TO CONSTANTINOPLE. 115 
are they," said he', "who love to pray in the chap. 
market-place and in the corners of the streets, ^ 
to have praise of men ; for it is observable 
v/ith the Turks, that where they lind the most 
spectators, especially of Christians, to choose 
that place, how inconvenient soever, to spread 
first their handkerchief, and then begin their 
prayers." We know not how to acquiesce 
in the truth of these observations. We saw 
much of the Turks, and we had one for our National 
Character 
daily companion; and, bating a little evasion of the 
/. , . , Turks. 
as to the strict observance of me\rfasti together 
with the dissolute practices of their Dervishes, 
we would say generally, of the whole race, that 
the Turlcs are the last people upon earth who 
deserve to be called hypocrites in their religion. 
Rycaut wrote at a time when the prejudices 
against Moslems were very high, and when his 
own countrymen had not lost the strong tincture 
of fanaticism they had acquired under Cromzvell, 
(3) See " The Present State of the Ottoman Empire," p. 159, by 
Paul Ut/caul, who was Secretary to C?iarles the Second's mnhassador, 
and afterwards Consul of Smj/rna, {Land. Third Edit. I67O.) — a work 
remarkable for its raciness and general accuracy. Notwithstanding 
the multiplicity of authors who have written upon Turhey, there is 
no one wlio has given, upon the whole, a more faithful account of the 
TurJis than Rycaut. His sculpturedfico^/Mffies, although rude, are 
correct; and his book is remarkable for tiie valuable information it 
condenses within the small compass of 21 C pages. 
I 2 
