not yet fully establish'd and confirm'd There has been a Cessation of Arms since that Time And now the Duke Amalfe on the Emperor's Side the Duke of Vandort for the King of France and he of Ersken for the Crown of Suedeland are met at Norimbergh to conclude a Final Ratification of the Articles During this Consult the Suedish Army are permitted by the Emperour's Agreement to Quarter up and down in Seven Circles of the Empire and not to be discharg'd till all their Arrears are paid at the Cost of the Germans 'T is said it will amount to Three Millions of Sequins This War has lasted near Thirty Years in which above Three Hundred Thousand Men have lost their Lives As to the English Affairs the Prevailing Party there have declar'd that Ancient Kingdom to be a Free State and the Monarchy is Abolish'd by a Publick Act. Nevertheless after Charles was beheaded his Eldest Son was Proclaimed King both in England and Ireland by some of the Nobles and Gentry that were Friends to that Royal Family And in Ireland a certain great Duke appear'd at the Head of a Numerous Army in Behalf of the Young King's Interest having laid Siege to the Metropolis of that Kingdom which with one other Town were the only strong Holds that resisted the King's Party But in the 8th Moon the Army which the English States had newly sent over to that Island engag'd with the Forces of this Duke entirely routed them killing Two Thousand Men on the Spot and taking many Thousand Prisoners with all their Ammunition and Baggage This being seconded with other Victories in a short Time reduc'd that Kingdom under the Obedience of the English States In the mean Time I hear no pleasing News from the Levant Vessels daily arrive in the Havens of France who confirm each other's Relations of a Dreadful Naval Combat between Our Fleet and that of the Venetians wherein they say we have lost Seventy Two Gallies Threescore Merchant-Vessels and Eighteen Ships of War That in this Fight Six Thousand Five Hundred Mussulmans have lost their Lives and near Ten Thousand were taken Prisoners I tell thee these are great Breaches in the Navy which belonging to the Lord of the Sea and Land has assum'd to it self the Epithet of INVINCIBLE These are Blemishes in the Ensigns of high Renown Reproaches to the Empire which we believe is to subdue All Nations I reflect not on the Courage or Conduct of the Captain Bassa Neither am I willing to help forward the Ruine of a Man who cannot expect to be honour'd with a Vest a Sword or any other Marks of the Sultan's Favour for his Service in this Sea Campagne I am Naturally compassionate 'T is not in my Praise I speak it for I believe this Tenderness to be rather a Vice of my Constitution than to have any Rank in the Morals much less to be of Kin to the Family of Vertues I pity a Man falling into Disgrace on whom the Weather of the Seraglio changes from which he must expect Nothing but Clouds and Storms Those Tempests will prove more Fatal to him than any that ever toss'd his Fleet on the Ruffled Ocean In all Probability he will suffer a Shipwreck of his Fortune if not of his Life Therefore 't is with extreme Regret I must say that which may hasten his Fall But I am commanded not to conceal any Intelligence that relates to the Interest of the Sublime Port nor to spare the Son of my Mother if I know him Guilty of Criminal Practices All that I have to lay to the Charge of the Bassa of the Sea is a Private Correspondence which he holds with Cardinal Mazarini This I discover'd by the Assistance of a Dwarf whom I have often mention'd in my Letters to the Grandees of the Port. I need not repeat to thee what I have said already to them of the Birth Education and Genius of Osmin for so is the little Spark call'd nor of the Method I have put him upon to wind himself into the Secrets of the Publick Ministers Onely thou mayst report to the Divan That this diminutive Man continues to pursue his Advantages of Access to the Closets of the French Ministers whereof I gave an Account last Year in a Letter to Chiurgi Muhammâ—t Bassa Thou mayst assure them also that when he was Yesterday in the Chamber of Cardinal Mazarini he cast his Eye on a Letter which lay open on the Table whilst the Cardinal was in earnest Discourse with an Extraordinary Courier from Rome He had not Opportunity to read more than the Superscription and a Line or two of the Matter which contain'd these Words The Mild Commander The humble Shadow of the Bright Star of the Sea Bilal Captain Bassa To the most Illustrious Prince of the Kingdom of the Messiah Eminent among the High Lords of Holy Honour the Sublime Directors of the People of Jesus Assistant to the Chair of Sovereign Dignity the Seat of the Roman Caliph Julio Mazarini Cardinal and our Friend May whose later Days encrease in Happiness THY affectionate Letter and Presents were deliver'd safe to me as I lay at Anchor with the Fleet under my Command not far from the Island of Chios And as a Mark of my Acknowledgment and good Will to thee and all the Nazarenes I embrac'd in my Arms the Noble Captain Signior Antonio Maratelli who had the Honour to be trusted with this Negotiation I immediately disrob'd my self and caus'd that brave Italian thy Messenger to be vested with my own Garment as a Pledge of Before Osmin cou'd read farther the Cardinal approach'd the Table and took up the Letter letting fall some Words to the Courier by which the Dwarf was confirmed in his Suspicion of the Bassa's Perfidiousness and that this Letter newly came from him He posted immediately to give me an Account of this Passage believing it to be as it is of great Import For he has a singular Regard for the Family which first exterminated the Greeks from Constantinople Thou know'st what Use to make of this Intelligence I am not Cruelly inclin'd but I must do my Duty The Rest I refer to thy Prudence I will only advertise thee of One farther Remark of Osmin who by comparing what he has seen now with a Discourse he once before over-heard between Mazarini and a French Nobleman whilst he lay under the Cardinal's Table which I have inserted in one of my Letters concludes That the Bassa there mention'd by the Cardinal was this same Bilal Bassa who was at the Instance of the Janizaries made Bassa of the Sea I could not without making my self an Accomplice conceal so foul an Ingratitude to the Grand Signior and so Villainous a Treason against the Empire which holds the First Rank among all the Dominions on Earth Paris 24th of the 9th Moon of the Year 1649. LETTER XVIII To Cara Hali Physician to the Grand Signior VVE have had a violent hot Summer in these Parts with much
