Memoirs of the Twentieth Century/Constantinople, Nov. 3, 1997

by Samuel Madden

MEMOIRS

OF THE

Twentieth Century, &c.

To the Lord High Treasurer, &c.

My Lord, Constantinople, Nov. 3, 1997.

I HAVE, according to the Commands your Lordship honour'd me with by Captain Milton, by the way of Vienna in September last, so far press'd the Conclusion of the Treaty grounded on the new Stipulations, that I think it is as good as finished, and that our Trade shall be as much favour'd here, as by his Majesty's Authority and Influence and your Lordship's Care, it has been in all other parts of the World. The only Difficulty that remains, proceeds from the 4th and 5th Articles, which the Grand Visier seems to think too highly honourable for our Nation, and derogatory to his own, judging it hard that their Ships of War, should in their own Ports and Seas, strike their Flag to ours and salute them, (as by the 5th Article is provided) with double the number of Guns.

However, these Points are so gently canvast by them, that I see evidently they design not to insist on them, and I make account, we shall in a little time mutually sign, and that our Cloath and Manufactures shall hereafter have no unreasonable Duties impos'd on them, as those of other Nations have; who must therefore vend theirs at great Disadvantages. I should be tempted to be exceeding vain on my happy Success herein, but that it is so evident my carrying all my Points here, is owing to no Dexterity of mine, but to the Wisdom and Courage of his Majesty's Measures, the Strength, Loyalty and Wealth of his Subjects, the Terror which his Fleet spreads over the Ocean, and the Care and Policy of his Ministers, and above all your Lordship, who now so happily preside over them.

The long Intimacy and Friendship you have honour'd me with, as well as the Relation I have to your Noble Family, will prevent any Suspicion of Flattery, when I aver to your Lordship, that the News brought me by Mr. Milton, of your being declar'd Prime Minister and Treasurer by his Majesty in Council, was to me the most agreeable I have heard this twenty five Years that I have resided here. At the same Time I can say with Truth, that the Satisfaction this gave me, took not its rise from any private Views as to my own Interests, which I neither want nor desire to encrease in the World, but from the assured Hope I have, that our native Country shall hereby be highly advantag'd.

It is a peculiar Felicity that attends your Lordship's Promotion; that it happens when our glorious George VI. hath by the Success of his Arms oblig'd his Enemies to accept the Terms he was pleas'd to prescribe them, and that after having humbled France so far, as to oblige her to give up all her Ports in the Channel, even Dunkirk and Calais it self into our Hands, and taught all the Powers in Europe the Respect and almost Dependance they owe us; your sacred Master's Cares and Yours, will now be almost solely confin'd, to the keeping the general Peace we are in with all Nations safe and undisturb'd, and to promote our Trade wherever our Industry and Profit can extend it.

But your Lordship is too usefully employ'd with such Cares, to listen to my awkward Compliments how sincere soever, and therefore I shall leave them; and since you are pleas'd to think I am capable of giving you some Light into the State of Things here, which by my long residence I must have some tolerable Knowledge of, I shall obey your Commands herein with the small Abilities I am Master of.

I shall not trouble your Lordship with any historical Events relating to these People, since the Ottoman Line was extinguished in Mahomet IX. and the Tartar Race succeeded. This was many Centuries since foretold, as well as the Decline of this great Empire, and that a Mahomet would be the last of that Family, as it has really happened. Juxton, the laborious Writer of the 19th Century, has given us so full a Detail of their Affairs, that they are known to all the learned World as well as your Lordship; I shall therefore only dwell on such Facts and Alterations as are of a later Date, and confin'd within the Year 1949 and this present Time, which are worth your Curiosity; and which the Memoirs of my two Predecessors in this Post, which have fallen into my Hands, and my own Experience have given me a fuller Acquaintance with.

Your Lordship is no Stranger to the vast Alterations which the coming in of the Tartar Line has produc'd, and above all in Matters of Religion. For as the Mufties and all the Heads of their Clergy, have been still the Grand Seignior's Countrymen, as fearing to place natural Turks in so high a Trust, the Zeal to the Mahometan Religion and Discipline, has been thence greatly slacken'd, both in their Priests and People, which was anciently so hot and violent. By this means there succeeded in its stead a dead Palsy in their Faith, which has almost been destroyed betwixt Christianity and Deism. It is incredible, my Lord, what an Harvest Christian Missionaries and Jesuits have reap'd thereby among this People. For being disguis'd as Physicians, Mathematicians, Astrologers, nay, as Janizaries and Spahies, as well as under the appearances of all kinds of the best sorts of Trades, (and some of them even by the Pope's Connivance circumcised and acting the part of Turkish Priests,) they got so throughly both into the Knowledge and Confidence of all Kinds and Ranks of People here, and especially the better sort, that under pretence of proposing their own Doubts, they soon overturn'd the establish'd Religion, in the Minds of all Persons eminent for their Posts or Learning.

