objects is neceffary. 3dly, The perception of ridicule is inftantaneous, the perception of truth or falfehood is a progreffive operation of the mind. A propofition matt be formed; the fubject and predicate of this propofition must be compared, and from this comparifon the understanding collects their agreement or difagreement. This progreffion takes place even in propofitions called intuitive, that is to fay, where the truth or falfehood is perceived without the intervention of proofs or means. Now, if ridicule were the test of truth, the perception of the ridiculous, and the perception of falsehood, would be one and the fame, and would in every cafe be not progrefice but infianta neous." Account of a Vifit paid by Monf. Savary to Ifmael Aga, a Turk of ConSequence in the Island of Candia, anciently Crete. From M. Savary's Letters on Greece. I To M. L. M. * AM now going to introduce you, madam, to one of the moft amiable Turks in the ifland, nor can I fuppofe you will be difpleafed with your new acquaintance. Ifmael Aga, one of the wealthieft land proprietors in Canea, is a man of about feventy years of age, of a majeftic ftature, a fine face, and ftill exhibits in his features the marks of trength and vigour. He has had the command of feveral of the Grand Signior's carravelles, and passed fome time at Venice; he has travelled through Egypt, and visited, according to the religious custom of the Mahometans, the tomb of his prophet. His travels have entirely divefted him of that pride, with which ignorance, and the prejudices of their religion, infpire the Turks, nor does he, like them, defpife ftrangers; but, on the contrary, takes pleafure in, and courts their fociety. Having invited us to fpend fome time at his country-houfe, he fent horfes for us, and ordered his fons to fhew us the way. We accordingly fet out from Canea at eight in the morning, croffed that beautiful part of the country covered with olive-trees, which extends to the foot of the White Mountains, and having rode through the whole length of the delightful plain of myrtles, arrived about noon at his houfe, fituated a league beyond it, on the declivity of a hill. Ifmael received us with friendship, but without any of thofe demonftrations of joy and pleasure which ceremony You lavishes in other countries. are welcome, said he, with an air of cool fatisfaction; and immedi ately conducted us to the place of entertainment. The heavens were clear and ferene, but the atmosphere was heated by a burning fun, to which we had been four hours expofed: nothing could now be fo defirable to us as coolness; and our wifhes were amply gratified. The table was fpread in the garden, under the fhade of orange-trees. Six of thefe beautiful trees, planted in a circle, united their branches, which had never been mutilated by the heers, and formed over our heads a roof impenetrable to the rays of the fun. In the middle of a very hot day, The ancient Cydon. we we enjoyed, in this arbour, which nature had fo profufely embellified, a delicious coolnefs. On every fide, flowers hung in garlands over the guefts, and formed a crown for each. The brightest of their colours, their exquifite odours, the beauty of the foliage, gently agitated by the zephir, every thing confpired to make us imagine ourfelves fuddenly transported to fome enchanted grove. To complete the whole, a beautiful ftream, which defcending from the adjoining hills, passed under the table, and contributed to preferve the pleafantnefs and coolness of our arbour; on each fide of us we beheld it gliding over a golden fand, and winding its cryftal ftream through the garden, in which a great number of fmall canals had been dug to convey its wa ters to the orange, the pomegranate, and almond trees, which repaid the moisture they received with intereft, in flowers and fruits. The table was now ferved; the Aga had endeavoured to provide for us fuitable to our tastes; we were prefented with all the utenâls common in France; and our hoft himself conformed to all ourcuftoms. Knowing that we were ufed to take foup, he fupplied us with a great difh of roaft-meats covered with a delicious jelly. Round this were bartavelles almost as large as our hens, and with a fumet which excited the appetite: there were befide excellent qualls, a tender and delicate lamb, and hashed meat drefled with rice, and perfectly well seasoned. The wine correfponded with the excellence of the rest of our entertainment; we were ferved with vin de loi, malmfey of mount Ida, and a fort of perfumed red wine, equally agreeable to the melt and the taste. Our good patriarch, withing to imitate his guefis,' and take his glafs in defiance of the prophet, had fent away his fervants and his children. Laving afide the Turkith gravity, which never condefcends to finile, he chat ted with much vivacity, and irequently aftonished us by the penetration of bis underftanding, the aptnefs of his replies, and the juftnefs of his ideas. When the dishes' were removed, we were