Peace But he refus'd saying Let them fight it out and then they 'll be good Friends of Course And turning to the Spanish Embassador he said So will it fare with your Master and the King of France When they have sufficiently wearied out one another with Wars they will gladly embrace the Proposals of Peace Here is great Rejoicing for the Reconciliation newly made between the King and his Uncle the Duke of Orleans who have been estrang'd a long Time the latter having espous'd the Prince of Conde's Cause But now he has abandon'd it and is come to the Court. These Infidels are as inconstant as the Winds which vary to all the Points of the Compass Paris the 30th of the 1st Moon of the Year 1656. LETTER XVI To Solyman his Cousin at Scutari I See thou art given over to a Spirit of Discontent Nothing can please thee Thou murmurest at Providence and castest Obloquies on the Ways of God As if the Order of All Things and the Establish'd Oeconomy of the Vniverse must be Chang'd to gratify thy Humour Formerly thou wert troubl'd with dull Melancholy Thoughts about Religion Now thou art angry with thy Trade and pinest that thou wert not Educated in the Academy A Mechanick Life thou say'st is Tedious and Irksome Besides that it is beneath one of thy Blood to be always employ'd in making of Turbants Thou wishest rather to have been a Courtier Soldier or any Thing save what thou art Cousin let not Pride and Ambition corrupt thy Manners Dost thou not consider that all True Believers are oblig'd to exercise some Manual Occupation and that the Sultan himself is not exempted from this Duty Did not the Prophet himself practise it and enjoin it to all his Followers Hast thou not heard of his Words when he said No Man can eat any Thing sweeter in this World than what is acquir'd by his own Labour Doubtless all the Prophets and Holy Men have gain'd their Bread by their Lawful Employments Adam was a Gardiner Abel a Shepherd Seth a Weaver Enoch a Taylor Noah a Ship-wright Moses Saguib and Mahomet were Shepherds Jesus the Son of Mary a Carpenter Abu-Becre Omar Othman Gali and Gabdorachaman were Merchants Dost thou esteem thy self of better Blood than Adam from whom thou receiv'dst thine For Shame prefer not thy self to Noah the Restorer of Mankind to Jesus the Messias to Mahomet our Holy Lawgiver and to the Rest of those Excellent Persons who thought it no Contempt to work at their several Trades and eat the Bread of their own Labours Besides dost thou consider the dangerous Intrigues of a Prince's Court. Art thou sufficiently arm'd with Wit and Dexterity to secure thy Station against the Wily Trains of designing Men I do not reproach thy Abilities Yet I think thou wilt do better in the Post allotted thee by Destiny that is in thy Proper Calling than in the perillous Condition of those who stand or fall at the Pleasure of Others Whereas thou art now thy own Man and needest fear no Tempests of State or Frowns of thy Prince so long as thou pursuest none but thy private Affairs Many Sovereign Monarchs have envy'd such as thee when they have seen how chearfully and quietly they pass'd away their Time under the Vmbrella of an Obscure and Private Life Whereas at the Court there is Nothing but Intriguing Plotting and Treachery one Undermining another to make Way for their own Advance The Court is a perfect Theatre of Fraud Dissimulation Envy Malice and a Thousand Vices which there act their various Parts under the Habit and Disguise of seeming Vertues There a Man must flatter the Great and speak against his own Sence and the Truth to procure the Favour of some dignify'd Fool Than which Nothing is more Ignoble and Base This puts me in Mind of a pleasant Repartee which Diogenes the Philosopher gave to a Courtier The Spark passing by Diogenes as he sat in a Tub Eating of Turneps put this Scoff upon him Diogenes said he If thou wou'dst but learn the Art of Flattery thou need'st not sit here in a Tub scranching of Roots To whom the Philosopher reply'd And thou vain-glorious Man if thou wou'd'st but learn to live contented with my homely Fare need'st not condescend to the Fawning of a Spaniel But Cousin let not this Passage cause thee to emulate the Philosopher's Manner of Life For he had his Vices as well as other Men. If he was no Flatterer yet he was Proud and Opinionative He laid Trains for the Applause of Men in all his Actions and so taught others to become Flatterers tho' he was none himself All his pretended Humility Mortification and Rigour were but so many Decoys for Fame Of this Plato was sensible who was a far more Excellent Philosopher than he As this Sage was one Day walking with some of his Friends in the Fields they shew'd him Diogenes standing up to the Chin in Water whose Superficies was frozen over save one Hole that Diogenes had made for himself Puh says Plato don't regard him and he 'll soon be out For had he not seen us coming this Way he wou'd not have put himself to this Pain Another Time this Philosopher came to Plato's House And as he