The whole way from Gallipoli to this place lies thro a campain rich and fertile, abounding with villages, and those almost all Christian. However it wants the lovely fountains, frequent woods, and pretious shrubs of Asia.
March iv.
Sir Robert Sutton, successor to my Lord Paget in his embassy to this port, who arrived at Adrianople about Christmas last, had now his audience of the grand vizír. My Lord Paget, with the retinue of his own family, and the English merchants now resident in this place, repaired to the palace of his successor about twelve a clock. At the same time came thither from the vizír, the chiaush bashá, with an horse richly furnished for Sir Robert, and about thirty others for the use of his retinue. From hence the two ambassadors conducted by the chiaush bashá, and attended by a large retinue of the English nation, proceeded to the palace of the vizír. Upon their arrival into the room of audience, the vizír soon entered, supported by his kayá and the reis effendi, and congratulated with acclamations from his whole attendance. He seated himself in a corner of the sophá, and the ambassadors sat before him on two stools. After the old ambassador had presented his successor, Mauro Cordato, who is master of the ceremonies, and dragoman to the Ottoman Port, gave and returned the ordinary forms. Then Sir Robert delivered his Majesty’s letter to the vizír, after which both ambassadors were treated with coffee, sherbet, and incense, and the whole ceremony at length concluded with the distribution of about twenty four caftans. The vizír is about sixty years of age, of short stature, and a meek serene countenance; tho at this time somewhat moved with concern for the loss of his only son of two years of age. At this ceremony he appeared in the selimée turbant, which is a cap of state, and was conceived to do an honour to the audience. It resembles the form of a sugar loaf, only indented at the bottom on four sides, and bound obliquely with a gold ribban.
March x.
Sir Robert Sutton had his audience of the Grand Signior at the seraglio of this place, whither he rode about seven a clock on a horse of state, conducted as before by the chiaush bashá, and attended by all the gentlemen of the English nation. At these audiences it is the custom of the Turks to show somewhat of the discipline of their soldiery, together with the process of their justice at the diván. And therefore so soon as his Excellency entered at the first gate of the seraglio, into a large and green court, some companies of the janisaries, ranged on the opposite side, ran with a great but orderly agility, to seize several dishes of their broth, placed at equal distances on the area of the court; after which they were remanded by the churbegées, who ran among the ranks, and instead of words of command ordered them by a certain gentle hissing into their respective stations. During this entertainment his Excellency advanced towards the diván, which is an oblong ground room, opening on the front into a gallery, by which only it is separated from the court above mentioned. It is surrounded on three sides with benches, covered with embroidered silk, and the floor is laid with carpets; otherwise it has no ornaments, nor embellishments of the walls. On the middle of the principal bench, where it faces the door, sat the grand vizír, having one crimson cushion under him, and another to support his feet, by which only he is distinguished from other ministers of the diván. On his right hand upon the same bench sat the caimekám, and Abdollá pashá son of the late Mustaphá Kioprili; but on his left hand the two cadileskérs, the one for Europe, and the other for Asia. The two side benches were took up on the right hand by the nishangeé bashá, and on the left by the tefterdár. Sitting in this order, and maintaining a profound silence, they dispatched several causes of meum and tuum, in the sight of the ambassador and his retinue; in which there was no other process, than the reading several succinct cases to the vizír, together with the depositions of the witnesses, upon which he pronounced his verdict, and the parties were immediately dismissed. But in these, and other affairs of the like kind, the reis effendi and teskergée bashá also assist; the former of which acts as solicitor and secretary to the diván, and the latter is the gentleman usher, who carries all messages and papers betwixt the Grand Signior and the vizír. In the mean time the Grand Signior, tho he is never personally present in the diván, yet he is at his pleasure a witness and overseer of all that passes there, by means of a lattice window, which looks out of his apartments just over the seat of the vizír. These ceremonies ended, there were brought in divers tables and placed before the vizír, the caimekám, the nishangée, and the tefterdár; all which