526 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



" their health. You are to know that our ance flors never 

 " bore any envy to other kings, nor did they ever occafion 

 " them any trouble, or fliew them any mark of hatred. On the 

 " contrary,theyhave, uponalloccaiions, given them proofs of 

 " their friendfhips,affifting them generoully, relieving them. 

 " in their neceffities, as well in what concerns the caravan 

 " and pilgrims of Mecca in Arabia Felix, as in the Indies, in 

 *' Perfia^ and other diftantand out-of-the-way places, alfo by 

 " protecting dillinguifliedperfons in every urgent nccceffity. 



" Nevertheless, the king of France our brother, who 



" profeffes our religion and our law, having been induced 



" thereto, by fome advances of friendfliip on our part fuch 



" as are proper, fent an ambaflador to us ; I under- 



" Hand that you caufed arreft him at Sennaar, and alfo ano- 



" tner by name Murat, the Syrian, whom you did put in 



" prifon alfo, though he was fent to that ambaiTador on 



" our part, and by thus doing, you have violated the law of 



" nations, as ambafTadors of kings ought to be at liberty to 



" go wherever they will ; and it is a general obligation to 



" treat them with honour, and not to molefl or detain them, 



*' nor fhould they be fubjed: to pay cuftoms, or any fort of 



" prefents. We could very foon repay you in kind, if we 



" were inclined to revenge the infult you have offered to 



" the man Murat fent on our part; the Nile would be fuffi- 



" cient to punilh you, fince God hatb put into our power 



" his fountain, his outlet, and his increafe, and that we can 



" difpofe of the fame to do you harm ; for the pre fent we 



" demand of, and exhort you to dcfiil from any future vex- 



" ations towards our envoys, and not diilurb us by detain- 



" ing thofe who Ihall be fent towards you, but you Ihall 



" let them pafs and continue their loutc without dehiN', 



3 ^ " coming 



