R t l igion.
Ecdefiaftîc
Geography.
Government!
fad rather dodoxs of the law, while the Koran is alfo a code pf^civii
obfervance, and is expounded in numerous trealifes which regulate the
proceedings of the ecQlefiaftic jydges.1 From the Moulahs a^e ^d^edt
the inferior Muftis, or judges, throughout the-empire ; and the Cadi-
lefquiers or chief juftices. •
The next clafs of divines Are the Imaums ,or' parifh priefts, who perform
the fervice 'of the mofks, while the Cadi&'are judges annually
appointed to adminifter juftiete in,the.towns and villages;'being them-
felves to be regarded as churchmen, who like the Moulahs havedi>
reded their chief attention to the juridical part of fhe'Koran.
From this brief view it will be obferved, that the. eiSciefiaftical orders
o f Muftis and Imaums fomewhat refemble the chriftian bifliops' a n d
parochial clergy: while the other diftindions arife from the; Singularity
o f both religion and laws being united in the Koran, fo that, a lajvyqr
or judge inuft at the fame time be a fkilful dfyirie.,' -
The Turks have alfo their monks, ftyfeo. DervHkes', *<5f foti?'Various
orders and inftitutions, dedicated by folemn vows to religious offices;,
public prayer, and preaching; A moft lingular order 'ife that o f thd
Kadri, who appear almoft in a ftate. of nudity, and aflfed to difplay their
devoribn by frantic and "extravagant-dahees:.
The Greeks, along with their faith, retain their-priefts, bilhopsj
archbilhops, and patriarchsbut their church is in the jaft ftate of
degradation, and its dignities opehly fold by the Turks. Travellers
have expreffed the deepeft regret , at this abomination, arifing4partly
from the Mahometan delight in rendering the Chriffians contemptible ;r
and partly, it muft be confefled, from the miferable -ambition and avarice
of the Greek ecclefiaftics, who think they can atone by idle here«*
monies for the negled of all the invaluable morality of the golpel;
The ecelefiaflic geography of thefe degraded regions rnuft-of hdiirfe
be only interefting to the mere antiquary, as it can throw no tight on
its hiftory, and little even on its topography.
The Sultan is a defpotic fovereign j but he is himfelf ftridly fubjed
to the laws o f the Koran, which including alfo the national religion,
raife fuch obftrudions to his abfolute will, that an intelligent' traveller
* Porter’ s Obfervations on the T urk s, p . 4 1 , See.
pronounces
pftfnoUnces many Chriftian fovereignties more defpotic;* Yet the fame
a u th o r allows that, dfrVórder to feCureprivate property,-the rèverfion is
^bmmdtoly affignedkotfie.; church, which would- thus in time fwallow
up aft tthe©ftates and pofleffioltS ofrthd em p irc /iT n no European countr
y has.the'gwern-meiït'rdvCTibeêtf.ibwderpotic'tbat a recourfe to fiinilar
ipjadioe became riefcefljaBy.^ But at] appears that the delpotifm o f the
m o n a rch is b a l a n c e d / n o t to mention the
in fu rre d io n s \ q£ Janizaries br'.Pragtoriafr bAnds/'ehe' common peril e f
every despotic-adminiftr^tion, thp-reèent-jftfafters. have greatly infringed
th e p ower o f the'Sult&rt: T e r m an y ■ PathaS' haye ufurped the. fovéreign
powpr over th e ir -own prd'vifoces;oand fed every? effort ©f theTWte- a t
defiance, th an which th e re ’cannot<he a ftronger fymptom o f the pe r-
‘d-ition o f the efnpire’.-
T h e T u rk ifh laws,. as has.been already-mentioned,'are contained in
th e Koran,, and in th e , comm ents\pfr approved and renowned dodors;
S g j r e l i g i o u s ,fyftem has ever made iM firft appearance
amid a great and enlightened ^ nation, b u t o n ly in fmall tribes, and in the
firfbfteps o f the fpcial pre>gr©fs, fo th e laws ©f th e ,K d fan ; however well
adapted,’to 'a few poor and fimple-Arabs, y e t as Mahomet'had no vifion
the Rories o f Bagdad, .Jfpahan,! Samarkand, Delhi, C airo ,' Gördovaj
Or Conftantinople,^ bjspcodepjlfttlef prUvide^ for thé advanced ftageVof
ICofiety. T o fupply this d e fed , fucceffive -Mouiahs-of high reputation,
ufing th e -’Kqran.,.as a ;k ind ;q f text, h^yér'QQöftruded eorrrmentaries
which, have-acquired the-fprcejOfi laws.- T h e Turkifh empire is-chiefly
grqided b y thofe o f Abou-Hanif?.; As a due {kill in thefe.commentaries
requires confiderable ftudy^.ec^le.fiaftlcs yerfed in this fcience became
in fom e . degree a d iftin d frofly from,,thofe. merely dedicated ;to th e
priefthood. T h e laws c^nceraing ,property are fufficieudy equitablèj
and it is a grofs miftake to fuppofe that females dó n o t in h e r it; but it
■Would be vain to deny th a t th e avarice qf,the Pafhas, and the venal
difpofition o f the priefts, would, overleap the; barriers fet even by Mahomet,
and much more thofe. appointed hy;hjs commentators. T h e
written laws o f a country may be.excellent, -while the mal-adminiftra-
tiOn leads to, every oppreffion; and the., moft enlightened travellers
*• Porter, ,p, ,76,
'" 3 m *
Govern.
MEKT.
Laws.
leave