Volume 1

A full and just account of the present state of the Ottoman Empire in all its brances: with the government, and policy, religion, customs, and way of living of the Turks, in general ... from a serious observations, taken in many years travels thro' those countries / By Aaron Hill.

  • Aaron Hill
Date:
1709
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A full and just account of the present state of the Ottoman Empire in all its brances: with the government, and policy, religion, customs, and way of living of the Turks, in general ... from a serious observations, taken in many years travels thro' those countries / By Aaron Hill. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    104/418 (page 54)
    54- TheSoboigsor T H E Common Preachers in the Turkijh Churches are the Suhoigs, a Prei hers of port Qp jyjen p0litelp Bred, of Eminent Perfection both in Mind and Body, vers’d Gentelely, in a more than common knowledge of the liberal Arts and Sciences, and fedate Profeflors of the rules of Moderation ; thefe are mod refpeCted by the Turks and Chn/hans, and are really fo AccompliBi’d in external Carriage, and the Vnfeign'd Practice of an Inward Piety, that ’tis not common to behold their Fellows even in the mod Refin'd and Po- l/JJj'd parts of Well-bred Chridendom. * r The Muftee. THE Head of their Religion is the Muftee, an Officer of the highcd Dignity, as to the reffeci, which all Men lhow him, but not extreamly Powerful], in that he is rather look’d upon as an undoubted Oracle, in Cafes ofDifputein Judiceor Divinity, than as Poifeifor of a large and Perfonal h[s°Salary3and Authority. Heis Created by the Sultan's Choice, who puts him on a Rich Perquifites. and Splendid Ved of Sables, and confers upon him as his Places's due, the Yearly Salary of about two Thoufand Pounds, which by the Sale of certain Benefices in his Gift, belonging to the Royal Mofques of Conflan utopis, and the frequent Prelents he Receives from Foreign Minijters and thoie of a ur- key, is Improv’d to 3 times as much again. The Emirs or I may fet down amongd the Orders of the Turks Religious, the Emirs Kindred ot or Branches of their Prophets Family. Thefe are fo highly Valued by all fei^Sed h°W forts of People, that’tis prefent Death, to lift an Hand again# their Per- fons. They are Independent on the common Government, and Subject to fom & Grave and Ancient Member of their own Fraternity: They Wear a fort of Turbant High and Stately, in Bulk not much Inferiour to a Britifb Bufhel: Its Colour is and mud be Green, for that alone Didinguifhes their Lineage ; and is Worn,becaufe it was the Colour of their Prophet’s Standard, which a Member of their Brotherhood mud always Carry to the War, when the Grand Sigmor does appear himfelf in Field. ike TurfyjJ) IN order to maintain their Stately Mofques, and Endlefs Numbers of Funds for the Preids about ’em, above one Third of all the Lands within their Em- of their Ckr- Pfre> are appointed for the Railing Sums of Money to defray the Charges gy. of Religious Edabhfhments, and luch Prodigious Gifts are daily added to the Settled Income of the Lands Appropriated for the ufe of all their Royal and Inferiour Churches, that the fix'd Revenue of that Famous Mofque Revenue3of diftinguifli’d by the Ancient Name of Santa Sophia, does Amount to near sanusophu. one Hundred Thoufand Pounds per Annum. Their rreijis 1 HE Prieils of Turkey are not, as in Chrijlendom, fubfervient to the tobtheVcivit higher Power of Superiour Clergy, but every Man dependant wholly on Magiftrates. the Civil Magidrates of his r effective Panfi, l’o that having no difpute up¬ on the feveral Priviledges of Spiritual and Temporal Authority, they mingle mildly in a joint Obedience, the Clergy Blowing due refped to the Unbridled Laity, and the latter giving daily Proofs of a Profound and Decent Veneration to the Office of the former, which they Blow diffidently in that refpeclfuil Style wherewith they commonly Addrefs them. TurZ Addrefs ^ 0 you the Rich and Valued Mines of Eloquence and Wifdom, bright their Clergy. Directors to the Paths of God, belov'd of Heaven, and Children of the Prophet, the Glories of Religion, and Illujlrious Pillars of Unbyafs’d Juflice, may your Judgment be Encreas’d, and joys be Doubled, &c. The Turkijh T Rxmjtann, o: 1 now proceed to an Account of the befbrenam’d third Injunction of their onhErd^ ^ropbet to the Followers of his Dodrine, and that is, to obferve a Fuji ^ * °^f\ Month in twelve: Phis Fad they call the Rarnazann, and keep it by the different Courles ot the Moon, always falling fooner out each Year than other.