THE BRITISH THEATRE.

1769.

The History of Muftapha and Roxalana.

The Merciless Mother-in-Law: or, The
Hiftory of Mustapha and Roxalana.
From Dr. Robertfon's Charles the
Fifth.

Tnificent, though diftinguished
HE emperor, Solyman the Mag.
by many accomplishments from the
other Ottoman princes, had all the
paffions peculiar to that violent and
haughty race. He was jealous of his
authority, fudden and furious in his
anger, and fufceptible of all that rage
of love, which reigns in the Eaft, and
often produces the wildest and most
tragical effects. His favourite miftrefs
was a Circaffian flave of exquifite
beauty, who bore him a fon called
Muftapha, who, both on account of
his birthright and merit, he deftined
to be heir of his crown.

Roxalana, a Ruffian captive, foon fupplanted the Circaffian, and gained the fultan's heart, Having the addrefs to retain the conqueft which he had made, the kept poffeffion of his love without any rival for many years, during which the brought him feveral fons, and one daughter. But the bappinels, however, that the derived from the unbounded sway she had acquired over a monarch, whom one half of the world revered or dreaded, was imbittered by perpetual reflections on Muftapha's acceffion to the throne, and the certain death of her fons, who the forefaw would be immediately facrificed, according to the barbarous jealousy of Turkish policy, to the fafety of the new emperor. By dwelling continually on this melancholy idea, the came gradually to view Mustapha as the enemy of her children, and to hate him with more than a step mother's ill will. This prompted her to with his deftruction, in order to fecure for one of her own fons the throne which was deftined for him. Nor did the want either ambition to attempt fuch a high enterprize, or the arts requifite for carrying it into execution. Having prevailed on the fultan to give her only daughter in marriage to Ruftan the grand vifier, the diclofed the fcheme to that crafty minifter, who, perceiving that it was his own intereft to co-operate with her, readily promifed his affiftance towards aggrandizing that branch of the royal family to which he was fo nearly allied.

July, 1769.

345

As foon as Roxalana had concerted her measures with this able confident, The began to affect a wonderful zeal for the Mahometan religion, to which and propofed to any Solyman was fuperftitiously attached, royal mofque, a work of great expence, but deemed by the Turks meritorious in the highest degree. The mufti, whom the confulted, approved much of her pious intention; but having been gained and inftructed by Ruftan, told her, that the being a flave could derive no benefit herself from that holy deed, for all the merit of it would accrue to Solyman the mafter, whofe property fhe was. Upon this the feemed to be overwhelmed with forrow, and funk into the deepest melancholy, as if the had been disgufted with life and all its enjoyments. Solyman, who was abfent with the army, being informed of this dejection of mind, and the caufe from which it proceeded, difcovered all the folicitude of a lover to remove it, and by a writing under his hand declared her a free woman. Roxalana, having gained this point, proceeded to build the mofque and reaffumed her usual chearfulness and gaiety of spirit. But when Solyman, on his return to Conftantinople, fent an eunuch, according to the custom of the feraglio, to bring her to partake of his bed, the feemingly with deep regret, but in the moft peremptory manner, declined to follow the eunuch, declaring that what had been an honor to her while a flave, became a crime now she was a free woman, and that he would not involve either the fultan or herfelf in the guilt that must be contracted by fuch an open violation of the law of their prophet. Solyman, whose paffion this difficulty, as well as the affected delicacy which gave rise to it, heightened and enflamed, had recourse immediately to the mufti for his direction. He replied, agreeably to the Alcoran, that Roxalana's fcruples were well founded, but added artfully, in words which Ruftan had taught him to use, that it was in the fultan's power to remove thefe difficulties, by espousing her as his lawful wife.

The amorous monarch clofed eagerly with this propofal, and folemnly married her according to the form of the Mahometan ritual. Though by

346

The Merciless Mother-in-Law: or,

July

fo doing he difregarded a maxim of fear; the introduced, as if by accipolicy which the pride of the Ottoman dent, fome difcourfe concerning the blood had taught all the fultans fince rebellion of his father Selim against Bajazet the First to confider as invio- Baj zet his grandfather: she took Jable. From his time none of the Tur- notice of the bravery of the veteran kish monarchs had married, because trops under Mustapha's command, and when he was vanquished and taken of the neighbourhood of Diarlequir to prifoner by Tamerlane, his wife had the territories of the Perfian fophi, So. been abufed with barbarous infolence lyman's mortal enemy. By thefe arts, by the Tartars. That no fimilar ca- whatever remained of paternal tenderlamity might fubject the Ottoman fa- nefs was entirely extinguished, and mily to the like difgrace, the fultans fuch paffions were kindled in his admitted none to their bed but flaves, breaft, as gave all Roxalana's maligwhofe difhonor could not bring any nant fuggestions the colour not only fuch ftain upon their house. of probability, but of truth. A deeprooted hatred now fucceeded to his fufpicions and fear of Mustapha. He appointed fpies to observe and report all his words and actions: he watched and stood on his guard against him as his most dangerous enemy.

But the more uncommon the ftep was, the more it convinced Roxalana of the unbounded influence she had acquired over the fultan's heart, and emboldened her to profecute, with greater hopes of fuccefs, the fcheme that he had formed in order to deftroy Mustapha. This young prince having been intrufted by his father, according to the practice of the fultans in that age, with the government of feveral different provinces, was at that time invefted with the adminiftration in Diarle quir, the ancient Mefopotamia, which Solyman had wrefted from the Perfians, and added to his empire. In all thefe different commands Mustapha had conducted kimfelf with fuch cautious prudence as could give no offence to his father, though at the fame time he governed with fo much moderation as well as justice, and displayed such valour and generofity, as rendered him equally the favourite of the people and darling of the foldiery.

