The second volume of letters writ by a Turkish spy who lived five and forty years undiscover'd at Paris : giving an impartial account to the Divan at Constantinople of the most remarkable transactions of Europe, and discovering several intrigues and secrets of the Christian courts (especially of that of France) continued from the year 1642 to the year 1682 / written originally in Arabick, translated into Italian, and from thence into English, by the translator of the first volume.

LETTER III.

To Jasmir Sgire Rugial, an Astro∣loger at Aleppo.

THOU needest not be ashamed of thy Name, though it denotes the Dwarfish∣ness of thy Body. That little Epitome of Hu∣mane Statute, is exquisitely Regular. Na∣ture in framing it, has shew'd her Skill in Pro∣portions, though she seems to have made it too Narrow for thy Soul. In this, thou art obli∣ged to her for thy Knowledge; thy Mind be∣ing uneasie in its diminutive Habitation, is for that Reason seldom at Home. Thy Soul is a perfect Night-Walker; when other Men

are abed and asleep, thou art taking thy Rounds among the Stars. Thou art become a Spy upon the Planets; If any of them make but a false Step, thou tellest the World of it. Thou art a Pimp to all their Amorous Assig∣nations and Conjunctions; and, Vulcan him∣self never so often exposed the Intrigues of Mars and Venus, as thou hast done. But, I would have thee beware, lest they revenge themselves on thee some time or other, as they did upon one of thy Profession, by stir∣ring up a certain King to take away his Life. He was a bold Fellow, and pretended great Familiarity with the Stars: One Day he came to the King, and told him, he had exactly Calculated his Nativity; and, by his Observa∣tions from thence, according to the Rules of Art, had discovered, That he should not live out that Year. The King replied, I will prove, that my Skill is greater than thine; for, I know the very Hour of thy Death, which is now pre∣cisely, and which all thy Knowledge in Astrology could never foresee, nor be able to prevent. So, he commanded his Head to be immediate∣ly cut off. I would not have thy Star-ga∣zing, so suddenly spoil'd; though, they say, thou hast ventured to talk somewhat too largely.

Judicial Astrology seems, in a great Mea∣sure, obliged to Superstition, for the Credit it has gained among Men; and, the Latin Pro∣verb says, A Wise Man shall over-rule the Stars. For my part, I would rather counsel thee to follow thy old Recreation, of teaching

Pigeons to be Letter-Carriers. Yet, I would not have thee from thence, think of building Castles in the Air, like Aesop; nor, of flying to the Moon by the Help of a Team of Geese, in Imitation of Domingo Gonsales.

But, since I am got among the Birds, which thou art so much delighted in; before I take my leave, I wish thee as good Fortune with thy winged Disciples, as the Roman Cob∣ler had, who taught a Parrot, to salute the Emperour as he went along the Street, with these Words, Hail Caesar; which the Em∣perour hearing, gave him a Royal Price for his Parrot. The poor Man overjoy'd at his good Luck, got another Parrot, and at∣tempted to teach her in the same Manner; but, having taken much ineffectual Pains, he used to fret, and say, I have lost my Labour. Yet at length, by daily repeating these Words, the Parrot had learned both Sentences, and, the next time the Emperour came by, it said, Hail Caesar; to which the Emperour replied, I have enough such Flatterers at Home; the Parrot having her Lesson perfect, rejoyn'd, I have lost my Labour; which the Emperour hear∣ing, and pleas'd with the Novelty, bought this also, and setled a generous Pension on the Man during his Life.

If thou couldst by some lucky Contingen∣cy, sell thy Pigeons at such a rate to Sultan Ibrahim, thy Time would be better spent, than in playing the Mercury, and bringing News from the Stars. But then thy Pigeons must be better bred, than was that which was sent

to the Sophi of Persia with a Message from Babylon, when the late Invincible Sultan A∣murath besieged it; for, the Feather'd Courier, instead of flying to the Persian Camp, took up short by the Way, and perching on the Pavillion of the Vizir Azem, was forthwith shot, and the secret Necessities of the City, were exposed to the Ottoman Army.

May such Fate, always attend Infidels and Hereticks, when they take up Arms against the Mussulman Empire. Adieu.

Paris, 10th of the last Moon, of the Year 1642.