Venice.
As this is not the time of any of the public solemnities which draw
strangers to Venice, it is fortunate that we happen to be here with the
Archduke and Duchess. The great respect which this state is anxious of
shewing the Imperial family, has brought many of the nobility to Venice,
who would otherwise have been at their country seats on the continent,
and has also given us opportunities of seeing some things to more
advantage than we could otherwise have done.
I had the honour of attending their Highnesses when they went to visit
the island of Murano. This is about a mile from Venice, was formerly
a very flourishing place, and still boasts some palaces which bear
the marks of former magnificence, though now in a state of decay. The
island is said to contain 20,000 inhabitants. The great manufactories of
looking-glasses are the only inducements which strangers have to visit
this place. I saw one very fine plate, for a mirror, made in the presence
of the Archduke in a few minutes: though not so large as some I have
seen of the Paris manufactory, yet it was much larger than I could have
thought it in the power of human lungs to blow. Instead of being cast,
as in France and England, the Murano mirrors are all blown in the manner
of bottles. It is astonishing to see with what dexterity the workman
wields a long hollow cylinder of melted glass, at the end of an iron
tube, which, when he has extended as much as possible, by blowing, and
every other means his art suggests, he slits with a sharp instrument,
removing the two extremities from each other, and folding back the sides:
the cylinder now appears a large sheet of glass, which being once more
introduced into the furnace, is brought out a clear, finished plate.
This manufactory formerly served all Europe with looking-glasses; the
quantity made here is still considerable; for although France and
England, and some other countries, make their own mirrors, yet, by the
natural progress of luxury, those countries which still get their mirrors
and other things from Murano, use a much greater quantity now than
formerly; so that on the supposition that the Murano manufacturers have
lost three-fourths of their customers, they may still retain half as much
trade as they ever had. It is surprising that, instead of blowing, they
do not adopt the method of casting, which I should think a much easier
process, and by which larger plates may be made. Besides mirrors, an
infinite quantity of glass trinkets (margaritini as they are called) of
all shapes and colours are made here. Women of the inferior ranks wear
them as ornaments, and as rosaries; they also mould this substance into
many various whimsical forms, by way of ornamental furniture to houses
and churches. In short, there are glass baubles enough made here to bribe
into slavery half the inhabitants of the coast of Guinea.
Since the departure of the Archduke and Duchess, the D—— of H—— has
passed his time mostly in the houses of the foreign Ambassadors, the best
resource here, next to the theatres, for strangers.
We were lately at a conversazione at the Spanish Ambassador’s; it might
have passed for a pantomime entertainment. The Ambassador, his lady, and
daughters, speak no language but Spanish; and unfortunately this was
understood by none of the company but the Duke of Berwick’s son. Hearing
that Mr. Montague resided at Venice, the D—— of H—— has had the curiosity
to wait on that extraordinary man. He met his Grace at the stair-head,
and led us through some apartments, furnished in the Venetian manner,
into an inner room in quite a different style. There were no chairs, but
he desired us to seat ourselves on a sopha, whilst he placed himself on
a cushion on the floor, with his legs crossed in the Turkish fashion. A
young black slave sat by him, and a venerable old man, with a long beard,
served us with coffee.
After this collation some aromatic gums were brought, and burnt in a
little silver vessel. Mr. Montague held his nose over the steam for some
minutes, and snuffed up the perfume with peculiar satisfaction; he
afterwards endeavoured to collect the smoke with his hands, spreading and
rubbing it carefully along his beard, which hung in hoary ringlets to his
girdle. This manner of perfuming the beard seems more cleanly, and rather
an improvement upon that used by the Jews in ancient times, as described
in the psalms translated by Sternhold and Hopkins.
’Tis like the precious ointment, that
Was pour’d on Aaron’s head,
Which from the beard down to the skirts
Of his rich garments spread.
Or, as the Scotch translation has it:
Like precious ointment on the head
That down the beard did flow;
Even Aaron’s beard, and to the skirts
Did of his garments go.