walk'd on the Rich Carpets with which the Floor of the Hall was cover'd See said Diogenes how I trample on Plato 's Pride Yes said Plato but with greater Pride Certainly the greatest Philosophers Doctors and even Saints themselves have their Errors and Failings Do not therefore affect to change thy Calling for the Life of a Student or a Contemplative Man For the same Discontent will still haunt thee in that State which makes thee so uneasy now Thou art a perfect Stranger to the Intolerable Anguish of Mind which afflicts Thinking Men and such as apply themselves to the Study of the Sciences They labour under a Perpetual Thirst of Knowledge and the more they learn the greater and more Ardent is their Desire of farther Discoveries So that the most accomplish'd Sages are no more satisfy'd with their own Acquisitions than he who has never meddl'd with Books Then as to their Bodies they are always vex'd with one Malady or other proceeding from the violent Agitation of their Spirits the Intenseness of their Thoughts perpetual poring upon Books and their Sedentary Life In all that I have said I do not disswade thee from seeking after Knowledge I rather counsel thee to read Books and I gave thee the same Advice in a former Letter But do it with Moderation Let not thy Studies entrench on the Affairs of thy Calling Read Histories or other Tracts according to thy Fancy when thou hast nothing else to do But do not follow it so close as if thou aspired'st to the Character of a Compleat Historian or Philosopher Still remember that thou art a Turbant-Maker and that by the Decree of Fate thou art born for this Business Follow it with Alacrity and Mirth When thou art at thy Work
Workmanship Of Queen Christina's Entertainment at the French Court. VI. To Abrahim Eli Zeid Hogia Preacher to the Seraglio p. 86 He descants on the Covenant of Mahomet with the Christians Some Prophetick Passages of Mahomet A Story of a Black Image in Spain VII To Murat Bassa p. 191 Of the Death of the King of Portugal and the Coronation of his Son Of Count Harcourt's playing Fast and Loose with the French King And of the Mareschal de la Ferte's Bravery VIII To Hebatolla Mir Argun Superior of the Convent of Dervishes at Cogni in Natolia p. 194 He condoles the Death of Bedredin his Predecessor Sends him the True Effigies of the Messias With a short History of John the Baptist IX To Selim Al' Mosel Venerable Imaum of the Mosch of Santa Sophia p. 201 Of Columbus the First Discoverer of America And of the Destruction of Lima and Calao Two Cities in Peru by an Earthquake and Fire from Heaven X. To Mustapha Bassa p. 206 Of Ismael Bi r Couli Can the Persian Embassador at the Port. XI To Mehemet an Exil'd Eunuch in Egypt p. 210 He acquaints him with the Death of Solyman the Kuslir Aga. Of the Antiquity of the Pyramids King Saurid's Vision Another of Aclimon the High Priest He asserts the Eternity of the World XII To the most Venerable Mufti p. 220 He congratulates his Assumption to that Sacred Dignity Proposes the Advantage of Translating Histories into the Turkish Language And discourses of the Ancient Arabians and Scythians XIII To the Kaimacham p. 206 Of the German Emperour's Death The Ill State of the Empire The Factions of the Electors And Cardinal Mazarini's Aims XIV To Raba Mahomet General of the Ottoman Forces at his Camp near Adrianople p. 229 Of the Affairs of Babylon and the Persians Of the Troubles in Europe Of a Terrible Eruption of Fire from Mount Aetna in Sicily XV. To Cara Hali Physician to the Grand Signior p. 234 He descants on the Succession of Abu-Becre Omar and Othman the First Caliphs And seems to favour Hali the Prophet of the Persians XVI To Cara Mustapha Bassa p. 238 Of the Isle of Tenedos and the Trojan Wars Of Ajax's Folly in Killing himself Of Seventeen Spanish Ships of War burnt and sunk by the English under the Command of Admiral Blake With other Matters XVII To Nathan Ben Saddi a Jew at Vienna p. 243. Of the Quarrel between the Elector of Bavaria and Prince Palatine about the Vicarship of the Empire XVIII To Melech Amet. p. 247 Of Trances and Ecstasies A Story of Saleh an Indian Physician XIX To the Kaimacham p. 252 Of the Surrender of Montmedi to the French and the Speech of the Governor to the King Of the Turks Ill Successes in Candia XX. To Nathan Ben Saddi a Jew at Vienna p. 258 He relates in short the Life and Miracles of Mahomet XXI To Dicheu Hussein Bassa p. 264 Of a Quarrel between the French and Spanish Embassadors at the Hague With other Intelligence from Denmark Portugal Munster and the German Court. XXII To Dgnet Oglou p. 267 He complains of his Friends Reservedness and Silence Rebukes the Trivial Controversies of the Mussulmans And denies that God has a Body or Passions like us XXIII To the Aga of the Janizaries p. 273 Of the Suedes taking Fredericks-Ode by Storm An Interview of the King of Poland and Elector of Brandenburgh Of the taking of Mardike by the French and English BOOK IV. LETTER I. TO Cara Hali Physician to the