lace between him and the grand vizier. He announced it as his
intention to make a present to us of a certain produce of the earth,
unknown in most parts of Asia, but much cultivated in Europe, which
would not fail to be of incalculable benefit to the people of Persia;
and he requested the vizier to assist him in his undertaking, promising
shortly to send him a specimen of the intended gift. The vizier, whose
nose was always carried very high whenever a present was in the wind,
did not fail daily to discuss with me what this great benefit which
the ambassador was about to confer might be, and his impatience to gain
possession became very great. He discovered through me, that the English
representative had brought with him a store of fine broadcloth, upon
which he had constantly kept a steady eye. Finding that the projected
public benefit was not forthcoming, he conceived in his wisdom that
the elchi would have an easy bargain, if he agreed to commute it for
a private gift to himself. Therefore, one morning at his uprising he
called me, and said, 'By the blessing of God, whatever we want we have:
we have bread and meat--we have salt, and rice, and corn, and fruits,
such as the infidels never even saw in a dream; in short, we have
everything that it is possible to conceive. Then why should we become
indebted to this infidel ambassador for things that we do not want? A
happy thought has struck me, by which he will be a gainer, and be saved
the trouble he wishes to incur: I will agree to receive cloth in lieu of
the public benefit. This is so easy a transaction, that you, who, praise
be to Allah! are a man of sharp wit, will easily negotiate. Go, say this
to the ambassador, and without loss of time bring me the cloth.'

I forthwith presented myself, and delivered the message. Will it be
believed that he and all his beardless suite, upon hearing it, set up
such shouts of laughter, as might be heard from the top of Demawend?
'What affinity has cloth to potatoes?' said one. 'We wish to give a
cheap and comfortable article of food to your countrymen,' said another.
'But it seems that your vizier likes to transfer the whole advantage of
the gift from the bellies of the nation to his own back,' cried a third.
The ambassador, however, who appeared the most reasonable of the
party, without hesitation very politely ordered a piece of cloth to
be delivered to me, which he requested me to present to my master with
reiterated expressions