The charter of the privileges granted to the English, &
the league of the great Turke with the Queenes Majestie
in respect of traffique, dated in June 1580.
WE most sacred Musulmanlike Emperour, by the infinite
and exceeding great power, by the everlasting and
wonderfull clemencie, & by the unspeakable helpe of the
most mighty & most holy God, creator of all things, to
be worshipped and feared with all purenesse of minde, and
reverence of speech, The prince of these present times,
the onely Monarch of this age, able to give scepters to
the potentates of the whole world, the shadow of the
divine mercy and grace, the distributer of many kingdoms,
provinces, townes and cities, Prince, and most sacred
Emperour of Mecca, that is to say, of Gods house, of
Medina, of the most glorious and blessed Jerusalem,
of the most fertile Egypt
, Jemen
and Jovan, Eden
and
Canaan
, of Samnos the peaceable, and of Hebes, of Jabza,
and Pazra, of Zeruzub and Halepia, of Caramaria and
Diabekirvan, of Dulkadiria, of Babylon, and of all the
three Arabias, of the Euzians and Georgians, of Cyprus
the rich, and of the kingdomes of Asia, of Ozakior, of
the tracts of the white and
blacke Sea, of Grecia
and
Mesopotamia
, of Africa
and Goleta, of Alger
, and of
Tripolis in the West, of the most choise and principall
Europe, of Buda
and Temeswar, and of the kingdomes
beyond the Alpes
, and many others such like, most
mightie Murad Can, the sonne of the Emperour Zelim
Can, which was the sonne of Zoleiman Can, which was
the sonne of Zelim Can, which was the sonne of Paiizid
Can, which was the sonne of Mehemed Can, &c.
We most mightie prince Murad Can, in token of our
Imperiall friendship, doe signifie and declare, that now of
late Elizabeth Queene of England, France and Ireland
,
the most honourable Queene of Christendom (to whose
marchants we wish happy successe) sent her letters by
her worthy servant William Hareborne unto our stately
and most magnificent Porch replenished with justice,
which is a refuge and Sanctuary to all the princes of the
world, by which letters her Majestie signified, that whereas
heretofore certaine of her subjects had repaired to our
saide stately Porche, and had shewed their obedience to
the same, and for that cause had desired that leave and
libertie might also be granted unto them, to come and goe
for traffiques sake too and from our dominions, and that
our Imperial commandement might be given, that no man
should presume to hurt or hinder them, in any of their
abodes or passages by sea or land, and whereas shee
requested that we would graunt to all her subjects in
generall, this our favour, which before wee had extended
onely to a fewe of her people: therefore as wee have
entred into amitie, and most holy league with the most
excellent kings and princes our confederats, shewing their
devotion, and obedience or services towards our stately
Porch (as namely the French king, the Venetians, the
king of Polonia
and others) so also we have contracted
an inviolable amitie, peace and league with the aforesaid
Queene. Therefore wee give licence to all her people, and
marchants, peaceably and safely to come unto our Imperiall dominions, with all their marchandise and goods
without any impeachment, to exercise their traffique, to
use their owne customes, and to buy and sell according
to the fashions of their owne countrey.
And further her Majestie signified unto us, that certaine
of her people had heretofore bene taken prisoners, and
were detained in captivitie, and required that they might
bee set at libertie, and that as we had graunted unto other
Princes our confederats, priviledges, and Imperiall decrees,
concerning our most inviolable league with them, so it
would please our Imperial Majesty to graunt and confirme
the like priviledges, and princely decrees to the aforesaid
Queene.
Wherefore according to our humanitie and gracious
ingraffed disposition, the requests of her Majestie were
accepted of us, and we have granted unto her Majestie
this privilege of ours agreeable to reason & equitie. And
we straightly command all our Beglerbegs, and Zanziacbegs our servants, and our Reyz, that is to say, our
Judges, and all our customers in all places, havens and
passages, that as long as this league and amitie with the
conditions, and articles thereof, are kept and observed on
the behalfe of the aforesaid Queene.
- Our Imperiall
commandement and pleasure is, that the people and subjects of the same Queene, may safely and securely come
to our princely dominions, with their goods and marchandise, and ladings, and other commodities by sea, in
great and smal vessels, and by land with their carriages
and cattels, and that no man shall hurt them, but they
may buy and sell without any hinderance, and observe
the customes and orders of their owne countrey.
- 2 Item, if the aforesaid people and marchants shalbe
at any time in the course of their journeis and dealings by
any meanes taken, they shall be delivered and inlarged,
without any excuse or cavillation.
- 3 Item, if their ships purpose to arive in any of our
ports and havens, it shalbe lawful for them so to do in
peace, and from thence againe to depart, without any let
or impediment.
- 4 Item, if it shall happen that any of their ships in
tempestuous weather shall bee in danger of losse and
perishing, and thereupon shall stand in need of our helpe,
we will, and commaund that our men and ships be ready
to helpe and succour them.
- 5 Item, if they shalbe willing to buy any victuals for
their money, no person shall withstande them, but they
shall buy the same without any disturbance to the
contrary.
