It would be endless to recount the evils which Nesúh was guilty of, both before and after he was made grand vezír. His cruelty and shedding of innocent blood, his avarice, his tyranny and oppression, were enormous. The emperor not unfrequently remonstrated with him, both in the language of kindness and of threatening, but it had no good effect upon him. Khezer Effendí, who had been raised to the chancellorship for having told him the truth, he contrived to have sent to Anatolia on business; and afterwards despatched a man after him to murder him, which deed he perpetrated. When speaking to his friends of the fate of the unfortunate Effendí, he used to say, he had helped him out of this vain world to a crown of martyrdom in the next. He was destitute of religion; and his exalted station was his ruin. Even his own domestics united at last against him, and deemed him worthy of death. It seemed as if every thing conspired to render it imperative that a judicial sentence should go forth against him. The mufti, Mohammed Effendí, the ághá of the palace, Mustafa Aghá, and those about the emperor’s person, apprehensive of their own safety from the snares and stratagems of the grand vezír, were incessant in preferring complaints against him for his villany and shocking perversities, which at last had the effect of rousing the emperor’s displeasure to such a degree, that he determined on cutting him off. Nesúh saw the storm that was now rising, and therefore fled from the emperor’s presence. This explains the mystery of his going to the Yalí garden, as before observed. His death was determined on: justice had lifted up her hand against him.
It was announced to the grandees of the state, that his majesty intended to be present, on Friday the 13th of Ramazán, at the public assembly in the mosque. The astrologers informed the grand vezír that his horoscope had run its course; that his felicity was at an end; that his stars had prognosticated evil and not good concerning him; and that if he would escape the impending danger, he must avoid seeing the face of the emperor. The grand vezír, fearing the danger to which he was exposed, feigned himself sick, and determined on throwing himself on the emperor’s compassion when he came forth to attend at the mosque. The emperor, however, did not come forth on the day he had announced; for he too was afraid of the grand vezír: but he issued orders to take away his life. This was communicated to the ághá of the janissaries, who was desired to proceed and do the work. This ághá and his janissaries soon surrounded the palace of the grand vezír, when the bostánjí báshí, Hasan Aghá, with a hundred bostánjís, rushed into the premier’s inner chamber, where he was sitting, and instantly strangled him. The seals of office they carried away with them, and delivered them to the emperor.
The end of Nesúh Páshá was no less humbling than his previous fortune had been auspicious. The whole object of his life was to amass wealth. From his first appearance in public he advanced through all the various gradations of military office, but never gained any victory worthy of notice. The desire of accumulating wealth and property was this man’s foible.
In the account of Nesúh Páshá which we have perused there are some other things recorded which we must here insert. After the death of the celebrated Murád Páshá, and when Nesúh was made premier in his stead, he seized on Murád’s lieutenant, and threw him, and one Hasan Aghá, who had offended him, into prison. The former he caused to be executed on the battlements of the prison, and rooted out every individual of his family: the latter met with the same fate shortly afterwards.
When Alí Páshá, the válí of Baghdád, and son-in-law of the lamented Murád Páshá, was on the eve of retiring to his government, his father-in-law strongly advised him against meeting Nesúh. Alí Páshá neglected this advice, had an interview with him, and received several tokens of apparent kindness from Nesúh. He not only conferred a variety of presents upon him, but even sent some of his own domestics along with him under the pretence of rendering him service, whilst, in fact, Nesúh meant them only as spies. When the latter returned to Constantinople he removed Alí Páshá from office, and three times sent him word not to show his face in the metropolis. Alí Páshá, as might have been expected, was very much astonished at this treatment, and wondered what the crime might be for which he was thus treated. Leaving, therefore, his heavy baggage at Eskí-sheher, he secretly returned to Constantinople. The grand vezír made three several attempts to get the emperor to agree to deprive Alí of his life, but without success. On a fourth attempt of the same kind, the emperor, instead of listening to the advice and importunity of his minister, created Alí Páshá a vezír, and secured him against the machinations of the vindictive premier. After the assassination of the latter Alí Páshá was raised to the government of Buda.
The writer, whose sentiments we have introduced into the preceding paragraph, says, moreover, that when Nesúh Páshá accompanied the emperor to Adrianople, he wrote to Mohammed Gheráí, who, along with Sháhín Gheráí, had been the cause of a tumult among the Tátárs, desiring him to come to Adrianople, where he would introduce him to the emperor, and get him made khán. Mohammed Gheráí took the hint, and immediately set out for Adrianople. The emperor having gone out one day to follow the chase, chanced to spy a troop of armed Circassian horsemen, and Mohammed Gheráí at their head. The emperor, who did not seem to know the reason of their appearance in such circumstances, enquired why they had come. The result was, even though the vezír fully explained to the emperor the reason of Mohammed Gheráí’s arrival, that he was instantly seized and carried off to the Seven Towers, and there incarcerated. Persons were also sent to Kili to seize Sháhín Gheráí, but he made his escape before they arrived there.
Chief reasons for accomplishing the death of Nesúh Páshá.
At the time Nesúh Páshá accompanied the emperor to the city of Adrianople, one of his friends, called Jebráil Aghá, happened to lodge at the house of a Seyed, where he made some attempt on the virtue of the wife of his landlord. The enraged Seyed appeared on Friday in the mosque, where the emperor and all the Muselmans were assembled for worship, and stepping into the middle of the court, took off his turban, and thus addressed his majesty: “Please your majesty, you are emperor of the Osmánlís. Who then is this wicked wretch (meaning Nesúh), who, with his Kurds, Turks, and similar tyrants, dares to offer violence in this city? They affix to their own names those of angels, who live near to God, and yet are not ashamed to commit crime and be guilty of corruption. By the great God,” said he, flinging away the muslin cloth that was round his turban, in a rage, “I do not know of whom I should first complain.” The emperor was very much grieved at hearing this story.
On the emperor’s return to Constantinople, the grand vezír formed the design of assassinating the reverend mufti, Mohammed Effendí, and the ághá of the palace, but was afraid of the emperor. He employed, however, one Behrám Khetkhodá to go as far as the country of Albania, and secure for himself, at every stage, a certain number of horses to be in readiness. His object in this was, that as soon as Behrám had assassinated the two reverend prelates above-mentioned, he might make his escape. Behrám, however, was a man of prudence and good sense, and would not agree to perform the task which the grand vezír had imposed upon him. Information of this, and of other things which this wicked premier had been guilty of, coming to the emperor’s ears, he determined on cutting him off, and made arrangements for that purpose. The grand vezír having at last come to perceive that the emperor was for some reason or other displeased with him, came one day into his presence, in order to sound him. “How is it,” said the vezír, “that you pay no attention to any thing I say? If I am not worthy of holding the office of first minister, and you give the seals to another of your servants, I shall certainly destroy myself by taking poison.” The emperor, at hearing this mode of address from his minister, was roused into indignation, and said, “You treacherous villain, the report of your having caused poison to be administered to my faithful servant, Murád Páshá, is but too true.” Nesúh was forthwith despatched; and the offer of the premiership was made to the second vezír, Mohammed Páshá, and son-in-law to the emperor.
After the world was rid of Nesúh Páshá, things began to wear a new and more favourable aspect. The evils of which he had been guilty were incalculable, and most injurious; and never did any man depart more from the spirit of his office than did this man. His sons after him, though they had acquired some grandeur and dignity in the state, were, like himself, unfortunate. Two of them met with a fate similar to that of their father, and another of them was allowed to pine away in solitude and neglect.