رسالة: T-S 18J5.5

{[. . .] and refused

to give testimony. May the Exalted Creator call them to account!

Scripture has already said, “Never trust Gentiles.”}  As to the news from here

and all that befell us since you left—to explain all this would take too much space,

and even if I filled ten leaves to describe only a part of what befell

us, it would not suffice. I shall write concisely,

in particular as all our coreligionists, who departed from here, will inform you about what happened

and what they heard and saw. In short, we fought {alt. tr.: bore up against} the enemy for two months,

the enemy being at sea and we on land. In the town remained

neither high nor low {alt. tr.: neither grandee nor commoner}; everybody took refuge in the castles, while below the castles were only

empty houses and fighting {alt. tr.: enduring} the enemy; we faced each other {lit., ‘they looked at us, and we looked at them’}, but they did not dare

to land, while the people of the town had no vessels for attacking them.

Thus each was afraid of the other. There assembled in the town about

2,000 men. Had there previously been in the town {add: with them} (even) 500, the

people would not have fled from their houses, but they (the soldiers) arrived only when the enemy had already entered the harbor.

The people remained far from their houses, until God overcame the enemy

and made the sea bad {alt. tr.: stormy}, while they (the enemy) were in Ṣīra  in the morning. They joined battle with

the people of the town, a number of them (the enemy) were killed near their (the people’s) houses, and their heads were cut off,

and what they had brought with them to Ṣīra was taken as booty, for they

had conquered Ṣīra and stayed there a night and a day,

when the disaster befell them and they returned to their ships while our men

were on the land. Finally, Rāmisht’s two ships arrived. They (the enemy)

tried {alt. tr.: went out towards them to try} to seize them, but the wind was good, so that they were dispersed on the sea

to the right and to the left. The two ships entered the port safely, where they were immediately manned

with troops. (At this juncture,) the enemy could not do anything more, either in the harbor

or in the town. They retreated behind the mountain (of Ṣīra), until the wind

became favorable for them and they made off. It would take too long to go into detail. In any case they left after

having been beaten and suffering heavy losses and humiliation. May God—praise to Him—preserve us from

their evil and never show us their faces again! {I would like to inform you that

I have made a bold demand on your generosity, your good esprit de corps 

and your virtue, by having shipped to you various (or: some retail) commodities, namely: a bag of pepper

weighing 303 pounds, a bag of Indian myrobalan weighing 303 pounds, a bag of

Abyssinian cubeb weighing 300 pounds, a bag of lac weighing 300 pounds,

a small bag of saffron (zarnaba) weighing 90 pounds, a bag of Amlaj myrobalan weighing

60 pounds,a bag of cassia weighing 60 pounds. All are precise (figures).

I ask of your generosity, your good esprit de corps and your customary performance of

kindness, that you sell the shipment sent you for whatever price God, the Exalted, apportions as livelihood,

and buy for me (your servant) an exquisite Ṭalī robe, the most exquisite there is,

five average, good Ṭalī robes, not mediocre,two pieces of cloth for

pillow cases, made by Ibn al-ʿĀsir.} The remainder should be with sharb {alt. tr.: made of sharb},

whether it is a mulāʾa wrap, a head cover, ʿarḍī, or ‘Sevener.’ {This should be average merchandise,

neither very exquisite nor very inferior.} Also please buy

me six painted platters, made in Miṣr; they should be of middle size,

neither very large nor very small; and twenty (regular) bowls

and forty small bowls. All should be painted and their figures and colors should be

Different. {And (purchase) whatever kʾḥn and potions (perhaps read: platters and decanters) are readily available. Please pack this

in two good, strong baskets. Pack the robes in one bundle.

If it is easy for you to send it all this year, good.

If it is difficult to load it all, send me whatever is easy.}

{Please send me your letter containing happy news about you

and your propitious affairs and wishes, together with

any need or service your excellency requires. Honor me with this. I have sent for

my lord Makārim a mann of cloves. Kindly take delivery of this.

I have already written to my lord Sheikh Abū Saʿīd al-Dimyāṭī to kindly

assist you in making the sales and purchases. To you, my excellency—may God protect you!—are sent

best wishes for your well-being. Please extend my wishes to my lord Makārim for his well-being.

Please extend my best wishes to his excellency, our most illustrious lord the Rayyis—may his grandeur increase

and his honor be enhanced!—for his well-being. Please extend my best wishes to his excellency, my lord

the Prince (sar) Eli Ibn al-Dimyāṭī and Sheikh Abū Saʿīd 

his brother, for their well-being. Please extend my best, bountiful wishes to my lord the Diadem (nēzer), our lord’s scribe

and all my lords, the judges, the cantors and the welfare officials (farānisa) and all of

our coreligionists the perfumers and our friends and whoever asks for us,

for their well-being. And to my lord the most illustrious Sheikh Abū Isḥāq Ibn Muʿṭī

and my lord the most illustrious Sheikh Joseph, his traveling companion (rafīq), and my lord Sheikh

Barakāt al-Maqdasī (the Jerusalemite), are extended best, bountiful wishes for their well-being.

May your peace, my lord, forever increase and not decrease! And peace.

Also my lord my father greets you with best wishes for your well-being, and your servants

my children kiss your hand and greet your excellency with best,

bountiful wishes for your well-being. And peace.}