Our vessel was speedily surrounded with an infinite number of boats, full of people, who either came to congratulate their friends upon their safe arrival, or to inquire for those they had left behind them in the country from whence they came, or out of curiosity to see a ship that came from a far country.

Amongst the rest, some officers came on board, desiring to speak with the merchants in the name of the sultan.  The merchants appearing, one of the officers told them, The sultan, our master, hath commanded us to acquaint you that he is glad of your safe arrival, and prays you to take the trouble, every one of you, to write some lines upon this roll of paper; and, that his design may be understood, you must know that he had a prime vizier, who, besides a great capacity to manage affairs, understood writing to the highest perfection.  This minister is lately dead, at which the sultan is very much troubled, and since he can never behold his writing without admiration, he has made a solemn vow not to give the place to any man but to him that can write as well as he did.  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.  My writings did not only outdo that of the merchants, but I dare 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.