prefented with Moka coffee, and pipes. Do not be too much flocked, Madam, the pipes made ule of here are of jalmine, and the part applied to the mouth, of amber; their enormons length intirely takes away the pungency of the tobacco, which, in Turkey, however, is mild; and, being mixed with the wood of aloes, produces a vapour neither difagrecable nor incommodious, as in other countries. We repofed ourfelves agreeably under the fhade, and enjoyed the delicious fragrance of the orange flowers: our hoft was extremely focial, and took the lead in the converfation. No offer was here made to fhine, by thofe flaflies we call wit, to ornament fplendid nothings in gaudy colours, or to diffeminate agreeable fcandal. To attempt this would only have been to lofe time. Ifmael would have understood no The wine made by the Jews is called vin de lei, or wine of the law, and is little known in France; it is rather Fitter, but leaves an agreeable flavour in the mouth, and excites a gentle warmth in the ftomack The malmfey of mount ida is more unctuous, more agreeable to the palate, and not lefs fragrant. thing of our jargon. We were obliged to content ourselves with liftening to folid obfervations, and returning anfwers according to the dictates of reason, and found fenfe. As foon as the great heat was over, he called his fons, and ordered them to attend us on a fhooting party; we descended into a plain where we found plenty of quails, and had the pleafure of killing many without fatigue. The dark nefs, which now advanced over the hills, brought us back to the houfe: and, as the nights at this feafon are as clear and fine as the days are beautiful, we fupped in the arbour of orange-trees. Rarely do we enjoy this luxury in France; the night air has always a degree of chilnefs that makes us fhudder, or a copious dew falls injurious to health. In Crete, during the fummer, you are not expofed to thefe inconveniencies, which, though trifling, interrupt the enjoyment of the company. The fky was without a cloud, the coolnefs agreeable, and the air fo calm, as fcarcely to disturb the light of four large wax-tapers, which illumined the foliage in a thousand different ways, and the varied reflections of which produced lights and fhades of an admirable effect. Here the leaves fhone upon, affumed a brilliant yellow, and there a deep verdure, while in fome places the whiteness of the flowers, fufpended in feftoons, was heightened by a golden ground; farther on, the opening of two leaves left a paffage for the refpendence of a ftar, which fparkled like the diamond. The condensation of the air had collected the fragrant perfumes of the flowers and shrubs, and every sense was delighted. The luminous corufcations which played upon the foliage VOL. XXXI, and the contraft of light and shade, which continually varied its form and colours, produced a fcenery fo delightful, that this flowery canopy extended over our heads appeared to me more beautiful by night, than amid the fplendor of day. Perhaps, too, the delicacy of our good cheer, the excellence of the wine, and the novelty of the decorations, might give new vigour to imagination, and that enchantress might take a delight in ftill farther embellishing fo voluptuous an abode. The Turks do not reserve in their houfes feparate apartments for every perfon of the family; the women only have diftinct chambers; the men fleep together in fpacious halls, on matraffes fpread on the carpetting, and provided with sheets and a blanket. Agreeable to this ancient custom, ftill obferved by the orientals, we were fhewn into a large room, round which our beds were placed upon the ground. Only two centuries ago, it was ufual, even in France, for the whole family to pafs the night in the fame apartment; fince that time, our manners have undergone a great change; they have infinitely more. delicacy and convenience, nay, perhaps decency; but are they more focial? The day had fcarcely begun to break, when the fervants came to awaken us; for the Mahometans rife with the dawn, to repeat the morning prayer, and to enjoy the firft rays of the fun, and the delicious coolnefs diffufed throughout the air. When we came down from our chamber, breakfast was waiting for us; we drank moka, fmoaked the odoriferous tobacco of Latakia, and, accompanied by the fons of the L Aga, Aga, and two game-keepers, made an excurfion to fhoot patridges. I have only seen one fpecies of that bird in this ifland; the bartavelle, which inhabits the mountains, where it multiplies prodigioufly; its colours are more lively, and it is much larger than our red partridge, and excellently well tafted: we found innumerable coveys of thefe birds on all the hills. Our morning was fatiguing, but very fuccefsful. Frequently, after ftraving over eminences covered with briars, we defcended into a valley overfpread with myrtles and laurel rofes. The game retires into fuch places during the violent heat of the fun, and we fprung patridges, quails, and hares, from the