In the lower part, near the bottom of the Hill, Morad the second, 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 Mosch and Sepulcher of the Emperor Bajazid the first, whom the Turks call Jilderim or lightning, and the Greek Writers λαίλαψ. Not far from hence is the Mosch of Mahomet the first, and his Sepulcher. Toward the West upon the side of the Hill is the Mosch of Morad the First, whom they call Gazi or the Conqueror, near which he lies buried. There are in the whole about 124 Moschs, 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 Bath in, and are covered over, that they may be used in all Weathers. Among others, there is a large round Basin, 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 Alcoran, according to which they frame their Discourse, whensoever either Zeal or Curiosity puts them upon this Topick. 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 confess'd, though against their Wills, Christ to be the Son of God, so this Dæmoniack in the midst of all his Forgeries and Lies, and Ridiculous and Childish Narratives, not being able to contradict the universal Belief of the Christians of that, and the preceding 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 hapned 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 Humane Nature; that he was of a most Holy and Exemplary Life, that he was the true Word of God, the Apostle or Ambassador 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 Brutishness 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 Heresie of Socinus and profess'd Mahometanism.
I could never yet see any Turkish Translation of the Alcoran; they cry up the Elegance of the Style, which being Enthusiastick 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 Politick 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 Arabick, 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 Bassa's or Tartars. The present Sultana, the Mother of the young Prince Mustapha, is a Candiot; the Valide or 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 receiv'd into the Seraglio, by her beautiful Complexion and cunning Behaviour, gain'd the Heart and Affection of Sultan Ibrahim (a Man wholly addicted to soft Pleasures, and who seldom cared to be long absent from the Women's 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 Splendor 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-Wagons, but that they are latticed 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 convinc'd 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 redeemed him from his Patron, and having made the poor Wretch turn Turk, got him considerably preferred.
The Bassa's for the most part are the Sons of Christians, taken into the Seraglio, near the Emperor's Person, and so are prefer'd to considerable Governments, or else they raise themselves by their Conduct and Valour. Mahomet Bassa in the time of Achmet, whose eldest Daughter he Married, was the first natural Turk, that was made chief Vizir, having before been Captain Bassa. The chief Vizir Mahomet Kupriuli, (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 the Janizaries and Saphi's, who drove different ways) was an Albaneze by Birth, the Son of a Greek Priest, whom out of the height of 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 Mosch. 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 Swound, 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 Moschs, and hanging out Lamps; both which they look upon as Solemn and Essential to the exercise of Religion; but he as the effect of Bigotry and Superstition.