the Resurrection that is that our very Dust shall be Rais'd again and Organiz'd into a Body The Nazarenes are of the same Opinion But methinks there 's no Need of stretching and straining of Nature Besides this Opinion is Inconsistent with other Fundamental Doctrines of the Mussulman Law We are all taught to believe That the Souls of Just Men Saints and Martyrs immediately on their Departure from the Body ascend to Paradise If so then they either live there in an Vnbodyed Estate or they have New Bodies assign'd 'em by the same Providence which gave them their Old Be it which Way it pleases God It will appear a manifest Botch in the Works of the Omnipotent an Indecorum in Nature to make these Souls either cast off their New Bodies at the Day of Judgment for the Sake of their Old Rotten Reliques after they have enjoy'd all the Ravishing Delights of Eden for so many Ages or to stand in Need of any Bodies at all after they have liv'd so long in a Separate Condition There 's no Sence in 't Doubtless this Opinion was first hatch'd by those who believ'd the Sleep of the Soul and held that it was Inseparable from the Body For then they had no other Way to comfort themselves with any Probable Hopes of a Surviving Immortality but by maintaining That as the Soul slept with the Body in the Grave so both Soul and Body shou'd conjointly Rise again at the Day of Doom Or perhaps this Figure of our Resurrection was inculcated to insinuate the Faith of an Immortal State into the duller Minds of those who were Incapable of comprehending either the Pre-Existence of Souls their Self-Subsistence after Death or their Translation into other Bodies It seems to me much more easie to believe according to the most Obvious Works of Nature that after our Dissolution here we shall either assume some Body of Air Fire or other Elemental Supplement or by Magnetick Transmigration shall be United to some Vegetable or Animal Embryo than to dream of Recollecting all our Scatter'd Ashes together after so many Thousands of Years wherein they have been dispers'd perhaps through all the Ranges of the Vniverse Surely our Holy Lawgiver and all the other Prophets intended no other Thing by the Doctrine of the Resurrection but only to convince the World that the Soul was Immortal and that consequently there wou'd be a Reward of Good and Bad Works after this Life We shall live for ever Old Lawyer And what signifies it whether we have the same Bodies or others so long as we are Happy in any State And if we are Metamorphos'd we cannot fail of our Specifick Felicity since every Creature is Happy in its Own Essence Then let us be Apes Dromedaries Camels or any Thing but Hogs and we shall have Bliss enough That Creature is the very Emblem of Vncleanness and therefore its Life cannot be the Object of a Mussulman's Wish Yet we know not the Laws of our Change or Transmigration from this Mortal Life For the Soul according to Pythagoras and the Ancients is Capable of all Forms If thou wond'rest what has put me upon this Discourse it is the Remembrance of what I have heard thee relate of the Apparition of Dead Mens Bones in the Cemetery of Grand Caire in Egypt at a certain Season of the Year when Multitudes of People by Custom flock thither to behold this Wonderful Scene of a Sham-Resurrection I can give it no better Title since in all Probability 't is only the Effect of some Artifice us'd by the Christians to procure Money from the Admiring Croud And I 'm confirm'd in this Belief by a Letter I receiv'd from Mehemet the Exil'd Eunuch who now resides at Caire and having been curious to observe this Celebrated Miracle among the other Rarieties of this City sent me such an Account of this Passage as convinces me there 's some Cheat in 't He tells a great many other Things of the Superstition and Ignorance of the Egyptians as to the Pyramids and the suppos'd Spirits which guard ' em In all he laments the Condition of Mortals who have so far degenerated from themselves and suffer'd their Reason to be debauch'd with Fables Sage Mustapha thou art of the Race of those who have preserv'd Science and Philosophy A Halo of Light invests thy Soul Let no dark Opinion of God and his Works eclipse thy Intellect Paris 20th of the 8th Moon of the Year 1655. LETTER IX To Solyman Kuslir Aga Prince of the Black Eunuchs THY Dispatch came in a Happy Hour Yet the Contents of it surpriz'd me 'T is a strange Turn of Fortune that the Bassa of Aleppo after so many Rebellions shou'd become the Sultan's Favourite and be invested in the Highest Dignity of the Empire Yet who knows but this may be the onely Effectual Course to reclaim him and of an Enemy to render him a Friend For Ambition is a Vice so nearly bordering on Vertue so refin'd and subtle in its Complexion that when the Passion which cherishes it is once gratify'd with its proper Object it soon becomes a Vertue it self and transforms a Libertine to a Hadgi ranking a Man to Day among the most deserving Hero's who but Yesterday was in the Number of the Seditious Therefore I cannot but highly applaud the Counsel of those who perswaded the Grand Signior to this Uncommon Choice of the Vizir Azem The whole Empire has languish'd for Want of a Man of Abilities in that Supreme Station ever since the Seal was taken from the most Illustrious Chusaein Bassa through the Malice of his Enemies And in this Juncture they cou'd not have pitch'd on a Man more capable of the Charge than this bold Bassa who besides his Experience in the Wars both by Sea and Land is look'd on as the Stoutest Man in this Age. As for his Former Crimes they proceeded onely from his Discontent and Thirst of Glory which is now sufficiently allay'd by the Bounty of our Sovereign The Cause therefore of his Extravagances being thus seasonably remov'd the Effect will naturally cease But suffer me to ask thee Do they not resent at the Seraglio his Approaches to that Sanctuary of Mortals with such a Formidable Retinue Thou tellest me he is attended by Forty Thousand Men an Equipage fit for a Sovereign Monarch Perhaps 't is onely the Effect of his Martial Genius and that he is willing to appear like a Soldier Or it may be he really suspected Danger and that he was design'd for a Sacrifice Which made him come thus guarded to the Feet of his Master That his Son might revenge his Death by some desparate Attempt on Constantinople Be it how it pleases God it seems the Sultan wink'd at all and receiv'd him with such Marks of his Esteem and Affection as are seldom vouchsaf'd to Subjects I hope the Event will answer his Expectation These new Methods of Clemency may prove more successful than the severe Conduct of Former Times Men of
