James Justinian Morier

“ His watch was kept in the breast of his coat, and in another small pocket, nearly under his arm-pit, was his purse.
The purse first came under inspection, and there I found five tomauns in gold and two pieces of silver. The watch was gold, and of English manufacture. His inkstand, beautifully painted, was also valuable, and contained a penknife, scissors, and pens. All these and the other trinkets I duly looked upon as my own (for I was determined to play the whole game) , and I replaced them in their proper places on my person. ”

“ Drink, O friend, drink wine, and copiously too; and let the enemies of all true believers tremble. May thy house prosper, for the melons; but add one more favour to the many already conferred; lend thy friend a horse, duly caparisoned, for he has pressing business on hand, and he will return it safe and sound, as soon as the star of his destiny shall direct him home again.'
This I impressed with the seal of the deceased, and determined to present it myself very early in the morning.
To the other note I wrote the following answer:
'To the well-beloved Abdul Kerim. ”

“ I must change the tone of the letter and insert his proper titles.' I immediately sat clown on the ground, taking the inkstand from my pocket, and cutting off a slip of paper from the roll in my girdle I framed my note anew, and then proceeded on my errand, determined, if I obtained possession of the hundred tomauns, to take the shortest road to the nearest Persian frontier. ”