Letter: ENA NS 48.25

Description

Letters in Judaeo-Arabic. On a narrow sliver of paper. Recto: Letter addressed to Elʿazar, complaining about the addressee's delay in copying the quires (karārīs). The writer had sent him an ounce of ink as well as Abu l-Faraj with a riding beast, and Elʿazar should send the quires and the parchment with them. The writer has paid Sulaymān's capitation tax for him. As for the quires that were sent with al-Bilbaysī, and likewise the two quires that wre sent with Abū ʿAlī, the writer did not receive them. If the bearers of the goods find a boat to take, they should take it. Verso: The response from Elʿazar. He reports that the ink never arrived, and therefore he has been sitting unemployed, so the addressee should send more ink, two ounces in fact. Someone was sick (perhaps סית is to be read סתי?). It is also possible that Elʿazar's letter came first and the other one is the response.