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Lesson 6: Introducing JavaScript

TRUE/FALSE

1. JavaScript is undoubtedly the most widely used technology on the World Wide Web.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 141

2. A string is limited to 256 characters.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 142

3. A meaningless sequence of gibberish or cryptic symbols can also be a string.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 142

4. In JavaScript, the opening curly brace ( { ) indicates the beginning of a statement block, and the
closing brace ( } ) marks the end of that block.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 145

5. If you make the mistake of entering HTML tags within a JavaScript code block, your browser will still
display them without error.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 147

6. It would be easier to enter the code that can display simple static text messages in a browser using
HTML than to use the JavaScript document.write() method to display the same text messages.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 147

7. If using the else keyword in a JavaScript if statement, the else keyword appears immediately after the
statement block of the if clause and is accompanied by a statement block of its own.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 148

8. HTML tags do not conform to the rules of JavaScript syntax; therefore, the JavaScript interpreter
cannot process them.

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 147

9. Once the condition has been evaluated, either the if statement block or the else statement block will be
executed, or both.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 152

10. Strictly speaking, the rules of JavaScript syntax require a semicolon at the end of each line.

ANS: F PTS: 1 REF: 152

MODIFIED TRUE/FALSE
 1. It is easy for a Web browser to detect whether a particular Web page contains embedded JavaScript
code. The person who creates the document should use the <string> tag to mark the beginning of a
JavaScript section. ____________________

ANS: F
script
<script>

PTS: 1 REF: 142

2. Method names are always followed by a parameter list, even though the list is sometimes empty.
____________________

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 143

3. The syntax of the conditional statement in JavaScript is very important. The statement begins with the
keyword if, and then a condition is specified within a pair of parentheses. ____________________

ANS: T PTS: 1 REF: 147

4. A JavaScript condition will always consist of two statements separated by a relational operator.
____________________

ANS: F, tokens

PTS: 1 REF: 148

5. If the result of the condition is true, the else block will run. ____________________

ANS: F, if

PTS: 1 REF: 152

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. JavaScript is sometimes referred to as a programming language, but it is more accurate to call it a ____
language.
a. scripting c. sequence
b. helper d. process
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 142

2. Programming languages must be converted from a human-readable form to a machine-readable form

by a specialized piece of software called a ____.
a. binary code c. compiler
b. method d. programmer
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 142

3. When working with a compiler, the ____ controls the conversion process of turning human-readable
code into a machine-readable form.
a. browser c. source program
b. programmer d. target program
 ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 142

4. With JavaScript, the browser will convert the script into its equivalent machine-readable form called
____ code.
a. primary c. binary
b. secondary d. sequential
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 142

5. The primary purpose of JavaScript is to generate text that will be inserted into the standard ____ text
stream.
a. HTTP c. FTP
b. HTML d. TCP/IP
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 142

6. The syntax of the parameter list consists of an opening parenthesis, ____ or more parameter items, and
a closing parenthesis.
a. zero c. two
b. one d. three
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 143

7. The JavaScript method ____ simply inserts a string of characters into the standard HTML text stream.
a. document.write() c. document.stream()
b. document.text() d. document.window()
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 144

8. When working with JavaScript, always place the ____ directly below the keyword to which it belongs.
a. opening brace c. property name
b. closing brace d. method name
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 145

9. When working with JavaScript, always ____ contained within the statement block.
a. highlight comments c. italicize the HTML
b. capitalize tags d. indent the statements
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 145

10. When working with JavaScript, always place the closing brace so that it is ____ with its corresponding
opening brace.
a. horizontally aligned c. centered
b. vertically aligned d. right justified
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 145

11. A keyword is recognized as part of the ____ definition.

a. language c. property
b. method d. parameter
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 147

12. ____ is an example of a JavaScript keyword.

a. If c. Return
 b. Else d. all of the above
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 147

13. The JavaScript if statement supports an optional ____ clause, which defines the action to take if the
specified condition is not true.
a. when c. yet
b. else d. then
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 148

14. The purpose of the ____ method is to allow a JavaScript program to display a special dialog box that
will notify the user that an unexpected event has occurred or that some kind of user input is required.
a. notice() c. alert()
b. message() d. warning()
ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 152

15. ____ is considered to be the JavaScript default object, which means it is not necessary to use its name
explicitly.
a. Script c. Name
b. Value d. Window
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 152

16. JavaScript objects contain ____ that programmers can access to obtain information about the object.
a. properties c. lists
b. methods d. syntax strings
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 151

17. The bar at the bottom of the browser window that displays messages is called the ____ line.
a. status c. alert
b. help d. command
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 156

18. In 1978, two employees of Bell Laboratories, Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie, published a book
titled The C Programming Language, and started the tradition to display the phrase ____.
a. “Hello, World!” c. “Hello, Friend!”
b. “Hello, USA!” d. “Hello Out There!”
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 159

FIGURE 6-1
19. Referring to Figure 6-1, the table shows ____ operators.
a. process c. absolute
b. relational d. standard
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 148

20. Referring to Figure 6-1 above, the operators shown in the chart are often part of a JavaScript ____.
a. method c. parameter list
b. property d. condition
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 148

Case 6-1
Kate is new at her company, and has found some existing JavaScript that she would like to use on the
company’s Web site.

21. In the JavaScript below, Kate realizes that the first line “if (<blank>)” is called the ____.

if (<blank>)
{
input 1;
input 2;
input 3;
}
a. link c. clause
b. condition d. operator
ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 147 TOP: Critical Thinking

22. In the JavaScript below, Kate discovers that the lines labeled “input 1; input 2; and input 3;” are called
the ____.

if (<blank>)
{
input 1;
input 2;
input 3;
}
a. variables c. constants
b. statements d. operators
 ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 147 TOP: Critical Thinking

Case 6-2
Daniel is writing JavaScript code to see if the person visiting his Web site is using Microsoft Internet
Explorer.

