Abundance of people have presented their writings; but to
this day nobody in all this empire has been judged worthy to
supply the vizier's place.
Those merchants that believed they could write well enough to
pretend to this high dignity, wrote, one after another, what they
thought fit. After they had done, I advanced 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 properly I held the roll, and made a sign that
I would write in my turn. Then they were of another opinion, and
their fears turned into admiration. However, since they had never
seen an ape that could write, nor could be persuaded that I was
more ingenious than other apes, they offered to snatch the roll
out of my hand; but the captain took my part once more. Let him
alone, says he; suffer him to write. If he only scribbles the
paper, I promise you that I will punish him upon the spot. If, on
the contrary, he writes well, as I hope he will, because I never
saw an ape so handy and ingenious, and so apprehensive of every
thing, I do declare that I will own him as my son. I had one that
had not by far the wit that he has. Perceiving that no man did
any more oppose my design, I took the pen, and wrote, before I
had done, six sorts of hands used among the Arabians, and each
specimen containing an extemporary distich or quatram in praise
of the sultan.
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