Sultán Murád was taught the science of archery by Pehleván Hájí Soleïmán and Sárí Solák. There is still to be seen in the Ok-maidán near the Tekieh of the archers, a marble column indicating the spot where an arrow shot by Sultán Murád fell. This shot surpassed that of all the former Pehleváns excepting Túzkoparán, and left far behind the aims of Karalandha, Báyazíd Khán, Khattát Sheikh, Demirdilisí and Meserlí Dúndár. In the gardens of Tokát, Sultán Murád once cut an ass in two with one stroke of his sword. In the game of the mace (gúrz) he could wield with the greatest ease a mace weighing two hundred okkas, and perform all the tricks of the art. And so did he distinguish himself in the exercises of wrestling and boxing. Our master in these exercises, Dervísh Omar, on hearing several slang expressions of the art, such as, “Cut not! strike not! hold not!” used by Sultán Murád, exclaimed, “Look at that master-butcher!” in reference to his cruel disposition, which was never satisfied without shedding blood. The Sultán was pleased with the joke, and smiled at it. He was also expert in the game of matrak, in which balls are struck with clubs, and which has no less than one hundred and sixty band or tricks. He used to strike the ball with such force that it struck the head of his partner. His master in this game was Toslák Kapúdán, the juggler of the admiral’s galley, who was an expert marine (levend), and whose name is recorded in the elegy composed by Júrí Chelebi Sheikh in twelve languages. This Toslák Kapúdán, though considered one of the most skilful in this play, did not equal Sultán Murád.
Finally, the emperor was a good poet, equal to Nafa’í and Júrí; and his diván or collection of odes, consists of three hundred leaves; but it wants the odes ending in the letters Ta and A’in. These were to have been supplied by Vahabí Othmán Chelebí, but he died before he could complete them.
During the winter he regulated his assemblies as follows: On Friday evening he assembled all the divines, Sheiks, and the readers of the korán, and with them he disputed till morning on scientific subjects. Saturday evening was devoted to the singers who sang the Iláhí, the Na’t, and other spiritual tunes. Sunday evening was appropriated to the poets and reciters of romances, such as Nafa’í, Júrí, Nadímí, Arzí, Nathárí, Beyání, Izzetí, &c. On Monday evening he had the dancing boys, Sárí Chelebí, Chakmak Chelebí, and Semerjí-zádeh; and the Egyptian musicians Dabágh Oghlí, Parpúr Kúlí, Osmán Kúlí, Názlí Kúlí, Ahmed Kúlí, and Sheher Oghlání. This assembly sat till daybreak, and resembled the musical feast of Husain Bhikará. On Tuesday evening he received the old experienced men who were upwards of seventy years, and with whom he used to converse in the most familiar manner. On Wednesdays he gave audience to the pious saints; and on Thursdays to the Dervíshes. In the mornings he attended to the affairs of the Moslems. In such a manner did he watch over the Ottoman states, that not even a bird could fly over them without his knowledge. But were we to describe all his excellent qualities we should fill another volume.
Praise be to Allah, that my father was the chief of the goldsmiths from the time of Sultán Soleïmán till that of Sultán Ibrahím; and I was honoured with the society of so glorious a monarch as Sultán Murád IV. Previously to his Majesty’s undertaking the expedition to Baghdád I left the imperial Harem, and was appointed a Sipáhí, with an allowance of forty aspres per day.
List of the Kapúdán Páshás during the Reign of Sultán Murád IV.
The first was Rajab Páshá, who, as we have before related, captured three hundred Cossack boats in the Black Sea, and brought them to Constantinople. His successor, Khalíl Páshá, an Albanian by birth, took near the rocks of Flúra in the Mediterranean, a famous ship of the infidels which was called Kara-jehennem (black-hell), and which had a large mill within it, and a garden on the quarter-deck.
Hasan Páshá, the son of a Janissary of Tahtáljeh, near Constantinople. In the year 1035 (1625) he built two castles on the Dneiper. He was afterwards degraded, and died suddenly at Yenísheher in 1041 (1631).
Vezír Jánpúlád Zádeh Mustafá Páshá, married Fatima the sister of Sultán Murád, and was made Kapúdán Páshá in 1041. His name spread terror over the whole of the Mediterranean even as far as the straits of Gibraltar; he built a castle at Athens; and even before that was finished he was appointed governor of Rúmeïlí. In this capacity he was ordered to undertake the expedition against Eriván, and so many troops did he assemble, that the suburbs of Constantinople were filled with them; and three months were required to have them passed over the Bosphorus to Scutari on flat-bottomed boats.
Ja’fer Páshá resigned the office of Bostánjí Báshí for that of Kapúdán Páshá in 1043 (1633). He spread terror amongst the infidels. That same year, on the Feast of Victims, he met three English men-of-war in the Mediterranean, between the castles of Kesendreh and Kolúz. The English being fire-worshippers, according to the sacred text, “They were burnt and the men drowned;” they set fire to two of the vessels. The third, with two hundred guns, was taken before they could set fire to it, and was brought with immense booty to Sultán Murád.
After Ja’fer Páshá, Delí Husain Páshá was made Kapúdán Páshá, in which capacity he took the field against Eriván. He was afterwards appointed governor of Egypt.