Whatever figure the inhabitants of this country made formerly in literature, they are at present very ignorant. Many _bashaws_, and even farmers of the customs, and considerable merchants, cannot either read or write. It must be observed, however, that their youth of late years are better taught than formerly; though, even at this time, their education seldom extends farther than just to read a little of the Koran, and write a common letter, except such as are bred to the law or divinity, which are closely allied in this country. The professors of both usually pretend likewise to some skill in physic. In the time I lived there, only one inhabitant of the place understood enough of astronomy to be able to calculate the time of an eclipse; for which he was looked upon as a very extraordinary person. Numbers there are who imagine they understand judicial astrology, in which the natives have great faith: but it would take up too much time even so much as to mention their various superstitions in this and many other respects. In the city there are a great number of colleges, but very little taught in them; they being generally built by such as have raised great estates by oppression, and other bad means, and are intended by the founders, partly as an atonement for their wickedness, and partly to secure an estate in the family, their descendents being commonly appointed curators of these endowments, and seldom fail to apply to their own private use what seemed intended for public benefit; and thus the school soon runs to decay. Many of these have a sort of library belonging to them, and a few private men among the learned have some books; but these are very rarely good for much, and are kept more through vanity, than for any use they either make of them themselves, or suffer to be made of them by others. Though the _Turks_ are predestinarians, they are taught however to believe, that tho’ God has afflicted mankind with diseases; yet he has sent them also the remedies, and they are therefore to use the proper means for their recovery: so that practitioners in physic are here well esteemed, and very numerous. These are chiefly native Christians, and a few _Jews_. The _Turks_ seldom make this their profession. Not one of the natives, however, of any sect is allowed to practise without a licence from the _Hakeem Bashee_; but a few sequins are sufficient to procure this to the most ignorant; and such most of them are egregiously, for they have no colleges in which any branch of physic is taught: and as the present constitution of their government renders the dissection of human bodies impracticable, and that of brutes is a thing of which they never think, they have a very imperfect idea of the situation of the parts, or their functions. Of the use of chemistry in medicine they are totally ignorant; but now and then one amongst them just acquires a smattering enough of alchemy to beggar his family by it.