you; or, if you think fit to give us so many English in exchange,
we shall be well satisfied; but we think you will hardly comply
with that, for the poorest slave that ever our Master redeemed out
of _your_ country, cost him 200 dollars; and some of these five
times that sum, for he freely extended his charity to all, and
never forgets his people _because they are poor_.
391
It is great wonder to us, that you should tax us with unjust
proceedings in taking your ships in time of truce, when Your
Majesty may remember that, during the time your ambassador was in
England, your corsairs took about twenty sail of my Master's ships;
and this very year, you have fitted out all the force in your
kingdom to sea, who have taken several of our ships, and at the
same time pretend to a truce for peace! But some of your ships, for
their unjust dealings, have had their reward, and the rest, when
they shall come to sea, we doubt not but God Almighty will put them
into our hands.

If Your Majesty think fit to send proposals to my Master concerning
peace, I shall take care for the speedy and safe conveyance of the
same. I desire Your Majesty's speedy answer; for I do not intend to
stay long before Salee.

Wishing Your Majesty long life and happiness, I subscribe myself,
Your Majesty's

Most obedient and humble Servant,

CLOUDESLY SHOVEL.
Sept. 1684 A.D.
392

LETTER IV.

_A literal Translation of Muley Ismael, Emperor of Marocco's Letter
to Queen Anne, in the year of our Lord 1710, extracted from the
Harl. MSS. 7525_.

L.S.

In the name of the most
merciful God.

He that depends upon God goeth straight to the right way. From the
servant of God, the Emperor of the believers, who maketh war for
the cause of the Lord of both worlds, Ismael ben Assherif Al
Hassanee to the Queen of the English, nay of England, and the
mistress of the great parliament thereof, happiness to every one
that followeth the right way, and believes in God, and is so
directed.

This premised, we have heard from more than one of the comers and
goers from thy country, that thou hast seized our Armenian servant,
a person of great esteem. We sent him to thee, to compose a
difference between us and