midit of thefe flowery thickets. On our return to the Aga's, an excellent dinner, the malmfey of mount Ida, and our delightful arbour, made us forget all our fatigues. His women paid us a gallant attention, by the prefent of a large cake made with their own hands; it was compofed of flour, perfumed honey, fresh almonds, and pounded piftachio nuts, mixed with a little rofewater: this paftry was very light, and we all allowed it to be excellent. During the whole time we passed at the feat of Ifmael Aga, we experienced from him nothing but the utmoft politenefs; he made us no great compliments, but he ftudied our taftes; and we were fure of finding on our table the dishes to which we feemed to give a preference. One morning, rifing before my companions, and walking among the, neighbouring orchards, I perceived this venerable musfulman standing near a fountain contiguous to the houfe: he was washing his face and hands, and chaunting the first chapter of the Koran, that is to say, one of the finest hymns ever addressed by man to the Supreme Being.* He feemed entirely absorbed in the adoration he was paying to his Creator; and I conceived a favourable opinion of a man, who fulfilled, with fo much dignity, the first of all duties. This Turkish nobleman poffeffed feveral other country-houfes. That to which we were invited he only occupies in the fpring, for he pafles the violent heat of the fummer in a charming retreat, fituated among the mountains. There, while the fun scorches up the plain, and the whole atmosphere seems on fire, he enjoys a delicious temperature; and beholds the country round him clad in verdure, and covered with flowers and fruits. Such, Madam, is the life led by the rich Mahometans in Candia: they pafs three-fourths of the year on their eftates, and repair in winter to the towns to fell the fuperfluity of their produce; the oil, which they make in great quantities, the wax, the wine, and the wool of their flocks, procure them very confiderable wealth. Content with their poffelfions, they aspire after none of those public employments which might endanger their fafety, but fee them, without envy, in the poffeffion of ftrangers. Úncontrolled monarchs on their own eftates, they command and receive implicit obedience. The chapter called the Introduction, which ferves in fact as a preface to the Koran: it breathes that fublimity, that ancient fimplicity, which feems to be the proper language of man to the Almighty. Poffeffio * Poffeffing the handsomest women of the island, they bring up their numerous offspring in the relpect and fubmiffion due to the chief of the family. These Mahometans, enjoying without pain, anxiety, or ambition, all the bounties offered them by nature, pafs their days in tranquillity and happiness, and retain, even in a very advanced age, almost unimpaired good health. I fhall long remember, Madam, the agreeable hours I fpent at the country-feat of Ifmael Aga; yet I muft confefs to you, that, amid the pleafures I was enjoying, I could not fupprefs a feeling of regret for the abfence of the fine arts. To this, however, the Mahometans are infenfible, but a Frenchman cannot but deplore a want: fo effential, in one of the finest countries in the world. Were this ifland the country of a polished people, how would it change its appearance! How much more delightful would its gardens become! What delicious fhades would the hand of an able artift there form! How would he difplay, in brilliant cafcades, those rivulets which rufh naturally from the hill-tops! How conjoin the fcarlet of the pomegranate-tree with the white of the orange flower! How would the myrtle and the laurel-rofe then interweave their branches and their bloffoms, and the charming lilac vary the beauteous mixture! How would thofe elegant fhrubs, diftributed in clumps, compofe groves, unequalled for the fragrance of their flowers, the variety of their colours, and the diverfified tints of their foliage. Under thefe fmiling arbours, the poet would feel himlelf infpired by the mufes, breathe rapturous ftrains dictated by the graces, and chaunt hymns to love. Amid fuch wondrous natural beauties, letters would flourish as in the days of Anacreon, whole brow was perpetually crowned with rofes. Pardon me, Madam, if I thus yield to the pleafing dreams of my imagination; alas! I fear I fhall not be able to produce the like in the foggy atmosphere of the Seine. I have the honour to be, &c." The Turks are not fcrupulous in their means of obtaining women; when a Greek has a pretty daughter, and has the misfortune to let her go out of the houfe alone, that moment they carry her off, and marry her. They do not force her to renounce her religion, if she appears much attached to it, but all the children are Mahometans. I faw, at Canea, a handsome Greek girl, who had been carried off in this manner from her family. At her husband's death, the returned to her relations; but her children were mutfulmen, and she was obliged to fepárate from them. |