Cases is many Times Fatal to an Army The French are the best in the World at spying Advantages and the most dextrous in making Use of them Most of their Campagnes are spent in their Trenches or in light Skirmishes seldom hazarding a Battle unless on some unequal Terms to their own Interest and then they never let slip the Opportunity This commends their Policy but is no great Argument of their Courage For true Valour never regards Dangers Adonai the Jew sends me Word That the Venetians are put in great Hopes of accommodating their Affairs with the Mysterious Divan since the Release of their Bailo Yet both they and all the Nazarenes resent highly the Strangling of his Interpreter They understand not the Measures of the Sublime Port full of Wisdom and Justice and that by the Terror of such Examples the Ministers of the Righteous Throne seek to prevent future Wickedness In these Western Courts a little Gold or a great Friend shall easily palliate and procure a Pardon for the Greatest Crimes Their Processes here are slow in the Execution of Justice Being Strangers to the Impetuous Orders and swift Performance practis'd in the East Besides this Interpreter sported himself to Death by the Licentiousness of his Tongue He delighted to play upon Majesty and with an Insolent Lasciviousness of Speech to deceive Him whose high sublime and remote Intellect uses no other Expressions of his Wrath but the Hands of his Mutes It does not become the Emperor of the World to be profuse in Words as the Christian Princes are who take great Pains to satisfie their Vassals of the Justice of their Proceedings They cannot Condemn the Wicked without a Formal Process wherein various Wits shew their Skill in canvassing the Cause which upon sincere Evidence may be decided in Two Words This is the Masquerade of Christian Justice a mere Trap for Gold the Secret of the Western Lawyers who enrich themselves at the Price of other Mens Folly and to the Disgrace of the Monarch who there pretends to Command Should those Men of Law see this Letter and know who wrote it how would they not Circumcise and Flay the minutest Dash of my Pen to find Arguments of Revenge against a Mussulman All Men are full of themselves and their Own Principles And the Nazarenes of the West are so brimming with them that there is no Room left for Instruction or Amendment Like the Chineses they boast of their own Science and Wisdom reputing all the Rest of the World Ignorant and Blind They are so Narrow in their Tenets so Dogmatical in their Decisions and so conceited of All that it is difficult for a Man who has convers'd in a freer Air to frame himself to their Rules By what I have said thou mayst determine That it is no Easie Task for an Arabian Native bred in the Seraglio to conform himself adroit to the Humours and Fashions of France Yet I curb all the Natural Propensions of my Birth Blood and Education as much as in me lies that I may serve the Grand Signior I am Incognito in all Respects save those wherein I cannot be hid And I would change my Masque a Hundred Times over rather than fail of my Ends. What can I say more to him who only values a Slave for his Deeds I turn not my Back on thee Sublime Idea of Absolute Power but retiring after the most Respectful Manner of the East I make a Thousand Obeisances till the Antiport has cover'd me from thy Illustrious Presence Paris 17th of the 4th Moon of the Year 1650. LETTER V. To Sedrec Al' Girawn Chief Page of the Treasury THOU wilt have Reason to wonder at a Man pretending Acquaintance with thee whom thou canst not remember to have seen 'T is from my Brother Pestelihali thy former Master I received the News of thy late Preferment who art thy self but Early in Years Yet no Time is Unseasonable to a Man Mature in Vertue and Wisdom I knew thee an Infant in the Arms of thy Mother the Widow of an Arabian Souldier who served my Brother in the Wars of Persia There appeared then such Evident Symptoms of thy future Wit and Dexterity as prompted thy Father's Captain to take thee into his Protection and Care and thy Mother by her Charms soon found a Way to his Bosom I write not these Things to Reproach thee with the Meanness of thy Birth Thy Merits equal thee with those who are born of Nobles It is not the Custom of the East to Prefer Men for their Parentage or because they can shew the Dusty Statues of their Ancestors That is the peculiar Oversight of the Infidels to give that Honour to Names and Men of a Noisy Descent which is only due to Vertue There are Families in Rome at this Day who boast of their Pedigrees and that they spring from the Renowned Hero's that are Recorded in the Histories of that Empire But they Glory in their Shame since they are quite degenerated from the brave Qualities which ennobled their Progenitors and by their sordid Actions are become a daily Subject for the Descants of Pasquil This is an Image in a certain Publick Place in Rome to which in the Night-Time they affix the Libels which they dare not own A kind of dumb Satyr on the Vices of the Grandees not sparing even the Chief Mufti of the Christians if he is Guilty of any Follies which merit to come within the Verge of a Lampoon It was no Contemptible Jest which was in this Manner put upon the present Pope and one of his Nephews at the latter End of the last Year It seems the Good Old Father had advanced this Spark from a Poor Ignorant Taylor to the Dignity of a Roman Baron bestowing on him Offices which brought him a Revenue sufficient to maintain his Title and Port. All the Ancient Nobility were disgusted at this And some arch Wag was set at Work to ridicule the Pope's Conduct and the New Baron's Honour Wherefore on the Day which the Nazarenes Celebrate with Great Solemnity for the Birth-Day of Jesus the Son of Mary Early in the Morning the forementioned Image Pasquil was observed to be Apparell'd all in Rags and a very nasty Habit with a Schedule of Paper in his Hand wherein was writ How now Pasquil what all in Rags on a Christmas Day for so they call the Nativity of their Messias And Underneath was Inscribed this Answer Alas I cannot help it for my TAYLOR is become a LORD Yet notwithstanding the Obscurity of this Man's Birth and the Meanness of his Former Trade he became an Eminent Statesman after the Pope had exalted him to that Dignity and lived with an Unblemished Reputation whilst he saw all or most of the Ancient Nobility Pasquill'd every Day for their Effeminate Vices By what I have said thou may'st be assured that I have not the Less Esteem for thee because thou wast not the Son of a Bassa since had thy Father liv'd his
When the Quarrels of these Infidels will end I am not sollicitous my Thoughts being ever taken up in the Service which I owe to the Empire of True Believers I cannot bid thee Adieu Illustrious Kaimacham till I have assur'd thee I am macerated with Zeal for the Grand Signior Paris 23d of the 9th Moon of the Year 1650. LETTER VIII To Solyman Kuslir Aga Prince of the Black Eunuchs AFter I had perus'd thy Dispatch wherewith thou hast honoured the Slave Mahmut as I was full of Joy for the continued Demonstrations of thy Friendship and Protection so my Breast conceiv'd an Indignation at the Affront which has been offer'd to the Sublime Port by the Cham of the Tartars in presuming to demand the Tutelage of our August Emperour It is an Indignity to the Ministers of Supreme Justice and Honour Lights of the Imperial Divan to whom is committed the Cognizance of all Human Events The Illustrious Vizirs who manage the Affairs of the Mighty and Invincible Sultan Mahomet whose Throne may God fortify till the Moon shall no more appear in the Heavens Those People have been ever thirsty of Rule and 't is number'd among the Vertues of their Ancestors that they enlarg'd their Dominions by the keen Edge of their Swords But in all the Registers and Archives of the Empire it has not been found that any of that Nation challeng'd a Right to Govern our Sultans though during their Minority It is sufficient That they shall have the Honour according to the Ancient Capitulations to succeed in the Throne of the Osman Princes if ever that Sacred Line shou'd be extinct Which God avert till the Final Consummation It is a Wonder they demanded not also his Royal Brothers the other Sons of Sultan Ibrahim that so they might at one Blow cut off the whole Osman Race and take