Upon the return of Vizir Achmet from Candia, after the Surrendry of that City, and a happy end put by him to that tedious and bloody War, he acquainting the present Emperor, then at Adrianople, with the History of that famous Siege at large, made such terrible Representations of their and the Venetians Mining and Countermining one another, that the Emperor was resolved out of Curiosity to see the Experiment made of a thing, that seemed to him almost Incredible. A Work was soon raised and undermined, and above 30 Murderers and Robbers upon the High-Way and such like Villains were put into it, as it were to defend it. The Grand Signior stood upon an Eminence at some considerable distance, expecting the issue of it; upon a Signal given, the Mine was sprung, and the Fort demolished, and the poor Wretches torn piece-meal to his great Satisfaction and Amazement.
The Moon is the auspicious Planet of the Turks: According to the course of which they celebrate their Festivals. They begin their Months from the first appearance of it, at which time they choose, except a delay brings a great Prejudice and Inconvenience with it, to begin their great Actions. The Crescent is the Ensign of the Empire, which they Paint in Banners, and place upon the Spires of their Moschs. Next to the Day of the appearing Moon, they pitch upon Friday, to fight upon, to begin a journey, and especially their Pilgrimage toward Mecca, or do any thing of great Consequence, as very lucky and fortunate.
A Relation of a Voyage from Aleppo to Palmyra in Syria; sent by the Reverend Mr. William Hallifax to Dr. Edward Bernard (late) Savilian Professor of Astronomy in Oxford, and by him communicated to Dr. Thomas Smith. Reg. Soc. S.
D. Thomæ Smitho Edoardus Bernardus, S.
Quanquam Epistolas tuas, O cor & medulla amicitiæ nostræ, & alia munera grato animo in finum hunc recipere soleo; eas tamen Notitias, quas tuo dono hodie accepi, tanquam germana & famæ nunquam marcescentis pignora, multo chariores habeo, &, dum vivam, reverenter adservabo. Sic enim Asianarum Ecclesiarum Pleiada e tenebris denuo excitas: sic antiquissimorum Episcoporum sedes instauras, ut candelabrum ἑπτάλοφον cum magno Theologo & Apocalypta iterum ardens ac fulgens videre mihi videor. Præterea, in descriptione urbis Constantini Silentiarios, Codinos, Gyllios, cæteros exsuperas. Fruere diu superstes hac laude, quam suam esse maluit Sponius, & præter morem ingenuum aut fas sibi abripere.
Gaudeo tamen mihi jam novum adesse munus, quod tecum queam impertire volente spero, & læto. Id est Epigrapharum Sylloge, quas a columnis Palmyrenis Charissimus amicus, Gulielmus Hallifaxius pulchro studio descripsit. Utinam Syriaca plura ipse addisset sub Græcis, & Epocham Palmyrenam a Seleuco victore, non ab Alexandri magni obitu incepisset. Historiæ vero Augustæ scriptores qui teruntur, & Herodianus Grammaticus plerasque Inscriptionum istarum multum illustrant. Verum isthæc vix sunt nostri otii. Attamen si hæc commiseris Philosophicarum Transactionum, ut nunc loquuntur, conditoribus haud injucundum πρόπομα fuerit, donec vir illustris & adprime doctus D. Cuperus uberiora forte ediderit de urbe Solomonis ejusque reliquiis. Vale vir venerabilis.
Oxoniæ Nonis Octobribus
A. D. CIↃIↃCXCV.