Thus they silently departed with blubber’d Eyes, and sad Hearts, to their Tents, where they both lamented and pitied the woful Fate of unhappy Mustapha, sometimes inveighing against the Madness and Rage of his old doating Father, at other Times exclaiming at the Fraud and Cruelty of his Step-Mother, and anon cursing the Wickedness of Rustan, with direful Imprecations for extinguishing so great a Light of the Ottoman Family, so that all that Day was a Fasting-day to them, they did not sip so much as a drop of Water; yea, some of them continued their Abstinence for many Days after. In short, there was such a Face of Mourning over the whole Army, which was not like to cease in many Days, that Solyman in Policy, and in a seeming Compliance with the Sentiments of his People, deprived Rustan of his Office (it being thought by his own Consent) and Banished him, as a private Person to Constantinople, substituting Achmat Bashaw to the Grand-Vizier-ship in his Room, a Man of more Courage than Conduct.
Upon this Alteration, the public Grief was somewhat abated, and the Soldiers Rage pacified; for the Commonalty was made to believe, That Solyman at last had found out the Wickedness of Rustan, and the Inchantments of his Wife; and that now he repented, though it were late, first of his Cruelty to Mustapha. and thereupon had banished Rustan from his Presence, and that he would not spare his Wife neither, as soon as he came to Constantinople. As for Rustan, he pretended great Sorrow, and departed to Constantinople, without seeming to have the least hope, ever to be restored to his former Dignity.
But alas! Roxolana was not content with the Destruction of Mustapha, as long as he had an only Son, who was yet in his Minority, alive; for she did not think her own, or her Childrens Security, to be sufficiently provided for, as long as any of Mustapha’s Race were alive; but she wanted a fair pretence to accomplish her Design, nor was it long before she found One. She represented to Solyman, that as often as his Grand-child, Mustapha’s Son went abroad at Prusa, where he was brought up, the Youth of that City were wont to flock about him, to wish him all Happiness, and particularly to pray, That he might long survive his Father. And whither (said she) can this tend, but to prompt him to mount the Throne, and revenge his Father’s Death? And to be sure, the Janizaries will take his Part, (added She;) and thus the Death of Mustapha alone, will add little Security to the public Peace and Tranquility. Religion (proceeded she) is to be preferred before even the Lives of our own Children; and seeing that of the Musselmans, (for so they call their Religion, as counting it the best) stands and falls with the Ottoman Family; if that House fail, farewel Religion also. And how can that House stand, if Domestic Discord undermine it? And therefore Sir, if you prevent the Ruin of your House, your Empire and your Religion, you must use all manner of means; nay, you must not stick at Parricide itself; if homebred Disagreement and Feud may be thereby prevented; for the safety of Religion will over-ballance the Loss, even of a Man’s own Children. As for Mustapha’s Son, you have the less Reason to spare him, because his Father’s Crime hath already infected him, and there is do doubt, but, if he be suffered to Live, he will soon endeavour to Head a Party, to revenge his Father’s Death.
By these Reasons Solyman was induced to yield to the Murder of his Grandchild, and thereupon sent Ebrahim Bashaw to Prusa, to destroy the innocent Youth. As soon as the Bashaw came thither, he made it his great Business to conceal his intended Design from the Child’s Mother; for, he thought, it would be look’d upon as an inhuman Thing in him, to cut off a Youth, with the Privity of his Mother, and, as it were, before her Eyes. And, besides, he was afraid the People would rise in Arms upon the Perpetration of so cruel a Fact; and therefore at first, Fox like, he sets his Wits at work to deceive the Mother. He pretended that he was sent by Solyman, out of Respect to her and her Son, to visit them; that his Master saw his Error in putting his Son to Death, which he now, too late repented of; but that the crueller he had been to the Father, the more indulgent he would be to his Son; and many such colloguing Words he used, whereby he imposed upon the too credulous Mother, who was the rather induced to believe him, because of Rustan’s Disgrace and Fall; and to crown his Flattery, he presented them with many Gifts. This past on for a Day or two, and then some Discourse was administred concerning their going abroad, out of the City, to enjoy the fresh Air. And the Bashaw, being an Eunuch, persuaded her the next Day to take a Turn in the Suburbs, she in her Coach, and himself, with her Son, would ride afore on Horseback. The Matter seemed not to afford any Suspicion, and therefore she consented, and a Chariot is prepared for her; but (mark the Fraud!) the Axle-Tree of the Coach was so made, on Purpose, that it must needs break, when it came to be jogged in any rough Way. Thus she, in an unlucky Time, began her Journey out of the City. The Eunuch and the Child rode a pretty Way before, as if they had Occasion for some private Discourse, and the Mother speeded after as fast as she was able; but when the Coach came to the designed craggy Place, the Wheel violently hit against the Rocks, and so the Axle-Tree broke. This the Mother looked upon as an unlucky Omen, and therefore, in a great Fright, she could not long be restrained from leaving her Coach, and with a few of her Maids, from following her Son on Foot. But, alas! ’twas too late; for the Eunuch being come to the House designed for the Slaughter, without any more ado, shewed the Child the Emperor’s Mandate for his Death. He answered, according to the Principles of their Religion, That he looked upon that Command as proceeding not from the Emperor, but from God, which must necessarily be obeyed, and so he yielded his Neck to the Bow-String.