Possession of the Vacant Throne I have not heard any Thing these many Moons what is become of those High-born Infants whether they are alive or sacrific'd to the Jealousie of the Sultan as has been the Custom Here are various flying Reports concerning them Some say that thou hast convey'd away Sultan Achmet and that he is privately Educated in the House of a certain Georgian The Blessing of Mahomet be upon thee and refresh thy Heart if thou hast taken this Care to preserve the Life of an Osman Prince which is more precious than a Hundred Thousand of Common Birth As for Solyman and the Rest of that Sublime Race the French give 'em over for lost And I cannot contradict 'em for Want of true Intelligence Besides I have Reason to fear it is too true In Regard it has been the cruel Practice of all or most of our late Emperours either to slaughter their Brethren as soon as they ascend the Throne or to put 'em to a more lingring Death and Martyrdom in a Prison 'T is true indeed our present Sovereign is not yet arriv'd to those Years wherein Children commonly lose their Native Innocence I believe he suspects none of his Brethren nor harbours any unkind Thoughts against their Lives Yet Cruelty may be insinuated into his Tender Years by the Artifices of his Mother especially against those of his Father's Blood that did not also partake of hers For Sultan Ibrahim thou know'st had Children by other Women beside the Sultana Valede The Malteses think they have one of these Royal Infants in their Possession Thou knowest the whole Story of thy Predecessor's Voyage toward Egypt with his Beautiful Slave and her Son whom these Infidels honour as the Off-spring of the Grand Signior Thou art not Ignorant also that this Infant with his Mother were Banish'd out of Jealousy by the Order of Her who bore in her Womb Sultan Mahomet our Glorious Sovereign The Remembrance of which makes me tremble for the Sake of the Young Princes if there be any yet remaining alive It is in thy Power to certify me and in doing so thou wilt rid me of much Anxiety I am but a Slave of the Slaves who serve the Grand Signior and it is not decent for me to descant on the Actions of our most Absolute Monarch whose Will is not to be controul'd But I am still a Man and have some Share of Humanity and Reason Thou also art my particular Friend and wilt permit me to discourse with Freedom Was it not a Bloody Feast to which our King 's Great Grandfather Mahomet III. invited Nineteen of his Brethren on the Day of his Inauguration Was it not a cruel Act to cause those Royal Guests in whose Veins ran the Blood of his Own Father to be strangled before they departed from his Table No less Inhuman was it of Mahomet the late Vizir Azem to guide the Hand of this our Present Sovereign when but Six Years Old and incapable of knowing what he did to sign a Warrant for the Execution of his Father Well may the Nazarenes call us Barbarians when they contemplate the Empire of the Mussulmans supported by such Vnnatural Methods Thou that hast the Superlative Honour of being the Immediate Guardian of our Young Emperour wilt pardon the Liberty I take Ascribe all to the Force of my Zeal and Loyalty Thou art valiant and wise Protect thy Charge as the Crystal of thine Eyes which thou wilt not suffer to be hurt by the Dust of the Streets Paris 14th of the 10th Moon of the Year 1650. LETTER IX To Gnet Oglou NOtwithstanding all my Philosophy I have not Command enough of my Passion to conceal it from thee who hast always been the Partaker of my Unequal Fortunes What ever Magnanimity of Spirit I pretended to formerly in my Sickness 't is at present overcome by the Desire of Ease At that Time I remember some Stoical Considerations made me industriously hide from thee the tormenting Pains I felt I endeavoured to disguize my Sufferings and to paint my Misery in such Colours that it could hardly be distinguished from Happiness But now I have not Courage enough to hide from thee my Fears and Apprehensions And all Seneca's Morals are too little to hinder me from complaining of the Uncertainty that we daily experience in Human Affairs This is a Theme so Popular that were not my particular Misfortunes very pressing 't wou'd make me sick to say any Thing on a Subject that has been in every Man's Mouth since the Time that our First Father appear'd among the Trees Therefore thou may'st be assured I am not going about to make a Declamation or play the Orator to expatiate and make large Descants on the Instability of all Things What I have to say refers to my self and no body else save to those who are the Occasion of my Melaneholy In the 10th Moon of the last Year I sent a Letter to Kenan Bassa the New Hasnadar-Bassy I have a Copy of it by me as I always retain of whatever Dispatches I send to the Sublime Port whether to the Publick Ministers or my Private Friends I
or at least to render him suspected So that he who wou'd live peaceably here at this Juncture had need to be well skill'd in all the Secrets of Physiognomy and make frequent Use of his Looking-Glass lest any Oblique Cast of his Eye or Satyrical writhing of his Nose shou'd be Interpreted for Symptoms of Hidden Malice For now they 'll spy Treason in every Feature of a Man's Face As for me when I go abroad I conform to all Companies yet alter not my Address I neither play the Ape nor counterfeit a Statue But observing a Medium I pay a Civil Respect to all without being Courtly or Rude For this Carriage best Suits with my Circumstances Hence it is that no Body suspects the plain deform'd blunt Crook-back'd Titus of Moldavia to be what I am really Mahmut the Slave of the Exalted Port. Paris 14th of the 2d Moon of the Year 1652. LETTER III. To the Reis Effendi Principal Secretary of the Ottoman Empire THE Prince of Conde's taking up Arms has more puzzl'd the Counsels of the King of France and more embarass'd his Affairs than any Occurrence that has happen'd since the Death of his Father I have already inform'd the Kaimacham and others of all Passages hitherto relating to these Intestine Broils Since which they seem to be improv'd into a War wherein Foreign Nations take a Part. After the Return of Cardinal Mazarini to this Court the Prince of Conde was driven to great Streights being compell'd by the swift Marches of the King's Army to retire to Bourdeaux Where considering that it would not be so much his Interest to keep this Place as to encrease his Forces he sent Envoys to the King of Spain and Arch-Duke Leopold in Flanders to desire their Assistance The Former immediately dispatched away Orders for a considerable Body of Men to approach the Confides of Gascoigne where the Prince had a great Interest And the Latter lent him Eight Thousand Men to act on the side of Flanders and towards Paris as Occasion offer'd This is the particular Game of the Spaniards to take Advantage of the Civil Wars in this Kingdom that so by assisting the weaker Party they may balance the Contesting Powers of the Nation and keep 'em in a perpetual Quarrel Whilst in the Interim they gain Ground recover the Places which the French took from 'em in Time of Domestick Peace and so pave the Way to New Conquests In the mean Time the Parliament sent Deputies to the King beseeching him to remember his Royal Word by which he had for ever banish'd Cardinal Mazarini and representing to him the Fatal Consequences which were like to proceed from his Return But the King instead of complying with their Requests caus'd an Edict of Council to be