36 
Travels into the Levant 
Part 
CHAP. XXVI. 
Of the Language of theTurh^^ their Sciences^ and 
ways of Divination, 
Turkifh Lan- 'T^He Turkifh Language is a primitive and original Language, that's to fay, 
guage. not derived from any pf the Oriental or Occidental Tongues that we 
have any knowledge of; it is very grave, pleafant andeafie to be learn'd, but 
net copious, and is wanting in many words, which it borrows from the Arabick 
and Perfian, but with that fupply and ornament, it may be faid to be very 
Sciences of ample and rich. The Turks are not much add idled to Sciences; neverthe- 
the Turks.- lefs they have their Doftors of the Law, appointed for that purpofe , who 
make it their ftudy to explain the Law in all the fenfes that can be given to it. 
There are fomealfo who give themfelves to Allrology, and many to Poetry; 
wherein they fucceed well enough and have very ingenuous Conceits in their Po 
cms.The greateft part of their Poems and fongs are in the Perfian Tongue,which 
they fing, not mufically as we do, but with acertian tone, which though at 
firft it be not pleafing, yet by cuftom becomes agreeable enough to the ear. 
The Turkifh They have feveral Inftruments of Mufick, the moft common is a little Lute 
Lute. vvith three firings, on which they'll play a whole day and not put it out of 
tune*, and they have the Flute alfo. Among the Turks there are a great 
Diviners many who pretend to fortune-telling, and have verygood luck at it. There you 
amongftthe fee in feveral corners of the ftrcets men fitting upon a Carpet on rhc ground, 
Turks. Yvith a great many Books fpread round about them. Now their. Divination is 
performed three manner of ways, the firll is commonly for the wars, though 
it be alfo performed for all forts of things,as to know whether a man fiiould un- 
dertake a voyage, buy fucb a commodity, or the like. They take four arrows 
and place them with their points againd one another, giving them to be held 
by two perfons •• Then they lay a naked fword upon a cufhion before them, 
and read a certain Chapter of the Alcoran ; with that the arrows fight together 
for forae time, and at length the one fall upon the other; if for inftancethe 
vii!torious have been named Chriflians, (for tv/o of them they call Turks, and 
the other two by the name of their enemy ) it is a fign that the Chriftians will 
wliat Doin'^ overcome, if otherwife, it denetes the contrary. They never go out to war, 
the Book ° ^ut they make that experiment firfl:, which they call Doing the Book^j 
means. ' nor do they undertake a Journey or Voyage, or any thing elfe of Confe- 
quence, ( as I have already faid ) but they firft Do the Bcoh^^ faying if 
fuch arrows be vi<ftorious 1 11 do it, if they be overcome, I'll not doit. 
Since my return to Paris, having found a Frenchman, vv'ho had been of the 
Turkifh Religion, and afterward renouncing it, had made his efcape into 
Chriftendom, who pretended to know how to Do the Book, I was curious to 
fee it; he made his arrows, which he gave to another and me, to hold, then he 
put a naked fword upon the Table wher'e the arrows were, calling "two of them 
Chriftians, and the other two Turks, and told me, that he would know whe- 
ther or not the Emperour fhould have Wars with the Turks ; he took an Alco- 
ran and read over the whole Chapter, which relates, to that, but though he 
told us that the arrows would fight together in fpight of us, hold them as faft 
as we could, yet they did not fo much as wag, he laid it wasbecaufewe 
I laughed; fo that we endeavoured to çompofe our felves and look very ferioufly, 
and he began again three or four times, but ftiil no engagement ; an which he 
was exceedingly furprifed; forhefworeto us, that he had done it a thoufand 
times, nay even to give refponfesto Chrillians, and that he had always fuc- 
Another way ceeded in it; I cannot tell whether itwas that w^'e wanted faith,or that he was no 
of Divination moi'e Turk,but we laughed heartily at him. Secondly,they Divine with Beans, 
The third which they put togethèr without reckoning them,thenthey count them,and look 
way of D(Vi- j-jj^ gQoj^ ^.^qj- ^[-^q Number fignifies. Thirdly, they Divine with apiece of 
Timber 
