186 honored by the glory of islam
the chase in the spring of 1 665 at a favorite hunting ground less than two days’
journey from Edirne, a place where the sultan made it a point to hunt for two
days while returning from his fi rst Polish campaign:^22
On Thursday the twenty-fourth [of Shaban] his eminence, our sov-
ereign, rode in state to Pasha Köy. On the return journey, as he was
passing through the countryside and engaging in the hunt, from
his own imperial hand he let loose a hound after a rabbit, then he
rushed after it, giving his horse free rein. He went quite a distance
on that path. Then one of his servants informed him that in that
place a cow was about to give birth. At once he reined in his horse
and halted at that place and viewed the spectacle and awesome
wisdom of God the Creator of All Things. Out of his royal compas-
sion, his imperial majesty wished to assist that cow in giving birth,
and so he had the cow’s drover brought into his presence. And the
sultan remained there until the cow gave birth. Afterward, with no
intermediary he addressed the drover: “are you a Muslim?” When
the cattle drover made his Christian status known, out of royal com-
passion the sultan called him to the true religion and guided him to
the straight path with complete gentleness and softness. “Come,”
he said, “become a Muslim. Let me give you a means of livelihood
and God will forgive all your sins. In the afterlife you will go straight
to Paradise.” The sultan offered Islam to him more than once, but
the Christian refused. Yet when the sultan’s servants present in that
place made him aware of the situation saying, “The one speak-
ing with you and saying to you, ‘be a Muslim,’ is none other than
his eminence the majestic emperor, the Refuge of the Universe in
person,” at that moment the cattle drover became guided onto the
right path and with alacrity he accepted Islam and his son followed
him. The convert related that previously he had been offered the
faith in his dreams several times. Everyone was amazed at these
events. Out of the exalted royal favors he was given many excel-
lent coins and a gatekeeper position at the pay scale of fi fteen akçe
per day. The sultan issued an order to his servant, deputy grand
vizier Mustafa Pasha, that the man and his son be attached to the
gatekeepers of the Old Palace in Edirne. After the sultan returned
from his ride and rested in his palace [in Edirne], he related this
event, with his own blessed imperial tongue, to this humble servant
[Abdi Pasha]. “Today,” he said, “I did not, in truth, simply go on the
chase. Rather, by divine wisdom, while pursuing a rabbit I chanced