Publish'd which justify'd his Conduct in this Matter He also writ a Letter to the Parliament full of Complaints that they had not yet publish'd any Order to hinder the Entrance of a Foreign Army into the Kingdom But all signified Nothing to Men passionately bent to maintain the Prince of Conde's Quarrel against their Sovereign He has but few trusty Men in that Senate and they are over-aw'd by the Rest Besides the Duke of Orleans bears a strange Sway both in the Parliament and Country At the Instigation of the Prince the Citizens of Orleans shut up their Gates when they heard the King was coming that Way in his return to Paris Yet the Country was open for the Prince of Conde a Subject He travell'd up and down the Provinces to make New Interests and confirm the Old leaving the Command of his Army in Gascoigne to his Brother the Prince of Conti. There have been many Skirmishes and Encounters between the King's Forces and those of the Male-contents and one fierce Combat wherein the Prince of Conde defeated the Vanguard of the King's Army as he was marching to this City Whereby getting the Start of his Sovereign he arriv'd here and was receiv'd in the Parliament whilst the Monarch was forc'd to lie encamp'd in the Field The Prince found a different Reception according to the various Humours of People The Greatest Part favour'd him and he receiv'd infinite Caresses from the Citizens of Paris But met with some Opposition from Persons of Higher Rank and more stedfast Loyalty to the Crown The Duke of Orleans is his greatest Friend and one for whom the Parliament have a great Deference Not so much in Contemplation of his Wit and Policy as for the Sake of his near Relation to the Crown he being Vncle to the present King Whereby he has a Right to assume more Authority than others in regulating the Disorders of the Court among which the greatest is esteem'd that of Cardinal Mazarini's Return In a Word both Parties serve themselves of those who have the greatest Interest and are most likely to compose the Quarrel The Exil'd Queen of England and her Son who have taken Sanctuary in this Kingdom from the Persecutions of their Own Subjects make it their Business to mediate between the Court-Party and the Faction of the Princes The Prince of Conde also sent Deputies to the King to represent to him That the only Means to give Quiet to the State was to banish the Cardinal-Minister And as they were delivering their Address Mazarini came in at the Sight of whom they aggravated their Charge and said to his Face That he was the Cause of all the EVILS which the Kingdom suffer'd The Cardinal Interrupting them turn'd to the King and said Sir It will not be Just that so Flourishing a Kingdom and to whose Grandeur I have contributed all that lay in my Power should ruin it self for my Sake Therefore I humbly entreat your Majesty to grant that I may return to my own Country or whithersoever my Fortune shall call me No no reply'd the Queen not without some Passion This cannot be granted The King had never more need of your Counsels than at this Juncture We cannot consent that so Serviceable a Man should be Banish'd only to humour his Enemies Therefore let us hear no more of that The Deputies perceiving nothing of Hopes return'd to Paris Then the Parliament deputed others to go to the King and Remonstrate the Deplorable Crate of the Realm This was done a few Days agoe In the mean Time we have been alarm'd here in this City with daily Insurrections of the Multitude The Occasion was some private Orders which the Duke of Orleans had given to the Provost of the Merchants relating to his Charge and the Welfare of the City This being misunderstood by the People who have not the Sence to distinguish the Good Offices of their Governours from Injuries put 'em all into a Tumult They assaulted the Provost in his Coach as he was passing the Streets And had he not escaped into an Apothecary's Shop they wou'd perhaps in their Fury have torn him in Pieces For so they serv'd his Coach as an after Revenge I am weary of beholding the
this City they put Fire to it resolving to kill all that should attempt to make their Escape out of the Flames A Person of Quality coming out to pacify them fell a Victim to their unbridl'd Rage And had not the Duke of Beaufort of whom I have often made mention in my Letters interpos'd his Authority they had murder'd all that were within those suspected Walls Sometime before this the Mareschal Turenne took a Place of Strength from the Prince of Conde who in Lieu of it took St. Denis a Town not far from Paris wherein there is a Temple which the French say is the Richest in Europe But they are laught at by the Italians who boast of far Richer Mosques in Venice Milan Naples and Rome The Duke of Lorain plays fast and loose with the Prince of Conde He enter'd the Kingdom with an Army pretending to espouse the Prince's Quarrel but was quickly bought off by the Queen so that he is now gone to Flanders again by this Action leaving a Free Passage to the King's Army under Marshal Turenne to â—ange whither they please which were before block'd up by his Forces Four Days agoe there was a Bloody Encounter between the Troops of the Prince and those of Marshal Turenne in one of the Suburbs of Paris Neither cou'd boast of the Victory though the Battel lasted Five Hours But at length the Prince of Conde's Troops retir'd into the City being frighten'd with the Main Body of the King's Army which appear'd on the Neighbouring Hills Illustrious Janizary fortify thy Heart with all the Necessary Retrenchments of Heroick Vertue And rather than Surrender to Temptations of Vice on dishonourable Terms run the Hazard of a Storm Paris 6th of the 7th Moon of the Year 1652. LETTER VII To Nathan Ben Saddi a Jew at Vienna WE are all together by the Ears in this Kingdom killing burning and destroying one another Whilst you in Germany enjoy Abundance of Peace The Occasion of our Quarrels here is the Return of Cardinal Mazarini against whom the Duke of Orleans and Prince of Conde are Inveterate Enemies The Former is declar'd Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom by the Parliament of Paris Who give it out That the King is Cardinal Mazarini's Prisoner They have also bestow'd the Command of all the Forces under the Authority of the said Duke on the Prince of Conde Their Principal and only Pretence is the Removal of the Cardinal from the King and his Councils What will be the Issue Time will demonstrate There has been a Duel lately fought between the Dukes of Beaufort and Nemours Two Eminent Friends to the Prince of Conde The King going to a Town call'd Pontoise some Leagues from Paris drew a great many Counsellors and Presidents of Parliament thither Men who are Loyal and Stedfast to his Cause This encourag'd the King to put forth a Declaration commanding the Parliament to meet at Pontoise They on the other Side publish'd aâ— Arrest against this Declaration Thus tâ—ey continue pickeering one at another But here is News arriv'd from Cologne which surprizes People very much I know not the true Ground of their Astonishment but the Priests seem to be Mad for Joy All that I can hear about it is The Restauration of the Roman Catholick Religion in that Province which is a Novelty unexpected especially the Ecclesiastick Grandeur which it seems has been laid aside above these Hundred Years I tell thee only as I am inform'd my self It lies in thy Power to certify me of the Truth of Matters They say also That the famous