23. The condition being evaluated in this JavaScript code fragment from Daniel’s site is:

(navigator.appName == “Microsoft Internet Explorer”)

In this case, you are utilizing the appName ____ of the navigator object to determine the application
name of the current Web browser.
a. method c. object
b. application d. property
ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 151 TOP: Critical Thinking

24. In the context of this case, and the code written below,

(navigator.appName == “Microsoft Internet Explorer”)

the term navigator can be used interchangeably with the term ____.
a. browser c. appName
b. Microsoft Internet Explorer d. Name
ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 151 | 152 TOP: Critical Thinking

COMPLETION

1. In the context of HTML and JavaScript, a(n) ____________________ is nothing more than a sequence
of one or more characters.

ANS: string

PTS: 1 REF: 142

2. JavaScript is essentially made up of a number of invisible entities called ____________________ that

contain a well-defined set of capabilities.

ANS: objects

PTS: 1 REF: 142

3. A(n) ____________________ is a user-defined name for a memory location whose value can change
over time.

ANS: variable

PTS: 1 REF: 147

4. A token can either be a variable name (such as x or count) or a literal ____________________ (such
as 10 or “hello”).

ANS: constant
 PTS: 1 REF: 148

5. The alert() method is part of an object called ____________________.

ANS: window

PTS: 1 REF: 152

MATCHING

Identify the letter of the choice that best matches the phrase or definition.

a. Methods
b. Parameter list
c. Conditional statement
d. Interpretation
e. Syntax
1. Gives programmers the ability to evaluate a specific condition and then perform different actions
depending on the results of that evaluation
2. Provides the method with the information it needs to perform its function correctly
3. JavaScript programmers call upon the services of one or more of these specialized functions that are
within objects
4. Specific rules of grammar in the Javascript language
5. The line-by-line conversion process of scripts that occurs automatically at run time

1. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: 147

2. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: 143
3. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: 142
4. ANS: E PTS: 1 REF: 142
5. ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: 142

ESSAY

1. Explain the history of Java and JavaScript. Which came first? How are they related to each other?
Would you rather have worked on the development of Java or the development of JavaScript? Why?

ANS:
Java was created first by Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sun released its cross-platform programming
language to the general public in 1995, and it has grown in popularity at an unprecedented rate ever
since.

But Sun was not the only company looking for ways to enhance the capabilities of standard HTML.
Netscape Communications Corporation was also busy working on technologies to give Web
developers a way to embed user-programmable scripts into static HTML documents. They knew that
they needed to incorporate a well-defined syntax into their design. Netscape employees observed how
popular the Java language was becoming, so they licensed the Java name from Sun and used the Java
syntax in their own scripting language. The result of Netscape’s efforts became known as JavaScript,
and it has also enjoyed a great deal of success in the Internet software development sector.

Student answers will vary and may include:

- I would prefer to have worked on developing Java. Java was first, so that may have been more
exciting to develop something brand new and oriented toward the browser.
- I would prefer to have worked on developing JavaScript. JavaScript is powerful and takes Java to the
next level. So, it is more exciting to work for the company that is using Java as a base for further
advancements.

