the whole, twenty thousand men, all ready to
follow his highness, if he commanded them. The rear was closed by
the volunteers, who came to beg the honour of dying in his service.
This part of the shew seemed to me so barbarous, that I removed from
the window upon the first appearance of it. They were all naked to
the middle. Some had their arms pierced through with arrows, left
sticking in them. Others had them sticking in their heads, the blood
trickling down their faces. Some slashed their arms with sharp
knives, making the blood spring out upon those that stood there; and
this is looked upon as an expression of their zeal for glory. I am
told that some make use of it to advance their love; and, when they
are near the window where their mistress stands, (all the women in
town being veiled to see this spectacle) they stick another arrow for
her sake, who gives some sign of approbation and encouragement to
this gallantry. The whole shew lasted for near eight hours, to my
great sorrow, who was heartily tired, though I was in the house of
the widow of the captain bassa (admiral) who refreshed me with
coffee, sweetmeats, sherbet, &c. with all possible civility.

I WENT two days after, to see, the mosque of sultan Selim I. which is
a building very well worth the curiosity of a traveller. I was,
dressed in my Turkish habit, and admitted without scruple; though I
believe they guessed who I was, by the extreme officiousness of the
door-keeper, to shew me every part of it. It is situated very
advantageously in the midst of the city, and in the highest part of
it, making a very noble show. The first court has four gates, and
the innermost three. They are both of them surrounded with
cloisters, with marble pillars of the Ionic order, finely polished,
and of very lively colours; the whole pavement is of white marble,
and the roof of the cloisters divided into several cupolas or domes,
headed with gilt balls on the top. In the midst of each court, are
fine fountains of white marble; and, before the great gate of the
mosque, a portico, with green marble pillars, which has five gates,
the body of the mosque being one prodigious dome. I understand so
little of architecture, I dare not pretend to speak of the
proportions. It seemed to me very regular, this I am sure of, it is
vastly high, and I thought it the noblest building I ever saw. It
has two rows of marble galleries on pillars, with marble balusters;
the pavemen