Grand Signior p. 277 He discourses of Free Will and Predestination A Digression occasioned by a sudden Tempest of Thunder and Lightning II. To Mustapha Bassa p. 283 Of Queen Christina's Sentencing one of her Domesticks to Death And the Censure of the Civilians thereupon III. To Mustapha Berber Aga. p. 286 He acquaints him with the Birth of a Young Prince of Spain and the Extraordinary Magnificences exhibited by the Spanish Embassador at the Hague on this Occasion IV. To Pesteli Hali his Brother Master of the Grand Signior's Customs at Constantinople p. 289 Of his Mother Oucomiche and of Isouf his Cousin Of the Pyramids and Mummies With some Remarks on the Nile V. To the Kaimacham p. 297 Of the Sentence pronounc'd by the Venetians against Girolamo Loredan and Giovanni Contarimi Examples of Justice on Traytors Of great Inundations in Germany and Flanders VI. To Solyman his Cousin at Constantinople p. 301 He expostulates with him about his being too Religious Several Opinions of Philosophers concerning the Soul VII To Afis Bassa p. 306 Of an Interview between the Kings of Denmark and Suedeland And the Peace that ensued VIII To the Mufti p. 309 He acquaints him with the Project of a certain Jesuite to reform the State of Christendom IX To Abdel Melec Muli Omar p. 315 He relates in Short his Education and the Method of his Studies in Sicily A Word or Two of Porphyry X. To Murat Bassa p. 320 Of the taking Dunkirk by the French and the putting it into the Hands of the English Of the French King's Illness and Recovery XI To Mohammed the Eremite of MountVriel in Arabia p. 323 He discourses of his own Passions and Vices With something of his Virtues XII To Achmet Padishami Culligiz Bassa p. 330 He congratulates his Succession to Darnish Mehemet Bassa Of the Election of a New German Emperor The Death of Oliver and the French Design on Ostend XIII To Pesteli Hali his Brother Master of the Grand Signior 's Customs at Constantinople p. 338 Of the Artick Regions and the Nature of Cold. Of the Works which the Northern People build upon the Ice Of the Funeral Monuments of Ancient Hero's XIV To Zeidi Alamanzi a Merchant of Venice p. 313 He recommends to him Fidelity And gives him a Short Account of his Life XV. To the Kaimacham p. 345 Of the Jealousy of the Venetians towards Strangers A General Character of the Italians A Comparison of them with the French XVI To William Vospel a Recluse of Austria p. 350 Of a Street in Paris call'd the Street of Hell Remarks on the Nature of Incorporeal Beings XVII To the Venerable Ibrahim Cadilesquer of Romeli p. 353 Of the Interview between Cardinal Mazarini and Dom Louis de Haro the Spanish Minister in Order to a Peace XVIII To Musu Abul Yahyan Alfaqui Professor of Theology at Fez. p. 355 Of the Zune oâ— Book of Doctrine Of the Piety of Omar Eb'n Abdil Azis the Ninth Caliph ERRATA PAge 94. line 24. for hast enjoin'd read hast been enjoin'd Page 181. line 20. for I renew read I revere Page 192. line 12. for of Fathers read of their Fathers Page 286. line 25. for the Moon read this Moon Page 288. line 33. for 7th of the 1st Moon read 17th of the 1st Moon LETTERS Writ by A Spy at PARIS VOL. V. BOOK I. LETTER I. Mahmut the Arabian and Vilest of the Grand Signior 's Slaves to the Mysterious Esad Arbitrator of Doubtful Problems
tell me have I guess'd right at the Cause of so tedious a Reservedness or no Hast thou been forc'd all this while to speak with thy Hands Feet Nose and the Emphatick Motions of thy Head and Eyes If it were so I phansie thou wert excellent Company among thy Grave Flegmatick Brethren and in a fair Way to understand the Language of the Beasts who by curvetting creeping leaping frisking their Tails and other Postures express their various Passions Desires and Necessities as Intelligibly to those who are us'd to them as we can do by the most Elegant Addresses in Words But to be serious If for the Sake of Vertue this Penance be impos'd on thee by him who Presides over thy Convent or thou hast Voluntarily undertaken so difficult a Part of Self-Denyal on the Score of Philosophy or Religion thou hast approv'd thy self wise and brave in not flinching A Coward in Religious Matters is as despicable as in the Engagements of the World 'T is Honourable to face Temptations and come off with Victory As for what thou desirest to know concerning the Sepulcher of King Childeric It is esteem'd a Piece of great Antiquity In Regard he was the Fourth Monarch of France He Reign'd over the Gauls or Franks in the Year 458. Severus being Emperour of Rome Severinus and Dagalaiphus Consuls Yet in little more than Three Years he was depos'd and banish'd by his Subjects whilst one Aegidius a Roman was Crown'd in his Stead Neither did this Man please the People so well but that after some Experience of his Oppression Avarice and other Vices they expell'd him also and recall'd their Lawful Sovereign For Aegidius had vex'd them with Unreasonable Taxes fleecing them of many Millions which he privately sent out of the