They conceal'd the Christian Truths at first under the pretended Name of Serabackzi or Enthusiasts, till at length their Doctrines got Admission into the Seraglio, by the means of the Renegedo Vizier Ibrahim, in 1955 or 56, who they say, to make amends for his Apostasy, gave this Sect (whose Designs he was not only fully acquainted with, but also conducted) all possible Countenance and Encouragement. By his means it was, that so many Printing-Presses were disperss'd thro' the whole extent of the Ottoman Empire, thereby supplanting and almost extirpating the infinite Crowd of Scribes and Hogies, who liv'd by writing the Books of the Law and the heaps of Comments on the Alcoran, and consequently were the hottest Zealots for the Glory and Honour of Mahometism.

With the same Views he put down the Minarets and order'd all to be called to the Mosques at the Hours of Prayer, by sounding their wind Instruments and beating of Drums. By this means he oblig'd the Missionaries by silencing the blasphemous Proclamations of the Muezins or Criers from the Minarets, who us'd to call the Turks to their Naama or Prayers; and also made the People less zealous and furious, for the Honour of their Prophet and his Religion, who us'd to have their Ears still dinn'd, and their Zeal inflam'd with the proclaiming their Mahomet for the Prophet of God.

With the same subtle management, he confin'd to their own Towns all the vagabond Dervices, who us'd to run thro' the Provinces possest with the hottest Spirit of Mahometism, and turn'd many of the Monasteries of those lazy Drones (who had all the Zeal and Ignorance of our worst kind of Monks in them) to Caravanseras or Inns for Travellers, or else into Timariots to maintain such a number of Soldiers.

He sent such Orders thro' the Empire and appointed such faithful Ministers to execute them, (many of whom were disguis'd Christians and even Jesuits,) that the open Profession of Christianity, was so far from being penal, that under pretence of the Christians being useful for the Arts and Sciences, the Trade and Plenty they brought with them wherever they came, they were even respected and regarded, provided they were not natural Turks or converted Renegadoes. Nor was this Work less subtilly carried on by the free Trade for all forts of Wines, thro' the Dominions of the Grand Seignior; the Drinking of which was so universally conniv'd at, that in the open Taverns in every Village, the Turks would be seen all Day carousing and fuddling in defiance of their Alcoran. Nay, some of them have been heard in the Freedom of their Cups, to speak contemptuously of the stupid Prophet, who thought, (they said) by the blind Hopes of an imaginary Paradise above, to deprive them of the only Heaven Men could enjoy below, a cheerful Bottle, and an open-hearted Friend.

But what help'd to introduce the Christian Religion still further, was the Custom he establish'd during his Ministry (almost as long as the two great Kuperlies in the 17th Century joined together) and which has been kept up ever since, of sending Ambassadors to all the Courts of Europe; these were accompanied with a great Train of the Sons of the Bassa's and chief Men in the Empire, who return'd Home improv'd indeed, but often by the Address of the Missionaries (who waited still on the Catch for them) so prejudiced against Mahometism, and so in Love with the noble Arts forbidden by their Prophet, as Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, and above all the delicious Vine-Press, that it is incredible how far the secret Infection is spread, and how likely suddenly to break out into a violent Distemper in the State.

The Translation of select Parts of the Bible with useful short Notes licens'd by the Pope, and also the number of Arabick and Turkish Books which the Printing-Presses disperst among them, help'd on the Missionaries marvellously; for they were so subtilly compos'd, as to shake and undermine the false Religion, and secretly to prepare the People for op'ning their Eyes to the Truth. Indeed, as to outward Profession Mahometism still shews its Face, but 'tis just like the Pagan Religion under Julian the Apostate, the Religion of the State but not of the People; one third of whom are either secretly or avowedly Christians, another third Deists, and hardly as many sincere Mahometans. What adds to the wonder is, that all this has been effected chiefly by the Means and Management of the Roman See, who tho she has almost renounced the Faith her self, yet out of political Views labours to encrease her Converts here.

