I 



belween the Cowls of Dehli and Constantinople. 471 



" at ninety purses. Tlie ambassador himself was presented with six thou- 

 " sand ducats, a peHsse, and a richly caparisoned horse ; and deliberations 

 " were held on the choice of an Envoy who should accompany him back 

 " to India. According to established rule and wise custom, one of the 

 " Ulemas, or secretaries, a man of business, eloquent, and of refined manners, 

 " ought to have been sent : but no regard was paid to these qualifications. 



" Zulfikar Aga, the brother of Selih Pasha, asked for this embassy, offer- 

 " ing to defray the expenses of it out of his own pocket. This was reckoned 

 " decent, because cheap ; and thus this Bosnian ass, who understood nothing 

 " at all, was named ambassador, and the companion of the journey of the 

 " Indian. 



" The Sultan, to whom the Indian ambassador's fine replies and learned 

 " discussions were reported, was highly pleased with them ; and particularly 

 " with his quotation on the beauties of the Bosphorus, at the repast given 

 " to him by Behaya Effendi (the mufti", when he repeated the celebrated 

 " Persian verses of the Turkish poet Melhemi : 



" As Shab-bewam (in Fars), Gutn (near Damascus), 

 " AboJa (near Basra), and Sngltd (in Transoxania), 

 " Are celebrated as the four paradises on earth, 

 " So the two shores of the Bosphorus are renowned 

 " In heaven as celestial abodes !* 



" This quotation having been related to the Sultan, he ordered that a 

 " learned and accomplished man might be named ambassador to India : 

 " ' because,' said he, ' ambassadors are the honour of the monarchs.' The 

 " deliberations on this subject having been held between the WazTr and the 

 " Mufti, and several learned persons proposed, some men of business 

 " observed, 'if you decide on a learned man, he will annoy you with his 

 " pretensions and his merit, and you will be obliged to allow him, besides 

 " the expenses of his journey, a taumn (a certain sum for his daily living), 



'i!^'^ ii)^ ^jr^ uW ^'^ 



3 P 2 