PTS: 1 REF: 155 TOP: Critical Thinking

Another Random Scribd Document
with Unrelated Content
himself. Every Turk on the field admitted that the army had been
saved by the advice of the Sanjak-bey. However, when news of the
affair reached Constantinople, although not even the Vizierial (that is
the chief) Pashas could deny that Ali’s army owed its safety to the
prompt interference of the Sanjak-bey, and though they praised his
loyalty and generalship in private, yet they were unwilling that such
a breach of discipline should go unpunished, and thus become a
precedent for the future. Accordingly, they removed him from office,
recalled him to Constantinople, and they placed him on the list of
those who had been dismissed the service, until, when they thought
his fault had been sufficiently atoned for, they promoted him to a
much better government than the one he had lost, which made it
quite plain that he had been thus punished rather to preserve
discipline than because he had done wrong.
Ali not long afterwards returned to Buda. During his retreat his
troops were so harassed by the Hungarians that he lost a large part
of his army. He arrived at the capital of Hungary a broken and
dishonoured man, where he died shortly afterwards of grief and
shame.
On the other hand, the Archduke Ferdinand returned to his father
with well-earned laurels. His success will not only be of immediate
advantage, but it will enhance for the future the prestige of our
arms. The Turks have now had ample proof that, if they trouble the
Emperor, he is one who has both soldiers and generals wherewith to
chastise their insolence. This check has made the Turks on the
borders a great deal quieter.
While Ali was still encamped before Szigeth, our soldiers took by
escalade the city of Gran, with the adjoining citadel of the same
name. They carried off some plunder, and also the inhabitants, who
were mostly women and children. The messenger who brought the
news to the Pasha came trembling, with dismay painted on his face.
‘Is all well?’ quoth the Pasha. ‘Why are you thus cast down?’
Thereon the man told him of the great disaster the Turks had
sustained in the loss of Gran. ‘Disaster! loss!’ cried the Pasha. ‘Well, I
know what disaster and loss mean; I can tell you it was a disastrous
loss when they made me what I am.’ The Pasha was a eunuch, and
he intended by this coarse joke on himself to divert the attention of
the people round him from the loss which he was unable to repair.
In Croatia, too, and in the neighbouring regions, various forays
went on upon both sides, and people, whether Turks or Christians,
who were too venturesome and careless, were punished for their
presumption. I will tell you an instance, and as it gave me reason to
rejoice, I trust you also will find the story agreeable. True, it
occurred a little before the affair of Szigeth which I have just
related; but as it is a letter I am writing, I feel that the order of time
need not be very strictly regarded. From those districts news was
brought to Roostem of a feat performed by a certain Turk, for whom
he professed great admiration and spoke of as his kinsman. He had
swept down on a large party of Christians, who were celebrating a
wedding without the slightest notion that there were any Turks in
the neighbourhood. You may imagine what an unwelcome guest he
was. His troops scattered the people, killing several, and carrying off
many more as prisoners; amongst the latter was the unfortunate
bridegroom, with her who was about to become his wife. Roostem
was greatly elated, and kept boring everybody with his boasts of the
wonderful success of his kinsman’s raid. So far, the story is one on
which we must exchange condolences rather than congratulations.
Well, it is the fortune of war. But retribution was close at hand to
change Roostem’s merriment into tears and lamentation. There
came not long afterwards from the same districts in hot haste a
Dalmatian horseman with news of a great defeat. (The man
belonged to a class whom the Turks call Delli, i.e. madmen, on
account of their blind and reckless daring.) He said that several
Sanjak-beys and other commanders of garrisons had united their
forces and invaded the enemy’s territory; they had scoured the
country for many miles, and had carried off much booty, but at last,
advancing too far, they fell in with a Christian force, composed of
musketeers on horseback, by whom they were put to flight and
utterly routed with the loss of many men, among whom was that
Achilles, Roostem’s kinsman, of whom he had just been speaking in
such high terms. Roostem was overwhelmed on hearing the
disastrous intelligence, and burst into tears. Richly did he deserve
this misfortune in retribution for his former boastfulness.
Now listen to the rest of the story, which affords still greater
reason for rejoicing. When the Dalmatian horseman, who brought
the news of the defeat I mentioned, was immediately afterwards
asked by the Pashas in the Divan, ‘How many of you then were
engaged?’ he replied, ‘Above 2,500.’ The Pashas proceeded, ‘Pray,
what was the number of the Christians?’ to which he said, ‘he
thought they were not above 500 that he could see, though there
might have been some more lying in ambush, and for his part he
thought there were, but he could take his oath that there was not
more than that number of Christians actually engaged.’ Thereupon
the Pashas got angry with him for not being more ashamed at the
defeat of a regular army of Mussulmans by a handful of Christians.
They thought it foul scorn that picked warriors, who had been
deemed worthy of being numbered amongst Solyman’s household
and of eating his bread, should thus disgrace themselves. The
messenger most unblushingly replied, ‘You do not take a right view
of the matter. Did you not hear that we were overcome by the force
of fire-arms? it was fire that routed us, not the enemy’s valour. Far
different, by heaven, would have been the result of the fight, had
they met us like brave men. They called fire to their aid; by the
violence of fire we were conquered; we are not ashamed; it is one of
the elements and the fiercest of them, and what mortal man has
such strength as to be able to resist the fury of the elements?’187
When he delivered this speech bombastically with Dalmatian
magniloquence, the bystanders, notwithstanding the melancholy
tidings, could with difficulty check their laughter.
This news cheered me not a little, coming as it did when I was
still depressed by the recollection of the previous disaster. I could
thereby learn that the Turks are much afraid of carbines and pistols,
such as are used on horseback. The same, I hear, is the case with
the Persians, on which account some one advised Roostem, when he
was setting out with the Sultan on a campaign against them, to raise
from his household servants a troop of 200 horse and arm them with
fire-arms, as they would cause much alarm and do great execution
in the ranks of the enemy. Roostem, in accordance with this advice,
raised a troop of dragoons, furnished them with fire-arms, and had
them drilled. But they had not completed half the journey when their
guns began to get out of order. Every day some essential part of
their weapons was lost or broken, and it was not often that
armourers could be found capable of repairing them. So, a large part
of the fire-arms having been rendered unserviceable, the men took a
