After having said this, he began to relate the great irregularities of some of the pashas, and thereby brought his matter so far that he was again received into favour, and certain pashas dismissed from their posts. Ferhat Pasha was strangled the next day, and out of his property the Emperor ordered more than a million and ahalf to be taken for his treasury. Synan was made vizier, or chief over the pashas, in his place.
After this our allowance of two aspers each was not paid for a whole quarter, and our aga went to court and mentioned us to the vizier, who answered angrily that he would have us flayed alive, and our skins made into drums. This was told us sorrowfully by the aga, who bade us entreat God that the vizier’s anger might be appeased. Then both our men and the Transylvanians took some fortresses from the Turks, and blew a good many. When this news was brought to Constantinople, the Turks immediately prepared for war, and Synan was proclaimed grand serdar, or commander-in-chief.
And since he had been very unfortunate in the preceding year, he used every exertion to prevail upon the Sultan to march into Hungary in person. He also induced the soldiers, especially the spahis and janissaries, to make themselves heard, and declare that, since they had had no luck against the giaours under any pasha, they would not march to war without the presence of the Sultan; but, if he would go with them, every man, who had but the strength to do so, would march without opposition and with a good will. And not only did they make themselves heard orally to this effect; but when the Sultan went to church they presented him written petitions, requesting him to go to Hungary against the
