as this is not the time of any of the public solemnities which draw strangers to venice, it is fortunate that we happen to be here with the archduke and duchess. the great respect which this state is anxious of shewing the imperial family, has brought many of the nobility to venice, who would otherwise have been at their country seats on the continent, and has also given us opportunities of seeing some things to more advantage than we could otherwise have done.
i had the honour of attending their highnesses when they went to visit the island of murano. this is about a mile[28] from venice, was formerly a very flourishing place, and still boasts some palaces which bear the marks of former magnificence, though now in a state of decay. the island is said to contain 20,000 inhabitants. the great manufactories of looking-glasses are the only inducements which strangers have to visit this place. i saw one very fine plate, for a mirror, made in the presence of the archduke in a few minutes: though not so large as some i have seen of the paris manufactory, yet it was much larger than i could have thought it in the power of human lungs to blow. instead of being cast, as in france and england, the murano mirrors are all blown in the manner of bottles. it is astonishing to see with what dexterity the workman wields a long hollow cylinder of melted glass, at the end of an iron tube, which, when he has extended as much as possible, by blowing, and every other means his art suggests, he slits with a sharp instrument,[29] removing the two extremities from each other, and folding back the sides: the cylinder now appears a large sheet of glass, which being once more introduced into the furnace, is brought out a clear, finished plate.
this manufactory formerly served all europe with looking-glasses; the quantity made here is still considerable; for although france and england, and some other countries, make their own mirrors, yet, by the natural progress of luxury, those countries which still get their mirrors and other things from murano, use a much greater quantity now than formerly; so that on the supposition that the murano manufacturers have lost three-fourths of their customers, they may still retain half as much trade as they ever had. it is surprising that, instead of blowing, they do not adopt the method of casting, which i should think a much easier process, and by[30] which larger plates may be made. besides mirrors, an infinite quantity of glass trinkets (margaritini as they are called) of all shapes and colours are made here. women of the inferior ranks wear them as ornaments, and as rosaries; they also mould this substance into many various whimsical forms, by way of ornamental furniture to houses and churches. in short, there are glass baubles enough made here to bribe into slavery half the inhabitants of the coast of guinea.
since the departure of the archduke and duchess, the d—— of h—— has passed his time mostly in the houses of the foreign ambassadors, the best resource here, next to the theatres, for strangers.
we were lately at a conversazione at the spanish ambassador’s; it might have passed for a pantomime entertainment. the ambassador, his lady, and daughters, speak no[31] language but spanish; and unfortunately this was understood by none of the company but the duke of berwick’s son. hearing that mr. montague resided at venice, the d—— of h—— has had the curiosity to wait on that extraordinary man. he met his grace at the stair-head, and led us through some apartments, furnished in the venetian manner, into an inner room in quite a different style. there were no chairs, but he desired us to seat ourselves on a sopha, whilst he placed himself on a cushion on the floor, with his legs crossed in the turkish fashion. a young black slave sat by him, and a venerable old man, with a long beard, served us with coffee.
after this collation some aromatic gums were brought, and burnt in a little silver vessel. mr. montague held his nose over the steam for some minutes, and snuffed up the perfume with peculiar satisfaction; he[32] afterwards endeavoured to collect the smoke with his hands, spreading and rubbing it carefully along his beard, which hung in hoary ringlets to his girdle. this manner of perfuming the beard seems more cleanly, and rather an improvement upon that used by the jews in ancient times, as described in the psalms translated by sternhold and hopkins.
’tis like the precious ointment, that
was pour’d on aaron’s head,
which from the beard down to the skirts
of his rich garments spread.
or, as the scotch translation has it:
like precious ointment on the head
that down the beard did flow;
even aaron’s beard, and to the skirts
did of his garments go.
which of these versions is preferable, i leave to the critics in hebrew and english poesy to determine. i hope, for the sake[33] of david’s reputation as a poet, that neither have retained all the spirit of the original. we had a great deal of conversation with this venerable looking person, who is, to the last degree, acute, communicative, and entertaining, and in whose discourse and manners are blended the vivacity of a frenchman with the gravity of a turk. we found him, however, wonderfully prejudiced in favour of the turkish characters and manners, which he thinks infinitely preferable to the european, or those of any other nation.
he describes the turks in general as a people of great sense and integrity, the most hospitable, generous, and the happiest of mankind. he talks of returning, as soon as possible to egypt, which he paints as a perfect paradise; and thinks that, had it not been otherwise ordered for wise purposes, of which it does not become us to judge, the children of israel would certainly[34] have chosen to remain where they were, and have endeavoured to drive the egyptians to the land of canaan.
though mr. montague hardly ever stirs abroad, he returned the d——’s visit; and as we were not provided with cushions, he sat, while he staid, upon a sopha, with his legs under him, as he had done at his own house. this posture, by long habit, is now become the most agreeable to him, and he insists on its being by far the most natural and convenient; but, indeed, he seems to cherish the same opinion with regard to all the customs which prevail among the turks. i could not help mentioning one, which i suspected would be thought both unnatural and inconvenient by at least one half of the human race; that of the men being allowed to engross as many women as they can maintain, and confining them to the most insipid of all lives, within their harams. “no doubt,”[35] replied he, “the women are all enemies to polygamy and concubinage; and there is reason to imagine, that this aversion of theirs, joined to the great influence they have in all christian countries, has prevented mahometanism from making any progress in europe. the turkish men, on the other hand,” continued he, “have an aversion to christianity, equal to that which the christian women have to the religion of mahomet: auricular confession is perfectly horrible to their imagination. no turk, of any delicacy, would ever allow his wife, particularly if he had but one, to hold private conference with a man, on any pretext whatever.”
i took notice, that this aversion to auricular confession, could not be a reason for the turk’s dislike to the protestant religion. “that is true,” said he, “but you have other tenets in common with the catholics,[36] which renders your religion as odious as their’s. you forbid polygamy and concubinage, which, in the eyes of the turks, who obey the dictates of the religion they embrace, is considered as an intolerable hardship. besides, the idea which your religion gives of heaven, is by no means to their taste. if they believed your account, they would think it the most tiresome and comfortless place in the universe, and not one turk among a thousand would go to the christian heaven if he had it in his choice. lastly, the christian religion considers women, as creatures upon a level with men, and equally entitled to every enjoyment, both here and hereafter. when the turks are told this,” added he, “they are not surprised at being informed also, that women, in general, are better christians than men; but they are perfectly astonished that an opinion, which they think so contrary to common[37] sense, should subsist among the rational, that is to say, the male part of christians. it is impossible,” added mr. montague, “to drive it out of the head of a mussulman, that women are creatures of a subordinate species, created merely to comfort and amuse men during their journey through this vain world, but by no means worthy of accompanying believers to paradise, where females, of a nature far superior to women, wait with impatience to receive all pious mussulmen into their arms.”
it is needless to relate to you any more of our conversation. a lady, to whom i was giving an account of it the day on which it happened, could with difficulty allow me to proceed thus far in my narrative; but, interrupting me with impatience, she said, she was surprised i could repeat all the nonsensical, detestable, impious maxims of those odious mahometans; and[38] she thought mr. montague should be sent back to egypt, with his long beard, and not be allowed to propagate opinions, the bare mention of which, however reasonable they might appear to turks, ought not to be tolerated in any christian land.
