prefentative; and that they were not only bound to obey his commands, with the hazard of their lives, against his enemies, but even, whenever he commanded them, to lay down their lives, with the fame refignation that is by others thought due to the decrees of the Supreme Being.-In the third place, all the lands in the conquered: countries were divided into timariots, or foldiers fhares, except thofe that were referved and appropriated to the emperor's immediate ufe. And thefe fhares being only at pleasure, or for life, leave him abfolute proprietor of all the lands in his dominions; which, by the common idea of power being annexed to land, muft in confequence make him the moft abfolute fovereign in the world; efpecially as, in the fourth place, there are no honours or charges, any more than lands, allowed to be hereditary, but all to depend upon the will of the prince: This obliges every man, who has ambition or avarice to gratify, to court his present humour, ferve his present designs, and obey his commands, : of what nature foever they are.-Fifthly, the fuppreffion, and in a manner extinction, of all kinds of learning among the subjects of their whole empire; at least among the natural-born Turks and janizaries, in whom the ftrength of it confifts; except the study of the Alcoran. This ignorance paves the way for the most blind obedience; which is often fhaken by difputes concerning religious principles, as well as of thofe of government, dominion, and of other matters.-Sixthly, the inftitu tion of the famous order of the janizaries; which confifted in the arbitrary choice of fuch Chriftian children throughout their dominions, as from their natural vigor of conftitution, ftrength, and boldnefs, were supposed to be moft fit for the emperor's peculiar fervice. These were taken into the emperor's care, and trained up by officers appointed for that purpose, who endeavoured to improve all the advantages of nature, by thofe of education and difcipline. They were all diligently inftructed in the Mahometan religion, and in the veneration of the princes of the Ottoman race; and, at a certain age, were entered into the body of janizaries, who were the emperor's guards. By this means the power of the Chriftians was continually leffened throughout the empire, and weakened by the lofs of the strongest and braveft of their men; while that of the Turks was increased in the same proportion; and a chofen body of troops kept up continually, who efteemed themselves not only as fubjects of the empire, but as the domestic servants of the Grand Seignor's perfon and family.-Seventhly, the great temperance introduced among all orders of men in the empire, by the fevere defence of, and abftinence from, wine; and by the provision of one only kind of food for their armies, which was rice.-Laftly, the promptnefs, as well as severity, of their justice, both civil and military; which, although it is often subject to mistakes, and deplored by the complaints and calamities of innocent perfons, is ftill maintained. among them прод this fixed principle," that it is better two inno 66 cent perfons fhould die, than one guilty live." -Upon these principles the whole frame of their political government was formed; and it appears to have been the moft tyrannical, fierce, and cruel, of any that has ever been practifed in the world. As the religious tenets of the modern Turks and Moors are different, in many parts, from those which were originally taught by Mahomet, I shall here take a curfory view of the principal of their religious ceremonies, and articles of belief.-They believe in one God, creator of heaven and earth, who will recompense the good, and punish the wicked; the former in Paradise, and the latter in Hell: they believe that Mahomet was a great prophet, whom God fent into the world to teach mankind the way to falvation, and called them Muffelmans, or the refigned in God: they believe in the laws of Mofes, and are obliged to obferve them. -Friday is the day of reft among them, as Sunday is among the Chriftians; on which day they affemble themselves in their temples at twelve o'clock to offer up their public prayers. They are obliged to pray in public and in private, five times a day; namely, in the morning, at noon, in the evening when the fun fets, and at one o'clock in the night.. During the month or the moon which they call Ramazan, they neither eat nor drink all the day till after the fun is fet; but, during the night, they eat and drink as much as they think proper, of flesh and fish, except fwine's flesh flesh and wine, which are forbid them at all times. After this, which they call fafting, they have the feaft of the great Bairan, as the Christians have Eafter after Lent. They are charitable to the poor, and are obliged to give, on the first day of the year, the tenth of all that they have gained the preceding year, for the fupport of those who cannot fupport themselves. They believe, that after hav. ing well bathed and washed their bodies, and said a prayer that is appropriated to this ceremony, they have the foul likewife cleanfed from all fin and wickedness; which is the reason that they fo often wash themselves, especially before they fay their prayers. They continue the ceremonies of circumcifion in the fame form that they were heretofore taught by Mahomet. They believe that the Alcoran was brought to Mahomet, at different times, by the angel Gabriel, in the city of Mecca, because that the Jews and the Chriftians had altered the holy Scriptures, and the law of God. Marriage is ftill continued among them upon the fame plan that was regulated by Mahomet; but they may quit their wives whenever they please, on paying them what was promised by their refpective contracts of marriage, and re-marry themfelves as they fhall think proper; however, the women are obliged to wait fo long as to be well affured that they are not with child before they can marry again, and the hufbands are obliged to keep, and to take proper care of, the children. Those children which they have by their flaves or miftreffes, miftreffes, are placed upon the fame footing with those which they have by their wives, and are all regarded as legitimate. They do not believe that Jefus Chrift was God or the Son of God, neither do they believe in the Trinity; but they fay, that Jefus Chrift was a great prophet, born of a virgin, and that he was conceived by divine inspiration, without a father, as Adam was created without a mother-they fay that he was not crucified, but that God took him up into heaven, and that he will come again upon the earth, before the end of the world, to confirm the law of Mahomet : they also affert that the Jews, fuppofing that they were crucifying Jefus Chrift, only crucified one of their own people who refembled him. They have the greatest veneration for the cities of Mecca and Medina in Arabia; because that Mahomet was born in the former, and buried in the latter: they go in pilgrimage to thofe places, by way of peni tence, and. carry thither innumerable prefents of great value, to offer up to the shrine of Mahomet. They pray to God to pardon their fins; and likewise pray to their faints, of which they have a great number, to intercede for them: but the principal part of them believe, that the foul and the body continue together in the grave till the day of judgment. They have not the use of bells among them, but at the hour of their priests prayer, mount up into a tower, which is at one corner of the temple, and with a loud voice call the people to prayers, which are fung in the manner that we |