come out of England that pretend to be Prophets foretelling the Downfal of the Pope whom they call Anti-Christ a Beast a Dragon and I know not how many other Titles One of them is gone to Rome to tell the Holy Father to his Face what is like to befall him The French Court looks upon them as Mad Men and no Body can esteem them better if they go to Rome where they will Infallibly fall into the Hands of the Inquisition which thou know'st is a Hell upon Earth Thy Brother Adonai felt the Smart of it only for Two or Three Words utter'd in Contempt of their Religion And tho' he was not Condemn'd to Death yet he suffer'd a tedious Imprisonment till at Length the Plague releas'd him both from that and the Chains of this Mortal Life Nathan if he had dy'd by the Stroke of the Executioner or by Fire the Common Death of those who rail at the Roman Faith I cou'd not pronounce him a Martyr unless it were to his own Folly and Rashness since he was not plac'd there to make Proselytes either to the Law of Moses or Mahomet but to penetrate into the Secret Transactions of the Followers of Jesus Thy Business is the same at Vienna pursue that with Alacrity and God shall protect thee from all Adversity Paris 9th of the 7th Moon of the Year 1657. LETTER XVIII To Melec Amet. I Welcome thy Return to the Earth again For it appears by thy Letter that thou hast been in the Other World 'T were to be wish'd thou woud'st favour the Living with a Journal of thy Travels and Observations among the Dead Those Regions of Silence wou'd afford Matter of Noise enough to Mortals that are always greedy of Foreign News Perhaps if thou wou'dst communicate the Remarks thou hast made during that Ramble of thy Soul we might find out some Method of Correspondence between Our World and that Invisible State We might contrive a Way to send Dispatches to our Friends and to receive their Answers again Or at least we might make some Useful Discoveries in that Empire of Shadows But tell me seriously dost thou think that it was any more than a Trance or Dream that has happen'd to thee Such as frequently falls out in Melancholy Constitutions I once inform'd Cara Hali the Physician of such an Accident as this not far from Paris It was of a Man that had lain Five and Thirty Hours as Dead in all Humane Apperance and so given over by the Physicians Yet after that Period he recover'd his Sences again and told strange Things to those that were about him Surely these are but the Slumbers of the Soul and Death it self is but a deeper Sleep when it causes the Dissolution of the Body Doubtless Men awake again in some other Active State For as a Flame of Fire is Equally dispos'd to embody it self in the Fat of Flesh or Fish in Oyl Wax Sulphur or any Proper Vehicle and as soon as it is extinguish'd in One will readily translate it self successively to all the Rest if they be within the Sphere of its Activity as the Western Philosophers speak So is the Spirit or Flame of Life always in a Posture of Transmigration For ought we know he that is a King This Hour may be a Peacock the Next and within a Few Days be serv'd up at his Succesor's Table as a Royal Dish But not to insist too much on these Secrets I will relate to thee a Passage not unlike that thou hast Experienc'd It is Recorded in the Writings of an Authentick Pen the Manuscript of an Ancient Arabian That Al' Rashid Emperour of the Faithful had many Famous Physicians about him Among the Rest he highly esteem'd Salch Eb'n Nahali an Indian for recovering one his near Kinsmen out of such a Condition as I suppose thou hast been in That Kinsman was very dear to the Emperor who was sitting at a Feast when News was brought him that he was dead The Emperour extremely troubl'd to hear this burst forth into Tears and caus'd the Table to be taken away Then Jaafer Eb'n Yahya one of his Confidents immediately desir'd that Saleh the Indian Physician might visit the Corps of his dead Relation Who went accordingly and having felt his Pulse and consider'd him well he return'd to the Emperour and said Cease to mourn my Lord Commander of the Faithful For if this Man be dead and I do not restore him to Life again may I be divorc'd from all my Wives for Ever He had scarce made an End of saying this when a Second Dispatch came to the Emperour from those who were about his Kinsman assuring him That he was really departed this Life Then Al' Rashid began to Curse the Indians and their Ignorance But Saleh persisted in his Assertion crying out with some Vehemence Be not Incredulous O Emperour of the Faithful nor suffer thy Kinsman to be buried till I have been with him again For assuredly he is not dead I will shew you something that is Admirable Al Rashid pacify'd with these Words took Saleh along with him to visit the suppos'd dead Person As soon as they came into his Chamber the Indian took a Needle and thrust it between the Nail and the Flesh of his Left Thumb Then the Entranc'd snatch'd up his Hand toward his Mouth At which Saleh cry'd out Now my Lord comfort your self for dead Men use not to be sensible of Pain After this he blew up a Powder into his Nose Upon which in a few Minutes the Patient sneez'd and sitting upright in his Bed spoke to Al' Rashid kissing also his Hand The Emperour asking him How he found himself He reply'd Benefactor of Mankind I have been in the sweetest Sleep that ever I remember fell on me in my Life Only I dream'd that a Dog came and bit me by my Left Thumb the Pain of which wak'd me With that he shew'd him the Mark of the Needle and the Blood Adding Surely it was no Dream but a Truth for I feel it yet The Emperour was extremely pleas'd with his Indian Physician and did him great Honour His Kinsman also whose Name was Ibrahim liv'd many Years after this and was made Governour of Egypt where he dy'd and was bury'd The Eastern Physicians have been Famous in all Ages and are now much in Esteem among the Franks who addict themselves to study the Sciences Here are some very Learned Physicians in these Parts and not a few Ignorant ones who serve as Foils to set off the Lustre and Fame of the others Every Province and City in France swarms with 'em And they all find Employment either to Kill or Cure The Nazarenes live very Intemperately and fall into Abundance of Diseases whereof the East is wholly Ignorant Therefore it is Necessary for 'em to be well stock'd with Physicians Yet 't was Satyrically observ'd by a certain French Lord That in a Town not far from his Palace the Inhabitants were all healthy long-liv'd Men