This is an odd Scene of things, my Lord, and yet as true as 'tis surprising, and I doubt not in a few Years we shall see, that as the old Empire of the World forsook Rome to settle in Constantinople, so Religion possibly before this Century expires may do the same; and as the Pope is almost turn'd Pagan or Turk, the Mufti will set up for Patriarch of the Eastern World, and the great Head and Father of the Christian Church here.

What the Consequences of so prodigious a Revolution may be, I shall not presume to hint, to so exquisite a Judge of such things, as your Lordship is confessedly allow'd to be; and therefore leaving them to your own judicious Reflections, I shall only observe, that had Great Britain continued her Care and Protection of the Grecian Church, with her true Christian Zeal, possibly we should have made as large an Harvest of Converts in Turky as by our Supineness and Negligence the Jesuits have done.

But leaving this for another Occasion, I shall proceed to give your Lordship some Account of the State of their Army and Soldiery, their Trade and Revenue, their Laws and Customs at present; since the said Period of 1949, to which my Predecessors Memoirs and my own little Experience necessarily confines me.

It is certain then, my Lord, that both the Spirit and Courage, as well as the Discipline of their Soldiery, has been sensibly declining ever since the coming in of the Tartar Race, and especially within this last 150 Years, provided we always except the small Interval of Vizier Ibrahim's Administration.

This has been chiefly owing to their taking in all sorts of People (and especially natural Turks, married Men and Tradesmen) for Money into the Body of the Janizaries; who us'd formerly to be compos'd of Christian Children taken Captives, and bred up in the strict Discipline and School of the Seraglio, in all manly and warlike Exercises.

It must be confest also, that the secret spreading of Christianity among their People and the Soldiery, has not a little contributed hereunto; for as the Success of their Arms has ever been the great Source of the Propagation of their Faith, it is not to be wonder'd at, if those who had privately made a Defection from this last, did not fight with the utmost Resolution and Obstinacy, for the Power and Glory of a Mahometan Emperour.

But the dreadful Custom of giving the Soldiery such perpetual Largesses, and as it were, rewarding their Seditions whenever they resolved to depose one and set up another Emperour, (and confirm or destroy the Grand Viziers and Principal Bassa's, as the Fancy took them) absolutely overturn'd what little Spirit, Virtue or Discipline was left among them. Let us join to this abominable Insolence, the horrible Licence of daily guzling Wine in the Streets, and almost the very Mosques of Constantinople, and their Debaucheries of all kinds that accompany'd it, and we need not seek for any other causes of their surprizing Degeneracy.

Some indeed, have also accounted for it from their frequent Defeats in their Battles with the Germans and the Poles, and their being so often vanquish'd by both the Muscovites and Persians, who have all of them strip'd this Empire of some of its strongest Fortresses and richest Provinces. But it is plain these were not the Causes but the Effects of their decay'd Valour and Discipline, by which they have by degrees lost all their Conquests in Persia, and their Territories round the black Sea, together with the greatest part of Transilvania, Moldavia and Wallachia, and almost to the Gates of Adrianople.

Nor is it their Land Forces only that have thus declin'd, for their naval Power which was anciently so formidable is now so prodigiously sunk, since the Defect of their Fleet by the English Squadron in 1876, and in the Sea-fight with the Dutch ten Years afterwards, that besides their losing both Crete and Cyprus to the Pope and Venetians, they have lost all Interest and Influence, with their old Dependants of Tunis and Algiers. Nay, the very Knights of Malta, have since so often burnt and taken their greatest Galeasses, that their few Gallies and Ships of War that remain to them, dare hardly sail now out of sight of the Dardanelles, to collect the little Tribute of the neighbouring Islands, which are every Day revolting to them and the Venetians, and refusing the Payment of their old Capitation Tax.

After mentioning this I need not add that their Trade which in the 18th Century was in so poor a Way, and yet before 1876 was in so flourishing a Condition, is now entirely sunk and fallen into the Hands of the Merchants of Great Britain. For a great while indeed, they applied themselves to it with more than ordinary Vigour, and by being Masters of the best Ports in the Mediterranean, and by the Assistance of their Harbours in the Red Sea, open'd an easier and quicker Passage to the East Indies, than the Christians could have, who are forc'd to sail to them by the tedious and hazardous Navigation of the Cape of Good Hope. It was easy with such Advantages to have engross'd the whole Trade of the East, and under-sell both the British and Dutch Merchants in the Mediterranean; but the Unskilfulness of their Mariners, the Weakness of their Vessels, with the natural Indisposition of the Turks to long Voyages, and the Toils and Hazards of the Sea, prevented their carrying these Designs so far as they might have done. But besides this, our visiting them with our Squadrons, and shutting up the Dardanelles, and at last our falling on their Fleets and destroying some of them, soon made them surrender up their Pretensions to that Branch of Trade, and indeed all others into our Hands; where I hope they will long continu eto improve, and especially if this Treaty be once agreed to in all its Articles, as I doubt not, it will very suddenly.

