was very happy that I was not in the right, and that my wife was not in the wrong. The doctor fhall have my confent to say I looked like a jack-afs, as long as he can't fay I could butt like a bull.

I faw him,---in fhort, I was convinced my rival was in the room with her, and I could not reft a moment till I took the villain by the throat. Upon endeavouring to open the door, I found it was locked; this, and the blufh which I had seen on her cheek, for the firft. I have fent you this fimple nartime, the low voice in which they both talked, added to the couchscene, determined me to break open the door. My foot applied to a pannell, foon gained me admission into the room. You will perhaps be at a lofs to figure to yourself the appearance of all three, at my entrance; Mrs. Oakley screamed out, and fell back, quite pale, upon the couch; my rival ftarted up, and looked as red as a Turkey-cock, and I by turns appeared as white as the one, and as red as the other. I rung the bell for a maid to look to her mistress, who lay in a swoon on the couch, and I carried the gentleman down stairs, to fatisfy me about what had, or what had liked to have paffed. I foon found that the gentleman I had treated fo roughly, had acted in his profeffion as a midwife, having been fent for by Mrs. Oakley, on a fufpicion of her being with child. I was forry I had expofed myfelf, but I own I

rative about a fimple country-couple, in hopes of having your thoughts upon this prevailing practice of employing men in thofe occupations, that, modeftly speaking, belong to women: I will not fay that what has paffed has made me conclude harshly about my wife's virtue, but I must confefs fhe dreffes loofer than fhe was used, the fuffers greater familiarities from impertinent young coxcombs, and I don't look upon thofe charms which I used to dwell with raptures upon, as entirely my own, fince I have enjoyed them in common with hairdreffers, fhoe - makers, mantuamakers, ftay-makers, and manmidwives. I will go fo far as to own, that I do not fuffer so much in the thought of my wife's having mifcarried fince the laft-mentioned furprize, as I fhould have done had the never feen London.

I am,

&c.

JOHN OAKLEY,

Lady Mary Wortley Montague's Account of her Vifits to the Ladies of the Grand Vizier, and the Kahya, the two principal Officers in the Turkish Empire. From her Letters just published.

the court habit of Vienna, which is
much more magnificent than ours.
However, I chose to go incognito, to
avoid any disputes about ceremony,
and went in a Turkish coach, only
attended by my woman, that held
up my train, and the Greek lady
who was my interpretrefs. I was
met, at the court-door, by her black
eunuch, who helped me out of the
coach with great refpect, and con-
ducted me through feveral rooms,
where her fhe-flaves, finely dreffed,
were ranged on each fide. In the
innermott, I found the lady fitting
on her fofa, in a fable-veft. She
advanced to meet me, and prefent-
ed me half a dozen of her friends,
with great civility. She feemed a
very good woman, near fifty years
old. I was furprised to obferve fo
little magnificence in her house, the
furniture being all very moderate;
and, except the habits and the
number of her flaves, nothing about
her appeared expenfive. She
gueffed at my thoughts, and told
me, fhe was no longer of an age
to spend either her time or money
in fuperfluities; that her whole ex-
pence was in charity, and her whole
employment praying to God. There
was no affectation in this fpeech;
both he and her husband are en-
tirely given up to devotion. He
never looks upon any other woman;
and, what is much more extraordi-
nary, touches no bribes, notwith-
standing the example of all his pre-
deceffors. He is fo fcrupulous in
this point, he would not accept Mr.
W-'s prefent, till he had been af-
fured over and over, that it was
a fettled perquifite of his place, at
the entrance of every ambaffador.
She entertained me with all kind
of civility, till dinner came in, which

was served, one dish at a time, to a vast number, all finely dreffed after their manner, which I don't think fo bad as you have perhaps heard it reprefented. I am a very good judge of their eating, having lived three weeks in the house of an Effendi, at Belgrade, who gave us very magnificent dinners, dreffed by his own cooks. The first week they pleafed me extremely; but, I own, I then began to grow weary of their table, and defired our own cook might add a dish or two after our manner. But I attribute this to cuftom, and am very much inclined to believe that an Indian, who had never tafted of either, would prefer their cookery to ours. Their fauces are very high, all the roaft very much done. They use a great deal of very rich spice. The foup is ferved for the laft difh; and they have, at leaft, as great a variety of ragouts as we have. I was very forry I could not eat of as many as the good lady would have had me, who was very earnest in serving me of every thing. The treat concluded with coffee and perfumes, which is a high mark of refpe&t; two flaves kneeling, cenfed my hair, cloaths, and handkerchief. After this ceremony, fhe commanded her flaves to play and dance, which they did with their guittars in their hands, and fhe excufed to me their want of fkill, faying the took no care to accomplish them in that art.

