me up to him. I was taken to his House at Galata,
where I was kept very close for two or three weeks, and was then sold
to a Merchant of Damascus in Asia, that had come to Constantinople with
the Autumn Caravans, to dispose of his cargo of Silk and Attar of
Roses--a very fine and subtle Perfume, one drop of which is sufficient
to scent an entire House.

* * * * *

'Twas in the autumn of the year 1759 that I so came to Damascus, and for
ten years did I remain in that city,--all the time without hearing one
word from my dear Wife. Had I been in the Capital, where Foreign
Ambassadors reside, I could not, as a Christian, be detained in Slavery;
that being guarded against by Treaties between the Crown of Great
Britain and the Sublime Porte. But in this remote part of the Empire,
these and many other worse enormities were possible; and I remained as
one Dead and Buried. To a few English and French Travellers passing
through Damascus did I tell my piteous Tale, and entreat their help; but
the account that I gave of myself was so rambling and confused, and
contained, I could but confess it, many Incredible Particulars, that I
could plainly see no one believed my Tale, or accounted me as aught but
a half-mad Fellow that had run away for some misdeed from a Ship in port
on the Coast of Syria, and was now trying to cadge Sympathy for a
Pretended Grievance. At last I gave up complaining. Slowly, but surely,
my memory of my former life began to Decay, and even the knowledge of
mine own Language faded away, and became weaker and weaker every day. I
dressed, I ate, I drank, I slept in the Eastern Fashion, and in all but
religion I was a Turk.

Meanwhile I had gained in the favour of my Master. He was about mine own
age when he purchased me, and we grew old Together. At first I was
employed as a mere Menial, in carrying of Bales and Packages, and
tending of Camels; but by degrees I was promoted to be his Warehouseman,
Clerk, Cashkeeper, and at last his Partner. In that capacity he sent me
to manage a large silk-plantation of his in the Lebanon; and after two
years of that work I left him with a fortune of no less than five
hundred Purses of Gold (about 20,000_l._ of our Money), to set up on my
own account in the City of Broussa. He made no attempt (nor had he at
any time done so) to combat my Religious Scruples, but counselled me to
behave in all things outwardly as a Turk; and if anything was said of m