I have but little to say of the Revenues of this vast Empire, since I propose not to write to your Lordship, what is to be found in every printed Account of them, but only such Alterations as are of more modern Date, and little known in Europe. It is certain within this last forty Years, they have applied themselves much to raise them, even beyond the excessive Bounds of the late Emperours, who seem'd to strive to make up by new Taxes, the lost Revenues of their old Provinces, torn from them on every side.

They have laid immense Excises on all Eatables and Drinkables, and excessive Customs on all Imports and Exports except our British Manufactures, on all Mills, Taverns, and every Trade, not only subservient to the Pleasures but the Conveniences and even Necessaries of Life. They have besides loaded their Lands with great Impositions, and laid Taxes on every Acre plow'd or dug, on every Cow, Horse, Bullock, Sheep, Goat, Ass or Camel throughout the Empire. Besides this and the Pole-Tax, every House, Boat and Ship, and every Marriage pays so much to the Grand Seignior; the Births indeed are Tax-free, to encourage them to breed; neither do they pay for their Burials for a very good Reason, the Grand Seignior being Heir in effect to every Man that dies in his Dominions. There are also Taxes on Paper and Leather, and in one Word, on every thing necessary to Health or Ease, or even Life it self, and if it were possible, I am persuaded, they would Tax the only Blessings they enjoy here, their Air and Sunshine. Yet with all this grinding the Face of the miserable oppress'd Subject, these Revenues are so ill manag'd, and the Officers employ'd in the Collection of them, such wicked Stewards to their cruel and rapacious Masters, that hardly one half is brought into the Treasury of what is paid them. Indeed if it were not for the vast hereditary Revenue, the Bassa's are obliged to pay in from their several Provinces, over and above all these Taxes, and the immense Wealth that the dayly Forfeiture of their Heads, to their Master's Avarice or Jealousy brings in, this unweildy dispirited Empire would almost sink, for want of vital Nourishment.

Under all this Oppression, there is not one found who dares even lament his own and Fellow-subjects Misery, or who will not pretend at least to Glory, in calling himself the Grand Seignior's Slave, and owning that he has no title either to his Life or Liberty, his Lands, House or Substance, but from the sole Will of his mighty Emperor. A Reflection which I cannot make, but with the honest Joy every Britton must feel, who sees himself secur'd by Laws of his own making, in his Liberty, Life and Property, above the Reach of the highest Power and the strongest Arm; and in Peace and Security under his own Vine and Fig-tree, enjoys from the best of Constitutions, and (the usual and natural Consequence thereof,) the best Princes, all the Blessings Men can ask for as Freemen and Christians.

O Fortunati nimium, sua si bona norint, Angligenæ!

I shall detain your Lordship no further, than with two or three Words, as to some considerable Alterations of late Years in their Laws and Customs, by which they have endeavour'd to retrieve the Virtue and Majesty of this falling Empire, and which they owe chiefly to the Skill and Ability of the Renegado Vizier Ibrahim, who flourish'd in the middle of this Century. Many of them I sincerely wish with some Alterations could be transplanted into our Country and Constiution, and, if that Excess of Liberty we abound in would allow it, I doubt not we should find our Account in them.

The first I shall touch upon is the Method he took to cure the Defects of their Discipline and Courage, which he found so low, and endeavour'd to raise so high. To effect this, he divided all the Troops into Battalions and Squadrons of about 1000 or 1500 Men. Each of these Bodies were raised from one particular Province, whose name they carried, from whence alone their Officers and Recruits came; and consequently whenever they fought, the Glory or Disgrace of the Country to which they belong'd, and where they were born, was directly concern'd. By this means both Men and Officers fought still with the greater Emulation and Desire of distinguishing themselves and their Country by their Valour; and also Recruits were more cheerfully and willingly rais'd, being sure to be sent to assist their own Country-Men and Acquaintances.

