The Sultan (Great Turk) of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmet II (Mehmet II), approaching fifty, is suffering from gout and is no longer able to attend the sessions of the Council of State (divan-i mumayum). He drinks heavily and, as a rule, has four days of political duties every week, two days of carnal pleasures with the young men and women of the harem, and one day of rest in the gardens of the seraglio. Now his leg has become a huge, painful swelling and impedes his movement. However, he will not refrain from leading the Empire.