dislike to the weapon; and this prejudice was increased by the dirt
which its use entailed, the Turks being a very cleanly people; for the
dragoons had their hands and clothes begrimed with gunpowder,
and moreover presented such a sorry appearance, with their ugly
boxes and pouches hanging about them, that their comrades
laughed at them, and called them apothecaries. So, since with this
equipment they pleased neither themselves nor others, they
gathered round Roostem, and showing him their broken and useless
fire-arms, asked what advantage he hoped to gain from them when
they met the enemy, and demanded that he should relieve them of
them, and give them their old arms again. Roostem, after
considering their request carefully, thought there was no reason for
refusing to comply with it, and so they got leave to resume their
bows and arrows.
The fighting on the Hungarian borders, which I mentioned above,
reminds me to tell you what the Turks think of the practice of
duelling, which we are accustomed to regard as the greatest proof
of personal courage. There was in a part of Hungary which adjoins
our frontier, a Sanjak-bey, famous for bodily strength, named Arslan
Bey. None drew the bow with greater strength, no one’s sword
pierced deeper, or was more formidable to the foe. Veli Bey, the
governor of the next Sanjak,188 who coveted the same reputation,
put himself forward as his rival. From this rivalry, and possibly other
differences, there arose a deadly feud between the Sanjak-beys;
they laid plots against one another, and bloodshed was the
consequence. Whether it was for this or some other reason that Veli
Bey was summoned to Constantinople is unknown to me; at any rate
he came. The Pashas in the Divan, after putting many other
questions to him, finally wished to hear about his feud with Arslan
Bey. (Arslan in Turkish means Lion.) Then he narrated at great
length the whole story of their quarrel, and to improve his case, he
told them how it ended in Arslan Bey’s lying in wait for him and
wounding him; there would have been no need, he continued, for
Arslan Bey to act thus, had he chosen to show himself worthy of his
name; since for his part he had never declined a fight with him, and
indeed had many times challenged him to a duel. The Pashas,189 in
indignation at this speech, exclaimed, ‘Did you dare to challenge
your comrade to a duel? Were there no Christians for you to fight?
Both of you live on the bread of our Emperor, but yet you were
preparing to engage in mortal combat. By what law or precedent can
you justify such conduct? Did you not know that whichever of you
fell the Emperor would lose a soldier by his death?’ With these words
they ordered him to be taken to prison, where he was made to do
penance for several months, and then having with great difficulty
obtained his discharge, was at last released with his reputation much
impaired. Among us many who have never seen a public enemy are
considered to be famous and distinguished characters, because they
have drawn their swords on a fellow-citizen or fellow-soldier. What
can you do when the sense of right is so perverted that vices usurp
the place of virtues, and what deserves punishment is accounted a
glory and an honour?
As you are eager for information of every kind, I must not
deprive you of an account of the arrival here of the king of the
Colchians.190 He reigns on the banks of the Phasis at the corner of
the Euxine, not far from Mount Caucasus. His name is Dadian. He is
a man of dignified appearance and commanding person, but at heart
they say he is a mere savage. He was attended by a large but
ragged retinue in poor and threadbare attire.
 The Colchians are now called Mingrelians by the Italians. They
are one of the tribes settled between the Caspian Gates, called by
the Turks ‘Demit Capi,’ i.e., ‘Iron Gates,’ and the Black and Caspian
Seas, which are now called Georgians, either from the sect of
Christianity to which they belong, or because it is their ancient
name, which last seems the more probable theory, among whom are
also included the Albanians and Iberians (Imeritians).
The reason of Dadian’s coming is uncertain. Some suspect that
he has been summoned by the Turks; for when the Turks are at war
with the Persians, the Mingrelians and the other tribes of that region
would, if friendly, be able to render important assistance. But the
general and more probable version of the story is, that he has come
to ask for the assistance of some galleys to help him against his
neighbours the Imeritians; and that he is prepared to pay tribute to
the Sultan in return for this favour. His father was killed by the
Imeritians, with whom the Mingrelians have an ancient feud of long
standing.
There is, however, an amusing story that, when on a certain
occasion a conference to effect a union and a reconciliation had
been arranged, and the Mingrelians on the one part and the
Imeritians on the other had assembled in large numbers, they had a
match to see who should have the honour of drinking the most; in
which the Mingrelians were worsted, and fell dead drunk under the
table. But the Imeritians behaved dishonourably, and putting the
doughty Dadian, while he was sound asleep and snoring, into a
carriage, carried him off as if they had taken him prisoner in fair
fight, and shut him up in a lofty tower. To avenge this wrong and to
recover their king, the Mingrelians collected men to the number of
30,000, commanded by the wife of the captive prince, a woman of
high spirit, who could ride a horse and wield a sword. The chiefs of
the army were equipped in cumbrous coats of mail, and carried
swords and lances tipped with iron. There was also, you will be
surprised to hear, a body of musketeers. The rest were without any
armour, and fought with arrows, or stakes hardened in the fire, and
great clubs of wood, and rode barebacked, nor was there any
attempt at order among them. When this raw and undisciplined
army drew near to the place where the king was confined, the
enemy fired some cannon, at which they took to their heels, and ran
away a full mile. Then they again plucked up courage and returned
to the attack: the cannons were again discharged; off went the
Mingrelians once more, and this scene was repeated over and over
again. Dadian, however, seeing help near at hand, cut the sheets of
his bed into strips, and letting himself down at night through a
window, reached his troops in safety; an exploit, which has made
him famous in those parts.
All the country of the Mingrelians is exceedingly rich in every kind
of grain, except wheat and barley. The crops receive but little
attention, and it is supposed that if a little care were taken, wheat
and barley might also be grown. The people are incorrigibly lazy.
Panic191 is sown in a slovenly way, but it grows with the greatest
luxuriance, and produces such a crop that one harvest is sufficient
for two years’ consumption. They have got accustomed to this grain,
which they eat in large quantities, and do not wish for any better
kind of corn. From vines planted at the foot of the tallest trees, they
make a great deal of fair wine. These vines climb among the
branches of the trees to which they are trained, and last for many
years. Abundance of wax and honey may be obtained from the wild
bees that work in the forests by anyone who will take the trouble to
look for their hives. The woods also supply plenty of game, indeed