General John de Werdt is dead As likewise the Arch-Bishop of Treves It is added that Frankendal is surrendred to the Elector of Heidelberg according to the late Agreement at Munster And that there is a Diet begun at Ratisbon I desire thee to inform me of all these Things particularly and of whatsoever else occurs in the Court where thou residest As to Matters of Religion be not over-sedulous Piety is compriz'd in a Few Rules Yet the Soul of Man is Naturally Inquisitive and would fain be acquainted with All Things I advise thee to cast thy Eyes frequently on the Earth that is under thy Feet survey the Groves and Fields the Mountains and Valleys Rocks and Rivers Then look up to the Heavens and take a stedfast View of the Stars Câ—nsider the Beauty and Order of All thingâ— And after this tell me if thou canst imagine That the Great and Immense Creator of this Wonderful Fabrick Form'd all the Nations of the Earth to Damn 'em Eternally save only those of Your Race Son of Israel I wish thee heartily Adieu Paris 11th of the 8th Moon of the Year 1652. LETTER VIII To the Kaimacham THE Parisians seem to be all in a Dream or Trance They know not what they say or do or at least they care not Such is the Immense Joy for the Return of the King to this City The Steps to this suddain Change were the Retiring of Cardinal Mazarini from the Court. Which was seconded with a Declaration of Indemnity or a General Pardon for all that had pass'd during these Troubles save some particular Reserves of Sacriledge Fires and such like This work'd strangely on the Inhabitants of Paris But the Prince of Conde not finding any Satisfaction as to his own Person in his Amnesty call'd in the Duke of Lorraiâ—'s Army to his Assistance These reduc'd the King's Forces to so great a Streight and Extremity that the Parliament being sensible of the Advantage made use of it and sent Deputies to the King beseeching him to continue in the same good Resolution he had taken before this Misfortune The Monarch suffer'd himself to be overcome by a Violence mix'd with so much Submission and yielded to their Requests Immediately the Hearts of the Prince of Conde's Friends grew cold and began to change their Sentiments In a word they were resolv'd to desert their New Master and cast themselves at the Feet of their Lawful Sovereign The Grandees who had most affected Conde's Interest laid down their Offices The Foreign Armies of Spaniards and Lorrainers retir'd out of the Kingdom The Citizens of Paris sent a Deputation consisting of Sixty Six Persons of Honour to invite the King to this City and assure him of their Future Allegiance All the Officers of the Militia did the like The King being satisfy'd with the timely Penitence of his Subjects and having commanded some Preparatory Alterations in Places of Trust enter'd this City on the Twenty First of the last Moon with all the Joy and Acclamation which cou'd express the Love of his People and the Regret they had abour'd under during his Absenceâ— Thou seest Illustrious Minister that tho' by the Artifices of a Facâ—â—on a King may be render'd odious to his Subjects be banish'd from his Palace and have the Gates of his Cities shut against him as befell to this King Yet the Inconveniences they feel in taking up Arms against him sooner or later
Faculty which Nature has posted as the Corps du Guard of our Lives and Fortunes allowing it the Sences for Scouts and Sentinells To what End I say serves this Watchful Faculty but to take the Alarm at doubtful Emergencies to rouze our Caution that so we may make Provision and be in a Posture of Defence against whatsoever may happen News came that Eliachim was seiz'd for Seditious Words against the Government I was conscious that both he and I had been Guilty of more than bare Words in that Kind Therefore what had happen'd to him I look'd upon as due to my self also and that my Confinement would soon follow if I took not speedy Care to prevent it by seasonably absconding This was the Reason of my sudden Departure which cannot justly be ascrib'd to Cowardise since 't was the Effect of Common Prudence Now I 'm return'd to my Old Lodging again where the Joy they are in for the Birth of a Son will not give them Leisure to reflect on my Affairs So that I am receiv'd by my Host without the least Jealousie or suspicious Animadversions Brim-full of Mirth and Jovial Thougts the Good Man Compliments me and proclaims his better Fortune Invites me to sit down with his Friends and partake of the Gifts of Ceres and Bacchus This thou knowest is the Custom of the whole Earth at the Birth of Mortals They make merry over one that is born to the same Miseries as themselves who the first Moment he draws the Breath of Life is enrolled in the Register of Death and from the Womb makes swift and direct Advances to the Grave However I sate down with the Rest to comply with the exhilarated Humour of my Host I eat drank and seem'd Merry with the Company Yet at the same Time I could not but nauseate my Entertainment and disdain the extravagant Profusion of Spirit which appear'd in every one of this vain Assembly They all talk'd eagerly and one Man's Words drown'd those of another Whilst an Universal Laughter confounded the Sence of all Then I prais'd in my self the Modesty and Order observ'd in our Eastern Banquets and Feasts where no uncomely Gestures or Actions escape the well-nurtur'd Guests no loud talking or Braying like Asses but every one strives to suppress the Motions and Appearances of a too forward and Indulgent Mirth and contain themselves within the Bounds of a decent and civil Reserve Such were the Feasts instituted by Lycurgus among the Ancient Lacedaemonians where such as were Friends and Acquaintance met together and refresh'd themselves without Riot and Luxury They convers'd together interchangeably after the Manner of Philosophers or Men of the Law Discoursing soberly either of Natural Things or Civil Affairs Mixing facetious and witty Jests with their more serious Talk without Clamour Scurrility or giving any Offence But these Western People think themselves not Merry till they are Drunk nor Witty unless they be Rude They play a Thousand Wanton Tricks like Apes and the greatest Buffoon is the best Company Wherefore sick to see Men so much degenerate from themselves I made my Excuses and retir'd to my Chamber where I presently set Pen to Paper to give thee an Account of my Return If thou continuest thy former Resolution of following the Dictates of Reason in Matters of Religion thou wilt quickly find that thy Rabbi's have taught thee to believe in Fables which accord neither with Reason nor Common Sence Follow the best Guide and be Happy Paris 16th of the 3d. Moon of the Year 1649. LETTER VIII To Adonai a Jew at Venice THY Pen is now free again Write as soon and as often as thou wilt our Fears are dissipated and all goes well If thou canst inform me of any more Remarkable Passages and Adventures spare not to oblige me with frequent Letters And to encourage thee I will relate to thee a Story which is Recorded in the Histories of Naples In former Times there was a Statue of Marble standing on the Top of a Mountain in Apulia with this Inscription on the Head which was of Brass ON MAY-DAY AT SVN-RISING I SHALL HAVE A HEAD OF GOLD No Man in all those Parts could be found who was able to unriddle this Mysterious Expression and therefore it was not regarded for many Ages But at length in the Reign of a certain Prince there was a Saracen who having seen