give me Leave to tell thee That Rome in all its Victorious Bravery never saw Firmer Soldiers in a Battle than the Spaniards are at this Day But the French have Finer Wits more Money and better Fortune And 't is this makes 'em insult Besides Destiny over-rules All Things Every Kingdom and Empire has its Climacters wherein it droops declines and at the Grand Critical Period falls to ruine The Greeks had Money enough when the Great Sultan Mahomet besieged Constantinople But they had not Wit to use it for their own Preservation and so that City the last Considerable Stake of the Empire was lost to the Ottomans who soon after became Masters of all the Rest Thou hast Wealth in Abundance and Discretion to manage it Slip no Opportunities but remember the Old Arabian Proverb which says God has given whole Days to the Fortunate but to the Vnhappy he affords only some Hours Paris 7th of the 1st Moon of the Year 1658. LETTER IV. To Pesteli Hali his Brother Master of the Grand Signior 's Customs at Constantinople I Remember my Promise though it be late Thou know'st I have many Hindrances and therefore wilt not tax me with feigning an Excuse However thy Letter came to me in a Good Hour to put me in Mind of these Things and to enquire of our Mother's Health who still resides in this City I have said Nothing of her since my First Letter after her Arrival at Paris And to tell thee the Truth she has said Little her self being Ignorant of the French Tongue and too Old to learn it Therefore her Chief Conversation has been with Eliachim and me above these Three Years For that Jew speaks Indifferent good Turkish and Arabick If thou wou'dst know how she has spent her Time 'T is divided between her Devotions and her Needle She lives more Recluse than a Christian Nun seldom or never stirring abroad unless to take the Air of the Fields and then shut up in a Coach with her Maid In a Word her Manner of Living is a fit Example for the French Women For in all Things she observes the Laws of her Education and the Modest Customs of the East No Argument can persuade her to change her Grecian Garb or dress her self after the Loose Mode of Western Females Neither Will she Eat or Drink any where but in the House of Eliachim for Fear of infringing the Precepts of the Alcoran and disobeying the Messenger of God For she esteems the Diet of the Jews Pure and free from Pollution In her Pious and Motherly Zeal she rebukes me for Eating and Drinking with Infidels And I've Nothing to say in my Defence but the Necessity I lie under of preventing Suspicion that so I may serve the Sultan with greater Success and that I have the Mufti 's Dispensation for this and many more Irregularities When she hears this she lifts up her Eyes to Heaven lays her Hand upon her Breast and appears resign'd Yet shakes her Head and seems to pity my Case not without some Reflections on the Corruption of the Times the Impiety of the Seraglio and Want of Zeal for the Holy Prophet She has her Health to a Miracle And excepting the First Two Moons after she came to Paris I never heard her complain of the least Indisposition 'T is possible the Change of Air with the Inconveniences of Travelling so far by Sea and Land might incommode her at First She was for a while troubled with Rheums Obstructions and a Dysentery But she soon overcame these Distempers and has ever since been perfectly well We often discourse together of thee and thy Travels in the East Sometimes I read Part of thy Journal to her which affords her Infinite Delight She congratulates her self and thy Good Fortune in escaping so many Perils and Deaths as every where threaten a Stranger And takes a particular Delight to hear thy Adventures with the Indian Lady at the Court of Raja Hulacu Thou may'st be assur'd our Mother bears a Singular Affection to thee For we never meet without wishing thee in our Company She rejoices mightily to hear of thy Prosperity and Advancement in the Favour of the Grand Signior and his Principal Ministers Wishing thee every Day a New Step of Honour and Interest Thou may'st also rest satisfy'd that Mahmut comes not short of the Affection he owes to such a Brother At other Times we talk of our Cousin Isouf who is now in the Frozen Regions of the North. His Itinerary Memoirs are also very Pleasant And we pass some Hours in reading and comparing 'em with the Dispatches which I frequently receive from Mehemet an Exil'd Eunuch in Egypt For Isouf is more large in his Description of that Country and his Remarks on its Antiquities than on any other Part of Africa Yet he says enough of all that Southern Quarter As to what I promis'd to inform thee concerning the Pyramids Mummies and other Singularities of Egypt know that our Kinsman Isouf is a great Critick and gives the Lye to Herodotus Diodorus Strabo Pliny and other Writers of Greece and Rome Neither will he consent in all things to our Arabian Histories He says the Pyramids are neither so High nor does their Basis take up so much Ground as is reported by the Ancients He laughs at those who affirm They cast no Shadows at Noon having experienc'd the Contrary when the Sun was in Capricorn And we may believe him in this on good Ground For it is Recorded of Thales Milesius who liv'd above Two Thousand Years ago That he took the Height of the Pyramids by their Shadows There are Three of these Admirable Structures not far from Caire and about Eighteen more in the Deserts of Libya It is Generally suppos'd That they were built for Sepulchres of the Egyptian Kings some of them before the Flood the rest after There are not wanting Historians who assert the Greatest of the Pyramids to be the Tomb of Seth the Son of Adam Isouf was within this Mighty Fabrick and attests That after he and his Company had descended and ascended through certain Galleries they came at last to a Square Chamber wall'd about with Pure Thebaick Marble in the Middle of which was a Chest of the same Stone which when struck with the Foot sounded like a Musical Instrument It is believ'd that in this Chest was laid the Body of the King who built that Pyramid The Ancient Egyptians were of Opinion That even after that which we call Death or the Separation of the Soul and Body there were certain Arts to retain 'em together if not in so Strict and Intimate an Union as before yet in a very Familiar Correspondence for many Ages So that the Soul should always take Delight to hover about the Body and to exercise its Faculties in the Place where that was reposed For this Reason in the First Place they took out the Bowels and whatsoever was most liable to Corruption And having wash'd the Empty Belly with
