Upon the Account of the Troubles in _Hungary_, there came lately a Messenger to me, with an Express from my Master, the Emperor. The _Bashaws_ would not let him bring his Letters directly to me, as they were wont to be brought, but they carried him first into the _Divan_. The Reason of this their unusual Procedure, was, because they would fain know what _Cæsar_’s Letters did contain, before they were delivered, in regard they suspected I dealt not faithfully with them, in communicating my Master’s Sense, but that I suppressed some of his Concessions. The Messenger was cunning enough for them; for, having some inkling of the Matter before-hand, he hid _Cæsar_’s Letters, and only shew’d them those that were directed to me, from some particular Friends. Their interpreter, _Ebrahim_, a _Polander_ by Birth, had acquainted them before, that the Letters, that brought any secret Commands to me, were not written in an ordinary Character, but in a new kind of Marks, called _Cyphers_. As they were searching all my Letters, at last they light upon One, that was wrote to me by a Friend of mine, a Secretary of _Burgundy_. _Ebrahim_ saw, through the thinness of the Paper wherein ’twas writ, some shining Letters, which were not of an ordinary sort. O! says he, now I have found it out; don’t you meddle with any of the rest of the Packet, for here’s the Secrecy in this. Whereupon the _Bashaws_ commanded him to open, read, and interpret it to them, and they all stood listning to hear the News; but _Ebrahim_ told them plainly, that he could not read one Letter of it. That’s strange, says the _Bashaws_; what, did you never learn the _Christian_ Alphabet; or have you forgot it? Says _Ebrahim_, this sort of Character is only known to those who are Secretaries to Princes: They did not well understand him; but however, say they, if it be so, why dost thou not make haste to the Secretary of the _Bailo_ of _Venice_, or of _Florence_? _Ebrahim_ presently makes haste to them, and shews them the Letters; (they were writ in might such a Character that a Child ten Years old have read them;) but both those Secretaries, when they saw the Letter was superscrib’d to me, threw it back again before they had well look’d upon it; alledging, in Excuse, that such kind of Letters could be read by none, unless by him who had another Cypher to unfold them. This was all the Answer _Ebrahim_ could get of them. Upon his Return to the _Bashaws_ therewith, they could not tell what in the World to do: At last, starts up one (I could not tell his Name) saying, there is a Patriarch in Town, and old Man, and a _Christian_, and, besides, a great Scholar; if any Man can read these Letters, it must be he. When they came to the Patriarch, he told them, he could not read a Tittle of them, for they were not writ in _Greek_, _Latin_, _Hebrew_ or _Chaldee_. Thus they were disappointed there also. At last, _Haly Bassa_ runs to _Rustan_ (otherwise a Man not ready to jest) and says to him