and consider'd the Statue with the Inscription propos'd to explain it for a certain Reward The Prince hearing of this and being greedy of the Novelty sent for the Saracen and bargain'd with him for a Thousand Crowns to unfold this Riddle He waited till May-Day came and watching the Image that Morning Early he observ'd the Place where the Head cast its Shadow just as the Sun rose There he order'd certain Men to dig Which when they had done and were got pretty deep in the Earth they encounter'd a Prodigious Treasure of Silver Gold and Jewels With which the Prince was so well satisfy'd that he doubl'd the Saracens Reward and sent him Home into his own Country laden with rich Presents Doubtless there is much Wealth bury'd by Men in the Earth For in Former Times they were of Opinion That if they should die suddainly in the Wars or otherwise such Riches as they had hidden in the Earth would serve them in the Other World And this is the Practice of the Indians to this Day as my Brother informs me who has been among them Strange Blindness that Men should think the Immortal Soul needed the Assistance of Silver Gold or any Material Substance after she herself is divested of the Body and become a Naked Spirit Let thou and I have a Nobler Idea of our Selves than to phancy we shall be in Want of the Glittering Dross in that Invisible State whither we are all hastening There are no Mony-Changers in that World of Spirits If thou hast Superfluity hide it not in the Earth but give it to the Poor and thou shalt receive it again transform'd into a Substance more refin'd and radiant than the Stars Paris 16th of the 3d. Moon of the Year 1649. LETTER IX To the Reis Effendi Chief Secretary of the Ottoman Empire THE Intestine Quarrels of the French seem to be like those of Lovers whose Cholerick Intervals serve but to give a new Edge to the Returns of their Affection As if One of these Passions was made to whet the Other and make it more sprightly Or as if Love would grow dull and feculent were it not sometimes rowz'd and fermented by Anger But I believe there is a greater Mystery in the Reconciliation between the French-Court and the Parliament of Paris Some Ends of Policy have hasten'd both Parties to clap up a Peace while the secret Rancour remains unpurg'd Perhaps the Union of so many Princes and Nobles with the Parliament might incline the Queen to milder Counsels than her own Spanish Genius Besides the Conjunction of the other Parliaments of the Kingdom the
Home with Acclamations of Joy and to congratulate their Release So fickle and inconstant a Thing is the Multitude driven hither and thither with every Artificial Declaration of Statesmen or Pretence of Faction But there were divers Princes and Noblemen who from the First Hour of their being seiz'd resolv'd not to leave a Stone unturn'd to procure their Freedom The Grandees that were their Friends retir'd to their Governments and rais'd Rebellions in the Provinces All the Kingdom was harass'd with Civil Wars The Parliaments decreed against the Court And there wanted not Cabals of Seditious Courtiers even in the Palace of the King to undermine the Royal Authority which the Cardinal Minister thought to establish by the Imprisonment of the Princes In all Places the King's Interest ran Retrograde Thou wilt not wonder at this when thou shalt know that the Princes of France are not Slaves to the King like the Bassa's of the most Serene Empire who owe all their Greatness to the sole Favour of our Munificent Sultans These Princes enjoy all that and more by Inheritance which our Grandees acquire only by their Merits and the Smiles of their Sovereign Hence it is that their Interest is rivetted in the Hearts of the People who revere the Blood Royal in whatsoever Channels it runs Therefore thinking Men blame the Cardinal's Conduct in this Affair saying There was neither Justice nor Policy in it Indeed if a Mans Wit is to be measur'd by the Success of his Contrivances the Censure of these People is true For the Cardinal seems to have made a Trap for himself As soon as he perceived the King was prevail'd on by the Importunity of his Uncle the Duke of Orleans and the Parliament of Paris to release the Princes and that they had at the same Time earnestly begg'd of him that this Minister might be remov'd from the Court he suddenly pack'd up his Moveables and with-drew privately towards the Place where the Princes were Confin'd Hoping that though he had lost his First Point yet he might make an indifferent After-Game by going in Person to the Royal Prisoners and assuring them 't was to him they ow'd their Release since it was in his Power to carry 'em away with him as also those who brought 'em the King's Mandate For he travell'd not without a considerable Guard 'T is said the Princes receiv'd him with seeming Compliments and Addresses of Civility promising their Friendship to the Cardinal now a Voluntary Exile and in a worse Condition than themselves It is very strange that so great a Minister who Inherited all that Absolute Power which his Predecessor Richlieu had at this Court should thus on a sudden abandon his Fortune But it is thought he is not gone to pick Straws However he has by this timely Flight avoided the Displeasure of seeing himself compell'd to depart by an Arrest of Parliament which was publish'd within Two Days after he was gone commanding him to depart the Kingdom within Fifteen Days The Wise Minister foresaw this Disgrace approaching and therefore thought it more becoming his Honour to depart of his own Accord Having still the Advantage to reproach the State with Ingratitude in that they have reduced to such Streights the Man by whose Auspicious Conduct France had been elevated to an Extraordinary Grandeur in Europe By this thou mayst comprehend Illustrious Bassa that there is no Stability in Human Greatness but that the Wheels of a Courtier 's Life run through Vnequal Tracks often sticking in the Mire of the Valley and not seldom threatning to overthrow a Man and cast him Headlong from the Precipice of a Mountain Against these Inconstant Turns of Fortune I advise thee to be arm'd with Moderation since no Man can avoid his Destiny Paris 14th of the 3d. Moon of the Year 1651. LETTER XIV To Isouf his Kinsman at Fez. I Am glad to hear thou art alive Thy Letter came in a good Hour for I bear a true Affection to those of my Blood and have been particularly anxious for thee these many Years The Sun has Nine Times measur'd the Twelve Signs of the Zodiack since I received thy last Letter before this or heard any News of thee It seems thou hast travell'd a great Part of the Earth during that Time 'T was kindly done of thee to remember thy Sick Vncle's Request when thou wert at Aleppo in making Oblations for his Health to Sheigh Bonbac the Santone and distributing Corban to the Poor in Honour of Syntana Fissa Thou hast sent me a large and satisfactory Account of thy Observations in Asia Yet I am sorry thou hadst not Time to penetrate into the Religion and Secrets of the Indian Bramins I am more ambitious to pry into the Wisdom and Learning of those Philosophers than into any other Species of Knowledge whatsoever Methinks 't is pity the Records of so vast an Antiquity shou'd be conceal'd from the Rest of the World and onely known to those Happy Priests I protest 't is impossible for me to think of it without Envy But perhaps it is the Will of Heaven to lock up those Mysteries in the Remotest Provinces of the East as a Reward of their