Emperor was slack in their donatives, and former allowances out of his treasury; they stormed beyond measure, and threatened the visiers and bashaws to have a better account of the business; crying out, they would not be quiet, till they were employed in one service or other. To this the visier replied, that he wondered at their baseness and audaciousness, that, having failed in all their enterprises, they durst yet complain of any accident, more than their own cowardice. As for the satisfying of wilful men, they would not violate the laws of nations, or infringe the contracted peace with other kingdoms, to appease the mutinies of turbulent spirits, who, if they might have their own demands, knew not what to demand. As for yourselves, what would you have? You know the treasury is exhausted, and the dearth is so great, that we have not sufficient to buy us bread; and, for your murmurings and repinings against the Majesty of the prince, as if he alone were branded with misfortune, or born under some disastrous constellation; how can this be, that, with the same hands, wherewith you boast you uphold the empire, you will presumptuously pull it in pieces? But I see the reason, this is for lack of discipline to make you know yourselves; and so I cannot resemble you better than unto stinking weeds and nettles, which, crushed hard, lose their force, and cannot hurt at all; but, gently handled, will sting and endamage one. Till this they were not much enraged, but now no flames could exestuate more than their fury and ravings; for they dared to condemn the visiers, and cried out on their childish and unfortunate Emperor, that, having neither sufficient wit nor courage to govern the state, must be overruled by such, as made policy, covetousness, and ambition, the supportation of their greatness, and the commanding voice to do what they list, without controul; yea, such was the refractory disobedience of them at this time, that many offered to lay violent hands both on himself and his servants, and had not the aga, or their captain, come in to their pacification, they had questionless begun a war of mischief, and insolent trouble. Well, they are quieted all this time; the suspicion of further uproars and mischiefs made the whole city stand upon their guard, and every bashaw strengthened himself with as many friends as he could; and the visiers, for security of the Emperor, assembled the causes, cappagies, spaheis, and janisaries of the court, to guard the seraglio, and watch the passages. Now you must consider, that there hath been ever enmity and emulation between these janisaries of the palace, and janisaries at large; whereupon, when these understood, that they were appointed for opposition, and saw plainly, that there was a device to single them out, that so they might be brought in question for their mutinics; they resolved, with Herostratus, that burnt the temple of Diana, to perform some nefarious and notorious outrage, to be remembered to posterity, or be registered for an exorbitant action; and so, in multitudes past belief, they set upon the Emperor's seraglio, broke open the iron gates, dissipated the guards, seized on the women, and took as many bashaws as they could: But the chiefest reason, why they offered this outrage, is as followeth: Sultan Osman having taken out of the treasury of Seven Towers a good quantity of gold, and being therewith passed over into Asia, with resolution to go unto Mecca: The great Mufti, his father-in-law, having laboured with all the greatest of the court, whom it pleased not at all, that their Emperor, being so young, should make so far and long a voyage; not being able to remove him from his resolution, as he desired, did, in policy, spread a rumour abroad, that the Emperor had taken so many millions of gold away with him, purposing therewith to make new wars against his enemies, notwithstanding the small satisfaction he had given in the late wars against Poland. Which coming to the understanding of the spahies and janisaries, they rise, and in a fury ran unto the tower, wherein Sultan Mustapha was imprisoned, and, taking him thereout, saluted him Emperor, who was lawfully elected by the father of Osman. This coming to the knowledge of the young Emperor, he sent his grand visier, and the aga of his janisaries, to appease the same, who were presently slain by the soldiers in their fury. By which accident the young Emperor, to remedy this disorder, being forced to come himself in person, was instantly made prisoner, and brought to the presence of his uncle Mustapha; who, having framed judgment against him, caused him to be carried prisoner to the same tower where he himself had been prisoner, and the night following to be strangled, with two of his sons but lately born; which was most inhumanly commanded by Mustapha, his own uncle; who, for the more security, to keep the empire from another usurpation, caused it to be effected. It is also written, that, although he condescended to deliver into their hands all the chief men they required, which were the principallest of the Ottoman court, who afterwards were all slain with the sword; though he proffered them great gifts, yea to increase their stipends, and other preferments; all could not avail, to asswage the anger of the soldiers. It is further reported, that the Emperor had given in charge to the keeper of the tower, that he should suffer Mustapha to die of hunger, to avoid those disgraces and accidents which since had befallen him; and it seems he had already sustained some want of food; for, so soon as he came to be set at liberty by the people, he presently cried out for water, saying, he was ready to die of thirst, and that, if he had not come out of prison when he did, he presently had yielded up his life, being, as he said, wonderfully preserved by his God Mahomet. When the young Emperor Osman was