THESOURCEOFTHENILE. 



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ger, and declares that he did not believe there was on 

 earth fo barbarous, brutal, and treacherous a people, as 

 were the Nubians. 



It happened that the king's troops had gained fome ad- 

 vantage over the rebellious Arabs, on which account there 

 was a feftival at court, and M. du Roule thought himfelf 

 obliged to exert himfelf in every thing which could add to 

 the magnificence of the occafion. With this intention he 

 fliaved his beard, and dreft himfelf like a European, and in 

 this manner he received the vifit of the minifler Achmet. 

 M. Mace, in a letter to the conful of the above date, com- 

 plains of this novelt)-. He fays it fhocked every body ; and 

 that the '^mirrors which multiplied and deformed the ob- 

 jects, made the lower forts of the people look upon the am- 

 baiTador and his company as forcerers. 



Upon great feftivals, in moll Mahometan kingdoms, the 

 "king's vv^ives have a privilege to go out of their apartments, 

 and vifit any thing new that is to be feen. Thefe of the 

 king of Sennaar are very ignorant, brutifli, fantaftic, and 

 eafdy offended. Had M. du Roule known the manners of 

 the country, lie would have treated thefe black majcfiies 

 with ftrong fpirits, fwcetmeats, or fcented waters ; and he 

 might then have Ihewed tliem with impunity any thing 

 that he plcafcd. 



But being tcrrlfie^l with the glaffcs, and difgufied by his 

 inattention, they joined in the common cry, that the ambaf- 

 fador was a magician, and contributed all in their power to 



3^2 ruin 



We haye feen thefe were reconimenJeJ by M. Maillet, tlie conful. 



