liberty, he made anfwer, That all the creatures of God are good, and defigned for the use of man; however, that the prohibition of wine was a very wife maxim, and meant for the common people, being the fource of all diforders amongst them; but, that the Prophet never defigned to confine thofe that knew how to use it with moderation; nevertheless, he faid, that fcandal ought to be avoided, and that he never drank it in public. This is the general way of thinking amongst them, and very few forbear drinking wine, that are able to afford it. He affured me, that if I understood Arabic, I fhould be very well pleased to read the Alkoran, which is fo far from the nonfenfe we charge it with, that it is the pureft morality, delivered in the very best language. I have fince heard impartial Chriftians speak of it in the fame manner; and I do not doubt, but that all our tranflations are from copies got from the Greek Priefts, who would not fail to falfify it with the extremity of malice. No body of men ever were more ignorant, or more corrupt; yet they differ fo little from the Romish church, that, I confefs, nothing gives me a greater abhorrence of the cruelty of your Clergy, than the barbarous perfecution of them, whenever they have been their masters, for no other reafon, than their not acknowleging the Pope. The diffenting in that one article, has got them the titles of Heretics, and Schifmatics; and what is worse, the same treatment." This Achmet-beg feems to have been a very honeft fort of a Gentleman; and if he be yet living, we fhould be glad of an opportunity of taking a fober glafs with him, to the memory of his old acquaintance Lady M-y. We are alfo particularly pleased with the fenfible moderation of a certain fect among the Greeks; of whofe compound religion our Authorefs gives the following account, in the abovequoted Letter to the Abbe "But of all the religions I have feen, that of the Arnounts feems to me the moft particular; they are natives of Arnountlich, the ancient Macedonia, and ftill retain the courage and hardiness, tho' they have loft the name, of Macedonians, being the beft Militia in the Turkish empire, and the only check upon the Janizaries. They are foot folders; we had a guard of them, relieved in eve y confiderable town we paffed; they are all cloathed and armed at their own expence, dreffed in clean white coarfe cloth, carrying guns of a prodigious length, which they run with upon their fhoulders, as if they did not feel the weight of them, the leader finging a fort of a rude tune, not unpleafant, and the reft making up the chorus. These people living between Chriftians and Mahometans, and not being skill cd ed in controverfy, declare, that they are utterly unable to judge which religion is beft; but to be certain of not entirely rejecting the truth, they very prudently follow both. They go to the mofques on Fridays, and to the church on Sunday, faying, for their excufe, that at the day of judgment they are fure of p.otection from the true prophet; but which that is, they are not able to determine in this world. I believe there is no other race of mankind, who have fo modeft an opinion of their own capacity. "These are the remarks I have made on the diverfity of religions I have seen. I don't afk your pardon for the liberty I have taken in fpeaking of the Roman. I know you equally condemn the quackery of all churches, as much as you revere the facred truths, in which we both agree." Letter XXVIII. is written in the true English fpi.it of Liberty; and fhews the hateful effects of arbitrary government; by enumerating fome of the oppreffions under which the Turks labour, from the tyranny of the Ottoman government. Letter XXIX. will infallibly pleafe the Ladies, and the beau Readers; it is all about drefs; except a paffage or two relating to the privileges of the Haram, (or woman's apartment): from a due confideration of which, Lady M concludes, the Turkish women are the only free people in the empire. This is giving us an idea of the fituation of the females in that part of the world, very different from the relations of male Travellers: but, we have already remarked, that in refpect to fuch matters as more peculiarly fell under the observation of a Lady, our Authorefs has greatly the advantage. In Letter XXX. which is addreffed to Mr. Pope, we have fomething to please the Poets, and, what is more, the Critics. "I am at this prefent moment, fays fhe, writing in a house fituated on the banks of the Hebrus, which runs under my chamber window. My garden is full of tall cyprefs trees, upon the branches of which feveral couple of true turtles are faying foft things to one another, from morning till night. How naturally do boughs and vows come into my mind at this minute? And muft not you confefs, to my praise, that it is more than an ordinary difcretion that can refift the wicked fuggeftions of try, in a place where truth, for once, furnishes all the ideas of paftoral. The fummer is already far advanced in this part of the world; and for fome miles round Adrianople, the whole ground is laid out in gardens, and the banks of the rivers are fet with rows of fruit trees, under which all the moft confiderable Turks Hb 4 poe divert divert themselves every evening, not with walking, that is not one of their pleasures; but a fet party of them choose out a green fpot, where the fha 'e is very thick, and there they spread a carpet, on which they fit drinking their coffee, and are generally attended by fome flave with a fine voice, or that plays on fome inftrument. Every twenty pa es you may fee one of thefe little companies, liftening to the dafhing of the river; and this tafte is fo univerfal, that the very Gardeners are not without it. I have often feen them and their children fitting on the banks of the river, and playing on a rural inftrument, perfectly answering the defcription of the ancient Fiflula, being composed of unequal reeds, with a