Letter: Bodl. MS heb. d 66/66–67

66 recto

1. In Your name, O Merciful.
2. Previously, a letter had been sent by me //to your noble excellency//—may God lengthen the life of my lord, the illustrious Sheikh
3. Abū ʿAlī, my master and lord Japheth, the esteemed and honored elder,
4. the Leader of the Congregations, may He always support, elevate, and strengthen you, 
5. and crush your enemies! The content of that letter, after you will have taken cognizance of it, relieves me
6. from repeating its details here. 
7. It is difficult for me to describe to you—may God protect your honored position!—
8. the bickering and quarrels I have had to endure from Sheikh Abū Yaʿqūb al-Ḥakīm
9. with regard to the goods I had carried with me for him, the choice part of which I left
10. with my lord; namely, the small pieces of silver,
11. seven in number, whose weights were indicated by al-Ḥakīm
12. (as mentioned) in my previous letter; [[and the bag of copper]] the bale of lichen,
13. weighing 400 manns; the bag of copper—
14. 110 pounds;
15. dodder of thyme—
16. 10 manns; all according to him, and a small container with scammony. What took place
17. between him and me your excellency is too illustrious to hear. However
18. those who will arrive from here at your place—may God make your honored position permanent!—will tell you what
19. happened.

66 recto - right margin

1. I have granted him an advance of 100 dinars for these goods until their proceeds arrive. But after these settlements
2. had been reached between us, we both turned to arguments and wrangling until

66 recto - top

1. it led to lawsuits. Finally, upright
2. elders intervened, suggesting several matters {add: details of which will follow} according to which today [[the . . .]] an agreement was reached

67 recto

1. to the effect that I should write to your excellency, my lord, the sheikh, as follows: Please list
2. all the proceeds from the aforementioned goods
3. belonging to Sheikh Abū Yaʿqūb the Doctor, including
4. what was salvaged of the 50 bahārs (of pepper), on the payment of which
5. my lord had given me respite {alt. tr.: against which you, my lord, had given me an advance}, for I had assigned to him in my heart
6. 15 bahārs out of these. My lord, do me a favor.
7. List all this. From the total,
8. deduct all that is mine, namely 100 good
9. Egyptian dinars, in return for the 100 dinars which I advanced him
10. here <<(1); subtract also 11½ dinars (2) from the proceeds of the aforementioned goods>> and hand over the balance to your representative.
11. Please oblige me in this matter, as is your usual good practice with me
12. at all times. I know well that I am causing
13. your excellency much trouble and feel very bad about this {lit., ‘trouble and am disturbing you with this’}. But
14. it is not my fault. I am forced to do so.
15. The account to be handed over to your representative
16. should be made out as {alt. tr.: When your representative collects, what he is to collect, it should be registered in} a deposition in court in the assembly of the elders and signed by
17. them.I wish to inform you also that it was established in court
18. that, of the proceeds (from the Doctor’s goods) in your hands, my lord, 100 dinars
19. plus the 11½ dinars paid by me for {alt. tr.: if the sum . . . equals an amount of 100 dinars and the 11½ dinars, the remainder of} the copper, transport expenses
20. of three dinars, and five dinars for each of the 15 bahārs of pepper, are {alt. tr.: it is} mine.
21. All that is above that total is his; all that is less is mine {alt. tr.: If it is more, the excess belongs to him; and if it is less, it is mine}; he is not responsible for it. 

67 verso

1. Even if everything perishes, it is not his loss, and he is also not obliged to return the 100
2. advanced to him. //This is stated expressly in the record of the court.// Now, my lord, exercise your usual circumspection
3. in this entire matter—may I never be deprived of you and never miss your favors!
4. May I ask your excellency to examine—with the enlightenment of God, the Exalted—the case of the 50
5. bahārs of pepper and to divide the proceeds from what has remained of them between me
6. and him (Abū Yaʿqūb) in accordance with our shares in them, namely, 35 (were bought) for me
7. and 15 for him. What has remained {lit., ‘salvaged of them’} should be divided proportionally.
8. Please explain {alt. tr.: describe} everything in detail.18 Also:
9. the proceeds from the btrwh (cast) copper belong to Sheikh Abū Yaʿqūb
10. not to me. Clarify this and copy for your representative all
11. the assets noted in your account book in favor of the aforementioned, and have it certi ed after
12. deducting the expenses for customs and commissions. And buy me goods for the 100
13. dinars and send them with whomever you choose, however you deem fit,
14. [[for I]], and make an effort that the goods for 100 dinars be
15. either pepper or lac, whatever you regard (as more pro table), and inform about this—
16. I mean, at the time you send them—some of our coreligionists and not 
17. less than two. And Peace.