Which of these versions is preferable, I leave to the critics in Hebrew
and English poesy to determine. I hope, for the sake of David’s
reputation as a poet, that neither have retained all the spirit of
the original. We had a great deal of conversation with this venerable
looking person, who is, to the last degree, acute, communicative, and
entertaining, and in whose discourse and manners are blended the vivacity
of a Frenchman with the gravity of a Turk. We found him, however,
wonderfully prejudiced in favour of the Turkish characters and manners,
which he thinks infinitely preferable to the European, or those of any
other nation.
He describes the Turks in general as a people of great sense and
integrity, the most hospitable, generous, and the happiest of mankind. He
talks of returning, as soon as possible to Egypt, which he paints as a
perfect paradise; and thinks that, had it not been otherwise ordered for
wise purposes, of which it does not become us to judge, the children of
Israel would certainly have chosen to remain where they were, and have
endeavoured to drive the Egyptians to the land of Canaan.
Though Mr. Montague hardly ever stirs abroad, he returned the D——’s
visit; and as we were not provided with cushions, he sat, while he staid,
upon a sopha, with his legs under him, as he had done at his own house.
This posture, by long habit, is now become the most agreeable to him,
and he insists on its being by far the most natural and convenient; but,
indeed, he seems to cherish the same opinion with regard to all the
customs which prevail among the Turks. I could not help mentioning one,
which I suspected would be thought both unnatural and inconvenient by
at least one half of the human race; that of the men being allowed to
engross as many women as they can maintain, and confining them to the
most insipid of all lives, within their harams. “No doubt,” replied
he, “the women are all enemies to polygamy and concubinage; and there
is reason to imagine, that this aversion of theirs, joined to the
great influence they have in all Christian countries, has prevented
Mahometanism from making any progress in Europe. The Turkish men, on the
other hand,” continued he, “have an aversion to Christianity, equal to
that which the Christian women have to the religion of Mahomet: auricular
confession is perfectly horrible to their imagination. No Turk, of any
delicacy, would ever allow his wife, particularly if he had but one, to
hold private conference with a man, on any pretext whatever.”
I took notice, that this aversion to auricular confession, could not be
a reason for the Turk’s dislike to the _Protestant_ religion. “That is
true,” said he, “but you have other tenets in common with the Catholics,
which renders your religion as odious as their’s. You forbid polygamy
and concubinage, which, in the eyes of the Turks, who obey the dictates
of the religion they embrace, is considered as an intolerable hardship.
Besides, the idea which your religion gives of heaven, is by no means
to their taste. If they believed your account, they would think it the
most tiresome and comfortless place in the universe, and not one Turk
among a thousand would go to the Christian heaven if he had it in his
choice. Lastly, the Christian religion considers women, as creatures
upon a level with men, and equally entitled to every enjoyment, both
here and hereafter. When the Turks are told this,” added he, “they are
not surprised at being informed also, that women, in general, are better
Christians than men; but they are perfectly astonished that an opinion,
which they think so contrary to common sense, should subsist among the
rational, that is to say, the male part of Christians. It is impossible,”
added Mr. Montague, “to drive it out of the head of a Mussulman, that
women are creatures of a subordinate species, created merely to comfort
and amuse men during their journey through this vain world, but by no
means worthy of accompanying believers to paradise, where females, of a
nature far superior to women, wait with impatience to receive all pious
Mussulmen into their arms.”
It is needless to relate to you any more of our conversation. A lady,
to whom I was giving an account of it the day on which it happened,
could with difficulty allow me to proceed thus far in my narrative; but,
interrupting me with impatience, she said, she was surprised I could
repeat all the nonsensical, detestable, impious maxims of those odious
Mahometans; and she thought Mr. Montague should be sent back to Egypt,
with his long beard, and not be allowed to propagate opinions, the bare
mention of which, however reasonable they might appear to Turks, ought
not to be tolerated in any Christian land.