Constancy in adhering to the Traditions of their Fathers which know no Origin and as a Reproach to all other Nations who in Matters of Religion have been Mutable as the Winds I have convers'd with several Jesuits and others who have been in the Indies but they seem to relate all Things Partially out of a Natural Aversion for the Manners of the East And I knew not how to disprove 'em till my Brother Pestelihali undeceived me He has also visited those Parts and resided a considerable Time in China It is a difficult Thing for a Traveller to keep himself within the Bounds of Truth in his Relations but I believe he has not exceeded Thy Journal touches but lightly the Indian Affairs not having Leisure as thou tellest me to observe much However thou hast made Amends in thy Relations of Persia Tartary and the Land of the Curds I depend much on thy Promise of sending me a Journal of thy Travels in Africk To that Quarter of the World I am much a Stranger not having met with any Authentick Relation of the Regions in the South It seems thou hast been in Aethiopia Lybia Egypt and in Fine all over the Torrid Zone Historians tell Wonderful Things of these Parts Herodotus mentions a Sort of People in Africk whose Bodies were more Venomous than Serpents These affronted once at the Winds for driving the Sands of Lybia into their Country and filling up all their Wells and Streams enter'd into a War against the Kingdom of Aeolus but the South Wind met 'em in their March and bury'd 'em under Mountains of Dust I do not represent this to thee as a Truth though related by that Learn'd Grecian Thou mayst repute it for a Fable as I do But let this Passage be a Hint that I expect from thee none
Malice against me At length he found it to be only the Practices of Ikingi who took Advantage of Solyman's Temper equally Loyal and Flexible insinuated into his Youthful Mind Monstrous Idea's of me and in fine set him a railing at me with a fierce kind of Liberty wherever he came The wise Bassa soon open'd my Kinsman's Eyes brought him to his Sense and the Issue of all was that Solyman writ me a Letter of Apology But since this the Master of the Pages has laid new Trains for me and drawn a great many more to his Party He has corrupted Mustapha Guir an Eunuch and Page to the Old Queen with whom I once held a Correspondence and as I thought had contracted a Familiarity and Friendship But it seems it was only an Appearance without Reality I could give thee a long List of those whom this Academick has taught to slander Mahmut But I will not appear so Revengeful Besides this is not the only Grievance of which I complain Shall I remonstrate to thee most Excellent and Serene Bassa the true Cause of my Uneasiness I am weary of living among Infidels Favour me with thy Assistance and Intercession that I may have leave to retire from this Place and vindicate my self before the Faces of my Enemies And having had that Honour rend'ring also a just Account of the Affairs wherewith I am entrusted I may visit my Native Country and spend the Residue of my Days in Arabia the Scene of all our Prophet's Great Actions the Place where I first drew my Breath I languish for the Aromatick Air of Admoim the Crystal Fountains and Cooler Shades of that Happy Province I long to see the Groves which encompass the Village of my Nativity the Turrets of thy Father's House and the Mosque of Hasen the Prophet For tho' I took no Notice of these Things in my Infancy yet having once seen 'em in my Riper Years when I were able to make more lasting Reflections I shall never forget these delightful Objects so long as I live If this be an Infirmity pardon it Illustrious Arab since it is Natural to all Men. Thou thy self hast enjoy'd the Pleasure of revisiting that sweet Region Pity Mahmut who burns with Desire to taste the same Or if this shall be thought too great an Indulgence to the poor Exil'd Mahmut yet it will be easy for thee who art a Favourite to obtain of the Grand Signior that I may at least be recall'd from this Employment and some body else substituted in my Place There are those among my Enemies who are Ambitious of the Fatigue and Ikingi my Old Friend would exchange all the Honours he is possess'd of in the Seraglio for this Obscure yet Hazardous Post 'T is Pity but such a Man's Thirst of Perils should be gratify'd But if after all that I have said my Superiours shall think it expedient to continue me here I am resign'd Only desiring that from henceforth my Slanderers may be suspected as Men ill affected to the Sublime Port for traducing a Man that has waded through a Thousand Difficulties Temptations and Perils and serv'd the Ottoman Empire in this Station fourteen Years without making a false Step or Transgressing the least Point of his Instructions I hear that Chusaein Bassa is made Vizir Azem The French have a very great Opinion of his Valour They are generally Impartial Criticks in Martial Affairs scorning to deny a Brave Enemy his Due Character We are at present barren of other News save a New Arrest of Parliament against Cardinal Mazarini and all his Kindred and Creatures whereby they are declared Enemies to the State and charg'd with a long Catalogue of Crimes whereof perhaps they were never Guilty Here are also some flying Reports of the Cardinal's Death who they say has poyson'd himself for Grief of his ill Success in this Court But I esteem this only as the Froth of his Enemies Malice who really wish him Dead and to discourage his Friends give it out that he is so Serene Bassa I commit my Affairs to thy Protection beseeching thee to do the Office of a Countryman and a Friend to the betray'd for God Paris 26th of the 5th Moon of the Year 1651. LETTER XVI To Chusaein Bassa the Magnanimous Vizir Azem and Invincible General of the Ottoman Forces in Candia I Am not much above Forty Three Years Old yet have seen Great Changes in the World mighty Revolutions in Kingdoms and States and the Death of many Sovereign Monarchs Illustrious Generals and Wise Statesmen Doubtless all Sublunary Things are subject to Vicissitude There appears Nothing Constant and Settled but the Heavens and Stars They indeed persevere in their Immutable Courses never change their Orbs nor start from their Eternal Posts The Sun rises and sets at his accustom'd Hours and the Moon exactly observes the determin'd Periods of her Encrease and Wane These vary only as the Seasons of the Year with Exquisite Regularity and Constant Returns But here below there is an Universal Transmigration and Metempsychosis of States and Forms of Things A Perpetual Flux and Reflux of Human Events Men die hourly and others are hourly born to supply their Places One Age treads close upon the Heels of another And we who live at present as we walk in the Steps of our Fathers so shall we follow them down to the Grave where our Flesh by a new Metamorphosis shall be turn'd into the Bodies of Worms Insects and Serpents And what shall become of our Souls is Uncertain I was born in the Reign of Sultan Achmet from whom our present Sovereign is the Sixth Emperour that has ascended the Glorious Throne of the Ottomans May God grant him a Long Life and a Series of Years bless'd with Continual Health and Victory over his Enemies I pray Heaven also to perpetuate thy New Office to the last Period of the Sultan's Life and in wishing this I say all that can be expected But when I reflect on the frequent and bloody Tragedies that have been acted in the Seraglio since I can remember and the many Sacrifices that have been made of Sultan's Vizir's Bassa's and Principal Ministers of State besides the Massacres and Butcheries of Meaner Persons It makes me melancholy amidst the Joys I conceive for thy late Exaltation and fills me with Fears lest my good Wishes to the Grand Signior and Thee who art his Right Hand shou'd by some sinister Decree of Fate be almost as soon disannull'd as pronounc'd I pray Heaven avert my melancholy Presages The Death of the Old Queen the News of which is lately arriv'd at this Court does but revive and encrease my Apprehension of Greater Tragedies to come Because one Act of Cruelty still propagates another Revenge is Prolifick and Mischief is never at a Stand. 'T is true indeed as it is not decent to insult o'er the Ashes of Illustrious Persons so neither has a Loyal Mussulman any great Reason to mourn for the Fall of a Woman by whose