the whole country is full of pheasants and partridges. The very
pumpkins show the fertility of the soil, as they not only are of a
delicious flavour, but are often quite three feet long.
They have very little money. Few among them are acquainted
with silver coins, and still fewer with gold; hardly anyone possesses
them. I am not sure that they ought not to be called fortunate on
this account. The absence of money is the absence of that which is
the chief incentive to crime; and yet, for my part, I have my doubts
whether many of our friends at home would care for this blessing,
which renders it impossible for anyone to grow rich! Yet silver is to
some extent esteemed by them, for when any comes into the
country in the course of trade—as is necessarily the case—they
dedicate it to their churches, and it is recast into crosses, chalices, or
other church ornaments. All these the king, when he thinks proper,
melts down, and converts the bullion to his own uses. In dealing
with each other, barter is their only form of trade. Everyone brings to
market the commodity of which he has plenty, to exchange it for
what he is in need of. Thus they do not feel the want of money,
since its place is supplied by barter; nay, even the king’s tribute is
paid to him in the produce of the soil. He receives an abundant
supply of what is needful in the way of food and clothing. He has
enough to eat, enough to drink, enough to clothe himself with, and
also has the means of maintaining his household and rewarding his
supporters. He has an inexhaustible store of provisions, both from
tithes and other royalties and from the presents which he is
continually receiving; yet he is no miser, and gives as freely and
readily as he takes. His palace resembles a public storehouse, being
crammed with supplies of every kind. From these stores rations are
issued to all his subjects who need them. Any who are in want, or
have fallen into poverty through the failure of their crops, are fed
from the royal granary.
It is the custom for merchants on landing to make some present
to the king; its value is unimportant, as he will accept whatever is
offered, and they are then invited to a banquet. There is a vast hall
with stables at each end, in which the king’s table is laid. It is a very
long one; he sits at the head himself, and the others at a little
distance from him. The table is loaded with game and other dishes,
and wine is liberally supplied; indeed, the hardest drinkers are
considered the most welcome guests. In the same banqueting-hall
the queen likewise dines with her train of women, but at a separate
table. I am afraid I cannot say much for the manners of the ladies.
They behave quite as badly as the men, drinking, gesticulating,
tittering, nodding, and winking, to such an extent as to make it plain
that any of them would play the Medea if a Jason192 appeared. After
the banquet the king with his guests goes off to the chase.
 In this country you may see in the forests parties of the common
people lying under the shade of spreading trees, and keeping
holiday with wine and dances and songs. They stretch strings to a
long pole, and strike them with a small stick in regular time. To the
accompaniment of these rude harps they sing their love-songs and
ballads in praise of heroes, among whom, if the stories that are told
are true, the name of Roland frequently occurs.193 How it was
conveyed there I cannot conjecture, unless it came across the sea
with Godfrey de Bouillon. About this Roland they tell many
marvellous tales, even more absurd than those of our own
romances.
Where life is so easy and food so plentiful, morality suffers. A
respectable woman is not often to be met with. A man who wishes
to amuse his visitor and make his stay agreeable, introduces him to
his wife or sister, and does not trouble himself as to how far their
intimacy may go. On the contrary, they think that if their wives prove
attractive it is a compliment to themselves. Unmarried women are
allowed the same liberties, and behave just as badly as their married
sisters. Cases are often pointed out of girls of ten years old who
have got babies. When you express your surprise, and refuse to
believe that such diminutive creatures can be mothers, they produce
a baby not much bigger than a large frog, which is the more
surprising, as the men and women are generally tall, and remarkable
for the symmetry of their limbs. But they are so completely devoid of
refinement and good manners that, among other customs, they
think it a compliment to make a curious noise in the throat,
something like a hiccough.
For one thing they certainly have talents, and that is stealing.
Amongst them this art is held in high esteem, and a successful
pilferer is a great man. He who is ignorant of the noble science of
thieving is despised as a mere blockhead; indeed, they hardly think
him worthy of life. So strong is this feeling, that if a man has a
brother or son who cannot steal, he considers him a hopeless case
and a disgrace to his family, and gives him away or sells him for a
trifle to foreign traders to carry him to some distant land. An Italian
merchant, who had been in that country, told me that one of their
priests robbed him of his knife in church. He perceived the theft, but
pretended not to do so, and, to show the priest he had been
discovered, made him a present of the sheath as well, that he might
have something to put the knife in!
When they enter a church they do not care much for the images
of the Virgin, St. Peter, St. Paul, or other saints, but look about for a
picture of St. George on horseback. Before this they prostrate
themselves in adoration, and then kiss it all over, not omitting even
the horse’s shoes. They say that St. George was a brave soldier of
great renown, who fought several battles with the Evil Spirit on
equal terms, and always beat him, or at the worst was able to hold
his own.
I will now tell you something that will surprise you. Kings in the
East expect presents from their visitors. Dadian brought Solyman a
dish hollowed out of a ruby of such brilliancy that it would make the
road by night as clear as if it were noonday. You will say, ‘I do not
believe it.’ For the matter of that, I do not either, and what is more, I
do not ask you to believe it. I only tell you there are plenty who do.
More knowing people say it is a paten of garnet, and that it was
stolen from a son of the King of Persia, who was wrecked on that
coast as he was trying to escape to Constantinople. He likewise
brought twenty white falcons, or hawks, which are said to be found
in great numbers in Mingrelia. So much for my news about the
Mingrelians and their manners.
You ask about my pursuits, and the general routine of my life,
and whether I ever go out of my house. Well, I am not in the habit
of going out, unless when despatches are received from the Emperor
for me to present to the Sultan, or instructions come to remonstrate
about the raids made and mischief done by the Turkish garrisons,
and this happens only two or three times a year. Were I to express a
wish to take a ride occasionally through the city with my keeper, it
would in all probability be granted; but I do not care to have this
made a favour of, as I want to make them think that my rigorous
confinement is no punishment to me. Besides, what pleasure would
it give me to ride about with Turks all round me, making their
remarks or perhaps venting their abuse on me? The country and the
