'Let him
alone,' said he; 'suffer him to write. If he only scribbles the
paper, I promise you that I will punish him on the spot. If, on the
contrary, he writes well, as I hope he will, because I never saw an
ape so clever and ingenious and so quick of apprehension, I do
declare that I will own him as my son; I had one that had not half
the wit that he has.' Perceiving that nobody opposed my design, I
took the pen and wrote six sorts of hands used among the Arabians,
and each specimen contained an extemporary verse or poem in praise
of the sultan. My writing did not only excel that of the merchants,
but, I venture to say, they had not before seen any such fair
writing in that country. When I had done, the officers took the
roll, and carried it to the sultan.
The sultan took little notice of any of the other writings, but he
carefully considered mine, which was so much to his liking that he
said to the officers, 'Take the finest horse in my stable, with the
richest harness, and a robe of the most sumptuous brocade to put
upon that person who wrote the six hands, and bring him hither to
me.' At this command the officers could not forbear laughing. The
sultan grew angry at their boldness, and was ready to punish them,
till they told him, 'Sir, we humbly beg your majesty's pardon;
these hands were not written by a man, but by an ape.
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