A New Letter Concerning the JEWS Written by the FRENCH AMBASSADOR AT Constantinople To his Brother the French Resident at VENICE Being a true Relation of the Proceedings of the Israelites the wonderful Miracles wrought by their Prophet with the terrible Judgements that have fallen upon the Turks LONDON Printed by A. Maxwell for Robert Boulter at the Turks-Head in Cornhill 1666. The Translation of a Letter from Constantinople written by the French Ambassador Monsieur de Cheaumont etc. HEre are great Novelties about a Messiah of the Jews he is expected here in brief It 's said That the Grand Signior will be content to yield him the Crown of whole Palestine The most part of the Jews here meddle no more with Trading but prepare to go for Jerusalem At the first we mocked at them and made no account of it but now by all appearances we fear that it is good earnest From a French Consul at Smyrna unto one Sir Rosano a Christian at Livorn Here are great Novelties by the arrival of a King of the Jews in this Town who is a Person of great Consideration and of great Wisdom of whom the Turks have great esteem Our Nation remains in some fear God grant it may not cause us some damage From Paris Febr. 19 1666. The rumour concerning the Jews continues here daily and that they are gathering together under one Man who saith not that he is the Messias as it is reported but only That by Divine Revelation he is raised and sent to gather up the whole Nation of the Jews from all parts of the World and to teach them to know the Messiah to come which hitherto they have not known It 's said That something of God appears in him Abraham Perena a rich Jew of this Town parted on Monday last with his Family for Jerusalem after he had taken his leave of our Magistrate and acknowledged his thankfulness for the favour he and his Nation in their dispersion had received here etc. It 's said he offered to sell a Countryhouse of his worth Three thousand pounds sterling at much loss and that on this Condition That the Buyer should not pay one farthing till he be convinced in his own Conscience That the Jews have a King On the tenth of March came divers Letters from Gaza Smyrna Livorn and Venice bringing our Jews such comfortable News that yesterday they testified such joy as never was seen here before The matter was this That now the four Prophets which the King Sabbathi expected from Aleppo to accompany him for Constantinople were come and that on the 18th of December the King who a while had kept in at Smyrna went forth in public which the Turks perceiving went to the Cadi of the Town saying There was one that professed himself to be King of the Jews The Cadi or Sheriff of the Town judging that matter pertained to the Bassa sent to him about it He at first grew angry resolving to Massacre all the Jews and to that purpose gave order to his Captains to be ready for the next morning But that very night appeared to them the Prophet Elias in a fiery Colomn saying to him Take heed of doing any harm to the Jews This so terrified and struck down his mind that he craved pardon and consequently instead of executing his Cruel Design he g●ve forth order not to do any harm to any Jew And from thenceforth the King marched up and down the City without any molestation On a night as the King went to bathe himself in a River that is as is the manner of Penitents to wash themselves with cold water yea in the midst of Winter the Constable of the Watch met him and asked if he was a Jew and because the King did not answer he lift up his Staff to strike him but feeling his arm grow st●ff and not able to move it more he cried out I now acknowledge thou art the King pray pardon me He said Stay till it be morning and then he restored him in the Name of the God of Israel On the 5th or 6th of January the King with his four Prophets took Ship to go to Constantinople without any Mariner as some say or Pilate He being aboard the Ship was taken up in a fiery Colomn and went so swift that the King commanded to take some Port because he was to arrive at Constantinople not before the 17th of Schebet or January 21. Note that the number of Prophets doth increase daily amongst Women and Children as well as amongst Men and that Elias had showed himself at Constantinople Smyrna Aleppo and divers other places and that publicly speaking unto the people openly There are Prophets likewise at Constantinople And by reason of Elias his appearing and speaking to them there was celebrated great joy in their Synagogues This the Great Turk having heard sent for some of the chiefest of the Jewish Synagogue and asked them about their King They said They knew none but himself He commanded them to deliver him into his hands within seven days if not that they all should be put to death This made a great stir at Constantinople amongst both Jews and Turks The Mother of the Great Turk being warned by Elias