HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
submit to the will of Heaven, de- 
ereed from the beginning. We 
have long lived in splendor, the 
first power on earth; and we glory 
in‘having triumphed ‘for ages over 
christian infidelity and depravity, 
mixed with all sorts of vice and 
hypocrisy. We adore the God of 
nature, and believe in Mahomet :— 
You neither believe in the God 
you pretend to worship, nor in his 
Son, whom you call both your God 
and ‘your prophet... What reliance 
can there be on so sacrilegious a 
race? Truth, we understand, you 
banish, as you do virtue from all 
your conduct and transactions with 
each other. Read the catalogue 
of the complaints, manifestoes, de- 
clarations, and remonstances of all 
the christian kings, monarchs, and 
emperors, who have lived and war- 
red with each other; you will find 
themall equally blasphemous, equal- 
ly perfidious, equally cruel, equally 
unjust, and faithless in their en- 
gagements. Did the Turk ever 
forfeit his promise, word, or ho- 
nour? Never.—Did ever a chris- 
tian power keep an engagement, 
but while it suited its avarice or 
ambition? No. — How then do 
you think are we to trust you; a 
nation, at this moment, if truth is 
told, ruled by a perfidious.adminis- 
tration, without virtue to guide the 
machine of state? The Grand 
Seignior has no public intercourse 
with your court ;—he wants none ; 
-he wishes for none. If you wish 
to remain here, either as a spy, or, 
as you term yourself, an ambassador 
for your court, you may live with 
those of other christian nations, 
while you demean yourself with 
propriety: but we neither desire 
your aid by sea nor land, nor your 
na 
L139 
council, nor mediation. I haveno 
order to thank you for your offer, 
because it is by the Divan deemed 
officious: — nor have I any com- 
mand tothank you for the offer of 
your naval assistance, because it is 
what the Porte never dreamed of 
admitting into our seas.’ What 
you have to do with Russia, we nei- 
ther know nor care ;— our con- 
cerns with that court we tnean to 
finish as it suits ourselves, and the 
maxims of our laws and state-policy- 
If you are not the most profligate 
christian nation, as you are accused 
of being, you are undoubtedly the 
boldest in presumption and effron- 
tery, in thus attempting to bring 
such a power as Russia to terms 
such as you, and some other incon- 
siderable christians united, faney 
yourselves able to command. We 
know better; this conduct of yours 
is an imbecile as well as an audaci- 
ous endeavour to dictate; which 
must render your councils con- 
temptible, and your advice abroad 
unworthy of the wisdom or atten- 
tion of any power, especially of the 
Porte; which, on all occasions, 
wherein its ministers have listened 
to you, has experienced evil either 
in your intentions or your incapa- 
city. His sublime Highness can- 
not therefore be too much on his 
guard against the attempts and the 
presumption of a state so little to 
be trusted, even by its own peo- 
ple; but it is usual with christian 
princes to sell their subjects to 
each other for money. Every 
peace made amongst you, as we are 
well informed, is most favourable 
to the highest briber. The Otto- 
man ministry has too long, and too 
often, given ear to European coun- 
cils; and as often as they did, they 
; were 
