We have had the bleffing of being favoured with finer weather than is common at this time of the year; though the fnow was fo deep, we were obliged to have our own coaches fixed upon Traineaus, which move fo fwift and fo eafily, 'tis by far the most agreeable manner of travelling polt. We came to Raab (the fecond day from Vienna) on the feventeenth initant, where Mr. W― fending word of our arrival to the governor, the best houfe in the town was provided for us, the garrifon put under arms, a guard ordered at our door, and all other honours paid to us. The governor and all other officers immediately waited on Mr. W -, to know if there was any thing to be done for his fervice. The Bishop of Temefwar came to vifit us, with great civility, earnelly preffing us to dine with him next day, which we refufing, as being refolved to purfue our journey, he fent us feveral baskets of winter fruit, and a great variety of Hungarian wines, with a young hind just killed. This is a prelate of great power in this country, of the ancient family of Nadafti, fo confiderable for many ages in this kingdom. He is a very polite, agreeable, cheerful old man, wearing the Hungarian habit, with a venerable white beard down to his girdle.-Raab is a ftrong town, well garrifoned and fortified, and was a long time the frontier town between the Turkish and German empires. It has its name from the river Rab, on which it is fituated, juft on its meeting with the Danube, in an open champaign country. It was first taken by the Turks under the command of Baffa Sinan, in the reign of Sultan Amurath III. in the year fifteen hundred ninety-four. The governor being fuppofed to have betrayed it, was afterwards beheaded by the Emperor's command. The Counts of Swartzenburg and Pali retook it by furprife 1598, fince which time it has remained in the hands of the Germans, though the Turks once more attempted to gain it by ftratagem in 1642. The cathedral is large and well built, which is all I faw remarkable in the town. Leaving Comora on the other fide the river, we went the eighteenth to Nofmuhl, a fmall village, where, however, we made fhift to find tolerable ac

commodation. We continued two days travelling between this place and Buda, through the finest plains in the world, as

even as if they were paved, and extreme. ly fruitful; but for the mcft part and uncultivated, laid wale by the g wars between the Turk and the Empe ror; and the more cruel civil war, oc fioned by the barbarous perfecution the Proteftant religion, by the Emper Leopold. That Prince aas left bein him the character of an extract piety, and was naturally of a mild ciful temper; but, putting his confta into the hands of a Jefuit, he was mar cruel and treacherous to his poor He garian fubjects, than ever the T been to the Chriftians; breaking, out fcruple, his coronation oath, and faith, folemnly given in many p treaties. Indeed nothing can be melancholy than in travelling t Hungary, to reflect on the former forming flate of that kingdom, and to it a noble fpot of earth almost uninhoban Such are alfo the prefent circum of Buda (where we arrived very earl twenty fecond), once the royal feat c Hungarian kings, whofe palace r was reckoned one of the most bea buildings of the age, now wholly d ed, no part of the town having been paired fince the last fiege, but the for cations and the cattle, which is the fent refidence of the governor g Ragule, an officer of great meri. came immediately to fee us, and ca us in his coach to his houfe, where received by his lady with all pob vility, and magnificently This city is fituated upon a little the fouth fide of the Danube. Th is much higher than the town, an it the profpect is very noble. Witho walls lie a vast number of little hou rather huts, that they call the Rac town, being altogether inhabited by people. The governor affured t would furnish twelve thousand fi men. These towns look very odd; houfes ftand in rows, many thoua them fo clofe together, that they ar at a little diftance, like old fafan thatched tents. They confist, every of them, of one hovel above, and an under ground; thefe are their f and winter apartments. Buda was t taken by Solyman the Magnificent, 1526, and loft the following year to Fe dinand the First, King of Bohe Solyman regained it by the treachery

enterta

he garrifon, and voluntarily gave it into the hands of King John of Hungary, ifter whofe death, his fon being an inFant, Ferdinand laid fiege to it, and the Queen-mother was forced to call Soly nan to her aid. He indeed raised the iege; but left a Turkish garrifon in he town, and commanded her to remove er court from thence, which he was orced to fubmit to in 1541. It refifted fterwards the fieges laid to it, by the Marquis of Bradenburgh, in the year 1542; Count Schwartzenburg, in 1598; General Rofworm, 1602; and the Duke of Lorrain, commander of the Emperor's Forces, in 1684, to whom it yielded, in 1686, after an obitinate defence, Apti Baffa, the governor, being killed, fighting in the breach, with a Roman bravery. The lofs of this town was fo important, and fo much refented by the Turks, that it occafioned the depofing of their Emperor Mahomet the Fourth the year following.

We did not proceed on our journey till the twenty-third, when we paffed through Adam and Todowar, both confiderable towns, when in the hands of the Turks, but now quite ruined. The remains, however, of fome Turkish towns, fhew fomething of what they have been. This part of the country is very much overgrown with wood, and little frequented. 'Tis incredible what vaft numbers of wild fowl we faw, which often live here to a good old age,--and undißurb'd by guns, in quiet fleep.-We came the five and twentieth to Mohatch, and were fhewed the field near it, where Lewis, the young King of Hungary, loft his army and his life, being drowned in a ditch, trying to fly from Balybeus, general of Solyman the Magnificent. This battle opened the first paffage for the Turks into the heart of Hungary.--I don't name to you the little villages, of which I can fay nothing remarkable; but I'll affure you, I have always found a warm ftove and great plenty, particularly of wild boar, venifon, and all kinds of gibier. The few people that inhabit Hungary live easily enough; they have no money; but the woods and plains af, ford them provifion in great abundance; they were ordered to give us all things neceffary, even what horfes we pleafed to demand, gratis; but Mr. W.