brought to his presence, he kneeled on his knees, and craved pardon of him for his life, as heretofore Ottoman had done the like to him; But Mustapha answered, saying, that favour I have received cometh from heaven, and not from your hand. He afterwards caused the grand Mufti, the great Turk's uncle, to be put to death, who had formerly bereaved him of so great an empire, and made him a Masul, which is as much as to say, as a man deposed from his office. He placed, in the room of the dead visier, Daut Pascias, a man of great wisdom, and one that had demeaned himself well in matters of greatest importance. It is also said, that the death of the young Emperor is very ill taken by the soldiers; for they desired the death of none of them, but that they might be reconciled, and govern them as their natural lords and princes, as they best could agree; and the rather, for that, by reason of the death of the aforesaid Osman, the whole race of the Ottomans is extinguished, if the two children are put to death, as is reported, for that Sultan Mustapha, now emperor, is held unable for gene .ration. Others report, that Sultan Osman was not as yet gone over into Asia, but was upon going, and that the mufti, and other his adherents, not being able to remove him from his resolution, did use this but as a device to divert him, casting this rumour among the people, viz. the spahies and the janisaries, as is aforesaid, which happened to his ruin, and a declination and ending of the Ottoman empire. To come to a conclusion: Never was so violent an act so suddenly performed, nor so quickly repented: For the janisaries stood amazed at their own villainy, and, by night, there was not a man seen, that durst justify their treasons; for they fled for the present, no man knew whither; and those, which remained, were afraid to stand for the glory of the house of Osman, but they would live and die in the obedience of a worthy Emperor. But how this uproar ceased, or tumult was appeased; what offenders be taken, or how punished; what bashaws be slain, or from whence others are admitted; by what means the doctors of the law came together again, or whether they escaped: if you long to know, I long as much to inform you; which, if I may do, I will do, according to the next certificate that comes. The Advice of that worthy Commander, SIR EDWARD HARWOOD, COLONEL. WRITTEN BY KING CHARLES'S COMMAND, Upon occasion of the French King's Preparation; And presented in his life-time, by his own hand, to his Majesty: hitherto, being a private Manuscript. ALSO, A RELATION OF HIS LIFE AND DEATH. Whereunto is also annexed divers remarkable Instructions, written by the late, and EVER-FAMOUS EARL OF ESSEX. All tending to the Securing and Fortifying of this Kingdom, both by Sea and Land, and now seasonably published for the benefit of these times. A word spoken in season is like Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver. Printed at London, for R. Harford, 1642. Quarto, containing forty pages. In Memoria Col. Harw. Equitis Aurati. Carmina quid canerem? Tristes imitantia Musas. Vixit, quem dederat cursum Deus, ille peregit, Though Holland honour'd be, to keep the dust Nor vast enough, his merits on to seat: * This is the 88th Number in the Catalogue of Pamphlets in the Harleian Library. But, should I write his praise, it would be thought, To judge thereof, as he the work shall find: M. DRAPER. To the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons, assembled in the High Court of Parliament. Right Honourable Lords, and worthy gentlemen, who are all embarked in the ship, the Commonwealth; and as, in a ship, there are divers agents, whereof some of the chiefest sit at the stern to govern; others of an inferior rank climb the mast, hoist sails, and do inferior works in it, all of them according to their several ranks, as they do the duties of their several places; so have interest in the common good, and either do, or ought to mind the publick welfare of it: And as, in building of the tabernacle, some of the chief sort brought gold, silver, and precious stones, others of inferior sort, goats hair and badgers skins, every man, according to his ability, did contribute to the same. I, though but of the inferior rank in this ship, even the meanest of all others, yet embarked therein, see not but I ought to endeavour, though but in inferior works, the good of it, who, though I have not gold, silver, or precious stones, nor any thing besides my poor prayers to advance the glorious tabernacle, yet would, with Ahimaaz, run also, as one willing and desirous to do good, if I had any ability in myself, or opportunity: But having nothing of my own, finding this little manuscript among the papers of my dear deceased brother, and considering the troublesomeness of the times, the fears of the better sort, and hopes of the worse: I have adventured to make it publick, which though written some time since, and upon another occasion, yet there may something be gathered out of it, if I mistake not myself, which may be of good use for these present times of our fears, and sad apprehensions; wherein if there be any thing, which in your grave wisdoms, you may think fit to put in execution, it shall much rejoice me, that I brought it to the light, or at least, if it may but occasion your wisdoms to take into your serious consideration the subject-matter of it, which is the securing of the kingdom against all dangers, that may come to it, and in your wisdoms to think upon better directions, that may remove the fears and apprehensions of most men in these tumultuous times, by reason of the insurrection of our neighbouring kingdom, and the just fears we have of these pestilent enemies of our church and commonwealth, the papists in this kingdom, and their adherents, the prelates: Now as concerning my brother's manuscript, as it was penned in time of |