Guernsey.
_The Baptized Turk_.--Your correspondent CH. (Vol. ii., p. 120.), who
inquired about Lord Richard Christophilus (_al._ Isuf Bassa), a converted
Turk, may be interested in a curious account of another convert to
Christianity, which has lately fallen in my way, if he be not already in
possession of the (almost legendary) narrative. I allude to a small 8vo.
volume, entitled:
"The Baptized Turk; or, A Narrative of the happy conversion of Signior
Rigep Dandulo, the onely son of a silk merchant in the isle of Tsio,
from the delusions of that great Impostor Mahomet, unto the Christian
Religion; and of his admission unto Baptism, by Mr. Gunning at
Excester-house Chappel, the 8th of November, 1657. Drawn up by Tho.
Warmstry, D.D., Lond. 1658."
Dr. Warmstry was Dean of Worcester. His conversion of the Turk Dandulo is
mentioned in the _Lansdowne MSS._ (986., p. 67.), and also in the _Athenæ
Oxonienses_. The narrative is dedicated to
"The Right Honourable the Countess of Dorset, the Honourable the Lord
George, and the Worshipful Philip Warwick, Esq., _witnesses_ at the
baptism of Signior Dandulo the convert."
There appears to have been "a picture of the said Dandulo in a Turkish
habit put before it;" {462} but this has been abstracted from the only copy
I have seen.
This conversion appears to have been effected by the instrumentality of a
dream; and the Narrative contains an interesting essay of some length on
the subject of visions, and gives an interpretation of the dream in
question.