would not opprefs the poor country people,

by making ufe of this order, and always paid them to the full worth of what we had. They were fo furprized at this unexpected generofity, which they are very little ufed to, that they always preffed upon us, at parting, a dozen of fat pheafants, or fomething of that fort, for a prefent. Their drefs is very primitive, being only a plain fheep's fkin, and a cap and boots of the fame ftuff. You may eafily imagine this lafts them many winters; and thus they have very little occafion for money. The twenty-fixth we pafied over the frozen Danube, with all our equipage and carriages. We met, on the other fide, General Veterani, who invited us, with great civility, to pass the night at a little caftle of his, a few miles off, affuring us we should have a very hard day's journey to reach Effek. This we found but too true, the woods being very dangerous, and fcarce paffable, from the vast quantity of wolves that hoard in them. We came, however, fafe, though late, to Effek, where we stayed a day, to dispatch a courier with letters to the Bafla of Belgrade; and I took that opportunity of feeing the town, which is not very large, but fair built and well fortified. This was a town of great trade, very rich and populous, when in the hands of the Turks. It is fituated on the Drave, which runs into the Danube. The bridge was efteemed one of the most extraordinary in the world, being eight thousand paces long, and all built of oak. It was burnt, and the city laid in afhes by Count Lefly in 1685, but was again repaired and fortified by the Turks, who however abandoned it in 1687. General Dunnewalt then took poffeffion of it for the Emperor, in whofe hands it has remained ever fince, and is efteemed one of the bulwarks of Hungary. The twenty-eighth we went to Bocorvar, a very large Rafcian town, all built after the manner I have defcribed to you. We were met there by Colonel, who would not fuffer us to go any where but to his quarters, where I found his wife, a very agreeable Hungarian lady, and his neice and daughter, two pretty young women, crowded into three or four Rafcian houses, caft into one, and made as neat and convenient as thofe places are capable of being made. The Hungarian ladies are much handfomer than thofe of Auftria. All the

Vienna beauties are of that country. * 3 C3

They

They are generally very fair and well fhaped, and their drefs, I think, is extremely becoming. This lady was in a gown of fcarlet velvet, lined and faced with fables, made exact to her shape, and the fkirt falling to her feet. The fleeves are ftrait to their arins, and the ftays buttoned before, with two rows of little buttons of gold, pearl, or diamonds. On their heads they wear a taffel of gold, that hangs low on one fide, lined with fable, or fome other fine fur. They gave us a handsome dinner, and I thought the converfation very polite and agreeable. They would accompany us part of our way. The twenty-ninth we arrived here, where we were met by the commanding officer at the head of all the officers of the garrifon. We are lodged in the belt apartment of the governor's hoafe, and entertained in a very fplendid manner by the Emperor's order. We

wait here till all points are adjufted concerning our reception on the Turkish frontiers. Mr. W 's courier, which he fent from Effek, returned this morning, with the Baffa's anfwer in a purfe of fearlet fatin, which the interpreter here has tranflated. 'Tis to promife him to be honourably received. I defired him to appoint where he would be met by the Turkish convoy. He has dispatched the courier back, naming Betfko, a village in the midway between Peterwaradin and Belgrade. We shall ftay here till we receive his anfwer. Thus, dear fifter, I have given you a very particular, and (I am afraid you'll think) a tedious account of this part of my travels. It was not an affectation of fhewing my reading that has made me tell you fome little fcraps of the history of the towns I have paffed through. I have always avoided any thing of that kind, when I spoke of places that I believe you knew the story of as well as myfelf. But Hungary being a part of the world, which I believe quite new to you, I thought you might read with fome pleafure an

u of it, which I have been very folicitous to get from the best hands. However, if you don't like it, 'tis in your power to forbear reading it. I am, dear

I

LETTER XXIV.

Lady M. W. Montague to Mr. Pepe.

Belgrade, Feb. 12, 0. S. 1717

DID verily intend to write you a long letter from Peterwaradin, wher I expected to stay three or four da but the Baila here was in fuch hate a fee us, that he difpatched the coar back (which Mr. W————— had fet.w know the time he would fend the coevr to meet us) without fuffering him pull off his boots. My letters were thought important enough to flop oz journcy, and we left Peterwaradin the next day, being waited on by the che officers of the garrifon, and a confices able convoy of Germans and Raftin The Emperor has feveral regiments thefe people; but, to say the truth, they are rather plunderers than foldiers; tav ing no pay, and being obliged to far their own arms and horfes; they ra look like vagabond gypfies, or st beggars, than regular troops. I cannot forbear fpeaking a word of this race c creatures, who are very numerous al over Hungary. They have a patriot of their own at Grand Cairo, and t really of the Greek church, but the extreme ignorance gives their pr occafion to impofe feveral new notin upon them. Thefe fellows letting their and beard grow inviolate, make e the figure of the Indian Bramins. Tr are heirs-general to all the money of t: laity; for which, in return, they go them formal pafports figned and for heaven; and the wives and childre only inherit the houfe and cattle, b moit other points they follow the Gras church. This little digredie interrupted my telling you we pale! over the fields of Carlowitz, where the laft great victory was obtained by Pric Eugene over the Turks. The marks that glorious bloody day are yet rece the field being yet firewed with the and carcaffes of unburied men, hort and camels. I could not look, wither horror, en fuch numbers of mange human bodies, nor without reflecting the injuftice of war, that makes murder, not only neceffary, but meritoricas. Nothing feems to be a plainer proof of the irrationality of mankind (whatever fine claims we pretend to reafon) than

the