Some of the more zealous Turks cause to be engraven on their Scymitars and Bucklers a Sentence out of the sixty first Surat, which is concerning Fighting or Battle-array, and contains Incouragements to Fight in the Way and Paths of God, as the Impostor Words it; for which he assures them, besides assistance from Heaven to help them to get the Victory over their Enemies, and that God will Pardon their Sins and bring them to Paradice. Thus spirited with Zeal, a Turk lays about him with Fury, when he is a fighting, and seems ambitious of dying to gain the delights of Paradice, at least indifferent whether he dies or lives.
The Turks are as to their Temper serious, or rather inclining to morosity, seldom Laughing, which is accounted an argument of great Vanity and Lightness. They perform the Exercises, which they use in the way of Diversion, as Shooting and Hunting, with a great deal of gravity, as if they designed them more for Health than for Pleasure; and this too but seldom. The better and richer sort, who have nothing to do, sitting all Day at Home, lolling upon a Sofa or rais'd Place in their Rooms, and taking Tobacco, which their Slaves fill and light for them: And if they retire in the Summer or Autumn, for a Week or Fort-night to some convenient Fountain in a Wood with their Women, it is chiefly to enjoy the Refreshments of the cool Air. In the times of Triumph indeed for some great Success obtained against the Christians, when the Shops are open for three Nights together, and hung with Lights, as well as the Spires of the Moschs in curious Figures, they are guilty of extravagant Mirth, running up and down the Streets in Companies, and sometimes Singing and Dancing after their rude way; but this fit being over, they soon return to their former Melancholy. In the Coffee-Houses where they use to resort to Tipple, there is usually one hired by the Owners to read either an idle Book of Tales, which they admire as Wit, or filthy obscene Stories, with which they seem wonderfully affected and pleased, few of them being able to Read. These are the Schools, which they frequent for their Information, tho' in times of War, when things went ill with them, their Discourses would be of the ill Government; and the Grand Signior himself and his chief Ministers could not escape their Censures, which manifestly tending to Sedition, and to the heightning of their Discontents by their mutual Complaints, and by this free venting of their Grievances during the War at Candia, the Wise Vizir seeing the evil Consequences that would follow, if such Meetings and Discourses were any longer tolerated, Commanded, that all the publick Coffee-houses should be shut up in Constantinople and several other great Cities of the Empire, where the Malcontents used to rendezvouz themselves, and find fault upon every ill Success and Miscarriage with the administration of Affairs.
The custom of the Turks to salute the Emperor or the Vizir Bassa's with loud Acclamations and Wishes of Health and long Life, when they appear first in their Houses or any publick Place, is derived from the Greeks, who took it from the Romans. This was done by them in a kind of Singing Tone; whence Luitprandus Bishop of Cremona tells us, that in a certain Procession (προέλυσις) at which he was present, they Sang to the Emperor Nicephorus πολλὰ ἔτη that is, many Years, (which Codinus, who lived just about the taking of Constantinople, by the Turks, expresses τὸ ψάλλειν τὸ πολυχρόνιον or by τὸ πολυχρονίζειν and the wish or salute by πολυχρόνισμα) and at Dinner the Greeks then present wish'd with a loud Voice to the Emperor and Bardas, Ut Deus annos multiplicet, as he Translates the Greek.
The Turkish Coin in it self is pitiful and inconsiderable, which I ascribe not only to their want of Bullion, but to their little Skill in matters relating to the Mint. Hence it comes to pass that Zecchines and Hungars for Gold, and Spanish Dollars and Zalotts for Silver stampt in Christendom pass current among them, most of the great Payments being made in them, they not caring either through Ignorance or Sloth to follow the Example of the Indian or Persian Emperors, who usually melt down the Christian Mony imported by the Merchants into their several Countries, and give it a new Stamp. The most usual pieces are the Sheriphi of Gold, somewhat less in value than a Venetian Zecchine, and Aspers; ten of which are equal to six Pence English, and some few three Asper Pieces. A Mangur is an ugly old Copper Piece, eight of which make but one Asper, and is not I think a Turkish Coin, but rather Greek. They have no Arms upon their Coin, only Letters embossed on both sides, containing the Emperor's Name, or some short Sentence out of the Alcoran.
