the Gospel, hath been forced to give testimony to several particulars of it.
They confess then, that Christ was born of a pure spotless Virgin, the Virgin _Mary_, chosen by God, and sanctified above all the women in the world; and that the angel _Gabriel_ was dispatched out of heaven, to acquaint her with the news of it. That such a kind of miraculous and supernatural birth never happened to any besides, and that Christ was conceived by the Holy Ghost, and that he wrought mighty miracles, for instance, that he cleansed lepers, gave sight to the blind, restored sick persons to their health, and raised the dead.
That he is a great Prophet, sent by God to convert men from the vanity and error of their false worship to the knowledge of the true God, to preach righteousness, and to correct and restore the imperfection and miscarriages of human nature; that he was of a most holy and examplary life; that he was the true Word of God, the Apostle, or Embassador of God; that his Gospel was revealed to him from heaven, and that he is in heaven standing nigh to the throne of God. They blaspheme indeed with a bruitishness and stupidity only befitting _Turks_, the mysteries of the Holy Trinity, and of the Divinity of our Blessed Saviour, and deny that he was put to death, and say, that another in his shape was crucified by the _Jews_, and that he himself was assumed into heaven in his body without dying at all, and consequently they will not own, that he satisfied Divine Justice for the sins of the world; so great an affinity is there between the heresy of _Socinus_ and professed _Mahometism_.
I could never yet see any _Turkish_ translation of the _Koran_: they cry up the elegance of the stile, which being enthusiastic and high flown, by reason also of the tinkling of the periods, is very delightful to their ears, who seem to be affected with rhime mightily. Though I suppose it is upon a more politic account, that they are so averse, as to the translating it into their vulgar language, not out of respect to the sacredness of the original only, whose full commanding expressions they think cannot be translated without a great diminution to the sense; but to keep it in greater veneration among the people, who might be apt to slight and dis-esteem it, should it become thus common among them. It is enough that the Priests and learned men explain the difficult passages of it to the people, and write commentaries for the use of the more curious and inquisitive. The _Persians_ on the contrary, think it no disparagement to the _Arabic_, or profanation of the sense, to translate this cursed book into their own language, and copies are frequent among them.
The Grand Signior’s women are usually the choicest beauties of the Christian spoils, presented by the Bashaws or _Tartars_. The present _Sultana_, the mother of the young Prince _Mustapha_, is a _Caddiot_, the _Valide_, or the Emperor’s mother, a _Russian_, the daughter of a poor Priest, who with her relations were seized upon by the _Tartars_, in an incursion which they made into the _Muscovites_ country. She being received into the Seraglio by her beautiful complexion and cunning behaviour, gain’d the heart and the affection of Sultan _Ibrahim_, (a man wholly addicted to soft pleasures, and who seldom cared to be long absent from the womens apartment, but chose to spend his time among them.) Having the good fortune to be the mother of the Prince _Mahomet_, the eldest son of his father, who now reigns, she had all the honours that could possibly be done her, and was the beloved _Hazaki_, or chief concubine. During this height of splendour and glory, the court removing from _Constantinople_ to _Adrianople_, distant about an hundred and twenty miles, as she was passing in great state, attended with her guards through the streets of the city, in a coach much like our carriage waggons, but that they are letticed to let in the air, for no one must presume to stare or scarce look upon the women, much less must they themselves suffer their faces to be seen in this jealous country, she out of curiosity looking through the holes, saw a poor Christian slave in a shop where sugar and such like wares were sold. Upon her return she sent one of her Eunuchs to enquire for the person, and to ask him several questions about his country, relations, friends, and the time when and how long he had been a slave; his answers were so particular and satisfactory, that she was soon convinced of the truth and certainty of her apprehensions, when she first cast her eyes upon him, that he was her brother, and accordingly it proved so. Whereupon acquainting the Emperor with it, she immediately redeem’d him from his patron, and having made the poor wretch turn _Turk_, got him considerably preferr’d.
The Bashaws for the most part are the sons of Christians, taken into the Seraglio, near the Emperor’s person, and so are preferr’d to considerable governments, or else they raise themselves by their conduct and valour. _Mahomet_ Bashaw, in the time of _Achmet_, whose eldest daughter he marry’d, was the first natural _Turk_ that was made chief Vizier, having before been Captain Bashaw. The chief Vizier _Mahomet Cupriuli_ (who settled the empire in the minority of this Emperor, when it was ready to be shaken into pieces, and dissolved by several powerful factions in the state, and by the mutinies and discontents of Janizaries and Spahis, who drove different ways) was an _Albanese_ by birth, the son of a _Greek_ Priest, whom out of the height of his zeal for _Mahomet_, he made turn _Turk_ in his old age, and converted the Christian church in the village where he was born into a mosque. This man also forbad the Dervises to dance in a ring and turn round, which before was their solemn practice at set times before the people, which they would do so long, till they were giddy by this swift circular motion, and fell down in a swoon, and then oftentimes upon their recovery from such trances, they pretended to revelation. The church-men are not very kind to his memory, looking upon him as a man of little or no religion; and they give out that if he had lived, he would have forbid their calling to prayers from the spires of their Mosques, and hanging out lamps; both which they look upon as solemn and essential to the exercise of religion; but he as the effect of bigottry and superstition.