I returned her thanks, and foon after took my leave. I was conducted back in the fame manner I entered, and would have gone strait to my own houfe, but the Greek lady, with me, earnestly follicited me to visit the Kahya's lady, faying, he was the fecond officer in

the

the empire, and ought indeed to be looked upon as the first, the Grand Vizier having only the name, while he exercised the authority. I had found fo little diverfion in the Vizier's Haram, that I had no mind to go into another. But her importunity prevailed with me, and I am extremely glad I was fo complaifant. All things here were with quite another air than at the Grand Vizier's; and the very houfe confeffed the difference between an old devotee, and a young beauty. It was nicely clean and magnificent. I was met at the door by two black eunuchs, who led me through a long gallery, between two ranks of beautiful young girls, with their hair finely plaited, almost hanging to their feet, all dreffed in fine light damafks, brocaded with filver. I was forry that decency did not permit me to ftop to confider them nearer, But that thought was loft upon my entrance into a large room, or rather pavilion, built round with gilded fafhes, which were most of them thrown up, and the trees planted near them gave an agreeable shade, which hindered the fun from being troublefome. The jeffamines and honeyfuckles that twisted round their trunks, fhed a foft prefume, increased by a white marble fountain playing sweet water in the lower part of the room, which fell into three or four bafons, with a pleafing found. The roof was painted with all forts of flowers, falling out of gilded baskets, that seemed tumbling down. On a fofa, raised three fteps, and covered with fine Perfian carpets, fat the Kahya's lady, leaning on cushions of white fattin embroidered; and at her feet fat two

young girls about twelve years old, lovely as angels, dreffed perfectly rich, and almoft covered with jewels. But they were hardly feen near the fair Fatima, (for that is her name) fo much her beauty effaced every thing I have feen, nay, all that has been called lovely either in England or Germany. I must own, that I never faw any thing fo gloriously beautiful, nor can I recollect a face that would have been taken notice of near her's. She ftood up to receive me, faluting me, after their fashion, putting her hand to her heart with a sweetness full of majesty, that no court breeding could ever give. She ordered. cushions to be given me, and took care to place me in the corner, which is the place of honour. I confefs, though the Greek lady had before given me a great opinion of her beauty, I was fo ftruck with admiration, that I could not, for fome time, fpeak to her, being wholly taken up in gazing. That furprifing harmony of feature! That charming refult of the whole! That exact proportion of body! That lovely bloom of complexion unfullied by art; the unutterable enchantment of her fmile!-But her eyes! - large and black, with all the foft languifhment of the blue! every turn of her face discovering fome new grace.

After my first furprize was over, I endeavoured, by nicely examining her face, to find out fome imperfection, without any fruit of my fearch, but by being clearly convinced of the error of that vulgar notion, that a face exactly proportioned, and perfectly beautiful, would not be agreeable; Nature having done for her, with more

fuc

fuccefs, what Apelles is faid to have effayed by a collection of the moft exact features to form a perfect face. Add to all this, a behaviour fo full of grace and sweetness, fuch eafy motions, with an air fo majestic, yet free from stiffness or affectation, that I am perfuaded, could she be fuddenly transported upon the most polite throne of Europe, no body would think her other than born or bred to be a queen, though educated in a country we call barbarous. To fay all in a word, our most celebrated Eng. lish beauties would vanish near her. She was dreffed in a caftan of gold brocade, flowered with filver, very well fitted to her shape, and fhewing to advantage the beauty of her bofom, only fhaded by the thin gauze of her fhift. Her drawers were pale pink, her waistcoat green and filver, her flippers white fattin, finely embroidered; her lovely arms adorned with bracelets of diamonds, and her broad girdle fet round with diamonds; upon her head a rich Turkish handkerchief of pink and filver, her own fine black hair hang ing a great length, in various treffes, and on one fide of her head fome bodkins of jewels. I am afraid you will accuse me of extravagance in this defcription. I think I have read fomewhere, that women always fpeak in rapture, when they fpeak of beauty, and I cannot imagine why they should not be allow- When I took my leave, two ed to do fo. I rather think it a maids brought in a fine fiiver virtue to be able to admire without basket of embroidered handkerany mixture of defire or envy. The chiefs; fhe begged I would wear graveft writers have spoke with the richeft for her fake, and gave great warmth of fome celebrated the others to my woman and interpictures and ftatues. The work pretrefs.I retired, through the manship of heaven certainly excels fame ceremonies as before, and all our weak imaginations, and I could not help thinking, I had

