מכתב: T-S Misc.25.103

In Your name, O Merciful.

You will walk, without breaking stride; when you run, you will not stumble.

And Shaddai be your treasure, and precious silver for you.

For the Lord will be your trust; He will keep your feet from being caught. 

 The letters of your excellency the illustrious Sheikh, my lord, have arrived—may God prolong

your  life and make permanent your honored position, rank, loftiness

excellence, highness and ascendancy. May He never deprive

your dwelling-place and court of any good. May He protect

all He has conferred upon you. May He subdue those that are envious of you

and crush your enemies. I was glad when I looked at your letter, and then I read it

full of happiness. “It was like water on a thirsty land” (Prov. 25:25 and Ps. 143:6).

“I was like one that finds much spoil” (cf. Ps. 119:162). It was reassuring for me to learn from it

about your well-being and your satisfactory state. Then I praised God for

this very much and asked Him to give you more of all the best

in His mercy. I, your servant, have taken note of your remark,

my lord, of how little I had written you, my lord, last

year. I, your servant, wish to inform you that I had (sent) {lit., ‘written’} letters

with Sheikh Abū ʿAbd Allāh b. Abu ’l-Katāʾib,

and a consignment as well, to you, my lord, from me, your servant, in the

Jurbattanī, the ship of the Sultan. You know,

my master, what happened to it. Thus, the letters

and the consignment entrusted to him were lost. In the ship

in which Sheikh Abū Zikrī Ibn al-Shāmī traveled (I had sent) letters to notify you

about the consignment sent with Sheikh Abū ʿAbd Allah b. Abu ’l-

Katāʾib. However, this ship, too, suffered what

you know. For I, your servant, enquired about you,

my lord, and learned {lit., ‘and they told me’} that your house and your children were in

Jurbattan. Therefore, I sent the things with the above mentioned. 

As to the news concerning your brother Mevasser—he is well, but has not arrived.

I shall act in this matter {alt. tr.: concerning him}, as you advised, my lord. Concerning

the forty dinars transmitted by Sheikh

Maḍmūn through Sheikh Abū Naṣr b. Elisha,

I have no information; I do not know whether he (Mevasser) received something

or not. There arrived what you, my lord, kindly sent, namely the three 

qaṣa-bowls, the water skin with lemon, the ginger, and the basket

with pepper and ginger. I received all this and thank

you, my lord, for your kindness and effort in this matter.

May God reward you, my master, and satisfy your needs {alt. tr.: undertake your compensation}, and

may I never {lit., ‘may He never let me’} miss you! As to excusing you, my lord, for not being able to purchase the new

betel nuts—you, my lord,

are excused, for all the travelers 

arrived and told the same story. I, your servant, sent

with Sheikh Abū ʿAlī Ibn al-Ḥalla to

Manj<ar>ūr two bottles of sugar, two bottles of raisins, and a bottle

of almonds, a total of five bottles. The bottle with almonds was  filled

with sugar, for it had a little empty space; therefore, I filled it

with sugar. I, your servant, sent you also with the above

mentioned (Abū ʿAlī) half a pound of vitriol, half a pound of chewing gum,

ten sheets of white paper and a pound of costus.

I could not get hold of arsenic in

the market; otherwise, I would have sent it to you, my lord {alt. tr.: but it will reach you (later), my lord}. Please, my master,

receive for your esteemed self the best greetings from me.

And to my lords, your children—may God let you enjoy their being alive {alt. tr.: give you pleasure with them throughout your life}!—

and to Sheikh Bama the best greetings.

And your servants, my children, send you

and your children the best greetings. And Peace.

Written in the month of Elul of the year 

1458 E.D.