Wine of Palms mix'd with Aromatick Powders they stuffed it with Myrrh Cassia and many Costly Confections and then sow'd it up After this they purified the Whole Body with Nitre And having drawn out the Brains by the Nostrils with a Hook they fill'd up the Skull with Melted Gums And last of all they swathed up the Whole Body in Silk smearing it over with Rich Mixtures of Bitumen Spices and Gums and so delivered it to the Kindred to be laid up in the Sepulchre These were the Preparations they made to Court the Presence of the Soul by rendring the Body for Ever Sweet and Incorruptible And that the Majesty of Royal Ghosts might never be Interrupted or Violated by the Neighbourhood of Vulgar Spirits or the Ruder Approach of Mortals Kings built these Magnificent Piles as the Palaces of their Last Repose 'T is therefore they were Erected in Desert and Unfrequented Places and in such a Form as was esteemed the most Durable and secure from the Injuries of Time the Assaults of the Elements and from the Common Fate of all Human Enterprises Each Stone of a Prodigious Bulk and rivetted to the next with a Bar of Iron Which with the Strength and Invincible Fastness of the Cement renders it a Thing Impossible for any one of these Pyramids to be demolished tho' all Mankind were set to work for many Successive Generations Al Mamun the Caliph of Babylon attempted to do it but in vain For after he had set his Men at Work and been at Vast Expences they made but one small Breach so Inconsiderable that being made Sensible it would exhaust his Treasures to remove but the Hundredth Part of the Pyramid he desisted full of Wonder at the Wisdom of the Founders If it be true that the Soul may by such Allurements as these be prevailed on to remain with the Body in its Sepulchre and that a Man's Future Happiness consists in this I should my self Admire and Imirate those Egyptian Sages I would in my Life-Time build me a small Mausoleum according to my Ability and order in my Last Will and Testament that my Body be Embalmed and Condited for a Perpetual Duration But if none of these Arts can alter the Decrees of Destiny or force an Immortal Spirit from Ranging where it pleases I must conclude with Pliny That this Celebrated Wisdom of the Egyptians was no other than Glorious Folly and all the Magnificence of their Kings in building such Costly Sepulchres but Royal Waste They themselves in thus cautiously providing to secure the Soul 's Abode with the Body after Death tacitely own'd That by the Course of Nature it would immediately pass into some other Nay the Transmigration of Souls was an Established Doctrine in Egypt How then could they be so blind as to imagine a Dead Carcase however Perfumed and Fenced against Corruption was more inviting than an Embryo formed to live Or that it was more Elegible for the Soul to be Imprisoned in a Dark Dungeon for no better are the Insides of the Pyramids than to enjoy the Light of the Sun Moon and Stars and the Various Sweets of the Elements Brother in my Opinion 't were better to be a Bird a Worm a Fly or any Living Thing than to be thus Immur'd for many Ages and have no other Companion but an Old Salted Mummie Isouf has made some Remarks on the River Nile to which he says Egypt owes not only its Corn and Fruits but also the very Soil which brings 'em forth For every Year at the Time of the Inundation that River brings along with it from Aethiopia or some other Regions through which it passes Abundance of Slime and Mud with which it covers all the Land of Egypt leaving it behind at the Decrease of the Waters So that the Soil of Egypt is borrowed from other Countries And if this be true for ought we know the Place of its Situation may be borrowed from the Sea according to the Opinion of some Ancient Philosophers Herodotus Pliny and others were of this Persuasion grounding their Conjectures on the nearer Approaches of the Continent to the Island Pharos from the Time of Homer who exactly Calculated its Distance And they concluded That the Immense Quantities of Slime which the Nile transports from the Mountainous Regions of Africa might in the Space of Two Myriads of Years have filled up all that Part of the Sea which is now Firm Land and call'd Egypt If this be true it seems to me very strange That the Egyptians should boast of Greater Antiquity than any other Nation in the World tho' their Country it self be the Youngest of all the Regions on Earth an Abortive Spot of Ground hatched by a River in the Depths of the Sea and ever since cherish'd by that River as by a Parent or Nurse which ceases not to convey to it Yearly a Convenient Proportion of Aliment whereby the Country it self grows in Bulk and the Inhabitants are maintained O Admirable Providence of Nature who can penetrate into thy Mysterious Conduct O Egypt abounding in Prodigies and Wonders Where the Land and Water with the other Elements conspire to render thee all over Miraculous Dear Pesteli I am transported when I think of that Region and could relate a Thousand more Passages both out of Isouf's Memoirs and from the Mouths of others who have travelled thither to observe so many Miracles But I believe thy Patience will be sufficiently tir'd with the Length of this Letter Besides my Mother is just come to visit me and desires me to recommend her Unfeigned Affections to thee Be assured also that Mahmut loves thee with the Integrity of a Man and the Tenderness of a Brother And he serves thee in all Things without repining Paris 17th of the 1st Moon of the year 1658. LETTER V. To the Kaimacham THE Venetians are very angry for the Loss of Tenedos and not without Reason For that Island is a delicate Spot of Ground abounding in Rich Wines and other Products of Nature Besides it commands the Avenue of the Shining City the Refuge of Mortals They variously relate the Manner of its being retaken from 'em by the Arms which no Earthly Power is able to resist Endeavouring in all their Rumours to disguise the Truth as much as they can and misrepresent the Bravery of the Ottomans That so the Actions of their own Generals may make the Greater Figure These Nazarenes have a bad Cause and therefore are compelled to make Use of Shifts and Equivocations to support it They are quite degenerated from the Integrity of the Primitive Followers of Jesus In a Word they make good the Character of the Ancient Candiots Of whom a certain Poet says They are thorow-pac'd Lyars Ravenous Beasts and Gluttonous Drones It is believ'd in these Parts That when the Venetians quitted the Island they departed not without Revenge setting Fire to a Mine and blowing up several Hundreds of Mahometans into the Air. However they have for Ever Proscribed and
Seasons of the Year in their Proper Course renew all the Vegetables We find the Elements the Sun Moon Stars and Earth remain Unchangeable And why then shou'd we think they were not always so and will not continue so for Ever Or if this be too bold a Stretch let us conceive them at least much more Ancient and Durable than they are Generally thought to be And if these Greater Bodies shall undergo a Change in their Outward Forms we may yet believe their Substances will remain for Ever But whether Corporeal Beings are thus lasting or no we have Something in us that can never perish Our Souls are Immortal and need not the Embalming of Egypt to preserve 'em from Corruption Therefore Dear Mehemet since we are Destin'd to live for Ever in one State or other let us not fear Death which is but a Minutes Slumber a Short Trance out of which we shall immediately Awake to encrease our Knowledge and Experience of those Mysteries and Secrets in Nature which at Present are hid from us In a Word let us live like Philosophers and then we may hope to die with the same Equanimity of Spirit as he did who in his last Agonies being ask'd by his Friend Where was all his Philosophy now Answer'd I am just entering on a New Discovery concerning the Nature of Salt And with that Word he Expir'd Paris 