Eleventh Emperor of the Turfa.

Twelfth Empi
df the Turfy. J$
1648. She being a bold and fròtte Woman, employed man Family, within the Walls of ah obfcurê 1*48-
U-y-u ail ber Rbetoriek and Eloquence to perfwade the and unhappy Prifon, fo that 'tis no wonder,
Souldiery not to offer Violence to the Perlon of
I their Lord and Matter ; promifing that he fliould
relinquifh the Government, and retire himfelf
with a Guard into his old Lodgings. Ibrahim
comforted a little, that he mould fave his Life*
fhrunk himfelf willingly into his ofd Shell)
H wherein he bad fo long confer ved bis Life. . ]\
In the mean time the Confpirators taking
forth his cldeft Son Sultan Mabmtt,kt him on
the Throne of his Father, and planting the Sar*
goucb. or Imperial Feathers on his Head, fàlu-
L ° ted him for Emperor with loud Acclamations.
Ibrahim continued his: Imprifonment for forae
days with great patience, but at length growing
defperate and furious, often beat his Head againft
the Wall, until at length, he was on, the
angled by four Mutes..
In this manner Sultan Ibrahim ended his Days,
H which puts me in mind of the laying of a wifer
and a better King than be» That there is little di-
:e between the Prifins and tht Cr mitt tf Prin*
ttt. And this "Example made a great Officer
underftand hovt K'atgCharlet the Glorious Mar-
I tyr was put to Death. For he, I think it was
the Great Vizier, Ming into Difcourfe with the
Ghief Englifh Interpreter at G9tifiMtim$k% not I
then calling to mind the Fate of Sultan Ibrahim,
demanded, How, smd when King Charles was put
mfc
H
H
M
to Death ? Sure, faid he. Your King mult have
no Power, or your People muft be more Rebellious
and Mutinous than other Nations of the
World, who dürft commit an Adì fo horrid and
lue as this. See» laid he» How our Emperor is
revered and obferved, and how fubmiflive and
obedient half the World is to the Nod of our
Great Monarch. To which the Interpreter replyed,
that to recount onto him the Hiftory and
Occafion of this prodigious Fact, would be too
long and tedious for him to hear : but that the
time it happened, was 'fbme Months after the
Death or Murder of Sultan Ihr Mm ; which was
an htm fiifficient to give him a perfect undcrftanding
of what he required.
Sultan Ibrahim having İn this manner ended
his Days, the Government was committed into
the bands of the Grand Vizier, and the old
Queen-Mother (which is flie whom we call Kufim
in the Ottoman State) and of twelve pa-
/haws i who were to manage all Affairs withfupream
Power, during the Minority of Sultan
Aiahomtt% who now Reigns»
Ibrahim was the fifth Son of Sultan Achmet,
born of the fame Mother with Sultan Jhbrat,
Educated like the other younger Sons of the Otto-
1 ^Op^,
If wanting the advantages of feeing and practifing
in the World, he mould neither have ftu«. ^
died Men, nor been experienced in the Art of
Government. Nor lefs ftrange is it,. being natural
to humane Infirmity i' for Men who have
Jived under Reftraint, Affliction, and fear of
Death, to become licentious and immoderate -
in all kind of Pleafures, whenlbever they paß
on a fudden from the depth of Mifery to feme
tränkenden t degree of Happinefs and Profperity,
which as, 1 ray, all Men are naturally fubjeCt
unto, fo more especially tbofê whole Religion
indulges them all kind of fonfual Carnality in/this
Life.
Ibrahim was in his own Nature of a gentle
and eafy Temper,of a large Forehead,of a quick
and lively Eye and ruddy Complexion, and of a
good Proportion in the Features of his Face«
but yet had fomething in the Air of his Countenance,
that promilcd no great Abilities of
Mind. And giving himfelf up to all kind of
Effeminacy and Softnefs, attended not unto the
Government of tiis Affairs, and therefore it was
his greatelt misfortune to be ferved by wicked
and faithlefs Officers to whom he trufted, and
to whom he gave Credence, wanting in himfelf
the Talents of Wifdom and Difcretion to
difcern their Malice.
The continual apprehenfions that he entertained
of Death during his Imprifonment, had
fò frozen his Confutation with a ftrange frigidity
towards Women, that all the dalliance and
warm Embraces of the molt inflaming Ladies
in the Seraglio» could not in a whole Years
time thaw his Cold nefs-, which was the occafion
at firft of that Report» which fpokehimto
be impotent towards Women : during which
time he attended to his Mjnifters of Juftice» and
to a management of the Affairs of his Empire,
which in the beginning ojHhis Reign gained hunt
a Credit and Reputation, and railed a great expectation
of his goodnefsand' Care of his Sublefts
Welfare, an evidehca-o€ which, he gave
in his Charge to the Great Vizier, that be
mould put no Man to Death unleß for Capital
and Enormous Crimes. But at length lofîng him-'
felf in Lufb and Senfualkies» he forfook the
Helm of his Regency, committing the guidance
of his Empire to other Hands : and as be was
ignorant of War, fohe fooli oily fported in the
Calms of Peaces and fuffèring himfêlf ta be
guided only by Fortune, fdt the Stroke thereof
in his raft Unhappy Fate.
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