The Turks, correctly so known as, are the followers of Mahomet, defeended from the Tatarian conquerors of those lovely international locations. These being now the precise issues of the empire, and the one perfons who appear to have an actual intereft in its exiftence, their state of affairs, ethical and phyfical,, fir ft calls for our discover. The; nice define of their character, as diftinguifhed from the opposite inhabitants of this extenfive empire; is the prevalence which they , claimtin the grounds of conqueft and faith. To use to a nation, barbarous because the Turks, any rule of rational coverage drawn from the regulation of countries, would, maybe, be deemed abfurd; however the enlightened observer mutt everremark, that the fancied proper of conqueft is nothing however the fitting of the iword,, which isn’t respectable however when fanCtioned by justice. Within the historical past of the world there have been frequent cases of mighty nations, who, after conquering their opponents by pressure of arms, have acquired from their captives the fofter yoke of fcience. It was thus that, within the phrases of Horace: “Grascia capta ferum vidtorum cepit, et artes Intulit agreiti Latio.
Nor have there been wanting examples of the introduction of arts by the conqueror himself, who has thus made amends, by the bleffing of civilization, for the havock which he had. brought on by the fword. The Turks, nevertheless, like barbarians, invaded Greece, and fwept earlier than them the monuments of historical fcience; and, like barbarians, they maintain their captives, to the current day, underneath the benumbing yoke of ignoranee and ftavery. Inftead of selling the mutual benefit of each nations, by an inter courfe of data and benevolence, they use .the privilege of conqueft solely to the .extinction of the frequent powers of mind. A politic conqueror, in augmenting the happiness of his new topic, increafes his personal energy; a barbarian invader weakens his personal assets by the continued opprehion of his captives. Abderahman (or Almanzor) who, in the midst of the eighth century, based a kingdom in Spain of the provinces which had been topic to the kaiifs, promoted intermarriages between Chriftians and Mahomedans. The Arabs, who had been as nice enemies to the fciences because the Turks now cultivated them with nice success, and had acquired a substantial portion of data and politeness, whereas the reft of Europe was degraded by ignorance and barbarifm. However the haughty Turk shouldn’t be merely exalted above his topic Greek as a conqueror; he considers himself ftiil extra extremely elevated because the favorite of heaven; and the higher a part of his ferocity as a tyrant is owing to the boastful dictates of his faith.