all those Things which appear so Gay and full of Charms are Nothing but mere Empty Idea's and Fleeting Shadows of that Substantial and Permanent Pleasure which has her Residence only in Paradise Thou may'st tell the Kaimacham our Friend that now the King of France begins to play the Monarâ—h on the Bottom of his own Wit and Courage without the Assistance or Counsel of Tutors He has brought the Parliament to an Absolute Compliance with his Will having purg'd that Senate of disaffected Members and banish'd from the Court the Duke of Orleans who pretended a Right to Rule his Sovereign In the mean Time the Prince of Conde has taken Rethel and St. Menehoud whilst Barcelona is surrendred to the Spaniards Thus what is gain'd in one Point is lost in another Doubtless there is nothing stable on Earth Paris 8th of the 11th Moon of the Year 1652. LETTER X. To Melec Amet. THY Adventure and Miraculous Escape over the Danube puts me in Mind of a certain French Nobleman of the Prince of Conde's Party who last Summer being closely pursu'd by some of the King's Horse and himself excellently mounted leap'd Hedges and Ditches to avoid Captivity At length they had chas'd him into a Corner of the Land from whence it was Impossible for him to escape but by swimming o'er a small Arm of the Sea What Risques will not a Man run for the Love of Liberty This Person like an over-heated Stagg perceiving his Hunters close at his Heels boldly leap'd on Horse-back into the Sea chusing rather to perish in the Waters than fall into his Enemies Hands None were so hardy as to follow him through the Uncertain Waves However his Horse being of matchless Strength carry'd him safe over to the Opposite Shore As soon as he arriv'd at the next Town where he had many Friends he related this Wonderful Passage But instead of cherishing his Horse for so Faithful and Invaluable a Service he drew his Sword and immediately kill'd the Beast that had sav'd his Life Saying he did it for the Sake of Fame being resolv'd that his Horse shou'd never pâ—â—form the like Service to any other Mortal This was an Ungrateful Caprice and far from the Morality of Sultan Seliâ—â— the Son of Bajazet who when his Trusty Horse Carabuluc had once sav'd his Life by his extraordinary Swiftness he in Token of his Thankfulness built a Stable on Purpose for him in a Large Enclosure of Meadows allowing a Pension to a Groom to wait on the Meritorious Beast and give him his free Delight in all Things as long as he liv'd Commanding that he shou'd never more be forc'd to labour or travel And to compleat the Happiness of the Beast he cull'd out some of the Beautifull'st Mares of Arabia to accompany him charging also that the Doors of the Stable shou'd be always open for the Horse to go in or out and range when and where he pleas'd This was a Generosity worthy of an Eastern Monarch whom as thy Letter informs me thou hast in Part imitated But such is some Men's Ambition and vain Desire to be talk'd of that they care not by what barbarous Methods they accomplish their Aim It was a Motive of this Nature which tempted Erostratus to set Fire to the Famous Temple of Ephesus which had been Two Hundred Years in Building and was number'd among the Seven Wonders of the World This happen'd on the very Night that Alexander the Great was born And the Villain being ask'd Why he committed so destructive a Sacrilege answer'd That it was to acquire an Immortâ—l Fame by so stupendous a Wickedness since he â—ou'd not hope to be Recorded for his Vertue Plutarch mentions a Jest that was made on this Destruction of Diana's Temple For it was common in every Bodies Mouth That the Goddess being call'd that Night to the Labour of Olympias the Mother of Alexander cou'd not be present at Home to save her House from Burning For the Gentiles believed that Diana whom they also call'd Lucina was Invisibly assistant at the Birth of Children However the Priests made no Jest on 't but ran up and down howling and making Gashes in their Flesh presaging that Fate was that Day busied in signing the Decree of Asia's Ruine This is certain That that very Night the Man was born who was destin'd to subdue all Asia and on the Ruines of the Persian Empire raise the Monarchy of the Macedonians However the Villain who burnt the Temple had not his Desire For it was Decreed throughout all Asia That his Name shou'd never be mention'd in History or any Publick Writings It is Recorded of a certain Governour of a City in Italy That being on the Top of an high Tower with only the Pope the German Emperour and an Ambassador from Venice in his Company he was tempted to throw the Two former over the Battlements as they were taking a Survey of the City Which he might have easily done for they were both Aged and Incapable of reâ—â—sting his Strength This Passage he confess'd â—o his Ghostly Father And being ask'd What Induc'd him to think of such a Horrid Treason He answer'd That it might be said He did a Thing which never was done before nor in all Probability wou'd ever be done again Since no Prince having heard such a Story wou'd ever venture himself into the same Danger without a sufficient Guard of his own But however he had not Resolution enough to go through with his Project I hear thou art like to acquire Fame by other Methods than these being in a fair Way to rise by thy Vertues to some Considerable Employments in the Empire For which I equally rejoice with thy self In the mean Time 't will perhaps be obliging to tell thee some News out of these Parts Which will make thy Company welcome to the Grandees They love to converse with Men who can furnish 'em with Intelligence of Foreign Affairs The freshest Discourse here is of the Imprisonment of the Cardinal de Retz who was arrested by the King's Order on the Nineteenth of this Moon What his Crime is I cannot inform thee unless it be that he is an Enemy to Cardinal Mazarini People generally give him the Character of a very honest Man But thou know'st Honesty is counted a Vice in the Courts of these Western Princes The Crafty are the only Men of Vertue and Merit among the Infidels Thou may'st also report for a Certainty That the Spaniaâ—ds have taken Dunkirk in Flanders and Câ—zal in the Dukedom of Mantua This Town is said to be the Key of all Italy I cannot tell thee which is the Lock it belongs to nor I believe they themselves But this I observe That when the King of France sits down before any Place with his Army whoever has the Key neither Locks nor Bolts can keep him out long And 't is Ten to One if he do not find an Entrance into this Place again very speedily when the Spanish King has pleas'd