think, has a much better claim to our praife. For my part, I am not ashamed to own, I took more pleasure in looking on the beauteous Fatima, than the finest piece of fculpture could have given me. She told me the two girls at her feet were her daughters, though the appeared too young to be their momother. Her fair maids were ranged below the fofa, to the number of twenty, and put me in mind of the pictures of the antient nymphs. I did not think all nature could have furnished such a fcene of beauty. She made them a fign to play and dance. Four of them immediately began to play fome foft airs, on inftruments, between a lute and a guittar, which they accompanied with their voices, while the others danced by turns. When the dance was over, four fair flaves came into the room, with filver cenfers in their hands, and perfumed the air with amber, aloeswood, and other scents. After this, they ferved me coffee upon their knees, in the finest japan china, with foucoups of filver gilt. The lovely Fatima entertained me, all this while, in the moft polite agreeable manner, calling me often Uzelle Sultanam, or the beautiful Sultana, and defiring my friendship with the beft grace in the world, lamenting that the could not entertain me in my own language.

been

been fome time in Mahomet's para- I wish it may give you part of my pleasure; for I would have my dear fifter fhare in all the diverfions of, Your's, &c. &c.

dise, so much was I charmed with what I had feen. I know not how the relation of it appears to you.

The Addrefs of the People called Quakers, to his Majefly, on the Peace.

May it pleafe the King,
BEing met in this our annual

affembly, from various parts of Great Britain and Ireland, for the worship of Almighty God, and the promotion of piety and virtue, we embrace the opportunity which the restoration of peace affords us, to testify our affection to thy royal perfon and family; and our dutiful fubmiflion to thy government.

To a people profeffing that the ufe of arms is to them unlawful; a people who reverence the glorious gofpel declaration of good-will to men, and fervently wifh for the universal establishment of peace, its return must be highly acceptable.

To ftop the effufion of blood, to ease the burthens of thy people, and terminate the calamities that affected fo large a part of the globe, we are perfuaded were thy motives to effect the prefent pacification: motives fo juft in themselves, fo full of benevolence and humanity, demand our united and cordial approbation.

May the Sovereign of the univerfe, who created all nations of one blood, difpofe the minds of princes by fuch examples, to learn. other means of reconciling their jarring interefts and contentions, than by the ruin of countries, and the deftruction of mankind.

The proofs we have received of thy royal condefcenfion and indulgence, the lafting impreffions of

gratitude to the memory of the kings of thy illuftrious houfe, fill

our hearts at this time with the warmest fentiments of affection and duty. Strongly impreffed by fuch fentiments, we retire to our refpective habitations, with full purpose to cultivate, as much as in us lies, a fpitit of harmony and concord, fo effentially neceffary to the dignity of the crown, and happiness of the subject.

May God! the fource of every bleffing, the fountain of every excellence, ever gracioully direct thy fteps, and preferve thee long to rule over thy extenfive dominions, with that wisdom, moderation, and equity, which effectually fecure to princes the chearful obedience of their people, and tranfmit their names with deferved honour to pofterity.

Signed in and on behalf of our

yearly meeting, held in London, the 28th of the Fifth Month, 1763.

To which Addrefs his Majesty was pleafed to return this meft gracieus Anjower.

"Thefe repeated affurances of your affection to my perfon and my family, and of your duty to my government, are very agreeable to me, and cannot fail to infure to you the continuance of my protection."

Copy