[ 107 ] 
The Turks have many books amongft them, tho' 
exceedingly dear ; folios I have feen coil; i oo to 
2 and 300 dollars eachj i.e. from 15 /. to 45'/. The 
few printed folios, fome of which I pick’d up fome 
years ago, cod: 5 /. to 6 /. fterling. Their fcribes 
fpend many years about a few copies. Their learn- 
ing condfts principally in abftrufe metaphyhcs : fome 
few touch the furface of fcience. I have looked out 
with great induftry for old Arabian manufcripts in 
the mathematical way : what they brought me were 
tranflations of fome propolitions of Euclid, Theo- 
dofms, Archimedes, and Apollonius. They have 
fome parts of Ariftotle ; but their favourite philofo- 
phy is the atomical or Epicurean, which with them 
is called the Democritical, from Democritus, Many 
of their fpeculative men have adopted that fyftem, 
and conform to it in their fecret pradice. The in- 
ftitutes and pradice of phyfic are taken from Galen. 
Eben Zyna, or Avicena, is a principal guide : Ma- 
thiolus is known. But with all this, as the foie drift 
and end of their ftudy is gain, there does not feem 
the lead emulation towards true knowlege : fo that 
the date of letters may be faid to remain deplorable, 
without the lead glimmering, or remote profped of 
a recovery. 
Conftantinople, 
Feb. 1, 1755. 
P 2 
Since 
