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 XVII.

To Sale Tircheni Emin, Superin∣tendent of the Royal Arsenal at Constantinople.

I Remember I promised in my Last, to give thee a farther account of Pachicour, the famous Pyrate of the Black-Sea, 'Twere ea∣sy to perform it, but a Temptation diverts my Pen another Way.

I remember when thou wert Chiaus, I have heard thee speak of the Kingdom of Tu∣nis, whither thou wast sent by Sultan Amurat, to compose the Differences that happen'd be∣tween the Dey and the Divan of that City. At the same Time, thou mad'st Mention of a certain Admirable Engine, contriv'd to draw up Ships or any Thing else from the Bot∣tom of the Sea: And, that the Divan of Tunis, gave to the Artist who fram'd it, an Hundred Thousand Piasters, as a Reward of his Ingenuity.

I have read in a certain French Author, of such another Device at Venice, made on pur∣pose to draw up the Famous Carrack, which they call'd the Castle of the Sea. This Gal∣lion was built of a Monstrous Bulk, more for State than Service; and was overturn'd by her own Unweildiness, as she lay at Anchor, and sunk to the Bottom: From whence, nei∣ther

that foremention'd Engine, nor all the Art of Man could raise. Yet the Skill of the En∣ginier was highly commended, and the Senate honour'd him with the Title of Clarissimo, and settled a Noble Pension on him during Life.

It is question'd, whether the States of Hol∣land will be so Liberal to a certain French En∣ginier, who has made a Ship at Rotterdam, which they say, will out-do all the Mi∣racles of Noah's Ark.

This Ship is at present all the Talk at Paris. Our Merchants receive Letters full of Won∣ders from the Low-Countreys, concerning this Whirligig of a Vessel, which is to move by Clockwork, without Sails, Oars, Rudder, or any Common Marine Tackle; Yet, shall cut her Way through the Sea, with a swifter Pro∣gress than the Moon glides along the Sky, or a Bullet out of a Cannon. This is the Dis∣course of those who love to advance all that they hear, to the Height of a Miracle or Ro∣mance. Yet 'tis certain, the Artist has pro∣mis'd, it shall equal the Motion of some Birds, and run Twelve Leagues an Hour. Neither Winds nor Tides shall forward or hinder its Course, which depending on an Internal Principle of Perpetual Motion, is to be directed only at the Pleasure of him who manages the Springs and Wheels. So that the Master of this Vessel, shall be able with a single touch of Hand, to turn it to any Point of the Compass, in the most Boisterous Weather that blows.

This Enginier farther engages, that his Ves∣sel shall make a Voyage to the East-Inaies in the Revolution of a Moon, and to some Regi∣ons of America, in a fourth Part of that Time. If he be as good at Performance, as he is at Promising, he will Sail round the Globe, at this Rate, in Three Moons.

In farther Commendation of this wonder∣ful Machine, 'tis said, That by a New-Inven∣ted Art, it shall secretly under-Water disable any Ship, provided she be within Cannon-Shot; and this with so sudden a force, that in the Space of Six Hours, it will successively sink a Fleet of a Hundred Ships of War.

Moreover, this Artist, to appear not less subtle against the Efforts of Heaven, than in surpassing all the Inventions on Earth, pro∣mises that his Miraculous Vessel, shall at the Distance of a League, cut asunder any Spouts or Cataracts of Waters, which usually threa∣ten Mariners in the Mediterranean and o∣ther Seas.

'Tis possible thou art very well acquainted with the Nature of these Spouts, and the Danger of Ships that Sail near them. Yet give me Leave to inform thee, what I have heard from a certain Corsair, who has often met with 'em in the Levant.

This Pyrate tells me, that a Spout is a kind of Aqueduct between the Clouds and the Sea, by which those Pendulous Cysterns Above, are replenish'd with Water from the Ocean, drawing it up, as through a Pipe; Which seems to be let down for that End, at certain

Seasons, and in some Particular Places, where the Water boyls up first above the Surface of the Briny Plain, as a Signal to those Thir∣sty Bladders, to make a Descent there and suck their fill.

