38 TRAVELS TO THE EAST. 
the chief commander of a town in Turkey is called) 
was the firft I had to wait on, to deliver him my 
letters of recommendation from his friends . in 
Smyrna, and to let him know my intention of feeing 
the town and places adjacent. I went immediately 
to him, and made him fome prefents I had brought 
with me. Ho traveller approaches a iurkiih of- 
ficer, efpecially if he has any bufinefs with him, 
without bringing him fome prefents. This is the 
cuftom of the country, and was the fame m ancient 
times, as may be feen by the travels in the Old 
Teftament. Sweetmeats, tea, or fome fuch mat- 
ters, are what a traveller had bell offer, as they are 
acceptable. When 1 firft came in, he was engaged 
in more important bufinefs than to be at leifure for 
me. He was at his prayers, which were thole, that 
tffter the Mahometan religion are performed an 
hour before fun fet, and no Mufulman will on any 
account omit or poftpone them. I therefore went 
away, and was by his fervant brought into a houfe 
where a Turkifti wedding was celebrating. I was 
irolitely received here, as well as in every place 1 
went to in the town. 1 could not fee the marriage 
performed, nor the married couple. Very few 
Turks, much lefs a Chriftian, are allowed to be 
prefent. But I was at liberty to behold the diver- 
sions of the guefts, who were in a large room, which 
always is before the Turks chamber. They con- 
fided here, as in other places, in mufic and dancing, 
tho’ quite foreign to our tafte. The mufic were 
two fma.ll kettle drums of copper, and a kind of 
rough and ill-founding dulcimer. The muficians 
beat both fo hard, that in a very large room, open 
on all fides, none could hear what another faid, 
tho’ he fpokc loud ; but there was nothing ike order 
or time kept. The dance was performed by one 