Kingdom disposing of this vast Treasure at Rome and among his Friends in other Parts as a Support against Future Contingencies For he look'd for some Back-Blows of Fate Childeric therefore being restor'd to his Crown enjoy'd it till his Death which was in the Year 484. After whom succeeded in the Kingdom Clodovaeus the Great who was the First French King that embrac'd Christianity The Time when Childeric's Tomb was first discover'd was about Two Years ago when the Cathedral of Tournay wanted Reparation For as the Labourers were digging up the Old Charnel-House they encounter'd a Long Stone which giving 'em some Fatigue they broke in Pieces and found under it the Entire Skeleton of a Man lying at Length with Abundance of Greek Medals of Gold and some other Curiosities of the same Metal among which was a Ring with this Motto SIGILLVM CHILDERICI REGIS All these Reliques were at first possess'd by the Canons of that Church where they were found Of whom they were begg'd by the Arch-Duke of Austria who has them in his Custody Therefore those who told thee they are in the King of France's Hands were misinform'd themselves or design'd to abuse thee For this cannot be suppos'd during the present Wars between France and Spain When they are more ready on both Sides to plunder one another than to grant Civilities of this Obliging Nature I perceive thou art grown a great Antiquary and therefore in Token of my Esteem I have sent thee a Cabinet of such Old Things as I have scrap'd together in my Travels and during my Residence in this City The Agates which thou wilt find in the Vppermost Drawer may easily be dated by their Figures which are all after the Fashion of Gentile Rome As for the Shells in the Second I leave 'em to thy own Judgment onely this I will say That they are not Common The Third contains a Miscellany of several Antiques The Knives were us'd by the Ancient Roman Priests in their Sacrifices The Weights are at least Twelve Hundred Years Old by the Parallels which I have seen in the King's Library The Rings also are of the Parthian Make And the Arrow to which they are fasten'd retains its Oriental Venom to this Hour as thou wilt find by trying it on any Animal that deserves it But after all the Lowermost Drawer contains Nothing but Counterfeits For those Medals are the Work of Parmezan the Finest Graver in the World If thou know'st not his Character I 'll tell thee in a Word He was Famous for Imitating so Exactly the most Ancient Medals that the Transcripts cou'd not be discern'd even by the most Skillful Artists from the Originals Accept these with the same good Will as I did when they were presented to me and tell me wherein else I can gratify thy Wishes You Monasticks are infinitely Happy in the Advantages of Retirement and Tranquility You are free from the Cares which molest other Mortals The Bell rings you to Prayers and to your Repast You have Nothing else to regard but your Contemplations and Studies Many Great Lights have sprung from your Various Orders And I tell thee Father William the World will be disappointed if thou should'st prove a Dark-Lanthorn and onely be Wise for thy Self Paris 25th of the 6th Moon of the Year 1655. LETTER VI. To the most Illustrious and Invincible Vizir Azem at the Port. BY the Sound which the Sun makes at his going down I swear I was not mistaken in the Idea I had of thy Generosity And the Dispatch with which thou hast honour'd the Slave Mahmut confirms me in a perfect Security of thy Favour and Protection I shall with exquisite Diligence obey thy Orders But it cannot be attempted without vast Sums of Money And if I may be thought worthy to give Advice to my Superiours the most Effectual Way to accomplish this will be by sending one of the Principal Ministers to this Court with a splendid Embassy For this Young King expects very Honourable Addresses from all that seek his more Intimate Friendship Therefore a Chiaus wou'd be slighted on such an Occasion and marr all the Design I wou'd counsel That some-body be sent who perfectly understands the Genius of the French and the particular Aims of Cardinal Mazarini Under the Protection of such a one I shou'd be able without Hazard of a Discovery to act all that is necessary to carry on this Design with good Success Here are Abundance of needy Courtiers on whom Gold will have a powerful Influence But neither I in Person nor any one whom I shall depute can make such Tenders unless there were here some known Publick Embassador from the Grand Signior to countenance the Business For otherwise it will presently be whisper'd That some Private Agent lurks here Incognito They will start a Thousand Chimaera's of Jealousie and so I may run the Hazard of a Second Imprisonment when the Cardinal shall call to mind the Occasion of my First All that I can then say of my being a Moldavian will find no Credit and 't will be no less than a Miracle if they do not expose me to a Scrutiny for the Mark of Circumcision Which if it be found all 's betray'd and ruin'd