They have a mighty honour and esteem for Physicians, for tho’ they are of opinion, that they cannot with all their art prolong life, the period and term of it being fatal, and absolutely determin’d by God, yet they often consult them upon any violent sickness or pain, in order to make the time allotted them in this world more pleasant and easy. It is extraordinary rare, that a natural _Turk_ makes Physic his profession and study. They who practise it among them, when I was in _Turkey_, were for the most part _Greeks_ and _Jews_, who know nothing of chymical medicines, but follow the usual methods, which they learn’d in _Italy_ and _Spain_, the former having study’d in _Padua_, and the latter in _Salamanca_, where they pass’d for good Catholics. And I remember I met with a certain Jew Physician, who had been a Capucine in _Portugal_. During the tedious siege of _Candia_, the Vizier, what with melancholy, and what with the ill air of the camp, finding himself much indisposed, sent for a Christian Physician, Signior _Massalini_, a subject of the Republic of _Venice_, but marry’d to a _Greek_ woman, by whom he had several children, who was our neighbour at _Pera_, an experienced able man, to come speedily to him, and made him a present of about a thousand dollars, in order to fit himself for the voyage, and bear the expence of it. By this worthy gentleman’s care he recover’d his health, and would not permit him to depart till after the surrender of that city, which might be about seven months after his arrival there, treating him in the mean while with all imaginable respect. During our short stay at _Bursia_, one of our Janizaries accidentally discoursing with a _Turk_ about us, whom they knew to be _Franks_, told him that there was a Physician in the company, who had been lately at the Grand Signior’s court at _Salonichi_ with the _English_ Embassador, and was now upon his return from _Constantinople_ to _Smyrna_, where he lived. This presently took vent, and the _Turks_ thought that they had got a man among them that could cure all diseases infallibly; for several immediately came to find us out in behalf of themselves or their sick friends, and one of the most considerable men upon the place, desired the Doctor to go to his house to visit one of his women sick in bed, who being permitted to feel her naked pulse (for usually they throw a piece of fine silk or curle over their womens wrists at such times) soon discover’d by that and other symptoms and indications of her distemper, that opening a vein would presently give her ease, and recover her; which he did accordingly; for which he received an embroidered handkerchief instead of a fee, and gained the reputation of having done a mighty cure.
They have little of ingenious or solid learning among them; their chief study next to the _Koran_, being metaphysical niceties about the Attributes of God, or else the maintenance of other odd speculative notions and tenents, derived down to them from some of their famed masters and holy men, whom they pretend to follow. Their knowledge of the motion of the heavens, for which the _Arabians_ and the other eastern nations have been so deservedly famous, as their Astronomical Tables of the Longitude and Latitude of the fixed stars, and of the appulse of the Moon to them, fully evince, is now very mean, and is chiefly studied for the use of Judiciary Astrology. The great instrument they make use of is an Astrolabe, with which they make very imperfect observations, having no such thing as a Quadrant or Sextant, much less a Telescope, or any mechanical engine, to direct and assist them in their calculation. Their skill in Geography is as inconsiderable; I remember I heard the Captain Bashaw, whom they stile Admiral of the Black and White Seas, meaning the _Euxine_ and the _Mediterranean_, ask this silly question, Whether _England_ were out of the Streights? and another time the _Caymacan_, or Governor of _Constantinople_, hearing that _England_ was an island, desired to know how many miles it was about, in order, we supposed, to make an estimate of our King’s greatness and strength, by the extent and compass of it.
One of the great Astrologers of _Constantinople_, having heard that I had a pair of globes in my chamber, made me a visit on purpose to see their contrivance, being introduced by a worthy gentlemen of our own nation. After the first ceremonies were over, I took my terrestrial globe, and rectify’d it to the position of the place, and pointed to the several circles both without and upon it, and told him in short the several uses of them; then shewed him how _Constantinople_, beared from _Candia_, at that time besieged, _Cair_, _Aleppo_, _Mecca_, and other chief places of the empire, with the other parts of the world; at which he was mightily surprized to see the whole earth and sea represented in that figure, and in so narrow, a compass, and pleased himself with turning the globe round several times together. Afterwards I set before him the celestial globe, and rectify’d that, and shew’d him how all the noted constellations were exactly described, and how they moved regularly upon their poles, as in the heavens; some rising, and others setting, some always above the horizon, and others always under, in an oblique sphere, and particularly what stars would rise that night with us at such an hour; the man seem’d to be ravish’d with the curiosity of it, turning this globe also several times together with his finger, and taking a pleasure in viewing the motion of it; and yet this silly animal pass’d for a conjurer among the _Turks_, and was look’d upon as one that could foretel the events of battels, the fates of empires, and the end of the world.
They have no genious for sea-voyages, and consequently are very raw and unexperienced in the art of navigation, scarce venturing to sail out of sight of land. I speak of the natural _Turks_, who trade either in the Black Sea or some part of the _Morea_, or between _Constantinople_ and _Alexandria_; and not of the pyrates of _Barbary_, who are for the most part renagado’s, and learnt their skill in Christendom, which they exercise so much to the terrour and damage of it. A _Turkish_ compass consists but of eight points, the four cardinal and four collateral; they being at a mighty loss how to sail by a side-wind; when by hauling their sails sharp they might lie their course, and much more, when they are in the winds eye, not knowing how to make tacks and boards, but chuse rather to make haste into some neighbouring port, till the wind blows fair. An _English_ and _Turkish_ vessel, both bound for the bay of _Salonichi_, at the time of the Grand Signior’s being there, pass’d together out of the _Hellespont_, but foul weather happening, the _Turk_ got into _Lemnos_; while our men kept at sea, and pursued their voyage, and after three weeks stay returned back to us, observing in their way, that the _Turks_ remained in the same place where they left them, for want of a fore-wind to put to sea in.