If this be true, who knows but that all the Rain, to which the Earth is indebted for its Fertility, comes thus Originally from the Sea? For, it may be made fresh, either in its first Ascent through the Roscid Air, or af∣ter its Reception into the Clouds, by some hidden Energy of that Element, or the Natu∣ral Force of the Middle Region: Or at least by some Unknown Vertue, perhaps not infe∣riour to that by which the Waters of a Bitter Lake in the Desert, became Sweet at the In∣tercession of our Holy Prophet, when the whole Army of the Primitive Mussulmans, was like to have perish'd of Thirst.

And then how will the Western Philosophers dispose of all the Vapours, which they say are Exhal'd from this Globe, and afterwards Condens'd into Clouds? I tell thee, that's but a Loose Notion of such Retentive Bodies, as the Clouds seem to be. And 'twou'd tempt one to ask, What the Vessels are made of which hold those Condens'd Exhalations, so that they do not fall at once upon our Heads and overwhelm us, but only destil in small successive Showers Drop by Drop, to refresh the Barren Parts of the Earth, and serve the Necessities of Men? And why the Rains fall in the Indies, and other Regions of the East, whole Moons together without Intermission,

the Rest of the Year being dry: Whereas, in other Countries, the Periods of the Wea∣ther's Alteration are uncertain, and in some Parts, it seldom or never rains at all?

Doubtless, the Works of the Omnipotent are Inscrutable: And tho' it may be an Argu∣ment of a great Wit, to give Ingenious Rea∣sons for many Wonderful Appearances in Na∣ture; yet 'tis an Evidence of small Piety or Judgment, to be positive in any Thing, but the Acknowledgment of our own Igno∣rance.

Now I have made as Wide an Excursion from my first Discourse, as the Moulia did, who began an Oration in Praise of Noah's Ark, and ended with telling a Tale of an Armenian Wheel-Barrow.

But I will not forget, that I was speaking of the Promise which the Rotterdam Engi∣nier has made of his Machine, That it shou'd Effectually break all the Force of Spouts, which wou'd render him very Serviceable to Mer∣chants, as a Convoy to defend them from those Terrible Bug bears to Sailers. For the Corsair tells me, that these Spouts very often occasion Ship-wrecks; either by entangling the Masts of a Ship, and so overturning it; or, by break∣ing in the Encounter, overwhelm it with water, and so sink it.

He says likewise, that the Christian Pyrates are accustom'd to use a certain Charm against these Spouts. They have a Knife, whose Haft is made of the Bone of a Man's Right Arm: And every Vessel, is bound to provide One or

Two of these Knives, when they loose from the Shore. They buy 'em of certain Persons, who have the Character of Magicians. And when they see a Spout at some Distance from 'em at Sea, the Master of the Vessel or any Bo∣dy else, takes this Enchanted Knife in his Right Hand, and holding the Book of their Gospel in his Left, reads some Part of it; And when he comes to a certain Versicle, which menti∣ons the Incarnation of their Messiah, he makes a Motion with his Knife towards the Spout, as if he wou'd cut it in Two. Whereupon, immediately the Spout breaks in the Middle; and all the inclos'd Water falls into the Sea.

But I tell thee, he who gives Credit to the Stories of Charms, or the Projects of Men pretending to excell all the Rest of their Race; has more Faith, than is requisite to him who reads Aesop's Fables, since in perusing that Ingenious Figment, we are only desired to believe the MORAL.

'Tis thought by some, That this Enginier will, by the Natural Clockwork of his Heels, be much more nimble than his Vessel, in flying the Disgrace which will attend him, if his Phan∣tastick Project prove unsuccessful. In my next thou shalt hear of Pachicour.

Paris, 12th. of the 8th. Moon, of the Year 1653.