being presently furnished with various Turkish dishes, the ambassador sat down to eat with the vizír, and several gentlemen of the English nation with the other ministers. After this repast (the vizír having first demanded leave for an audience) the ambassador and all the rest of the English gentlemen retired into a distant part of the gallery, which fronts the chamber of the diván, and other lodgings of the seraglio, where they were all vested, and then sat down in order till the diván arose, and the several ministers proceeded to the apartments of the Grand Signior, the latter preceding, and the vizír closing the procession. Soon after his Excellency was called to take his audience, to which himself, and four gentlemen, who were permitted to follow him, were conducted by two capigées, who led them on each hand, in a rude and hasty manner. By these they were thus carried from the outward gallery into a square paved court, and from thence into a railed entry, that landed them immediately in a ground room, which was the presence chamber of the Grand Signior. It was a small room, of a square figure, lined on the sides and floor with crimson silk, and that embellished with an high and thick embroidery of golden branches. In one corner was erected an high sophá about two yards square, adorned with four rich cushions, and an answerable minderá, all of which were in a manner intirely covered with embroidery of pearl. On this sat the Grand Signior, regarding the ambassador in an oblique posture, and sinking so deep in the minderá, that his thighs and legs were not to be distinguished. The other ornaments of the room were two windows, each furnished with two cushions, answerable to those of the sophá; and more remarkable than all the rest, a royal chimney cloth, embroidered like the covering of the floor and walls, but enriched beyond these with various large jewels set in the corners of the work, such as pearls, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and the like. The ambassador stood about three yards distance from the Grand Signior, where he delivered himself to Mauro Cordato in Italian, and he interpreted his credentials immediately to the Sultan. But his Majesty’s letter being handed to Mauro Cordato by his Excellency, it was by him delivered to the nishangée, by him to Abdollá pashá, and by him to the vizír, who laid it before the Grand Signior’s feet. Upon this the Sultan directed himself to the vizír in these words: “We esteem the King of England as our freind. On our part, all due regard shall be had to the sacred capitulations made with him; and accordingly be it your care to see them maintained.” This said, the ambassador was dismissed the audience room, with the four gentlemen, who only were permitted to attend the ceremony. Upon which all the English immediately mounted at the outward gate of the seraglio, and there stood in rank and order to see the janisaries dismissed; which is done in a regular but hasty manner, and seems to resemble the decursio of the Roman army. After this the several Ministers of the diván, begining with the least, and ending with the vizír, made a pompous procession on horses of state, adorned with broad guilded bridles, and housing of the French fashion, wrought with nothing but entire thread of gold. After these followed his Excellency on an horse and furniture of the same quality, and so returned with the attendance of several chiaushes, and all those of the English nation, to his own palace.
The habit of the several ministers of the diván is exactly of the same form with the caftans, which they ordinarily present; but the matter is either silk, or fine grogran, fur’d with sable. Their turbant is that called the mugevezée; but that of the Grand Signior is the same with the common agás, only distinguished by three small, but fine and curious black feathers, with waves of ash colour, being the outmost feathers on the wing of the arguron, a rare Muscovian bird. The present made by the ambassador to the Grand Signior consisted of sixty pieces of different materials, as cloth, silk, sattin, velvet, and the like, all of them at the charge of the company.
March xviii.
My Lord Paget had this day his audience of leave of the grand vizír, where, besides the ordinary forms and ceremonies of coffee, sherbet, incense, and caftans, the letters of the vizír and Sultan were brought in by the reis effendi; and being by him reverently kissed and delivered to the vizír, were by the vizír kissed in the same manner, and delivered to the ambassador, by whom they were kissed again, and committed to Mr. Paget, who bore them respectfully on his two hands during the whole procession to his Excellency’s palace. The Sultan’s letter was enclosed in a cover of cloth of gold, about a foot broad, and a yard long, being wrote on fine Persian paper made of silk.