I have enclos'd in a Box the true Effigies of the Present King of France with that of his Uncle the Duke of Orleans his Brother the Duke of Anjou and his Cousin the Prince of Conde as also that of Cardinal Mazarini and Queen Christina of Sueden who is now at the French Court Accept also from an Exile a little Cabinet containing Twelve Watches of so many different Contrivances according to the Circular Variation of the Moons in the Space of Thirty Four Years They are the Work of my own Hands therefore I shall not commend ' em Each is wrapt up in a Piece of Silk wherein is wrought in Arabick Letters the Method of using it Perhaps thou wilt find some Diversion in trying the Experiments mention'd in those Tables However despise not this mean Testimony of Mahmut's Respect but consider that if I come short of the Curious Artists in Europe yet my Labour is passable enough for a Moselman among whom there is scarce another Watch-maker to be found in the World If thou woud'st know the Occasion of Queen Christina's being at the French Court She came thither from Rome when the last Moon was in its Wane Her Passage was by Sea to Marseilles having touch'd at Genoua and receiv'd magnificent Gifts from the Republick but they would not permit her to land for Fear of the Plague which then rag'd in Rome and was the Cause of her leaving that City However the French shew'd no such timorous Squeamishness but receiv'd Her and her Train with open Arms. She landed at Marseilles on the 29th of the 7th Moon and when she made her Publick Entry the Consuls of that City with all the Nobles met her in Coaches the Great Guns were discharg'd to welcome her and she was caress'd with all the Demonstrations of Honor that are shew'd to the Queen of France her self in her Progresses The same Entertainment she receiv'd at Aix Avignon Lyons and in Fine all along the Road to Paris the Keys of Towns being surrendred to her for such was the King's Pleasure and a Canopy of State born over her Head when she enter'd any Town and receiv'd the Addresses and Compliments of Governours Prelates and other Great Men in Authority She was likewise Magnificently treated by Princes and the Chief Dukes of the Realm And on the 8th of the last Moon made her Entry into this City on Horse-back apparell'd like a Man Where having staid some Time she departed for Compiegne to visit the Court which resides there now It is not Suppos'd she will tarry long in France but as soon as she hears the Plague is abated in Rome and the Adjacent Parts she will return thither to pass away the Residue of her Life in that Nest of Princes and Prelates of the Nazarene Belief A little before she left Rome the Spaniards there had Conspir'd to seize on her Person as also on the Pope to have Murder'd the Portugal Embassador and set the City on Fire But the Plot was discover'd and the Conspirators put in Prison For the Sentence of Death is never pass'd in Criminal Cases among the Nazarenes without a Formal Tryal Here is a Rumour as if a Great Fire had some Moons ago broke out in Constantinople and consum'd much of that City I wonder none of my Friends nor any other residing there have sent me an Account of any such Thing Which fills me with Hopes that this Report is false From all Hands we are assur'd that the Suedes and Brandenburghers have obtain'd a great Victory over the Poles and Tartars at Warsaw the Vanquish'd having lost above Six Thousand Men on the Spot with all their Ammunition and Baggage And unfortunate King Casimir was forc'd to fly with a small Retinue towards Hungary 'T was the General Expectation of Europe that the Moscovites and Germans wou'd have done something extraordinary for the Poles and by some surprizing Action put a check to the Suedish Successes and Triumphs For when the Moscovite Embassador was at Koningsberg endeavouring to withdraw the Duke of Brandenburgh from the Suedish Interest he vomited forth terrible Menaces in Case they comply'd not with His Master's Proposals And one Day in a furious Zeal he took a large Goblet of Wine in the Elector's Presence and having drank it off to the Czars Health the Barbarian said aloud Thus shall the great Emperour of the Moscovites devour all that oppose him But now it seems these were only Empty Bravadoes and the Moscovites were resolv'd to stand by and see who got the better on 't The same may be said of the Emperour and Prince of Transylvania so of the Danes and Hollanders who now all declare for the Srrongest Party Magnanimous Vizir if the present Engagements and Wars in Dalmatia and Candy besides the Domestick Troubles of the Ottoman Empire did not wholly employ the Arms of the Moselmans doubtless 't would be an Undertaking no less Profitable than Glorious to succour the distress'd Casimir turn the Tide of the Gothish Conquests and oblige the Poles to an Eternal Fidelity and Gratitude to the Grand Signior Paris 14th of the 10th Moon of the Year 1656. LETTER VI. To Abrahim Eli Zeid Hogia Preacher to the Seraglio I Have frequent