Thus died this innocent and hopeful Youth. When the Eunuch had perpetrated this wicked Fact, he stole out at a Back-door, and fled as fast as he could. The Mother, soon after, beginning to smell out the Fraud, knocks at the Door; when they thought fit they opened it, and there she saw her Son sprawling on the Ground, his Breath being yet hardly out of his Body. Here let me draw a Vail; for a Mother’s Affection to a Son in such a lamentable Juncture, may be better conceived than expressed. Upon this dismal Sight she was hurried back to Prusa, where she tore her Hair, rent her Garments, filled the whole Town with Howlings, Moans, &c. The Prusian Ladies, with their Daughters and Waiting-Maids, came in Multitudes to her, and were stark Mad to hear of so great a Butchery; and running in that raving Manner out of the Gates, all the Cry was, Where’s the Eunuch? Where’s the Eunuch? Let’s have him to tear him to pieces: But he foreseeing what would happen, and fearing, like another Orpheus, to be torn Peace-meal by those raging Furies, had cunningly withdrawn himself.
But to return to my Purpose. As soon as I came to Constantinople, Letters were sent to Solyman, then at Amasia, to acquaint him with my Arrival; and, till his Answer was return’d, I had Leisure to take a View of the City of Constantinople; and first, I had a Mind to visit the Temple of St. Sophia, which I was not admitted to do, but by special Favour; for the Turks think that their Temples are prophaned, if a Christian do but put his Foot within them.
That Church is a magnificent Pile, and a worthy Structure to behold. It hath a great Arch or Hemisphere in the Middle, which hath no Light but only from the Sky: All the Turkish Mosks are built after the Form of this. Some say, that heretofore it was much larger, and contained many Apartments, which were all destroyed by the Turks, and only the Quire and Nave, in the Middle of it, standing.
As for the Situation of the City itself, it seemed to me, to be naturally placed as fit to be the Mistress of the World; it stands in Europe, and hath Asia in view, and on its right, hath Egypt and Africa; which, though Countries not adjacent to it, yet by reason of frequent Intercourse and Naval Commerce, they seem as it were, contiguous. On its left Hand is the Euxin Sea, and the Palus Mætis, whose Banks are inhabited round about by many Nations, and so many navigable Rivers have their Influx into them, that there is nothing grows in any of the Countries thereabout, fit for Man’s Use; but there is a great Conveniency of transporting it by Sea to Constantinople.
On the one Side, it is wash’d with the Propontis; on the other, the River makes an Haven, which Strabo calls, The Golden Horn, from the Similitude it hath to an Horn; on the other Side, it is joined to the rest of the Continent, so that it almost resembles a Peninsule; and with the continued back of a Promontory, it runs out into the Sea and a Bay, which is made there by the River and the Sea. So that from the middle of Constantinople, there is a most pleasant Prospect into the Sea, and even to the Mount Olympus, in Asia, which bears a snowy Head all the Year long. The Sea there, is wonderful full of Fish, which sometimes swim down from the Mæotis and the Euxine, through the Bosphorus and Propontis, into the Ægæan and Mediterranean Seas, and sometimes they swim from thence into the Euxin, according to the Nature of the Fish; and that in Shoals so thick and numerous, that you may catch them with your Hands. So that here is excellent fishing for Mackrel, Tunny, Cod, Porpois and Sword-Fish. But the Greeks fish more than the Turks, though these latter love Fish well enough; provided, they be of the Number of those, which they count clean; as for others, they had rather eat Poison than taste them, for a Turk had rather his Tongue or his Teeth were pluck’d out of his Head, than taste of any Thing they think to be unclean, as a Frog, a Snail, or a Tortoise. And herein, the Greeks are every jot as Superstitious as they; of which I will give you the Instance following.