"Let him alone," said he; "allow him to write."
Perceiving that no one opposed my design, I took the pen, and wrote six sorts of hands used among the Arabians, and each specimen contained an extemporary distich or quatrain (a stanza of four lines) in praise of the sultan. When I had done, the officers took the roll, and carried it to the sultan.
The sultan took little notice of any of the writings except mine, which pleased him so much that he said to the officers, "Take the finest horse in my stable, with the richest trappings, and a robe of the most sumptuous brocade to put on the person who wrote the six hands, and bring him hither."
At this command the officers could not forbear laughing. The sultan was incensed at their rudeness, and would have punished them, had they not explained.
"Sir," said they, "we humbly beg your majesty's pardon. These hands were not written by a man, but by an ape."
"What do you say?" exclaimed the sultan. "Those admirable characters, are they not written by the hands of a man?"
"No, sir," replied the officers; "we assure your majesty that it was an ape, who wrote them in our presence."
The sultan was too much surprised at this account not to desire a sight of me, and therefore said, "Do what I command you, and bring me speedily that wonderful ape."
The officers returned to the vessel, and showed the captain their order, who answered, "The sultan's command must be obeyed." Whereupon they clothed me with the rich brocade robe, and carried me ashore, where they set me on horseback, while the sultan waited for me at his palace with a great number of courtiers.
The procession commenced; the harbor, the streets, the public places, windows, terraces, palaces, and houses were filled with an infinite number of people of all ranks, who flocked from every part of the city to see me; for the rumor was spread in a moment that the sultan had chosen an ape to be his grand vizier; and after having served for a spectacle to the people, who could not forbear to express their surprise by redoubling their shouts and cries, I arrived at the sultan's palace.