fields are what I enjoy, and not a town; least of all one that is
tumbling to pieces, and in which, with the exception of its
magnificent site, no relic of its original splendour is left. The former
rival of Rome is now crushed beneath the yoke of the most cruel
slavery. Who could see this proud city and not pity her fall, while
musing over the changes and chances of this fleeting world?
Besides, who knows how soon her fate may be ours?
I keep at home, where I hold converse with my old friends, my
books. They are at once my companions and my solace. For the
sake of my health I have built a tennis-court, where I play before
dinner. After dinner I practise the Turkish bow, in the use of which
weapon people here are marvellously expert. From the eighth, or
even the seventh, year of their age they begin to shoot at a mark,
and practise archery ten or twelve years. This constant exercise
strengthens the muscles of their arms, and gives them such skill that
they can hit the smallest marks with their arrows. The bows they
use are much stronger than ours, and being shorter, are also much
more handy; they are made not of a single piece of wood, but of the
sinews and horns of oxen fastened together with a quantity of glue
and tow. A Turk in good practice can easily draw the string of the
very stiffest of them to his ear. Without training, however, the
strongest man could do nothing with a Turkish bow. Indeed, if a coin
be set between the string and the bow close to the notch, none but
an adept could pull the string so far as would suffice to liberate the
coin. So sure is their aim, that in battle they can hit a man in the eye
or in any other exposed part they choose. At the range where they
are taught, you may see them shooting with so sure an aim that
they surround the white on the target, which is generally smaller
than a thaler, with five or six arrows, so that every arrow touches
the margin of the white, but does not break it. They seldom use a
range of more than thirty feet. On the thumb of the right hand they
wear bone rings, on which the bowstring lies when they draw it, and
the arrow is kept in its place by holding the left thumb in an upright
position and joining it to the forefinger; so that their way of shooting
is quite different from ours. The butt they use as a target is raised
four feet more or less from the ground, and consists of a wooden
frame filled with sand. Pashas and men with large households
exercise their servants in this sort of practice at home, the more
skilful being told off to act as teachers. Some of them at the feast of
Easter194—for the Turks have an Easter (the feast of Bairam) like
ourselves—assemble in the great plain beyond Pera, where,
squatting on the ground in a line, with their legs crossed in the
Turkish manner like tailors, they try who can shoot the furthest. I
must mention that the contest, after the usual Turkish fashion, is
prefaced by prayer. Great order and silence prevail throughout,
however large the number of spectators. On these occasions they
use special bows and arrows; the former are very short and stiff, and
cannot be bent except by a man who has had a great deal of
practice. An embroidered handkerchief, such as we use for wiping
our faces, is the winner’s prize. The chief reward, however, is the
reputation which the successful archer acquires. The range they
attain with their arrows is almost incredible. The point reached by
the arrow of the longest shot in the year is marked by a stone. Many
such stones set up in former days are still standing, several paces
beyond those which are now erected. These they firmly believe are
the marks of their ancestors’ shots, to whose strength and skill, by
their own admission, they cannot aspire. Moreover, in various streets
and piazzas of Constantinople there are ranges of this sort, at which
there assemble not merely boys and young men, but also those of
more advanced age. A target-keeper is appointed, who has the
charge of keeping it in order and watering the butt every day, which
otherwise would get so dry that the blunt arrows which they use in
practice would not stick in it. It is also the keeper’s business to stand
by the target and draw out the arrows, and throw them back to the
shooters after cleaning them. In return everyone gives him a fixed
fee, which forms his salary. The front of the target is like a small
door, from which, perhaps, originated a proverb the Greeks have;
when a man has wholly missed the mark, they say ‘he is shooting
against a door.’ For I think the Greeks formerly used this sort of
target, and the Turks adopted it from them. I am well aware, of
course, that the use of the bow is very ancient among the Turks; but
that does not seem to me any reason why they should not have
gone on using the sort of target and butt which they found in the
Greek cities when they took them. For no nation in the world has
shown greater readiness than the Turks to avail themselves of the
useful inventions of foreigners, as is proved by their employment of
cannons and mortars, and many other things invented by Christians.
They cannot, however, be induced as yet to use printing, or to
establish public clocks, because they think that the scriptures—that
is, their sacred books—would no longer be scriptures if they were
printed, and that, if public clocks were introduced, the authority of
their muezzins and their ancient rites would be thereby impaired.
Even in the case of other nations, it is their habit to pay great
respect to ancient usages. This principle they carry so far as almost
to infringe the precepts of their own religion. Remember, in saying
this, I am speaking of the practice of the ordinary Turk. As an
example, of course everyone knows that they have not the slightest
sympathy with Christian worship, but notwithstanding, as the Greek
priests have a custom of opening, as it were, the closed sea at a
fixed time in spring by blessing the waters, before which the Greeks
are afraid to trust themselves to the waves, even the Turks have
some superstitious regard for this ceremony. Accordingly, as soon as
they have made their preparations for a voyage, they go to the
Greeks, and inquire if the waters have yet been blessed. It they say
no, they put off their voyage; if they are answered in the affirmative,
they embark and set sail.
It was also a custom among the Greeks that the cave in Lemnos
from which is extracted the earth they call ‘goat’s seal,’195 should not
be opened except on August 6, the feast of the Transfiguration of
our Lord. This custom the Turks observe to this very day; and they
think it proper that a service should even now be performed there by
a priest of the Greek Church in the same manner as it used to be,
while they remain at a distance as spectators of the sacred rites in
which they cannot join. But if one should ask why they do so, they
reply that there exist many customs ordained of yore, the advantage
of which is proved by long experience, though the reasons for them
are unknown. The ancients, they say, knew more and saw further
than they do, and what they had approved of ought not to be
abolished. They prefer to keep such customs rather than run the risk
of changing them. Some carry this way of thinking so far, that I have
known instances of Turks who had their children secretly baptised;
their notion being that there must be some advantage in this rite, or