fimple, but agreeable, foftness in the found. "Mr. Addison might here make the experiment he speaks of in his travels; there not being one inftrument of mufic among the Greek or Roman statues, that is not to be found in the hands of the people of this country. The young lads generally divert themselves with making garlands for their favourite lambs, which I have often feen painted and adorned with flowers, lying at their feet, while they fung or played. It is not that they ever read romances; but thefe are the ancient amusements here, and as natural to them as cudgel-playing and football to our British fwains; the foftnefs and warmth of the climate forbidding all rough exercifes, which were never fo much as heard of amongst them, and naturally infpiring a laziness and averfion to labour, which the great plenty indulges. Thefe Gardeners are the only happy race of country people in Turkey. They furnish all the city with fruits and herbs, and feem to live very easily. They are most of them Greeks; and have little houfes in the midft of their gardens, where their wives and daughters take a liberty not permitted in the town; I mean to go unveiled. These wenches are very neat and handfome, and pafs their time at their looms, under the fhade of the trees. "I no longer look upon Theocritus as a romantic Writer; he has only given a plain image of the way of life amongst the peasants of his country; who, before oppreffion had reduced them to want, were, I fuppofe, all employed as the better fort of them are now. I don't doubt, had he been born a Britou, bnt his Idylliums had been filled with defcriptions of thrashing and churning, both which are unknown here, the corn being all trod out by oxen; and butter (I fpeak it with forrow) unheard of. "I read over your Homer here, with an infinite pleasure, and find feveral little paffages explained, that I did not before entirely comprehend the beauty of: many of the cuftoms, and much of the dress then in fashion, being yet retained. I don't wonder to find more remains here of an age fo diftant, than is to be found in any other country; the Turks not taking that pains to introduce their own manners, as has been generally practifed by other nations, that imagine themfelves more polite. It would be too tedious to you to point out all the paffages that relate to prefent cuftoms. But I can affure you, that the Princesses and great Ladies pafs their time at their looms, embroidering veils and robes, furrounded by their maids, which are always very numerous, in the fame manner as we find Andromache and Helen defcribed. The defcription of the belt of Menelaus, exactly refembles thofe that are now worn by the great men, fastened before with broad golden clafps, and embroidered round with rich work. The fnowy veil that Helen throws over her face, is ftill fashionable; and I never fee half a dozen of old Bafhaws, (as I do very often) with their reverend beards, fitting basking in the fun, but I recollect good King Priam and his Counsellors. Their manner of dancing is certainly the fame that Diana is fung to have danced on the banks of Eurotas. The great. Lady ftill leads the dance, and is followed by a troop of young girls, who imitate her fteps, and, if the fings, make up the chorus. The tunes are extremely gay and lively, yet with fomething in them wonderfully foft. The fteps are varied according to the pleasure of her that leads the dance; but always in exact time, and infinitely more agreeable than any of our dances, at leaft in my opinion. I fometimes make one in the train, but am not skilled enough to lead: thefe are the Grecian dances, the Turkish being very different. "I should have told you, in the first place, that the Eastern manners give a great light into many Scripture-paffages, that appear odd to us; their phrafes being commonly what we should call Scripture language. The vulgar Turk is very different from what is fpoke at Court, or amongst the people of figure; who always mix fo much Arabic and Perfian in their difcourfe, that it may very well be called another language. And it is as ridiculous to make ufe of the expreffions commonly ufed, in fpeaking to a great Man or Lady, as it would be to fpeak broad Yorkfhire, or Somerfetfhire, in the drawing-room. Befides this diftinction, they have what they call the fublime, that is, a style for poetry, and which is the exact Scripture ftyle. I believe you would be pleased to see a genuine example of this; and I am very glad I have it in my power to fatisfy your curiofity, by fending you a faithful copy of the verfes that Ibrahim Baffa, the reigning Favourite, has made for the young Princefs, his contracted wife, whom he is not yet permitted to vifit without witneffes, though he is gone home to his house. He is a man of wit and learning; and whether or no he is capable of writing good verfe, you may be fure that, on fuch an occafion, he would not want the affiftance of the beft Poets in the empire. Thus the verses may be looked upon as a fample of their finest poetry; and I don't doubt but you'll be of my mind, that it is most wonderfully resembling the Song of Solomon, which was alfo addreffed to a royal Bride. TURKISH VERSES addreffed to the Sultana, eldest daughter of Sultan Achmet III. STANZA I. Ver. Her paffion is to feek roses. HE Nightingale now wanders in the vines; 1. 2. I went down to admire the beauty of the vines ; 3. Your eyes are black and lovely, But wild and diflainful as thofe of a stag; STANZA II. 1. The wifhed poffeffion is delayed from day to day, 2. I dare not fnatch one of your kiffes, 3. Your eyes are black and lovely, my foul. 1. The wretched IBRAHIM fighs in these verses, The fweetnefs of your charms has ravish'd my foul. STANZA 1. My cries pierce the heavens ! My eyes are without fleep! IV. Turn to me SULTANA-let me gaze on thy beauty. 2. Adieu-I go down to the grave. If you cal me return. My heart is-hot as fulphur ;-figh and it will flame. 3. Crown |