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.

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    a Pilgrim, leaping up and down, with elevated Eyes, contracted Forehead, and a Vifage full oi'Paffion and Deformity, he held a Dagger in his hand, and ^ skip’d about with fuch conceited violence, as made me take his zealous Tran]forts, for an Air of Madnefs, fo that thinking him fome Ample Antick, I laugh’d aloud at his extravagant Diverfion. H E faw me laugh and made direftly towards me, with his brandifh’d The barbarous Weapon, which a Greek Interpreter, endeavouring to turn afide, receiv’d ^2ous°Mad- unhappily to the Hilt within his Bofom ; I began at this, to change my hu- man?lS ” 3 mour, and endeavour to prevent the proffer’d Salutation of the Pilgrim's Dagger,. flapping back, I drew my Sword, and kept him at a diftance {fill retiring from his aggravated Fury, which being now encreas’d to double height by now and then a thruft upon his Wrift, he grew quite defperate, and finding that he cou’d not come within my Sword, ftep’d back a Foot or two to gather force, and threw the Dagger fwiftly at my Breaft, with all the Strength that Zeal and Anger cou’d lupply his Arm with. PROVIDENCE perverted Its dejign'd EtfeD, and led me to avoid the danger of its Point, by finking fuddenly with Knees upon the Ground, but dreading the Event of his continued Villany, I made a ftrong and lucky Thruif, which pierc’d his Bofome through and through, and brought Anodd way him ftagg’ring to the Ground, to reach the Paradife he hop’d to gain, of reaching by fuch a bloody Method, and inhumane Species of miftaken Merit. Heaven. NOT one pretended to detain us from Efcaping ; but on the contrary, difcontinued all their Infolences, to gather numeroujly round the Body, and repeat a Prayer for his departing Soul, defiring Mahomet to fee the Piety of his Intention, and reward his Death with the allur’d Pofleifionof expe&ed Glory. A ftrange and horrid Principle! alike deftru&ive to the Turks them- [elves, and Strangers in their Country, who feldom let the Death of an affaulted Friend go unreveng’d; by which means all the Trading Towns of Turkey, conftantly afford fuccefiive Scenes of Murder and Deftra&ion. • * * \ K f * f * | - • . 4 - It ' 07 V. rt '• 'j’t ' *» V' ' ! ‘J ; ' 1 } • I i * ? T / S i l (1 t I I '* >7 • f ' * • . THE wonderful Difcovery of a barbarous Murder hap’ning in the time of my continuance in this Country, claims a Place in my Remarks for two great Reafons; firjl, the oddnefs of the thing it fe]f, diftinguifhes the Accident in a lurprizing Manner;; and fecondly, the never-1(leeping Juftice of Almighty God, appears canfpicuoufly in the ftrange Convittion of fo black a Villany. THE Sackah, or the Man who carry’d Water for the Ufe of our Em- a story of bajfador at Conjlantinople, us’d to fill his Leathern Velfels at a very deep and tf?e wonderful ancient Well not far beyond the Buildings of the City, where one Morning, Murder^ ot 3 he with great furprize beheld the liffelefs Body of a Man without his Head, lie weltring in a ftream of Blood; difrob'd, and mangled in a thoufand Pla¬ ces, to difguife him from the Knowledge of fuch Travellers as mightoccafi- onally pafs that way ; the virile marks of Nature were entirely cut away, that fo the Proofs of Circumcifion, or omijjion of that Ceremony, might not a curfed Po? fpeak him lurk, or Chrijlian. licy. (i tfj !-.«/. 4 , ,r f f '! v:VA 1 . ■»<¥!' ; 4 .• • : ... CONCERN’D to view fo fad a. Spectacle, the melancholy Sackah foon return’d, and telling every Man he faw the Accident he met with, endlefs Crouds of curious People flock’d to fee the headlefs Trunk of this unknown, and milerable Object ; for a Week or Two it made a mighty noife about the Town, and great Enquiries were for fome time made, in or¬ der to difcover the inhuman Author of this ftrange Barbarity. ;' M 2 ' BUT