otherwise it would never have been instituted.
But, by the way, I must not fail, when speaking of Turkish drill, to
mention a very ancient manœuvre which has been handed down
from the time of the Parthians; namely, for the cavalry to pretend to
fly, and to shoot down their unwary enemies when they attempt to
pursue. The following is the method by which they acquire the art of
rapidly executing this manœuvre. They put a brass ball on the top of
a very high pole, erected on level ground, and galloping past it at full
speed, they then turn suddenly, and bending back shoot an arrow at
the ball, without drawing bridle; and by practising this exercise
constantly they acquire such skill, that they can without any difficulty
shoot behind them, and send an arrow into their enemy when he
least expects it.
But it is time for me to return to our lodging, or my keeper will
be angry with me! Whatever time I have left unoccupied by the
exercises I mentioned, is spent in reading, or talking with the
citizens of Pera, who are Genoese by origin, or with other friends;
but for this the cavasses’ leave is necessary. Their temper is indeed
somewhat uncertain, but they occasionally have lucid intervals,
during which they prove more reasonable. Accordingly, when they
are in a good humour, Ragusans, Florentines, Venetians, and
sometimes also Greeks, and men of other nations come in numbers,
either to pay a visit or on some business. Hither flock also men from
yet more distant lands, whose conversation has great attractions for
me. A few months ago there came an amber merchant of Dantzic,
who had bought up the whole supply of amber. As a great quantity
of this article is sent to Turkey, he was very curious to know what it
was used for here, or if exported, to what country it was taken. At
last he ascertained that it is conveyed into Persia, where it is highly
prized, and where they ornament their rooms, cabinets, and shrines
with it. He gave me a barrel of the beer they call Juppenbier
(sprucebeer), which is certainly capital stuff. But I had a hearty
laugh at my Greek and Italian guests, who, having never met with
such a beverage, could not find a name for it. At last, as they heard
from me that it was good for one’s health, they thought it a kind of
medicine, and called it Sirup; and as they kept on asking for ‘a little
more of the same mixture,’ by repeated tastings, like the lady in
Terence,196 they finally finished my barrel at one sitting.
My cavasses are changed from time to time, and sometimes I
have the good fortune to have men who are so considerate that they
not only would not object to my going out, were I to desire it, but
they actually invite me to take a ride. But, as I said, I make a point
of refusing to leave my quarters to prevent their thinking that they
have it in their power either to gratify or to annoy me. I excuse
myself on the plea, that by such a long stay in the house I have
grown a piece of the building, so that I can’t be torn away without
risk of its falling! I tell them I will go out once for all, when
permission shall be granted me to return home! I am glad my
household are allowed their liberty, as it may help them to bear their
long exile more patiently. In this, however, there is again the
inconvenience that quarrels often occur when they meet with
drunken Turks, especially if they are unattended by Janissaries; but
even if they are at hand, they cannot always prevent blows being
exchanged. All this causes me much annoyance, as I am obliged to
answer the accusations which are continually trumped up against my
people, though I must say that my cavasses in most cases save me
the trouble, they are so particular about keeping the gates shut. Of
this we had lately an instance, which I must tell you. There had
been sent to me by the Emperor one Philip Baldi, an Italian, a man
of about sixty, who had travelled too fast for a person of that age,
and had consequently fallen ill.197 When the apothecary brought the
clyster the doctor had ordered, the cavasse refused him admittance,
and would not allow him to take it to the patient, treating him most
uncivilly.
This cavasse had for a long while behaved kindly and courteously
towards us, but he suddenly turned savage, and even threatened to
beat my visitors with his stick. As I was much annoyed by his
conduct, I determined to show him he was wasting his trouble in
trying to intimidate us, as if we were a set of children. I ordered one
of my servants to keep the door bolted, and to undo it for no one
except by my orders. The cavasse came as usual in the morning to
open the gates, but, as the key proved useless, he perceived they
were bolted inside, and called out to my servant, whom he could see
through the chinks between the folding-doors, to let him in. My
servant refused, and the cavasse thereupon got angry, and began to
abuse him and swear at him. My servant replied, ‘Bluster to your
heart’s content; but neither you, nor any of your people shall get in
here. Why should I open the door for you any more than you do for
us? As you keep us shut in, we will keep you shut out. You may lock
the door on the outside as tight as you please; I will take care to
bolt it on the inside.’ Then the cavasse asked, ‘Is this done by the
Ambassador’s orders?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘But let me at least put my horse in the
stable.’ ‘I won’t.’ ‘At any rate give me hay and fodder for him.’ ‘There
is plenty to be had in the neighbourhood, if you are willing to pay for
it.’ I used to invite this cavasse to dine with me, or send him
something from my table; this day, however, his luck was changed,
and he was obliged to stay before the gate without breaking his fast,
and tie up his horse to the plane-tree which stands opposite. The
Pashas and most of the court officials pass this way on their return
home from the palace, and when they saw the cavasse’s horse,
which they knew well enough by its trappings, munching hay at the
foot of the plane-tree, they asked him why he kept it there instead
of in the stable, as he usually did? He then told them the whole
story; viz., that because he had shut us in, we had shut him out, and
not only himself but his horse, and that he got no food and his steed
no forage. The story reached the ears of the other Pashas, and
caused much laughter. From that time they could no longer doubt
how utterly useless it was to lock me up, and with what contempt I
treated such petty means of annoyance. Shortly afterwards the
cavasse was removed, and the rigour of our confinement was
somewhat relaxed.
This occurrence was noticed by Roostem a few days afterwards
in a way that deserves to be recorded. A man of reverend years and
great reputation for sanctity was paying him a visit, and asked him
in the course of their conversation, why, when the discord between
the Sultan’s sons was so apparent, and serious disturbances were
expected to arise from it, nay were imminent, he did not make a
regular peace with the Emperor, and so relieve Solyman of all
anxiety in that quarter? Roostem replied, there was nothing he
desired better, but how could he do it? The demands I made he
could not concede; and, on the other hand, I refused to accept what
he offered. ‘Nor does he yield,’ said he, ‘to compulsion. Have I not
tried everything to make him agree to my terms? I have now for
several years been keeping him immured, and annoying him in many
ways, and treating him roughly. But what good am I doing? He is
