The fourth 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 XXII.

To Chornezan Bassa.

WEre Ovid alive, the Events of this Year, wou'd afford him Matter for New Ficti∣ons. He would either tell us, that the God∣dess of Love had set a Spell upon Mars, and charm'd him into Good Nature; or, that he had drank so large a Draught of Nepenthe, as had made him forget his Old Trade, of em∣broiling Mortals in Wars. However it be, Hymen seems to have the greatest Share in this Years Actions. For, instead of Battels and Sieges, the Nazarene Princes have been engaged in Encounters of a Softer Character, the Gentle Affairs of Love and Marriage.

In the First Moon, the New King of Po∣land, whom they call John Casimir, Married the Widow of his Deceased Brother. In the

Ninth, the Prince of Hanault, Espous'd the Duke of Holstein's Daughter. And the last Moon was Remarkable for Two Matches; One of the King of Spain with Anna Maria, the Ger∣man Emperor's Daughter; the Other, of the Duke of Mantua, with Isabella Clara of Au∣stria.

These are all brushing forward in the Crowd of the Living; they are busy in augmenting the Generations of Men: Whilst others of as High Blood, are gone to encrease the Number of the Dead; being enroll'd amongst the Ghosts, and made Denizons in the Region of Shadows.

The Empress of Germany, died in the Fifth Moon. The Duke of Braganza, in the Ninth. The Dutchess of Modena, in the Eighth. And a certain German Prince, whose Name I have forgot, died in the Moon of October. Besides these, Death has also Arrested Ossalmski, the Great Chancellor of Poland; Wrangel, General of the Suedish Army; Frederick, the German Embassador at Rome; Ferdinand, Elector of Cologne; and the Vice-Roy of Bohemia, who was by his Enemies thrown out of a Window, and had his Brains dash'd out. So that tho' Mars may have seem'd to lie Dormant this Year, yet his Companion in Mischief, Old Saturn, has been very Active, as the Astrolo∣gers say, who attribute all Events, to the In∣flux of the Stars. Some are also of Opinion, that the Eclipses of the Sun and Moon this Year, were Presages of the Death of these Great Persons. They might as well plead,

That the Daily Rising and Setting of those Lu∣minaries, Portended all the Tragical Events that happen'd on Earth; since it is not more Natural for them, to continue Unalterably Moving from East to West, than it is for them to be Obscur'd, at certain determin'd Stations, in their Journey, by Interpositions which hap∣pen of Course.

We are Strangers to the Chronologies of the Chinese and Indian Gentiles. Neither can any good Account be now given, of the Ancient Egyptian and Assyrian Records. They run many Ages back, beyond the Common Epo∣cha, of the Beginning of the World.

But the whole System of Known History, re∣lates but Two Extraordinary or Preternatural Changes in the Course of the Sun, during these Six Thousand Years.

One, when that Luminary stood still in the Time of Jehoshua, General of the Isra∣elites, to serve the Ends of Destiny, and pro∣long the Light of the Day to a double Pro∣portion, till the Opposite Army was quite destroy'd, and not one of the Ʋncircumcis'd could escape the Swords of the Victorious Sons of Jacob.

That Day prov'd a long Night to their An∣tipodes. They turn'd themselves in their Beds, when they had out-slept the Usual Hours of Night, and said in their Hearts, Surely the Sun is fall'n Asleep, or is Banqueting with the Gods of the Sea. Perhaps Thetis detains him in her Embraces, whilst the Tritons fasten his Slumbers with their softest Musick: Or Neptune

regales him in the Palaces of the Deep. Thus the Disconsolate Nations argu'd in their Chambers. They were alarm'd with Fears of Unknown Events.

Such as dwelt on the Borders of the Earth, and were accustom'd to mark the constant Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea, admir'd the Delay of the Usual Tides, and ask'd, What what was become of the Moon? for, that Planet also, stood still with the Sun.

The Light of their Souls was Eclips'd, and their Reason labour'd under a greater Dark∣ness, than that which troubl'd their Eyes. They were Ignorant of the Works of God; and knew not, that the Celestial Orbs stood still at the Command of the Spirit which formed them, even at the Word of the Prophet Inspir'd from Above.

So in the Days of Hezekiah, King of the Jews, the Sun went back in his Circuit, and all the Frame of Heaven was Retrograde, to confirm the Prophet's Good News, when he told the Sick King, That Fate had prolong'd his Life for Fifteen Years. This was in the Days of Merodach Baladan, the King of Ba∣bylon, who sent Ambassadors to congratulate Hezekiah's Miraculous Recovery.

Besides these, nothing has happen'd to the Sun, or any of the Heavenly Bodies, beyond the Ordinary Course of Nature. A Man may as well Prognosticate from Cloudy Weather, the Ca∣lamities of Emperors and Meaner Men, as from the Eclipses of the Sun and Moon: Since, the One as well as the Other, obscures the Light

of mose Heavenly Bodies: And the Former, quite hides them from Us; which is the grea∣ter Eclipse of the Two.

Let us pray Heaven, to grant us the conti∣nual Use of our Senses, and not to Eclipse the Light of our Reason; and we need fear no Disasters, from the Common Appearances of Nature.

Paris, 7th. of the Moon Chaban, of the Year 1649.