Nor was there any Danger of such Bodies uniting in Seditions in their own Province, being never disbanded; nor yet abroad in the Field, where their Strength was so small and inconsiderable, in respect of the whole Army, and their Country still answerable for their Conduct.

In the next place, (besides the popular Tenets of the Turks, that every one's Fate is writ on his Forehead, and is inevitable, and all who die in the War go strait to Paradise) he took care to breed up a contempt of Death or Danger in them, by remitting the half of all Taxes to the Widows and Children of the Slain, and by doubling the Pay of all that were wounded in Battle, as well as by allowing an anuual Stipend for Life, to all who, lost their Limbs, Eyes, or were any ways disabled. This he settled according to the following Table; for one Eye 5 l. a Year of our Money for Life, for both Eyes 12 l. for the right Arm 5 l. the left 3 l. for both 12 l. for their Hands something less, but with little difference. For one Leg 2 l. 10 s. for both Legs 6 l. and the same for a Foot or both Feet, or with a very small Disproportion, according to the Danger and Suffering of the Soldier. Nay, so careful was he of Men so disabled, that if any one offered to wound, hurt or even strike a Soldier thus maim'd in the Service of the Empire, he was instantly sentenc'd to lose his Hand for the Offence; which was a severer Penalty than he incurr'd, if he had struck an Iman or a Cady; as they call their Priests and Judges.

By this means, my Lord, it is incredible for a while, with what Zeal his Troops us'd to rush into the Battle despising Wounds; or rather wishing for them, as the very Road to Preferment and Reward. Nor did his Care end here, for out of the choicest and best Troops, he form'd two great separate Bodies of Infantry and Cavalry of 5000 Men each, of the bravest Veteran Soldiers, who receiv'd double Pay, and were sworn on the Alcoran never to turn their backs in Battle, till they had Orders to Retreat, or that two Thirds of them were kill'd, and then to yield and be immediately ransom'd, with twice the Number of the Enemies Troops. To keep them in this severe Discipline, all Officers of his Forces both Janizaries and Spahies were intirely chosen out of these two Bodies; which were in like manner ever recruited out of those Men who had serv'd longest and distinguish'd themselves most, in every Provincial Corps in the Army. A method which had he liv'd to have kept up, (for it fell with him) might have bid fair for the Recovery of all the Territory and Glory, they had lost before in so many unsuccessful Battles, and had probably cost the Christian Powers, infinite Blood and Hazards to have surmounted. After all, my Lord, the Oath those Troops took was still less than the Roman Gladiators obliged themselves to perform, who us'd frequent-to sell, not the Hazard but the certain Loss of their Lives, for smaller Advantages.

Till this great Man found a Remedy for it, the Turkish Cavalry were generally of little Service, for tho' their Horses were fine and beautiful to the Eye, they were light-limb'd and so thin-bodied and Fleet, that they were still ready to yield to the Shock of the European Cavalry, and to trust to their Speed to fave themselves; but by banishing those sort of Horses, and obliging them only to use the largest and weightiest that could be found, he taught his Troops to trust no more to the Swiftness of their Horses, but their Strength and the Weight of them, and their Swords, to the infinite Service of the Empire.

Another Method he took to improve the Soldiery, was frequently imploying them to shoot at Marks for Rewards, whence he made them excellent Marks-men with their Guns, when employed against their Enemy; saying often to them, "it was ridiculous a Soldier should not shoot as well as a Fowler, since the one shot for his Life, and the other only for his Diversion or a little silly Gain". Nay, he carried this even to his Cannoniers, who by this means in his time, us'd to shoot as true, as with a Harquebush or Musket.

Nor were his Cares and Skill in Civil Affairs less considerable than in Military Matters, for to him alone are owing those excellent Regulations (which the Christian World would be happy in) as to the Proceedings and Decisions of all Judges, who presided in Law-suits and Processes, in their judicial Courts.

