Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 2.djvu/49

Action, together with the Tears which he ſaw guſh from my Eyes, moved his Compaſſion; ſo that he took me into his Protection, threatned to be revenged on him that ſhould do me the leaſt Hurt; and he himſelf made very much of me. And on my part, though I had no Power to ſpeak, I did by my Geſtures, ſhew all poſſible Signs of Gratitude.

The Wind that ſucceeded the Calm was gentle and favourable, and did not alter for 50 Days, but brought us ſafe to the Port of a fine Town, well peopled, and of great Trade, where we came to an Anchor: It was ſo much the more conſiderable, that it was the Capital City of a powerful State.

Our Veſſel was ſpeedily ſurrounded with an infinite Number of Boats full of People, that either came to congratulate their Friends upon their ſafe Arrival, or to enquire for thoſe they had left behind them in the Country, from whence they came, or, out of Curioſity, to ſee a Ship that came from a far Country.

Amongſt the reſt, ſome Officers came on board, deſiring to ſpeak with our Merchants in the Name of the Sultan, The Merchants appearing, one of the Officers told them, the Sultan, our Maſter, hath commanded us to acquaint you that he is glad of your ſafe Arrival, and prays you to take the Trouble, every one of you to write ſome Lines upon this Roll of Paper, and that his Deſign by this may be underſtood, you muſt know that we had a prime Viſier, who, beſides a great Capacity to manage Affairs, underſtood writing to the higheſt Perfection. This Miniſter is lately dead, at which the Sultan is very much troubled, and ſince he can never behold his writing without Admiration, he has made a ſolemn Vow, not to give the Place to any Man but to him that can write as well as he did. Abundance of People have preſented their Writings; but to this Day, no body in all this Empire has been judg’d worthy to ſupply the Viſier’s Place.

Thoſe Merchants that believed they could write well enough to pretend to his high Dignity, wrote one after another what they thought fit. After they had done, I advanc’d, and took the Roll out of the Gentleman’s Hand, But all the People, eſpecially the Merchants, cried out, He will tear it or throw it into the Sea, till they ſaw how pro-