The Turks look upon Earthquakes as Ominous, as the vulgar do upon Eclipses, not understanding the Philosophy of them. During my stay in Constantinople, which was above 2 Years, there hapned but one, which was October 26. 1669. about six a Clock in the Morning a stark Calm preceeding. It lasted very near a Minute, and we at Pera and Galata were as sensible of it, as those who were on the other side of the Water; but praised be God nothing fell, and we were soon rid of the Fears in which this frightful Accident had cast us, being in our Beds, and not able by reason of the Surprize in so little a space to have past through a Gallery down a pair of Stairs into the Court, if we had attempted it. The Turks made direful Reflexions on it, as if some Calamity would inevitably fall upon the Empire, quickly forgetting the great Triumphings and Rejoycings which they exprest but a few Days before for the Surrendry of Candia. In the Year 1668. in August, the Earth shook more or less for forty-seven Days together in the lesser Asia at Anguri (Ancyra), and for fifteen at Bacbasar, as we heard from a Scotch Merchant, who liv'd there: And particularly, that at this latter Place on the second of August, between three and four of the Clock in the Afternoon it lasted for a quarter of an Hour; several Houses were overthrown, and some hundreds of Chimneys fell (it being a very populous Town) and yet there were but seven kill'd. The trembling being so violent, both Turks and Christians forsook their Houses, and betook themselves to the Fields, Vineyards, and Gardens, where they made their Abode for several Days.
Their Punishments are very severe, this being judg'd the most effectual way to prevent all publick Disorders and Mischiefs. They use no great Formality in their Processes: If the Criminal be taken in the Fact, and the Witnesses ready and present to attest it, and sometimes if there be but probable circumstances, without full Conviction, condemn him; and soon after Sentence, sometimes an Hour, or less, hurry him away to Execution. For an ordinary Crime, hanging is the usual Death: But for Robbery and Murder, committed upon the High Way by such as Rob in Parties and alarm whole Provinces, or for Sacriledge, or for any hainous Crime against the Government, either Gaunching or Excoriation, or cutting off the Legs and Arms, and leaving the Trunk of the Body in the High Way, or Empaling, that is, thrusting an Iron Stake through the Body out under the Neck or at the Mouth; in which extreme Torment the miserable Wretch may live two or three Days, if the Guts or the Heart happen not to be wounded by the pointed Spike in its Passage. This Punishment seems to have been in use among the Romans, Seneca's Epist. 14. Cogita hoc loco carcerem, & cruces, & eculeos, & uncum, & adactum per medium hominem, qui per os emergat, stipitem: and so in his Book De Consolatione ad Marciam cap. 20. Ali capite conversos in terram suspendere: Alii per obscena stipitem egerunt: Alii brachia patibulo explicuerunt. Murder is seldom Pardon'd, and especially if the Relations of the Murder'd Person demand Justice.
The Circumcision, tho' it be a Sacred Right, is perform'd in their private Houses, and never in the Moschs.
The Women colour their Eye-Brows and Lids with an ugly black Powder, I suppose, to set off their Beauty by such a Shadow; and their Nails with the Powder of Kanna, which gives them a Tincture of faint Red, like Brick (as they do the Tails and Hoofs of Horses) which they look upon as a great Ornament. Their great diversion is Bathing; sometimes thrice, if not four times a Week. They do not permit them to go to Church in time of Prayer, for fear they should spoil their Devotion: The Turks being of so brutish a Temper, that their Lust is rais'd upon the sight of a fair Object. They are call'd oftentimes by the Names of Flowers and Fruits, and sometimes Phantastick Names are given them, such as Sucar Birpara, or bit of Sugar, Dil Ferib, or Ravisher of Hearts, and the like.