By them, a Bribe being fully proved to be taken by any Judge, was Death without Remission, and Forfeiture of all his Substance, half to the Grand Seignior, and half to the injur'd Party. Nay, whenever Judges decided any Controversy, they were obliged by him to give their Reasons on which they grounded their Judgment, to both Parties in Writing; and as there was still an Appeal allow'd to a Cadelisker at Constantinople, appointed solely to receive such Decrees; if there was found either great Ignorance, or the least evident Fraud or Malice in the Decision, the Judge was instantly summoned and examin'd, and if guilty condemned to pay the whole of the Value he had given his Decree for. A Precedent, my Lord, I fear we dare not hope to see follow'd, no more than that he establish'd concerning Perjury, by which all false Witnesses were for the first Offence condemn'd with forfeiture of Goods for ten Years to the Gallies; and for the second Offence, to be torn in pieces by Horses tied to their Limbs. He also forbid all Persons but the Soldiery, to carry any Weapons about them by Night or Day, on pain of Death; by which means Robbery and Murders were in a great measure prevented, or the Malefactor more easily detected; and, which was still more useful, he made an Intention to Rob or Murder, if fully and evidently proved, equally penal with the having put the design in Execution. Nay, so far did the rigour of Justice carry him, that any kind of Fraud or Collusion, to cheat or deceive another, or even denying or avoiding artfully a just Debt, was made as punishable, as if the Offender had actually attempted a Theft of equal value.

He went further yet, and with the Spirit of the ancient Spartans, if any Person could justly impeach another of evident Ingratitude, he gave up the Offender to him into Slavery, for so many Years as might bear some proportion to the Heinousness of the Offence he was Convicted of. Besides, he inforc'd that excellent Law which had grown obsolete, that every Turk should effectually learn some Trade, by which he might preserve himself from Want, which he established with such Vigour and Care, as was never before seen in this Empire. A Law, my Lord, which if it were past in England, as to the Children of the ordinary People, would deliver us from those Shoals of Beggars, Thieves and useless Idlers, which are the greatest Curse of our Country.

The late Emperour Achmat made also some Laws, (how ineffectual soever they proved) that deserve our Notice at least, if not our Imitation; as that, by which, for his short Reign, he effectually cur'd the growing, Crime of Suicide, by Forfeiture of Estate and Goods, and ignominiously exposing the Bodies of the Deceas'd unburied to the publick View. He also ordered the substituting perpetual Slavery, as the Penalty of most Crimes formerly punish'd with Death, not excepting even Theft and Adultery; and prohibited all Playing (which spread prodigiously among the Turks) either at Games of Hazard or Skill, on pain of the severest corporal Punishment.

'Tis to the same Emperor, that they owe those excellent Laws against Drunkenness, that occasions so many Quarrels and Murders, and destroys so many Families by Poverty and Disease; as also the appointing Clerks of the Market in all Places of the Empire, to prevent Extortion of Prices from the Poor, and to seize on such Meat for their use, or condemn it to the Fire, which should be found unwholsome or unmerchantable.

It was he also, who sentenc'd all owners of Houses, which happen'd by their neglect to be set on Fire, to make good half the Damage they bring on their Neighbours; and that all Slaves who by Negligence endangered an House by Fire, (tho' it should be extinguished) shall be branded on both Cheeks with a red hot Iron, and their Noses cut off as a Mark of perpetual Infamy.

It is certain, my Lord, many of these Laws seem too severe; but indeed, that is no more than what is necessary in Turky, both from the Nature of the People, and also because such numbers of them are now no ways restrain'd by the Injunctions of their Prophet, (which they consider no longer as the Commands of God, but the meer Inventions of Men,) and must therefore be the more severely watch'd over by the Hand of Justice, and the most sanguinary Laws. A Reflection which while I am making, I can't but turn my Eye and Thoughts, with Grief and Shame on the Christian World, where I fear the same Necessity will call too soon for the same Severity; while we behold so many Miscreants, slighting the Restraints of our holy Religion, and deriding the Faith and Principles, that us'd to Influence the Piety of their less corrupted Ancestors.

But I detain your Lordship too long, with these unimportant Matters, to which I could add much more of the same Nature, if I durst flatter my self that they deserved your Attention.

In the mean Time, as I have the Fortune to be much in the good Graces of the Grand Seignior, and am often sent for to entertain him with Accounts of Europe, and the Advancement of Arts and Sciences there, which he Admires without understanding them; and as I have particularly made great Impressions on him, in behalf of our Astronomy: I must beg you will send me one of the best new Telescopes you can possibly procure, for I see it will be matter of infinite Delight to him.

When I have the Honour to receive your further Commands, I shall venture, if you desire it, to proceed to continue your Trouble in Reading, and the Pleasure I take in Writing any thing, you will vouchsafe to peruse.

In the mean Time I humbly take my leave, beseeching your being persuaded of my managing the Treaty, with my best Care and Abilities, and my shewing my self with the utmost Zeal and Respect, both to my King, my Country, and your Lordship,

a most faithful Subject,

Friend and Servant,

Stanhope.