[428] Exceptions were made in case of the old _Hojas_, or teachers of the young princes, the religious advisers of the queen mother, and physicians. See Postel, i. 35; Ricaut, 68; D’Ohsson, vii. 11; Hammer, _Staatsverwaltung_, 73. [429] _Siasset Namèh_, 121, 123, 163. [430] “_Kanun_ of the Imperial Table,” printed in Hammer’s _Staatsverfassung_, 98: “It is not my _Kanun_ that any one should dine with my Imperial Majesty; it might be some one not of Imperial blood.” Suleiman did not always observe this _Kanun_ (cf. Hammer, _Geschichte_, iii. 99). [431] Erizzo, 138; Morosini, 281. [432] Extended descriptions of the household are found in D’Ohsson, vii and Hammer’s _Staatsverwaltung_. Lane-Poole, in his _Story of Turkey_, ch. xiv, gives a good, clear summary of D’Ohsson. References to these authorities are here omitted except in a few instances of special interest. [433] Hammer, _Staatsverwaltung_, 71; Menavino, 179. The _Eski Serai_ of the sixteenth century stood where the _Seraskierat_, or War Office, now stands. [434] D’Ohsson, v. 52. [435] Postel, i. 32. [436] See above, pp. 56, 57, 78, 79. [437] Junis Bey (below, p. 269) says twenty, a number scarcely sufficient. Twenty years earlier Menavino, 180, speaks of about forty. [438] Ricaut, 67-68, mentions several of these. [439] Postel, i. 35. [440] Ricaut, 73. [441] Hammer (_Geschichte_, ii. 222) says that the custom of accomplishing the death of sons of daughters of sultans (by neglecting to tie the navel cord) dates from Mohammed II; but no contemporary authority appears to mention such a custom. D’Ohsson, vii. 93, says that it was instituted in the time of Achmet I. The son of a sister of Selim I was _Beylerbey_ of Aleppo about 1550 (Alberi, _Anonimo_ of 1553, 228). [442] Ludovisi, 29; Postel, i. 31. See p. 141, note 2. [443] Postel, i. 31. [444] Spandugino, 64. [445] Menavino, 137. [446] D’Ohsson, vii. 34. Whether this number was fixed in Suleiman’s time does not appear from the records. Mohammed II had 32 officers of the _Khas Oda_ (Hammer, _Staatsverfassung_, 96). Menavino, 121-123, names three special officers, 15 of second grade, and 35 of third grade, before mentioning the treasury. Ramberti and Junis Bey (below, pp. 243, 263) name 6 principal officers, but do not distinguish the _odalar_ further. Chesneau, 39, says that 25 of the pages were Suleiman’s personal servants, and that 5 served him specially. Navagero, 45, speaks of 25 or 30 in the _Khas Oda_. Ricaut, 52, speaks of 40. [447] Ramberti and Junis Bey, as above; Postel, iii. 4; Navagero, 45. [448] Navagero, 44. [449] The number of pages in the _Kiler Odassi_ is given by Menavino, 125, as 25, all between 20 and 22 years of age. Navagero, 44, says that they numbered 300 or 400; but this is incredible. He gives no numbers for the purely educational _odalar_, and evidently has counted them all in the _Kiler Odassi_.