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8/17/2019 Turkish Letters

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. XXVI.

TO THE LADY ——.

Adrianople, April 1. O. S. 1717.

[26.1] I am now got into a new world, where every thing I see appears to me a change of scene;

and I write to your ladyship with some content of mind, hoping, at least, that you will find the

charms of novelty in my letters, and no longer reproach me, that I tell you nothing extraordinary.

I won't troule you with a relation of our tedious !ourney; ut must not omit what I saw

remar"ale at Sophia, one of the most eautiful towns in the #ur"ish empire, and famous for its

hot aths, that are resorted to oth for diversion and health. I stopped here one day, on purpose to

see them; and, designing to go incognito, I hired a #ur"ish coach. #hese voitures are not at all

li"e ours, ut much more convenient for the country, the heat eing so great, that glasses would

e very troulesome. #hey are made a good deal in the manner of the $utch stage%coaches,

having wooden lattices painted and gilded; the inside eing also painted with as"ets and

nosegays of flowers, intermixed commonly with little poetical mottos. #hey are covered all over

with scarlet cloth, lined with sil", and very often richly emroidered and fringed. #his covering

entirely hides the persons in them, ut may e thrown ac" at pleasure, and thus permits the

ladies to peep through the lattices. #hey hold four people very conveniently, seated on cushions,

ut not raised.

[26.2] In one of these covered waggons, I went to the agnio aout ten o'cloc". It was already full

of women. It is uilt of stone, in the shape of a dome, with no windows ut in the roof, which

gives light enough. #here were five of these domes !oined together, the outmost eing less than

the rest, and serving only as a hall, where the portress stood at the door. &adies of uality

generally give this woman a crown or ten shillings; and I did not forget that ceremony. #he next

room is a very large one paved with marle, and all round it are two raised sofas of marle, one

aove another. #here were four fountains of cold water in this room, falling first into marle

asons, and then running on the floor in little channels made for that purpose, which carried the

streams into the next room, something less than this, with the same sort of marle sofas, ut so

hot with steams of sulphur proceeding from the aths !oining to it, 'twas impossile to stay there

with one's cloaths on. #he two other domes were the hot aths, one of which had coc"s of cold

water turning into it, to temper it to what degree of warmth the athers pleased to have.


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[26.3] I was in my travelling hait, which is a riding dress, and certainly appeared very

extraordinary to them. (et there was not one of them that shewed the least surprise or impertinent

curiosity, ut received me with all the oliging civility possile. I "now no )uropean court,

where the ladies would have ehaved themselves in so polite a manner to such a stranger. I

elieve, upon the whole, there were two hundred women, and yet none of those disdainful

smiles, and satirical whispers, that never fail in our assemlies, when any ody appears that is

not dressed exactly in the fashion. #hey repeated over and over to me; *+)&&), -) +)&&),*

which is nothing ut, Charming, very Charming . // #he first sofas were covered with

cushions and rich carpets, on which sat the ladies; and on the second, their slaves ehind them,

ut without any distinction of ran" y their dress, all eing in the state of nature, that is, in plain

)nglish, star" na"ed, without any eauty or defect concealed. (et there was not the least wanton

smile or immodest gesture amongst them. #hey wal"ed and moved with the same ma!estic grace,

which 0ilton descries our general mother with. #here were many amongst them, as exactly proportioned as ever any goddess was drawn y the pencil of a uido or #itian, / and most of

their s"ins shiningly white, only adorned y their eautiful hair divided into many tresses,

hanging on their shoulders, raided either with pearl or rion, perfectly representing the figures

of the races.

[26.4] I was here convinced of the truth of a reflection I have often made, That if it were the

fashion to go naked, the face would be hardly observed . I perceived, that the ladies of the most

delicate s"ins and finest shapes had the greatest share of my admiration, though their faces were

sometimes less eautiful than those of their companions. #o tell you the truth, I had wic"edness

enough, to wish secretly, that 0r ervais could have een there invisile. I fancy it would have

very much improved his art, to see so many fine women na"ed, in different postures, some in

conversation, some wor"ing, others drin"ing coffee or sheret, and many negligently lying on

their cushions, while their slaves 2generally pretty girls of seventeen or eighteen3 were employed

in raiding their hair in several pretty fancies. In short, 'tis the women's coffee%house, where all

the news of the town is told, scandal invented, 4c. // #hey generally ta"e this diversion once

a%wee", and stay there at least four or five hours, without getting cold y immediate coming out

of the hot ath into the cold room, which was very surprising to me. #he lady, that seemed the

most considerale among them, entreated me to sit y her, and would fain have undressed me for

the ath. I excused myself with some difficulty. #hey eing however all so earnest in persuading

me, I was at last forced to open my shirt, and shew them my stays; which satisfied them very

well; for, I saw, they elieved I was loc"ed up in that machine, and that it was not in my own

power to open it, which contrivance they attriuted to my husand, // I was charmed with


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their civility and eauty, and should have een very glad to pass more time with them; ut 0r 5

// resolving to pursue his !ourney next morning early, I was in haste to see the ruins of

6ustinian's church, which did not afford me so agreeale a prospect as I had left, eing little more

than a heap Of stones.

[26.5] dieu, madam, I am sure I have now entertained you with an account of such a sight as you

never saw in your life, and what no oo" of travels could inform you of, as 'tis no less than death

for a man to e found in one of these places.

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