Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1906-04-12
1pN11Nr FREDER1OK COUNTY, MD THURSDAY IL, 1906

loyalty Of the people, my status that
Of a dependent prince. my wealth
greater than that of any other pasha
in the empire.
And thus circumstanced did l live
on. In 164O the Sultan died Of fever,
accelerated by terror at an eclipse of
the sun, and was succeeded by his
brother Ibrahim,
Snail slow in action, dull of apprehension,
Rich in delay and doubt, confusing all
things,
whose milder temper. though appre-
ciated by the people with whom he
was In immediate touch, soon effaced
the good effects of Amurath's iron dis
cipline. Ibrahim reigned but eight
years, and the power and wealth of
Turkey dwindled SO marvellously un
der his rule that to save the empire
from disintegration the Mutt agreed
upon an edict to extinguish this feeble
minded voluptary; and he was accord
ingly bowstrung. and his son. the pres
ent Sultan Mahomet w., then a child
of seven. set in his place.
The regicide of 1648 failed entirely OF
its object. and the people of Turkey
were plunged into even greater misery
by the deadly rivalry for supreme In
fluence which ensued between the
Sultanas Mahpeiker and Tarkhan,
grandmother and mother of the infant
Sultan Mahomet. The feud was main
tanied with the utmost bitterness, and
each of the principals attracted to
herself faction of rashas. The Turk
ish treasury, always the prey of Court
officials, was soon empticd by the host
of thieves who saw in this division
an opportunity to enrich themselves;
and poverty and disatfection prevailed
in the land Demands for money
from my province became larger ana
more frequent, until at last they could
no longer be met. In n vigorous re-
monstrance to Sultana Mahpeikcr and
her advisers, reviewed my conduct
during the whole term of my pashal1c,
insisting upon the impossibllity OF IN
creasing the tribute from Trebizond,
and requesting permission to resign
my office. My report did not reach
Constantinople until few days after
the death Of Mahpeiker. who had been
assassinated by partisan of Tarkhan.
About the time this intelligence was
brought to me my son. charming bo!
of fifteen, tkr delight and hope of IL
life, succumbed to malaria, and l de
termined to return to England.
The corrupt cabal then ruling at
Constantinople would, | was sure, op
pose my departure from Trebizond, for
a like reason and probably by similar
means that Signor Battista's depar-
ture from ConstantinOple was opposed
in 1922. OF this had no doubt, and |
ordered my conduct accordingly. escap
ing in q Muscovite merchant ship to
Taganrog, when Travelled slowly.
and with no incident worth the telling
to London, arriving in the latter city
on Christmas eve in the year 165l,
bringing with me goodly store Ol
Turkish money and jewels. c2d the
ten chests of sequins just as they were
nine years before, and as they remain
even to this day.
December 81 am disposed to think
there are very few men who can look
back upon lorg life with unmixed
satisfaction, but l hope the larger
number of men are more happily cir
crmstanced in this respect than tho
old man who pens this record. There
remains but little for me to tell. and
| am weary of writing about myself
At Holdenhurst l found my brother
Mathew alive and happy in the com
panionshp of his wife and sons and
daughters, as, thank God, he is to-
Gay. And now twenty years nave
passed since l returned to England,
all of which Except brief and fruit
less visit which | made to Venice in
1860 to discover the heirs of Signor
Pietro Simona) have been passed in
this quiet English village where ] was
born. The alchemical investigations
with which have occupied my leisure
have failed to yield the results l had
hoped for, and my only wish now is
that my life (Which by many signs
| know is now surely tending to ito
close) may be prolonged sufficiently
to allow me to found hospital for the
poor of ST. Edmuld's Bury with the
Venetian sequins which for safety
have lain so many years immurcd in
the Abbott's Cell beneath this house.
Is 1t too much to pray for, that my
Maker shall regard the charitable act
l contemplate as some slight atone
ment for my bitterly repented renun
citation of the faith of my fathers and
of the riotous excesses of my youth and
middle age? Truly do l now well
perceive that Lust is flame which
rages fiercely and expires, while Love
endures forever and is clothed with
immortal youth.
ROGER TRUEMAN
To no continued.