7th of the 2d Moon of the Year 1657. LETTER XII To the most Venerable Musti IF the Publick Seditions shou'd always continue or be as frequently Renew'd as they have lately been at Constantinople and if their Effects shall be Equally Fatal to the Grandees as has been this last Horrid Mutiny of the Soldiers To Congratulate any Man's Rise to an Eminent Dignity will be but to flatter him and Addresses of this Nature must be esteem'd no better than Mock-Compliments Civil Insults and Fashionable Sarcasms Since at this Rate Great Honours ought to be look'd on no otherwise but as direct Advances and nearer Approaches to Infamy and Death when a Man is Exalted from an Obscure Fastness and Hurnble Security to the Glorious Hazard of a Precipitate Fall 'T is therefore when I come to kiss the Dust of thy Feet among the Crowd of True Believers and to welcome thee to the most Sacred and Sublime Vicarship on Earth I draw near with an Indifference suitable to a Mussulman wishing thee not more Joy than Safety in that Mysterious Station but such a Temperament of Both as is due to thy Sanctity and Incorrupt Actions In a Word I wish thee a perpetual Immunity from thy Predecessor's Temptations and from his Crimes and then thou need'st not fear his Misfortune and Disgrace Let not what I have said pass for an Argument of Disrespect and Undutifulness to the Heir of Prophetick and Apostolick Revelations the Great Patriarch of the Faithful I reverence both thy Office and Person Yet am Commanded to avoid Flattery and Partial Addresses when I write to the Greatest Sages in the Empire And had not this Injunction been laid on me my own Natural Temper wou'd prompt me to shun that Vice which renders a Man so much less than himself by how much he exalts another above his due I have often propos'd to thy Predecessor the Mighty Benefit that wou'd redound to the whole Ottoman Empire if Learning were more Encourag'd and the Histories of Foreign Nations were Translated into the Familiar Language of the Mussulmans It is fit that those who are Destin'd to subdue All Things and have already spread their Glorious Conquest through the Greatest Part of the Earth shou'd be acquainted with the Transactions of Former Times the Wars of Illustrious and Brave Hero's the Rise and Fall of Ancient Kingdoms and in General the most Noted Revolutions in the World From such Records our Generals and Military Men may draw Examples of Fortitude and Patience Conduct and Prudence in all the Fatigues and Difficulties of War Our Statesmen may Improve their Knowledge in all the Maxims of Policy and Wisdom requisite in Time of Peace In fine Men of all Conditions may learn the Precepts of Morality and Vertue Methinks 't is Pity that we who possess the Territories of the Ancient Grecians the Kingdoms of Corinth and the Argives the Commonwealths of Athens and Lacedaemon the Empire of Macedon and the State of the Jews shou'd be Ignorant of the Laws by which these divers Countries were of Old Govern'd and the Characters Lives and Actions of their First Lawgivers and Succeeding Governours But if thou shalt determine that the Knowledge of these Remote Affairs is Superfluous and Unnecessary for True Believers let 'em at least not be Ignorant in their Own History and the Original of their Progenitors 'T is true we Arabians have all a-long taken Care of Our Genealogies every Family and Tribe being diligent to preserve the Memory of their Ancestors and all concur with an Unanimous Zeal to Register the Holy Lineage of Mahomet the Messenger of God So that we can from his Father Abdalla run up in a direct Paternal Line to Caydar the Second Son of Ismael on whom be the Benedictions of God We are not Ignorant how this Caydar from whom the Noble Corei's derive their Pedigree First setl'd at Mecca in pure Devotion to the Square Temple which was built by Angels When he might as well have chosen the more Fertile Plains of Media Persia and Assyria as did his Brethren Doama Naphis and Redma But he foresaw by his Skill in Astrology that the Inhabitants of those Regions would be Idolaters And so it came to pass For they were in the Number of those who Ador'd the Fire For the same Reason he chose not for his Seat Armenia though that Country be Renowned for the Resting of Noah's Ark on Mount Geudis and the Famous City Themanine or the Work of Eighty being the First City built after the Deluge by the Eighty who Escap'd in the Ark. But Caydar knew that the People of that Province shou'd worship the Sun And it was Verify'd in the Posterity of his Brethren Nabsam and Masna Therefore he chose Mecca though a Barren Country because he knew it was the Seat Predestin'd to the Elect Lineage the Generation of Just Men and Prophets from whom was to spring the Light of the World Mahomet who in Paradise is called Al Batrasim and in Heaven Achmet Caydar was the Onely Son of Ismael who took Part with his Father and follow'd his Example Worshipping One God Creator of the Worlds as he had learn'd by Tradition from Abrahim the Beloved of the Eternal Whereas Nabayath Abdael Thema and the Rest of the Twelve either Ador'd the Sun Moon and Stars or the Elements except Jackour who paid Divine Honours to the Tree Betlemer and Hadal and Massa who sacrific'd Beasts to the Idols Bohinun and Alleze And as our Historians have been thus Particularly exact in Recording the Affairs of the Twelve Sons of Ismael so have they shew'd themselves no less
yet I have been searching and prying into it above these Thirty Years I mean from the Time that I First began to think and consider of Things but am as far to seek as ever I was Neither cou'd all the Wise Men of Old the Philosophers and Sages for ought I perceive agree in their Verdict about this Mysterious Thing which we all the Soul One will have it to be Only the Finest Part of Matter in the Body Another says 'T is the Air which the Lungs suck in and diffuse through all our Members A Third Sort affirm it to be A Mixture of Air and Fire A Fourth Of Earth and Water A Fifth call it A Complexion made up of the Four Elements a Kind of Quintessence and I know not what The Egyptians call'd it A certain Moving Number And the Chaldeans A Power without Form it self yet Imbibing all Forms Aristotle call'd it The Perfection of a Natural Body All these agreed That it was Corporeal and as it were Extracted from Matter The best Definition among them is not worth an Aspre But there were Men of Sublime Speculations who affirm'd the Soul to be A Divine Substance Independent of the Body Of this Opinion were Zoroaster Hermes Trismegistus Orpheus Pythagoras Plutarch Porphyry and Plato This last defin'd the Soul to be A Self-Moving Essence endu'd with Vnderstanding But when they have said all I prefer the Modesty of Cicero Seneca and others who acknowledg'd they were altogether Ignorant what the Soul is There was no less Disagreement among the Philosophers about the Seat of the Soul Hippocrates and Hierophilus plac'd it in the