proof against everything. We do our best to keep him in the closest
confinement, but not content with our locking him up, he actually
bolts himself in. Thus all my labour is in vain; any other man, I
believe, sooner than endure these annoyances would ere now have
gone over to our religion; but he cares nothing for them.’ This was
related to me by people who were present at the conversation.
The Turks are a suspicious nation, and have got it into their
heads, that the Ambassadors of Christian princes have different
instructions, to be produced or suppressed according to
circumstances, and that they first attempt to get the most favourable
terms they can, and, if they fail, gradually come down and accede to
harder conditions. Consequently they think it is necessary to
intimidate them, to flaunt war in their faces, to keep them shut up
like prisoners, and to torment them in every way, as the best means
of breaking their spirit and making them sooner produce the set of
instructions, which specify the minimum they are empowered to
accept.
Some think that this notion was much encouraged by the
conduct of a Venetian Ambassador, when there was a dispute
between the Venetians and Turks about restoring Napoli di Romania
to the Sultan.198 The instructions he had received from the Venetian
Senate directed him to do his best to make peace without giving up
Napoli, but, if he failed, at last to agree to surrender the town, if he
found war to be the only alternative. Now it happened that these
instructions were betrayed to the Turks by certain citizens of Venice.
The Ambassador, in total ignorance of this, intended to open
negotiations by suggesting easier terms, and thus to sound the
minds of the Pashas. When they pressed him to disclose all his
instructions, he declared that his powers went no further; till at last
the Pashas grew furious, and told him to take care what he was
about, as their master was not accustomed to be trifled with, and
also that he knew right well what his instructions were. Then they
repeated accurately in detail the orders he had received from the
authorities of Venice, and told him, that ‘If he did not at once
produce them all, he would find himself in no small danger as a liar
and impostor, while inevitable destruction would await the republic
he represented, if his deceit should provoke Solyman’s wrath beyond
all appeasing, and cause him to destroy them with fire and sword.’
They warned him that ‘he had not much time for deliberation; if he
produced all his instructions, well and good; but if he persevered in
his attempt to trifle with them, it would be too late afterwards to talk
of peace and express his regret.’ They concluded by saying, that
‘Solyman was no man’s suppliant; since by God’s blessing he had the
power to compel.’ The Ambassador knew not what to do, and
thinking it useless to attempt to conceal what was perfectly well
known, made a clean breast of it, and frankly confessed that what
they stated as to his instructions was correct. This misadventure,
however, made him very unpopular at home. From that time the
Turks seem to have become much more suspicious, thinking it
impolitic to enter into negotiations with an ambassador until his
spirit is broken by long confinement. It was on this account that
Veltwick,199 the ambassador of the Emperor Charles, was detained
by them for eighteen months, and my colleagues for more than
three years, and then dismissed without having accomplished
anything. On me they have been putting pressure for a long time, as
you know, and as yet I can see no prospect of my release.
But when Baldi, whom I was speaking of, arrived, the age of the
messenger made them suspect that he brought fresh instructions,
allowing us to accept harder conditions of peace, and these they
were afraid of my misrepresenting on account of my knowledge of
their domestic troubles. They thought it therefore politic to treat me
with greater rigour, as the best means of making me produce
forthwith the real instructions I had last received. For the same
reason Roostem tried to intimidate me with threats of war, which he
hinted at by the following pleasantry. What does he do but send me
a very large pumpkin of the kind we call ‘Anguries,’ and the Germans
‘Wasser Blutzer’ (water-melons). Those grown at Constantinople are
of excellent flavour, and have red seeds inside; they are called
Rhodian melons because they come from Rhodes. They are good for
allaying thirst when the weather is very hot. A great round one was
sent me by Roostem through my interpreter, one very hot day, with
the following message: ‘He hoped I should like a fruit which suited
the season; there was no better antidote for the heat; but he wished
me also to know that at Buda and Belgrade they had great store of
such fruit, and indeed some larger specimens of it,’ by which he
meant cannon balls. I sent back word that I was much obliged for
his present and should enjoy it, but that I was not surprised at what
he said about Buda and Belgrade, as there were at Vienna plenty of
specimens of the fruit quite as big as the one he sent me. I made
this answer because I wished Roostem to understand that I had
noticed the point of his jest.
 Now it is time I should relate the story of Bajazet, about which
you especially beg for information.200 Doubtless you remember the
circumstances under which Bajazet parted from his father a few
years ago. He was pardoned on condition that he should not again
make any movement against his brother or excite fresh
disturbances, but should remain at peace and on friendly terms with
him, as a brother ought to do.201 ‘Let him,’ said the Sultan,
‘remember the pledges he has given me, nor further disquiet my
declining years. Another time I will not let him go unpunished.’
These warnings influenced Bajazet for a time, but only as long as his
mother survived; indeed, he placed but little confidence on his
brother’s affection or his father’s feelings towards him, and relied
entirely on the love his mother bore him, and being anxious not to
alienate her, he remained quiet during her lifetime. But, when she
died two years afterwards, thinking that his case was desperate, and
that he was no longer bound by any tie of filial duty, he began to
resume his former designs, and to prosecute his old quarrel against
his brother with more bitterness than ever. At one time he plotted
secretly against his life, at another used open violence, and often
sent his troops to make forays into his brother’s government, which
bordered on his own, and if he could catch any of his servants he
sentenced them to heavy punishments, intending thereby to insult
their master; in short, as he could not strike at his brother’s life, he
left nothing undone which he thought would impair his prestige.
At Constantinople he had some devoted partisans, and through
them he tried to tamper with the Sultan’s bodyguard by every means
in his power, and on some occasions he even ventured to cross over
to Constantinople himself,202 concealing himself there among his
accomplices and the men of his party.
The progress of the conspiracy was no secret to Solyman, who,
besides his other channels of information, received accurate
intelligence from Selim, who wrote despatches from time to time,
warning his father to be on his guard against attack. ‘The Sultan was
mistaken,’ said Selim, ‘if he thought that the impious designs which