For my part, I cannot help thinking, that a juster notion of the government, laws, and policy of the Turks, may be formed by an attentive perufal of Naima's Hiftory, than can be acquired from all the relations of our European travellers; and that a fingle volume of it, accurately translated, would be more useful to us, than the vast collections of Rycaut and Knolles, to which, however, I readily allow the praise that they deserve.

It may reasonably be fuppofed, that having drawn my materials from these plentiful fources, I mean to present the public with a complete hiftory of the Turks; but I reflected, that among the numerous events which muft be recorded in the general hiftory of any nation, there are very few which feem capable of yielding either pleasure or inftruction to a judicious reader, who defires to be acquainted with past transactions, not because they have happened, but because he hopes to derive from them fome ufeful leffon, for the conduct of his life. It feemed, therefore, more respectful to the public, and it was far more agreeable to

my own inclination, to trace out, in the form of an effay, the great outlines only of the Turkifh biftory, leaving all its minuter parts to be coloured by fome abler pencil, and perhaps the most interesting of them to be filled up by my rough crayon, as fome future occafion, or greater leifure may invite me. Whatever

then be the fate of my performance, I have a claim in one inftance to the indulgence of my reader, by having fpared him the trouble of running over all the idle fables, and even the dull truths, with which my originals abound, and which I have fuppreffed in great number; fince both of them are, in my opinion, highly difgraceful to an hiftorical piece, in which nothing fhould be written that is fabulous, nor any thing, how true foever it may be, but what deferves to be read*. .

As to the nature of my piece, though I have intitled it an EЛay on the Hiftory of the Turks; yet, from the age of Elizabeth to the prefent century, the history of our Trade to the Levant

*Three pages of the original are here omitted, as it appears by a manuscript note, that it was intended to alter them.

is interwoven with it, and a few hints are respectfully offered for its improvement; an object of the highest importance to the whole nation. The part which relates to the Causes of the rife and decline of the Turkish Empire was written after the model of M. de Montef quieu's Confiderations on the greatness of the Romans; nor am I under any apprehenfion of being cenfured for imitating so excellent a pattern, to which I may juftly apply the words of Cicero:-" Demofthenem imitemur. O Dü boni! quid ergo nos aliud agimus, aut quid aliud ptamus? at non affequimur."

APPENDIX.

THE following pages contain some compofitions of Sir William Jones, which have not been printed. The first, a litttle Essay on the Grecian Orators, was written at the Univerfity, and exhibits an elegant specimen of his early talents in the compofition of Latin; more of the fame kind might be added, but the curiofity of the reader on this subject, may be gratified by a reference to the fixth volume of Sir William Jones's Works. The reader will obferve the connection between the Effay now presented to him, and the quotation which concludes the Preliminary Difcourse in the preceding page.

The second is an Italian compofition, written by Sir William Jones when he was studying that language; and I rely upon the judg

ment of a native of Italy, who has pronounc ed it claffical and elegant. The third exhibits a curious specimen of the form and measure of a Perfian Ode of Jami, and on this account it is inferted. The fourth, a song from the Perfian, is in the measure of the original, and will not be thought deficient in beauty. The remaining compofitions require no particular obfervation.

For want of a fitter opportunity, I here transcribe from the writing of Sir William Jones, the following lines:

Bahman (a native of Yezd, and follower of the doctrines of Zoroafter) repeated this morning four glorious and pious verses, which ought to be engraven on every heart:

VERSES.

Make the worship of the Great Giver habitual.
Reflect maturely on the day of thy departure.
Fear God, and do no wrong to man.

This is the way to salvation, and this is enough.