Annals of the Turkish Empire, from 1591 to 1659. Mustafa Naima
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though they were, to attempt something, and prepared to engage some of these iron-cased infidels. They on perceiving his boldness dashed towards his standard and knocked it down. The contest became general. Ja’fer himself fought most desperately, though almost up to the breast in mud and water; and continued thus to show his bravery, till all who were about him either perished or fled from the contest, and he himself was nearly taken prisoner: such was the heroic boldness which this brave man evinced on this occasion of unequal battle. Several of the ághás came up to him and begged him on bended knees to retreat. “It was no bravery,” they observed, “for a handful of men to contend with a host; it was not necessary, in order to escape the reproach of the enemy, to throw one’s self into utter ruin and destruction: it was impossible for a small number of men, however valiant they might be, and where there was not one to a thousand, either to resist such a vast multitude as that with which they then contended, or even to make an impression upon it. Return,” they still continued, “return to the Moslem camp, and do not be the cause of the destruction of troops whom no one will blame. Such conduct can never advance the general interest.” This exhortation had not the desired effect on the mind of the valorous chief. It was night before he consented to yield to their entreaties. One Ahmed, in consequence of the darkness of the night, led his horse to the gates of Agria. The whole of his ordnance and heavy baggage fell into the hands of the enemy. About thirty or forty of the men perished; and had not night come on, not one of those who had entered the lists with the iron-cased soldiery would have escaped alive. Their retreat was however marvellously quick, for they performed in one night a journey of three days.
The emperor, on receiving intelligence of the above disaster, which was now become public, was displeased with Ja’fer, reprimanded him for his adventurous mode of attack, which ought to have been made during the night, deposed him from all his offices, and granted his principality to Mohammed Páshá, Sinán Páshá’s son.
On the morning after the disaster above described took place, the grand vezír, the reverend prelate, Sa’d-ud-dín, the vezírs and other magnates assembled in the royal pavilion, in order to take into grave consideration the propriety of giving the enemy battle or not. In this august assembly most of the grandees opposed the experiment of offering the enemy battle. The excellent and reverend Sa’d-ud-dín, however, formed an exception. He rose and addressed the assembly in the following heroic speech: “Doubtless, it is right,” said he, “to give battle to the enemy of our religion and perish to a man, rather than suffer their insult to pass unnoticed and with impunity: for should they perceive any unwillingness on our part to meet, or if they see us begin to retrace our steps, then most assuredly they will attack us. To act in this way, would be like alluring a bird into a gin. More especially,” continued he, raising his voice, “was it ever heard that an emperor of the Ottomans turned away his face from danger!” And even after the members who composed this council entered the royal apartment, he continued to express the same sentiments and with the same freedom—and again added: “the situation in which this fortress (Agria) is situated, is far from being favourable to our engaging with them in so narrow a space. Should they, for instance, succeed in placing their artillery on the surrounding hills, we shall find it hard work to resist them. The plains where the enemy now lies encamped afford ample space for performing heroic exploits: thither let us march. This is the first and only thing which ought to be attended to. We must attack them and not they us.” So much for the reverend prelate. The bold and heroic speech of the veteran priest made a deep impression on the heart of his royal master, and awakened within him that innate bravery which he had inherited from his ancestors.
It was proposed by some in the assembly, that Hasan Páshá, the válí of Romeili, should be appointed to conduct the next attack. This was opposed. To conduct so important an expedition as the one now contemplated, it was absolutely requisite, not only that the whole of the army should be called into requisition, but that the emperor himself should be its conductor. This last proposition met with the royal approval, when the discussion, of course, came to an end. The Reïs Effendí immediately sent off dispatches to Sultán Fateh Gheráí, brother to the Tátár khán, in which he instructed him to be on the look-out for such stragglers as might chance to fall in his way.
After the above-mentioned assembly or council broke up, the grand vezír Ibrahím Páshá entered into the fortress, and made a selection of such pieces of ordnance as could most easily be made use of in the approaching conflict. Among other arrangements which the grand vezír attended to, he appointed Súfí Sinán Páshá and Lála Mohammed Páshá, governor of Anatolia, with his provincial troops, to take charge of the garrison or rather fortress of Agria. Towards evening he returned to the emperor’s pavilion, when a note from the reverend prelate was put into his hand; it imported, that if the Anatolian troops were to occupy the fortress of Agria, his majesty, when he entered the field of battle in consequence of this arrangement, would necessarily be defenceless on one side. “This,” said the sagacious prelate, “is a dangerous thing. If the enemy should even attempt to get possession of Agria, its present garrison is sufficiently able to hold out till succours can be sent to them. From the garrison, in the day of battle, no aid can be expected. It is therefore proper that the troops of Anatolia, according to ancient custom, be appointed to form the right wing.” Lála Mohammed Páshá was, accordingly, ordered to be in readiness with the troops under his command.
After having made a distribution of provisions to those employed in repairing the breaches and appointed to garrison the fortress, many of whom were very ill off, the zealous, the orthodox army stood fully prepared to take the field.
The Orthodox Army advances to attack the Enemy.
Early in the morning of the 1st of the month of Rabia II. after the troops were all properly adjusted, and when his Majesty, the asylum of the world, had mounted his steed with pomp and great glory, the moslem, the orthodox legions, commenced their march, which they continued till after mid-day, when they happened to halt at the very place at which Ja’fer Páshá halted, when he was sent to surprise the enemy, as before related. The grand vezír lost no time in advancing a little farther, in order to reconnoitre the enemy’s camp and apparent strength; and having made his observations, he determined in his own mind on commencing hostilities on the following day. He reached his own tent towards evening, and after having offered up his devotions, he was suddenly put into a state of surprise by the appearance of a royal letter which was brought to him from the emperor, and which was as follows: “I appoint thee, my lálá or adviser, to be commander-in-chief in this war: may I not return to Constantinople?” The grand vezír, as may easily be conceived, was utterly confounded and astonished at this sudden and unexpected change in the emperor’s views, and hastened to consult the Reïs Effendí on the subject. They were not long together, however, when a messenger arrived to call them to the emperor, who wished to see them. They proceeded to the royal pavilion together, and it was about supper-time when they reached it. Here they were met by Ghaznafer Aghá, the steward of the royal house, who took the vezír aside and conversed with him privately, and both afterwards entered into the royal apartment, and laid themselves down to sleep there. It was not long after they had laid themselves down, when behold, sixty-three iron-cased captives, which were sent by Fateh Gheráí Sultán, were arranged before the royal pavilion. The object in sending these prisoners was to elicit from them information respecting the enemy, and the grand vezír and Ghaznafer were soon on the spot to put the proper interrogatories to them. The grand vezír said to Ghaznafer in their hearing, “Let the money promised by our gracious emperor be paid to these men, and let them have security afforded to them of their personal safety.” The ághá replied, that he would do all these things. This stratagem of the vezír and the ághá had the effect intended, viz. that of making the prisoners tell all they knew concerning their late associates in arms. They confirmed the account, more than once received before, of the confederacy formed among the European powers for annihilating the Ottoman dominions; and moreover, that Zughmund, the bán or chief of Transylvania, was amongst the enemy. The prisoners, after having given the above information, were immediately slain, and the grand vezír returned to his own tent.
Early