Ventricles of the Brain Democritus assign'd it the Whole Body Strabo was of Opinion it resides between the Brows Epicurus in the Breast The Stoicks lodg'd it in the Heart and Empedocles in the Blood Which last seems to be the most Current Opinion of the East to this Day In Regard both Moses the Lawgiver of the Jews and Mahomet our Holy-Prophet asserted the same and for that Reason forbid Flesh to be eaten with the Blood But be it what it will either Corporeal or Incorporeal a Substance or an Accident whether it dwell in the Head or in the Feet Within or Without the Body there is no Certainty of these Things neither can we be assur'd what will become of it after Death Therefore 't is in vain to disquiet thy self in Search of a Mystery that is hid from Mortals And Equally foolish it will be to frighten thy self with an Imagination of Hooks Gins and such like Chimera's which thou supposest the Devil is busy with to entrap thy Soul 'T is a Wonder thou art not afraid to sleep lest he should catch thee Napping and steal thy Soul from thee I wou'd fain know what Sort of Tools he must use to take hold of a Substance more Thin and Imperceptible than a Shadow or how he will be able to seize and run away with a Being Active and Free as Thought Cousin serve God after the Manner of thy Forefathers love thy Friends pardon thy Enemies be Just to all Men and do no Injury to any Beast If thou observest this Rule thou may'st defy the Devil for thy Soul is in Safe Custody God is nearer to thee than thou art to thy self He is in the Center of Every Thing and is Himself the Centre of All Things In a Word He is All in All. Paris 3d. of the 6th Moon of the Year 1658. LETTER VII To Afis Bassa NOW the Scenes are changed in Europe Enemies are become Friends and those who professed a Mutual Friendship are at open Defiance Constancy is a Vice in the Politicks and a Dextrous Way of shifting from one Engagement to another for Interest is esteemed the only State-Vertue I have already Intimated to the Divan the War which broke out last Year between the Suedes and Danes The latter begun it by Solemn Proclamation sending a Herald at Arms to the Suedish Court and dispatching Embassadors to all his Allies in Christendom to give them an Account of his Proceedings Now I shall entertain thee with a short Idea of this War By which thou wilt comprehend That the Danes are either much degenerated from the Valour of their Ancestors who formerly made the most terrible Figure of all the Nations in the North Or else they are less obliged to Fortune who has not favoured them with so many Successes and Triumphs of late but rather exposed 'em to the Insults of their Enemies and the Contempt of all Men. When the King of Denmark first proclaimed this War he had a fair Advantage of the Suedes who at that Time were sorely entangled between the Polanders Germans and Moscovites and had more Need of Helps than Hind'rances Yet King Gustavus turning Part of his Forces into Holstein Schoneland and Juitland he took one Part after another till he had over-run those Provinces in the Space of Six Moons And reduced the Danes to a Necessity of Composition and that on such Dishonourable Terms as renders them the Scorn of the Neighbouring Nations On the 13th of the 3d. Moon the Two Kings had an Interview near Copenhagen the Capital City of Denmark For so far had the Fortune of the Suedish Arms carried their Victories They Eat and Drank together several Times and Conversed privately some Hours At last a Firm Peace was Concluded between them and they concerted the Measures of a Perfect Friendship But before this the Dane had been forced to yield up Schoneland with Elsimberg which commands Half the Baltick Sea He surrendred also the Provinces of Blakin and Halland with a very strong Castle the Island of Burtholme Ten Ships of War and obliged himself to pay a Million of Dollars and to maintain Four Thousand Horse and Foot in the King of Suedeland's Service and give Free Quarter to all the Suedish Forces till the 5th Moon These are such Dishonourable Articles that the King of Denmark has quite lost himself in the Esteem of all his Allies They call him a Poor-Spirited Prince not Worthy of Support or Assistance In a Word Serene Bassa it is like to fare with him as with other Unfortunate Men who when they are once falling every Body will help to throw them down Therefore conserve thy Honours as the only Bulwark of thy Interest and Life Paris 3d. of the 6th Moon of the Year 1658. LETTER VIII To the Mufti BY the Faith of a True Believer I swear the Christians are Enemies to themselves if they do not embrace the Project of a certain Jesuite They are no Friends to their Messias if they reject so Regular an Idea so Reformed a Model of the Nazarene Empire as this Sage has lately proposed to the Pope and the Cardinals He lays his Foundation very deep and draws his Examples from the Practice of Peter the Prince of the First Twelve Christian Caliphs whom the Franks call the Apostles of Jesus the Son of Mary For according to their Traditions the Messias before
Traytors Yet Nothing more common in France and other Countries of Europe than for Men to wear on their Heads Ornaments of Womens Hair instead of their own As to Religion I believe they will not much trouble him being no Zealots themselves And provided he does but profess himself a Christian and a Catholick they 'll make no farther Inquisition The Italians in General are much like the Ancient Romans in their Humour Men of grave Aspects and Carriage and much more compos'd in both than the French who appear Ridiculous through the Levity of their Discourse and Actions The Former abound in Sage Precepts of Morality and Politick Aphorisms which serve as a Rule whereby to square the Course of their Lives The Latter only affect some flashy Improvements of Wit and Conversation studying rather how to please Women than Men coveting to be perfect in External Accomplishments and the Graces of the Body whilst they slight the more valuable Endowments of the Mind In a Word they are mere Apes and Mimicks On the Contrary the Italians are Men of an Awful and Majestick Behaviour solid Judgment and deep Reach If you see them smile you shall seldom or never hear 'em laugh Whereas the Motion of a Feather will set the French a-Braying like Asses These will contract a Warm Friendship with any Man at first Interview heighten it with a Thousand Compliments make him their Confessor and unbosom all their Secrets Yet a Second Encounter shall extinguish this Passion and a Third shall revive it again Whereas those are cautious and flow in the choice of their Friends and when once that Knot is dissolv'd 't is never to be fasten'd there again They are Irreconcilable in their Hatred and Revenge But there are Men to be excepted in Both Nations who fall not under these General Characters France affords many Wise and Learned Persons and Italy not a few Fools and Ideots Vertues and Vices are