himself came to her Son beseeching him to Revoke his Sentence but to no effect The next day arose a great Obscurity in the Town which lasted two days and two nights so that one could not see another and afterward there fell a shower of Hail stones as big as Hen's Eggs able to kill a man whence the common people were so affrighted that they cried out That all this was occasioned by the Sentence pronounced against the Jews and prayed the Great Lord to revoke his Sentence But all this was in vain had not God sent to him the Prophet Elias warning him not to do any harm unto the Jews and instructing him how he should deal with the King This then being happened and the Great Turk being quite changed he sent again for the chief Rabbis and told them he would send an Ambassador for their King and receive him honourably as he did indeed But it came not to Smyrna till after the departure of the King So much for a Compendium of those forenamed Letters Now concerning the arrival of the King at Constantinople it 's affirmed from Venice Jan. the 6. that the Great Lord received him with much respect setting him on Horseback and on his right hand etc. But to be sure in these particulars we must expect yet one seven-night longer As for the two Tribes and half they are said by these Letters not to be in but near Gaza The Copy of a Bill written by Mr. Plettenberg Resident for the Emperor at Dresden Feb. 6. He that dispersed Israel will gather Him The Mouths of all from the East are enlarged concerning the New King of which it is said Psal. 149. Sing unto the Lord a New Song Thou mayst say I pray Sir your opinion whether an earthly King may satisfy the hope that hath been conceived touching the MESSIAH Lift up your Heads this is the Wonderful Year Feb. 26. 1666. Much beloved and Brother in the hope of Israel being returned out of North-Holland I found your most acceptable Letters Dated Feb. 9 wherein I see how to you to M. ay & M. K my News concerning the progress of the Israelitish affairs have been most welcome Now that I may add this to your joy I would have you take it for certain our Jews yesterday received from Alcaire Livorn and Venice so many letters and of so great credit that all of them publicly in their Synagogues do now believe that the Tribes of Reuben Gad and the half of Manasseh are come to Gaza as the Prophet Nathan foretold And that at Smyrna King Sabbathai Levi doth now publicly show himself abroad and professeth himself to be King of the Jews For hitherto for a time he lay incognito until by signs and many wonders he had demonstrated he did act in the name of God and not in his own Among which signs whereby he proved himself to be sent of God is That he foretold the sudden death of some men and the very day thereof And that he premonished men of an obscure darkness with a marvellous shower of Hail And especially he commanded a Fire to be made in a public place in the presence of many be holder's as well of Christians as of Turks and Jews and entered into the fire twice or thrice without any hurt to his Garments or to an hair of his head With these and the like prodigious signs he hath now gained so great authority to himself that he is not afraid to go in the streets of the City in kingly manner with a great Retinue of Attendants Yea moreover the King said he is suddenly to go to Constantinople And that in the month of June next The Redemption of Israel will be published throughout the whole World And which is more now came some Letters from Venice and Vienna which affirm the King is arrived at Constantinople and is there Reverently received which thing if true this day or the next tidings from Constantinople will tell us The cause wherefore our Merchants at Smyrna have hitherto written nothing concerning this King is that by reason of the Incredulity of the Jews as well at Smyrna as at Constantinople he kept himself so long in private Now by the passages and votes of all he is come forth from his private withdrawing and will go strait on to Constantinople and that in the company of 400. Prophes sent to him from Aleppo and with a great multitude of Jews so that the doubting touching the fact will cease when the Great Turk shall spontaneously yield the King his Request but there will remain a dispute touching the equity Behold here the Title of a little book of Prayers written and prescribed by Nathan the Prophet for all the Jews which takes much among the Jews and hath some esteem among Christians I have begun to translate it Thou shalt Meditate therein day and night The Order of Daily prayers to prepare every man that he may Order his steps in the way which is right and strait before God and may turn himself to the Lord that he may have compassion upon us and we may behold the delight of the Lord and view and behold his Temple In the Year wherein God bestowed upon me an Anointed of my People Zecb 8. 7. FINIS