thought it but generous to do so upon the terms he proposed), the more
he pressed it upon me.

As a further inducement, he said, that he was going back to his country,
uncertain if he enjoyed the favour of the Shah; and as he had freely
expressed his sentiments, which included his observations upon England,
he was afraid, should he be in disgrace, and his work be found upon him,
that it might lead to his destruction.

Unable to withstand these entreaties, I at length acceded to his
request, and became the possessor of the manuscript. It forms the
subject of the following work; and tell me, can I dedicate it to any
but him who first awakened my mind to its value? If you will do me the
favour to peruse it, you will find I have done my best endeavour to
adapt it to the taste of European readers, divesting it of the numerous
repetitions, and the tone of exaggeration and hyperbole which pervade
the compositions of the Easterns; but still you will, no doubt, discover
much of that deviation from truth, and perversion of chronology, which
characterise them. However, of the matter contained in the book, this
I must say, that having lived in the country myself during the time to
which it refers, I find that most of the incidents are grounded upon
fact, which, although not adhered to with that scrupulous regard to
truth which we might expect from an European writer, yet are sufficient
to give an insight into manners. Many of them will, no doubt, appear
improbable to those who have never visited the scenes upon which they
were acted; and it is natural it should be so, because, from the nature
of circumstances, such events could only occur in Eastern countries.

A distinct line must ever be drawn between 'the nations who wear the
hat and those who wear the beard'; and they must ever hold each other's
stories as improbable, until a more general intercourse of common life
takes place between them. What is moral and virtuous with the one,
is wickedness with the other,--that which the Christian reviles as
abominable, is by the Mohammedan held sacred. Although the contrast
between their respective manners may be very amusing, still it is most
certain that the former will ever feel devoutly grateful that he
is neither subject to Mohammedan rule, nor educated in Mohammedan
principles; whilst the latter, in his turn, looking upon the rest of
mankind as unclean infidels, will continue to hold fast to his bigoted
persuasion, until some pow