There was no room to lay any folly or vice to his charge, that could impair the high opinion his father entertained of him. Roxalana's male volence was more refined. She turned his virtues against himself, and made use of these as engines for his deftruction. She often mentioned, in Solyman's prefence, the splendid qualities of his fon. She celebrated his courage, his liberality, his popular arts, with malicious and exaggerated praife. As foon as the perceived that the fultan heard thefe encomiums, which were often repeated, with uneafinefs; that fufpicion of his fon began to mingle itself with his former efteem of him; and that by degrees he came to view him with jealousy and

Having thus alienated the fultan's heart from Muftapha, Roxalana ventured on another step, and intreated Solyman to allow her own sons the liberty of appearing at court, hoping that by gaining access to their father, they might, by their good qualities and dutiful deportment, infinuate themselves into that place in his affections which Muftapha had for merly held and though what the demanded was contrary to the practice of the Ottoman family in that age, the uxorious monarch granted her request. To all these female intrigues Ruftan added an artifice ftill more fubtle, which compleated the fultan's delufion, and heightened his jealoufy and fear. He wrote to the bashaws of the province adjacent to Diarlequir, inftructing them to fend him regular intelligence of Muftapha's proceedings in his government, and to each of them he gave a private hint, flowing in appearance from his zeal for their intereft, that nothing would be more acceptable to the fultan than to receive favourable accounts of a fon whom he deftined to sustain the glory of the Ottoman name. bafhaws, ignorant of his fraudulent intention, and eager to pay court to their fovereign at fuch an easy price, filled their letters with ftudied, but fatal panegyrics of Mustapha, reprefenting him as a prince worthy to fucceed fuch an illuftrious father, and as endowed with talents which might enable him to emulate, per

The

haps

1769. The Hiftory of Muftapha and Roxalana.

haps to equal his fame. These letters were industriously fhewn to Solyman at the seasons when it was known that they would make the deepest impreffion. Every expreffion, in recommendation of his fon, wounded him to the heart; he suspected his principal officers of being ready to favour the most desperate attempts of a prince whom they were fo fond to praife, and fancying that he faw them already affaulting his throne with rebellious arms, he determined, while it was yet in his power, to anticipate the blow, and to fecure his own safety by his fon's death.

For this purpose, though under pretence of renewing the war against Perfia, he ordered Ruftan to march towards Diarlequir, at the head of a very numerous army, and to rid him of a fon, whofe life he deemed inconfiftent with his own fafety. But that crafty minifter did not chufe to be loaded with the odium of having executed this cruel order. As foon as he arrived in Syria he wrote to Solyman, that the danger was fo imminent, as called for his immediate prefence; that the camp was full of Muftapha's emiffaries; that many of the foldiers were corrupted; that the affections of all lean toward him; that he had difcovered a negociation which had been carried on with the fophi of Perfia, in order to marry Muftapha with one of his daughters; that he already felt both his talents and his authority to be inadequate to the exigencies of fuch an arduous conjuncture; and that the fultan alone had fagacity to difcern what refolution fhould be taken in those circumftances, and power to carry that refolution into execution. This charge of courting the friendfhip of the fophi, Roxalana and Ruftan badreserved, as the most envenomed of all their calumnies. It operated with the violence which they expected from Solyman's inveterate abhorrence of the Perfians, and threw him into the wildest tranfports of rage. He fet out inftantly for Syria, and haftened thither with all the precipitation of fear and revenge. As foon as he joined his army at Aleppo, and had concerted meafures with Ruftan, he fent a chiaus, or meffenger of the court, for his fon, requiring him to repair immediately to his prefence, Mufta

347

pha, though no stranger to his step-
mother's machinations, or to Rustan's
malice, or to his father's violent tem-
per, yet, relying on his own inno-
cence, and hoping to difcredit the ac-
cufations of his enemies by the promp-
titude of his obedience, followed the
meffenger without delay to Aleppo.
The moment he arrived in the camp,
he was introduced into the fultan's
tent. As he entered it, he could ob-
ferve nothing that could give him
any alarm: no additional croud of
attendants, no body of armed guards;
but the fame order and filence which
always reign in the fultan's apartments.
In a few minutes, however, several
mutes appeared, at the fight of whom
Muftapha, knowing what was his
doom, cried with a loud voice, Lo my
death! and attempted to fly. The
mutes rushed forward to feize him, hey
refifted and ftruggled, demanding
with the utmoft earnestnefs to fee the
fultan; and defpair, together with
the hope of finding protection from
the foldiers if he could efcape out of
the tent, animated him with fuch
extraordinary ftrength, that for fome
time he baffled the efforts of the exe-
cutioners. Solyman was within hear-
ing of his fon's cries, as well as of the
noife which the ftruggle occafioned.
Impatient of this delay of his revenge,
and ftruck with terror at the thoughts
of Muftapha's escaping, he drew afide
the curtain which divided the tent,
and thrufting in his head, darted a
fierce look towards the mutes, and
with wild and threatening geftures
feemed to chide them for flowness and
timidity. At fight of his father's fu-
rious and unrelenting countenance,
Muftapha's ftrength failed him, and
his courage forfook him: the mutes
fattened the bow-ftring about his
neck, and in a moment put an end to
his life.

The dead body was expofed before the fultan's tent. The foldiers gathered round it, and contemplating that mournful object with astonishment, forrow and indignation, were ready, if a leader had not been wanting, to have broke out into the wildeft exceffes of rage. After giving vent to the first expreflions of their grief, they retired each man to his tent, and fhutting themselves up, bewailed in fecret the cruel fate of their favou

X x 2

rite:

The Hiftory of Anabaptifm;