منحة في رسالة: MIAC 23973.21

Recto

1. In the name of God, the Merciful and Compassionate.

2. The letter of my master the Ikshīl, Master of the Horses— may God prolong his life

3. and cause his wellbeing to endure, and suppress his enemies—has arrived and I have read it, happy at its arrival

4. and delighted at its delivery. As for what he has (i.e., you have) mentioned about the situation of the journey to

5. the king and his (i.e., your) saying that he is (i.e you are) afraid, well, praise be to God the Exalted, I am not a soldier

6. of the king’s army that I should be feared. I am a man who is a merchant, the slave of one who had done good to me. 

7. Moreover, I am not one who refuses to have an audience with the king, may God preserve him. I travelled

8. previously to him and he showed me favour, facilitated my affairs, did good to me and promised me a consignment.

9. I am his slave and his servant. He has an excellent reputation. As for their saying that I am the slave boy

10. of the Master of the Spear—I am only a merchant. I was the guest of the king and I lodged with the Master of

11. the Spear like the (other) merchants. Not everybody who lodges with a person is his slave boy. He treats guests

12. well. When somebody treats the merchants well, they rush (to stay) with him. You, Ikshīl,

Recto, right margin

1. when you treat people and merchants well, they rush to (stay with) you, and you are (greatly) thanked in the land of the Muslims.

2. I have desisted from journeying to the king only in consideration of the fact that Ramaḍān is a difficult month and I am anxious about travelling

Verso

1. on the road before breaking the fast. If God wills, I shall travel to the king after the festival.

2. I ask for her (i.e., your) kindness to write a letter to the slave of the king requesting him to deliver to me the consignment

3. that he promised me. Please could this be done through your agency. I could not

4. send you a reply to your letter without cash payment. I only had a single slave (waṣīf)

5. who supplied water for me. I sent him to you together with five pieces (of fabric), a large basket drinking vessel, a small basket of

6. sweets and a mattress for you. These were things for you and for you alone. But you never let me know (whether you received them).

7. I could not send you a reply to a letter you sent without cash payment.

8. I want you to send me my slave boy quickly. By God’s truth, if it were not for my journey to

9. the king, I would not have sent you this little (gift). Do not make the slave boy delay a single day,

10. but send him to me with your slave boy, so that I can go (to the king) together with him, if God wills. Greetings to you

11. and good wishes, if God wills. Give the king my greetings and inform him that, if God wills, I shall be coming to him.

12. Praise be to God alone. But I cannot travel until

13. my slave boy arrives, so send him quickly, quickly!

Verso, right margin

1. Send your letter to me, so that a group of merchants can enter (to see the king) with me, for you would thereby help

2. them in their livelihood. So, I would like your letter for them to reach me.

Verso, address, right column

1. May this letter reach my lord, the Ikshīl,

2. Master of the Horses, Uruwī, may God prolong his life. 

Verso, address, left column

1. His slave,

2. Stronghold  of  the  Dynasty  (Ḥiṣn  al-Dawla)  ibn al-ʿAsqalānī.