Access to the King's Library Which Favour was first granted me by Cardinal Richlieu who often employ'd me in Translating some Curious Treatises out of Arabick into French or Latin The French seem very fond of Eastern Manuscripts where ever they can meet with 'em And they have no less Regard for Men who are skill'd in those Languages That Minister especially was very Inquisitive into the Wisdom and Learning of Asia He Monopoliz'd Persian Syrian and Arabick Books and was a profess'd Patron of Linguists He coveted the Acquaintance of Strangers and Travellers that he might by their means Inform himself of the different Laws Customs and Religions of Foreign Countreys and of whatsoever was Rare and worthy of Observation in any Part of the World Hence it was that I receiv'd Evident Marks of his Esteem as soon as he knew that I understood the Greek Arabick Hebrew Turkish and Sclavonian Languages He often made use of me as I have said and gave me free Access to his own and the King's Library And tho' his Successor Cardinal Mazarini is not so much addicted to Studies of this Nature as to the Affairs of State yet he has continued to me the Priviledge of visiting this Treasury of Learned Books where I pass many Hours One Day I cast my Eyes on a Manuscript Written in Arabick and endors'd with this Title The Original Covenant of Mahomet the Prophet of the Arabians with the Professors of the Faith of Jesus and Underneath was a Latin Inscription signifying That this Manuscript was found in the Convent of Christian Friars on Mount Carmel I have Transcrib'd the Contents of this Parchment and sent it Enclos'd to thee that thou may'st judge whether it be Real or onely Counterfeit For the Nazarenes assert it to
himself fairly to the last But this Young Buffoon grew unwieldy with too Much Honour affronted the Grandees and play'd upon the King himself for which he had once like to have been cast to the Dogs But at the Intercession of some of his few Friends that Punishment was remitted and chang'd into Exile whilst his Enemies made Use of his Absence to ruine him They were some of the Greatest Lords of the Court who bore him a Grudge and they had hourly the King's Ear. Which Advantage they made Use of to insinuate such an Ill Character of Ismael that he knew no better Way to be handsomely rid of him than by sending him on this desperate Embassy to the Mysterious Port Chusing rather that he should fall by the Grand Signior's Command than by his own who had reap'd so much Benefit from the Services of his Father By this thou may'st discern that the King of Persia is earnestly resolv'd upon War without regarding how his Herald that proclaim'd it is received For that Embassador deserves no other Title who comes not with the Accustom'd Presents and Supplications but with an Address of a Harsher Style denouncing Enmity at his very First Approach to the Feet of the Invincible Sultan Mahomet After all it rejoices me to hear that thou and the other Bassa's of the Empire are so ready to assist our Great Master For I am assur'd that from your Personal and Voluntary Contributions he has receiv'd a Supply of Thirty Millions of Aspers besides the Constant Revenues Customs Tributes and Subsidies of the Empire This is nois'd all over Christendom Yet the Venetians seem not much to dread the Consequences of these Vast Preparations judging that they will be employ'd elsewhere than against any Province of their Dominions except in Dalmatia where these Infidels trust to the Strength of their Forts and the Inaccessible Heights of Rocks But He that laid the Foundations of the Earth and causes it to tremble when He pleases the same God form'd the Lofty Mountains and can level them with the Plains to serve the Followers of his Prophet Even as the Stones came Voluntarily to salute the Divine Messenger himself The Trees rowz'd themselves as out of a deep Sleep and the Earth yielding on all Sides to the Forcible Motion of the Inspired Roots they walk'd out of their Places and compos'd an Vmbrella over the Head of Mahomet when he was ready to faint with the Violent Heat of the Sun Thus shall the Elements conspire to aid the True Believers And when they fight for the Alcoran against Infidels God shall endue the Inanimate Beings with Faith and Devotion Paris the 7th of the 2d Moon of the Year 1657. LETTER XI To Mehemet an Exil'd Eunuch in Egypt PRepare the self with a Constancy of Spirit becoming a Mussulman when thou shalt understand that the best Friend thou hadst in the World is gone to Paradise May God grant him the Repose of a True Believer an Apartment of Singular Delight For 't is the Brave Solyman I speak of who not only deserves thy most Grateful Vows for saving thy Life but has done a Thousand Meritorious Actions besides which now crown him with Chaplets of Immortality I wish I cou'd have been the Relater of better News to my banish'd Friend But perhaps thou hast heard of his Death already by some Vessels from Constantinople and so 't will be Needless to say any