§6 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



vantage of their tardinefs, had rendered the firft and gre^ 

 fcheme impofFiblc. 



Carlo Rozetti, a Venetian merchant, a young man of 

 capacity and intrigue, had for fome years governed the Bey 

 abfolutely. Had fuch a man been on board the fleet with 

 a commiflion, after receiving initruc'tions from Peter(burgh a . 

 the Ottoman empire in Egypt was at an end.' 



The Bey, with all his good fenfe and understanding, was 

 flill a mamaluke, and had the principles of a Have. . Three 

 men of different religions pofTefTed his confidence and go- 

 verned his councils all at a time. The one was a Greek, 

 the other a Jew, and the third an Egyptian Copht, his fecre- 

 tary. It would have required a great deal of difcernment 

 and penetration to have determined which of thefe was the 

 moil worthlefs, or rnoft likely to betray him, 



The fecretary, whofe name was Rifk, had tiie addrefs to 

 fupplant the other two at the time they thought themfelves 

 at the pinnacle of their glory; over-awing every Turk, and 

 robbing every Chri-ilian, the Greek was banifhed from Egypt, 

 and the Jew baftinadoed to death. Such is the tenure of 

 Egyptian miniflers. 



Risk profeiTed aftrology, and the Bey, like all other Turks, . 

 believed in it implicit ely,. and to this folly he facrificed his- 

 own goodunderftanding ; and Rifk, probably in pay to Con- 

 ftantinople, led him from one wild fcheme to another, till 

 he undid him — by the fears. 



Thb* 



