The Epistle Dedicatory and The Epistle to the Reader

The Epistle Dedicatory and the Epistle to the Reader serve as introductions to the book. Rycaut dedicates his book to Lord Henry Bennet of Arlington, secretary of state of the British government. Rycaut’s constant flattery of Lord Bennet throughout the Epistle Dedicatory reveals Rycaut's will to increase his status among high-ranking British officials. His address to the reader notes that his five years living in Constantinople gives him the credibility to write a more accurate and objective work on the Ottomans than any prior authorship. Despite his claims of impartiality, Rycaut assures his readers that Britain is the "most free" country and warns them of the "tyranny, oppression, and cruelty" of the Ottoman state.