, and at another is in the fob of a greasy
Israelite."

From land to land he wandered, assuming a fresh character in each, and
thoroughly enjoying them all. During a two years' residence at Venice he
was visited by the Duke of Hamilton and a Dr Moore, the latter of whom
gives the following entertaining account of the visit.

"He met us," Dr Moore writes, "at the stairhead, and led
us through some apartments furnished in the Venetian
manner, into an inner room quite in a different style.
There were no chairs, but he desired us to seat
ourselves on a sofa, while he placed himself on a cushion
on the floor, with his legs crossed, in the Turkish
fashion. A young black slave sate by him; and a venerable
old man with a long beard served us with coffee. After
this collation, some aromatic gums were brought and burnt
in a little silver vessel. Mr Montagu held his nose over
the steam for some minutes, and snuffed up the perfume
with peculiar satisfaction; he afterwards endeavoured to
collect the smoke with his hands, spreading and rubbing
it carefully along his beard, which hung in hoary
ringlets to his girdle. This manner of perfuming the
beard seems more cleanly, and rather an improvement upon
that used by the Jews in ancient times.

"We had a great conversation with this venerable-looking
person, who is, to the last degree, acute, communicative,
and entertaining, and in whose discourse and manners are
blended the vivacity of a Frenchman with the gravity of a
Turk. We found him, however, wonderfully prejudiced in
favour of the Turkish characters and manners, which he
thinks infinitely preferable to the European, or those of
any other nation. He describes the Turks in general as a
people of great sense and integrity; the most hospitable,
generous, and the happiest of mankind. He talks of
returning as soon as possible to Egypt, which he paints
as a perfect paradise. Though Mr Montagu hardly ever
stirs abroad, he returned the Duke's visit, and as we
were not provided with cushions, he sate, while he
stayed, upon a sofa with his legs under him, as he had
done at his own house. This posture, by long habit, has
become the most agreeable to him, and he insists upon its
being by far the most natural and convenient; but,
indeed, he seems to cheris