Thing as to his Untimely Fate or the Tragedies of the Seraglio and Imperial City It seems very strange to me and a Thing Unaccountable that there can be no Means found out to prevent these dangerous Insurrections of the Soldiers and that the most Formidable Empire on Earth should be thus frequently shock'd by her own Subjects Mehemet the Things of this Present World are a Perfect Riddle and our Life it self is but the Shadow of a Dream Thou hast Experienc'd the Inconstancy of Fortune and that there is Nothing on Earth deserves a Wise Man's Confidence Therefore if I may advise thee it shall be to wean thy self from the Trivial Affairs of Mortals Let not the Natural Fondnesses which thou may'st possibly have for thy former Courtly Life in the Seraglio return to disquiet thy Soul A Man may be Happy any where that knows how to be Contented Nature is serv'd with a Little And we ought to esteem our Irregular Appetites as Foreigners If our Fortune be not extended to the larger Measure of our Wishes 't is easy to contract and adequate our Minds to our Fortune Thou may'st carve to thy self various Sorts of Felicities in Egypt and render Caire as Pleasant to thee now as Constantinople was formerly Virtue makes all Places Delightful If thou art for an Active Life there 's Business enough in that Populous City and Opportunities are never wanting to a Man that is ready to lay hold of them Besides 't is the Popular Character of Egypt That whosoever dwells in it finds an Employment suitable to his Inclination But if thou art Melancholy and Contemplative in my Opinion thou cou'dst not have chosen a Country more agreeable to such a Temper Were I in thy Station I shou'd make frequent Visits to the Pyramids and never be weary of searching out the Antiquity of those Admirable Structures There is hardly any Thing made by Human Art which has put me upon more Importunate Studies and Disquisitions than the Original of these Stupendous Fabricks They far surpass in Grandeur and Magnificence the most Renown'd Buildings of the Greek and Roman Empires even in the Zenith of their most Flourishing State And I wou'd fain learn When they were First Erected by Whom and for What Ends For I cannot believe what Josephus the Jewish Historian reports of them That they were built in the Time of Moses their Lawgiver and that all those of the Hebrew Nation amounting to some Hundreds of Thousands were employ'd as Slaves in the Work by the King then Reigning in Egypt I have perus'd Herodotus the Grecian Diodorus the Sicilian with Strabo Pliny and other Writers who have all taken great Pains to search into the Antiquity of the Pyramids Yet after all their Travel in Egypt and their Converse with the Priests of that Country they seem to have received but small Light in this Affair leaving Things in Uncertainty and not agreeing in their Accounts One will have 'em to be only design'd for Sepulchers of the Kings Another says they were built by Joseph the Hebrew the Vizir of Egypt and that they were the Granaries where he laid up Seven Years Provision of Corn against the Famine which in his Days afflicted the Earth Thus they differ in their Sentiments And our Countryman Ibn Abd ' Alhokm declares That when he was in Egypt he cou'd not draw from any of the Priests the least Certainty as to the Age of these Pyramids or their Founders Which made him conclude That since there was no Memory or Footsteps of Their Original left among Men it
likewise the Friends of the Prince of Conde The Parliament are very bold and peremptory in their Proceedings having expressly forbid the Citizens of Paris to obey the King's Order and decreed that Nothing shall be done in their Assembly till the Banish'd Senators be recall'd Things being at this Pass we expect Nothing but Insurrections Massacres and other Effects of Popular Fury The Rich are laying in vast Quantities of Corn and other Provisions as if they expected a Siege And the Poor fare the better for it whilst great Largesses are given among them by the Grandees of the Parliament to engage them in the Faction Besides thou know'st the Multitude always delights in Novelty and State-Tempests hoping for Plunder and to enrich themselves by the Ruine of others I know not what Conduct is fittest for me to use in this Case Whether it will be best for me to abide in this City or follow the Court which is now at La Fere in Picardy Or Whether I should retire to some other Place less liable to Civil Disturbances I wish the Ministers of the Port would send me full Instructions what I ought to do in these Emergences From Rome we hear that the Pope and Cardinals are in great Consternation on some Intelligence they have receiv'd That the English intend to make a Descent on the Territories of the Church That Nation is now become the Great Bug-bear of all Europe since they have molded themselves into a Commonwealth Every Kingdom and Empire has a Time to rise and another to fall But who can determine the Period wherein the Ottoman Glory will decline