- 6 Item, if by any casualtie their shippes shall bee
driven on shoare in perill of shipwracke, our Begs and
Judges, and other our Subjects shall succour them, and
such wares, and goods of theirs as shall bee recovered
from the losse, shall bee restored to them, and no man
shall wrong them.
- 7 Item, if the people of the atoresayd Queene, their
interpreters and marchants, shall for trafique sake, either
by lande or Sea repaire to our dominions paying our
lawfull toll and custome, they shall have quiet passage,
and none of our Captaines or governours of the Sea, and
shippes, nor any kinde of persons, shall either in their
bodies, or in their goods and cattels, any way molest
them.
- 8 Item, if any Englishman shall grow in debt, and so
owe money to any other man, and thereupon doth absent
himselfe that he can not be found, let no man be arrested
or apprehended for any other mans debts, except he be the
surety.
- 9 Item, if any Englishman shall make his will and
testament, to whom soever by the same hee shall give his
goods, the partie shall have them accordingly, and if hee
die intestate, hee to whom the Consull or governour of
the societie shall say the goods of the dead are to bee
given, hee shall have the same.
- 10 Item, if the Englishmen or the marchants and interpreters of any places under the jurisdiction of England
shall happen in the buying and selling of wares, by
promises or otherwise to come in controversie, let them
go to the Judge, and cause the matter to be entred into a
booke, and if they wil, let them also take letters of the
Judge testifying the same, that men may see the booke
and letters, whatsoever thing shall happen, and that
according to the tenour thereof the matter in controversie
and in doubt may be ended: but if such things be neither
entred in booke, nor yet the persons have taken letters
of the Judge, yet he shall admit no false witnesse, but
shall execute the Law according to justice, and shall not
suffer them to be abused.
- 11 Item, if any man shall say, that these being Christians have spoken any thing to the derogation of our holy
faith and religion, and have slandered the same, in this
matter as in all others, let no false witnesses in any case
be admitted.
- 12 Item, if any one of them shall commit any great
crime, and flying thereupon cannot bee found, let no man
be arrested, or detained for another mans fact, except he
be his suretie.
- 13 Item, if any slave shall be found to be an Englishman, and their Consull or governour shall sue for his
libertie, let the same slave be diligently examined, and if
hee be found in deed to be English, let him be discharged
and restored to the Englishmen.
- 14 Item, if any Englishman shall come hither either
to dwel or trafique, whether hee be married or unmarried,
he shall pay no polle or head money.
- 15 Item, if either in Alexandria, Damasco
, Samos
,
Tunis
, Tripolis in ye west, the port townes of Ægypt, or
in any other places, they purpose to choose to themselves
Consuls or governours, let them doe so, and if they will
alter them at any time, and in the roome of the former
Consuls place others, let them do so also, and no man
shall restraine them.
- 16 Item, if their interpreter shalbe at any time absent,
being occupied in other serious matters, let the thing then
in question bee stayed and differed till his comming, and
in the meane time no man shall trouble them.
- 17 Item, if any variance or controversie shall arise
among the Englishmen, and thereupon they shall appeale
to their Consuls or governours, let no man molest them,
but let them freely doe so, that the controversie begunne
may be finished according to their owne customes.
- 18 Item, if after the time and date of this privilege,
any pirats or other free governours of ships trading the
Sea shall take any Englishman, and shall make sale of
him, either beyonde the Sea, or on this side of the Sea,
the matter shalbe examined according to justice, and if
the partie shalbe found to be English, and shall receive
the holy religion, then let him freely be discharged, but
if he wil still remaine a Christian, let him then be restored
to the Englishmen, and the buyers shall demaund their
money againe of them who solde the man.
- 19 Item, if the ships of warre of our Imperiall highnesse
shal at any time goe forth to Sea, and shall finde any
English ships laden with marchandise, no man shall
hinder them, but rather shall use them friendly, and doe
them no wrong, even as wee have given and granted
articles, and privileges to the French, Venetians, and
other Kings and princes our confederats, so also wee have
given the like to the English: and contrary to this our
divine lawe and privilege, let no man presume to doe any
thing.
- 20 Item, if either their great or small ships shall in the
course of their voyage, or in any place to which they
come, bee stayed or arrested, let no man continue the
same arrest, but rather helpe and assist them.
- 21 Item, if any theeves and robbers shall by force take
away any of their ships, and marchandise, let the same
theeves and robbers be sought, and searched for with all
diligence, and let them be punished most severely.
- 22 Last of all the Beglerbegs, and Zanziacbegs, our
Captaines, our slaves and servants of Captaines using the
sea, and our Judges, customers and governours of ships
called Reiz, and free Reiz, all these, according to the
tenor of this privilege and articles, shalbe bound to doe
accordingly: and, as long as the Queene of England on
her part shall duely keepe and observe this league and
holy peace, expressed in this privilege, we also for our
Imperial part, do charge and commaund the same so long
to be straightly kept and observed.
Given at Constantinople, in the 988. yeere of our most
holy prophet, in the beginning of the moneth of June,
And in the yeere of Jesus 1580.