strangely mix'd in all People War Commerce and Travel with other Humane Occurrences alter Men's Natural Dispositions and give the Lye to the Exactest Observations that can be made Besides Time changes all Things And the Qualities which this Age remarks in the Italians may in the next be transferr'd to the French For there is no Constancy in any Thing under the Moon Zeidi will find great Examples of Frugality among the Venetians in the necessary Expences of their Persons and Families Yet Abundance of Magnificence in whatever relates to the Publick which the Subjects of that Commonwealth serve with open Purses and free Hearts Indeed they are not so Remarkable for their Temperance as some other Parts of Italy Libertinism and Voluptuousness reign uncontroul'd in Venice Women and Wine are there almost as Common as the Elements Yet 't is observ'd that Strangers generally debauch more with Both than the Natives God preserve Zeidi from their Temptations If it be his Fortune or Duty to visit Padua he ought not to make too long an Abode in that Nest of Philosophers and Physicians lest they first Anatomize his Soul and discover the Secrets of his Commission and then turn his Body to a Skeleton as they once serv'd a Moor whom they dissected Alive to make Experiment perhaps whether a Mahometan's Blood Circulated the same Way as a Christians Those Italian Physicians are very Cruel and think it no Sin to try Poisons and other Fatal Tricks on the Poor that so they may be the better able to keep the Rich on the Rack at their Pleasure and make their Market on ' em I know not Zeidi's appointed Station or what Cities he is to see But where-ever he goes 't will be Necessary for him to use Abundance of Caution for the Italians are the closest slyest and most Judicious People in the World But I forget that he is chosen by the Divan for this Employment to whom the Characters of all Nations are known and who penetrate into the most Interiour Recesses of Men's Spirits Therefore I lay my Hand upon my Mouth in profound Submission and acquiesce to my Superiors Still praying That the Grand Signior may have Faithful and Wise Ministers at Home and no Novices for his Agents Abroad Paris 3d. of the 2d Moon of the Year 1659. LETTER XVI To William Vospel a Recluse of Austria THere is a Street in Paris which they call the Street of Hell The Reason of this Name is said to be because at one End of it there formerly stood an Old House possess'd by Devils who were so troublesome that as the Records of Paris affirm an Edict of Parliament was pass'd to remove all the Inhabitants out of their Houses in that Street and shut up the Entrance with a Wall Since which these Daemons were expell'd by the Carthusians who built a Monastery in the Place If this Story be true it redounds much to the Reputation of that Order and of all you Monasticks in General who by your Exercisons are able to subdue the Infernal Spirit But I have heard so many silly Tales of Houses being haunted by Ghosts and Hobgoblins that I know not how to give Credit to this Besides when I consider the Nature of Incorporeal Beings it seems Rediculous to think that they can take Delight to play the Antiques to frighten poor Mortals Or confine themselves to an Old Ruin'd Castle for such was this House for the Sake of a Little Sport When according to the Ancient Philosophers every Incorporeal Being is far more Excellent than the most Perfect Body and can be Every Where Neither are they at any Time Locally Present in Bodies but only by a Propension or Habit are inclin'd to them And this they mean of Living Bodies What Charm then can there be in an Old Rotten Fabrick of Stone and Wood to allure and detain Immaterial Substances Certainly the Nature of these Separate Essences is very Remote from all Compounded Beings I have been often at a Loss in Contemplating the Soul of Man Sometimes it seems no otherwise distinguish'd from the Souls of Brutes than by being United to a Body of Different Organs Which causes us to shew more Evident Tokens of Reason than they in the Faculty of Discourse and in our Actions Yet when I consider more attentively the Operations of our Mind and Intellect I cannot but conclude There is a vast Distinction between our Souls and those of the Beasts I have with Pleasure observ'd the Excellency of Humane Intellect in Madmen and Dreamers who being come to themselves as we usually say relate many Things of which they were before Ignorant and comprehend Things surpassing their Former Imaginations It appears therefore more Rational to me That the Soul is Every-Where and No-Where as the Ancients say Than that it is shut up and Imprison'd in the Body as a Wild Beast in his Den or Liquor in a Glass However by an Ineffable Production of it self it is Present in Every Part of the Body as the Light of the Sun is diffus'd through the Air and
can as soon withdraw it self as that Light when interrupted by a Cloud In a Word I conceive the Soul to be a very Free Agent and that it is here and there and every where It United it self to the Body by its own Choice and can retire again from it at Pleasure One closely pursu'd Act of Contemplation will at any Time carry thee or me to the Invisibles whenever we go resolutely about it Paris 1st of the 4th Moon of the Year 1659. LETTER XVII To the Venerable Ibrahim Cadilesquer of Romeli THere has not a Year escap'd since my Arrival at Paris wherein I did not send to the Ministers of the Ever Happy and Exalted Port constant Intelligence of Battles Sieges Storming of Towns and such other Occurrences of War as happen'd between the Kingdoms of France and Spain But now I believe my Future Dispatches must contain other Matters For in all Appearance this War which has lasted Four and Twenty Years is in a fair Way to be ended The King of Spain grows weary of his Continual Losses in Italy Flanders and Catalonia And he of France seems glutted with Perpetual Victories and Conquests In a Word these Two Potent Monarchs laying aside their Quarrels are making diligent Preparations this Year for a Campagne of Friendship and Love They are both in Arms yet commit no Acts of Hostility Whilst Cardinal Mazarini on the Part of this Crown and Dom Louis d' Aro de Gusman First Minister of Spain are gone to meet each other on the Frontiers of both Kingdoms as Plenipotentiaries for their Respective Masters to concert the Measures of a Lasting Peace and treat of a Marriage between the King of France and the Infanta of Spain All Europe is amaz'd at this surprizing Change And the French and Spaniards who border on each other can hardly believe their own Senses whilst they find a Mutual Commerce restor'd between their Frontier Towns and Villages which had been Interrupted ever since the Year 1635. about Sixteen Moons before I came to this City But though they are thus disposed to Peace here in the West the Northern Monarchs are pushing the War forward in Sueden Denmark and Poland with all Imaginable