which is not yet advanc'd to its Zenith Paris 27th of the 5th Moon of the Year 1656. LETTER XVIII To Sedrec Al' Giraw'n Chief Treasurer to the Grand Signior THY Vertues have at Length rais'd thee to a Glorious Trust the Charge of Immense Wealth Thou hast in thy Custody the Riches which cannot be match'd in the Universe God inspire thee with Graces suitable to a Dignity so full of Temptations I hope thou wilt not be affronted at my Prayer as was thy Predecessor Kienan Bassa at some Counsels of like Nature which I gave him in a Letter Some Men are strangely Cholerick and look on him as an Enemy who gives them good Advice I onely warn'd him of the ordinary Cheats that are practis'd at Certain Times in the Treasury which thou know'st to be true as well as I. And I tell thee farther he himself was suspected by many in the Seraglio not to have been altogether exempt from Guilt Whether he were or not I perform'd but my Duty in giving him necessary Cautions For such is the Will of my Superiours that I shou'd not be afraid to unravel the Secrets of those who are false to the Grand Signior I did not charge him with such a Crime and therefore he had no Reason to be angry But some Men will pick a Quarrel with their own Shadows In a Word this Grandee forgot himself In saying so I do not reflect on his Original or that he was found sleeping on a Dunghill in Russia a poor ragged Infant when the Tartars took him Captive among many Thousands of others in the Plunder of Tsinarow and sold him to the Capa Agasi for Thirteen Piasters by Reason of his Beauty I do not call to mind the Circumstances of his Youth since 't is common for the meanest Slaves to arrive at an Extraordinary Grandeur by their Merits or at least through the Favour of the Sultan But what I aim at is that in his being disgusted at the Remonstrances I made of some private and sinister Practices in the Treasury he forgot that he himself is still a Slave to the Grand Signior as well as I and therefore not above Instruction Well it seems he is now made Captain Bassa and thou succeedest him in the Office of Treasurer To him I wish all Imaginable Success and Victories at Sea for the Sake of our Great Master and the Mussulman Empire To thee for thy own Sake and for my Brother's whom I know thou wilt ever respect as a Friend I wish Encrease of Riches and Honours even as thy Merits and Services augment in the Esteem of the Sultan and of all the World And I tell thee I have far livelier Hopes to see this Latter Wish take Effect than the Former For what Reason have we to expect better Luck from the Courage or Conduct of this Ouroos Kienan than from the brave Zornesan Mustapha who commanded the Fleet last Year This Unhappy Thought has put me into as melancholy a Humour as Aeneas was in when the Queen of Carthage required an Account of the Trojan Wars For I have heard that Cara Mustapha Bassa succeeded Zornesan in the Command of the Fleet and in the Revolution of a Moon was made Mansoul again for the Sake of Kienan Bassa or rather for the Sake of the licentious Souldiers who it seems command all Things I have been inform'd also of all the other Tragedies Acted at the Seraglio since the Second Moon of this Year Neither are the Causes and Origin of so much Slaughter and Blood-shed hid from me 'T is too apparent that there is an Universal Disorder and Corruption in the Discipline of the Janizaries I formerly wrote to the Kiaya Bey on this Account But it seems Avarice the Root of all Evil had render'd him Insensible and Obdurate Is it not a Shame that the Pay of those who serve the Grand Signior in the Wars shou'd be detain'd not Three or Four Moons but Five or Six Years by their corrupt Officers They sit at home enjoying their Ease revelling in Taverns and committing a Thousand Riots whilst the others undergo numberless Fatigues abroad and are reduc'd to the extremest Necessities not having so much as the Vests allow'd 'em by the Sultan to cover their Nakedness And if they complain of their Sufferings instead of Redress they meet with Nothing but Taunts and Reproaches as if they were not worthy to eat the Sultan's Bread and Salt tho' they freely hazard their Lives for him It is no Wonder the Janizaries are so unbridl'd in their Rage after so many Provocations Yet I cannot but lament the Fate of those Unfortunate Men who were sacrific'd to the Fury of that insolent Militia Especially I condole the Loss of the brave Solyman Kyzlir Aga. The Janizaries had on old Grudge against him ever since his hot Dispute with the Bostangi Bassa and now they were resolv'd to execute their Revenge As for the Kiaya Bey it seems to be a Stroak of Divine Justice that he who had been the Cause of all this Mutiny shou'd in Remorse strangle Himself and so go to Hell as an Expiation for the many Lives he had cast away And there 's little less to be said in Respect of the Mufti who was the Chief of those that betray'd their Master Sultan Ibrahim To tell thee my true Resentments I am heartily sorry for all the Rest