retaining the comparison of
her eyes with those of a stag, though perhaps the novelty of it may
give it a burlesque sound in our language. I cannot determine upon
the whole, how well I have succeeded in the translation, neither do I
think our English proper to express such violence of passion, which
is very seldom felt amongst us. We want also those compound words
which are very frequent and strong in the Turkish language.

YOU see I am pretty far gone in Oriental learning; and, to say truth,
I study very hard. I wish my studies may give me an occasion of
entertaining your curiosity, which will be the utmost advantage hoped
for from them, by, Your's, &c.

LET. XXXI.

TO MRS S. C.

_Adrianople, April_ 1. O. S.

IN my opinion, dear S. I ought rather to quarrel with you, for not
answering my Nimeguen letter of August, till December, than to excuse
my not writing again till now. I am sure there is on my side a very
good excuse for silence, having gone such tiresome land-journies
(sic), though I don't find the conclusion of them so bad as you seem
to imagine. I am very easy here, and not in the solitude you fancy
me. The great number of Greeks, French, English, and Italians that
are under our protection, make their court to me from morning till
night; and, I'll assure you, are, many of them, very fine ladies; for
there is no possibility for a Christian to live easily under this
government, but by the protection of an ambassador--and the richer
they are, the greater is their danger.

THOSE dreadful stories you have heard of the _plague_, have very
little foundation in truth. I own, I have much ado to reconcile
myself to the sound of a word, which has always given me such
terrible ideas; though I am convinced there is little more in it,
than in a fever. As a proof of this, let me tell you that we passed
through two or three towns most violently infected. In the very next
house where we lay, (in one of those places) two persons died of it.
Luckily for me I was so well deceived, that I knew nothing of the
matter; and I was made believe, that our second cook had only a great
cold. However, we left our doctor to take care of him, and yesterday
they both arrived here in good health; and I am now let into the
secret, that he has had the _plague_. There are many that escape it,
neither is the air ever infected. I am persuaded, that it would be
as easy a matter to root it ou