Vigour and Animosity The coming over of the Elector of Brandenburgh to the Danish Interest has made a great Alteration in their Affairs For whereas Fortune seem'd before in all Things to favour the Suedes now they lose Ground and find their Attempts Unsuccessful Four Thousand of their Men fell before the Walls of Copenhagen in Three Nights and Two Days Which caus'd King Gustavus to raise the Siege Whilst the Duke of Brandenburgh retook Fredericks-Ode and thereby restor'd to the King of Denmark the Provinces of Holstein Jutland and Ditmarsen The Hollanders also have had a Combat with the Suedes at Sea and sunk Fourteen of their best Ships Besides what they burnt and took These Events have stirr'd up several Princes to mediate a Peace And 't is not Improbable but in a little Time we may see all the Christians good Friends And then 't will be Time for the Mussulmans to be upon their Guard As for Mahmut he will not fail to pry into the Counsels of these Infidels and send timely Notices to the Port. Leaving the Rest to the Wisdom of his Superiours and the Pleasure of Destiny Paris 29th of the 6th Moon of the Year 1659. LETTER XVIII To Musu Abu'l Yahyan Alfaqui Professor of Theology at Fez. THE Character which the Great and Illustrious Abdel Melec Muli Omar President of Presidents Grace and Ornament of Ancient Learning Oracle of Africa and Restorer of Obsolete Truth has given me of thy Profound Wisdom and Science fills me with Reverence and Sacred Love I am ravished with Wonder and Joy to hear That in this Age wherein the Mussulman Theology has suffered so many Innovations there yet survives a Man who dares and is able to assert against all Opposers not only the Primitive and Original Truth brought down from Heaven by the Hand of Gabriel but also the Real and Indubitable Sayings Sermons Counfels and Actions of the Prophet whilst he was on Earth conversing with Mortals before his Transmigration to the Gardens of Eternal Repose and Solitude Thou art the Enoch the Hermes Trismegistus of the Age. I have seen many Copies of the Zunè or the Book of Doctrine each pretending to comprize the whole System of that Divine Philosophy and Wisdom which dropt from the Lips of our Incomparable and most Holy Law-giver and were Attested by his Wife the Holy Agesha Mother of the Faithful and by his Ten Disciples Yet all these various Transcripts differ both in their Sence and Manner of Expressions I have perused the Books Entituled Dahif or Imperfect which contain the Memoirs of his other Wives and the Manuscripts called Maucof or Fragments Being only a Collection of some Select Sentences Aphorisms and Parables of the Sent of God But these have no other Authority to back 'em save the Credit of some Learned Scribes who were not familiar with the Divine Favourite only living in his Time and taking Things on Report In fine I have met with several Parchments of the Zaquini or Pretended Traditions of Abu Becre Omar and Othman But these I esteem as Spurious Corrupted and full of Errors What shall I say The Zeal of Omar Ebn Abdi'l-Aziz the Ninth Caliph of the Tribe of Merwan is not unknown to me I am no Stranger to his singular Piety not to be matched among Crowned Heads For of him it is Recorded That as he descended from the Throne at the Time of his Inauguration he gave the Robe from his Back as an Alms to a Poor Man And That during his whole Reign he spent but Two Piasters a-Day on himself And so great was his Resignation to Destiny an Admirable Vertue in a Sovereign Emperour that when he was on his Bed in his last Sickness and was counselled to take Physick he answered No if I were sure to heal my self only by reaching my Finger to my Ear I would not For the Place to which I am going is full of Health and Bliss This Caliph was a Miracle of Humility and his Charity always kept him Poor Moslema Ebn Abdi'l Malec relates That going to visit Omar on his Death-Bed he found him lying on a Couch of Palm-Leaves with Three or Four Skins instead of a Pillow his Garments on and a foul Shirt underneath Seeing this Moslema was grieved and turning to his Sister Phatema the Empress he said How comes it to pass that the Great Lord Commander of the Faithful appears in so squalid a Condition She replyed As thou livest he has given away all that he had even to the very Bed that was under him to the Poor and only reserved what thou seest to cover his Nakedness Then Moslema could not refrain but burst forth into Tears saying God shew thee Mercy upon Mercy thou Royal Saint For thou hast pierced our Hearts with the Fear of his Divine Majesty This Caliph was numbred among the Saints He it was that perceiving the Contradiction and Disputes of the Mussulman's the Darkness and Confusion in the Various Copies of the Zunè or Book of Doctrine assembled a General Divan of Mollah's and Learned Men at Damascus from all Parts of the Empire Commanding that all the Manuscripts of the Zunè which were extant should be brought in to this Assembly on Pain of Death to him that should detain one This being done he Commanded Six of them to be chosen out of the Whole Number by Vote Men Eminent for Learning and Piety And that these Six should severally collect out of all the Multitude of Copies each Man a Book containing what he thought to be the most Genuine Discourses of the Prophet concerning this World and that which is to come When this was executed according to his Will he commanded all the Old Books to be burn'd in a Field near Damascus Yet after all the Religious Care of this Holy Caliph to restore these Writings to their Primitive Integrity the Mussulmans soon fell into New Contentions about the Sence and Interpretation of these Correct Copies of the Zunè From whence sprang the Four Cardinal Sects on which all the Innumerable lesser and later Divisions among True Believers are founded I cannot therefore but inwardly rejoyce and from my Heart highly applaud the Method taken by those of your Renowned College to discern the True Doctrines and Sayings of the Holy Prophet from those which are Supposititious by comparing all the Books that are extant together and reducing Matters of Divine Revelation to the Analogy of the Alcoran Those of Philosophy and Moral Regards to the Standard of Experience and Reason For it is Impious to believe that the Divine Apostle would impose any Thing on our Faith repugnant to the Sence of Men or the Express Will of Heaven By the Soul of Pythagoras Mahomet said Nothing but what was Rational and Evident to any Unprejudiced Mind But the Greatest Part of these Sectaries are besotted They form to themselves False Notions of God and his Prophet and think to merit Paradise by their Stupidity Reverend Alfaqui I have much more to say to thee and many Questions to ask But Time and the Grand Signior's Service force me to conclude abruptly wishing thee Perfection of Bliss Paris 29th of the 6th Moon of the Year 1659. according to the Christian Style The End of the Fifth Volume