"To the tutor of the young princes I recommended myself so much, that I
was presented to the emperour as a man of uncommon knowledge. The
emperour asked me many questions concerning my country and my travels;
and though I cannot now recollect any thing that he uttered above the
power of a common man, he dismissed me astonished at his wisdom, and
enamoured of his goodness.
"My credit was now so high, that the merchants, with whom I had
travelled, applied to me for recommendations to the ladies of the court.
I was surprised at their confidence of solicitation, and gently
reproached them with their practices on the road. They heard me with
cold indifference, and showed no tokens of shame or sorrow.
"They then urged their request with the offer of a bribe; but what I
would not do for kindness, I would not do for money; and refused them,
not because they had injured me, but because I would not enable them to
injure others; for I knew they would have made use of my credit to cheat
those who should buy their wares.
"Having resided at Agra till there was no more to be learned, I
travelled into Persia, where I saw many remains of ancient magnificence,
and observed many new accommodations of life. The Persians are a nation
eminently social, and their assemblies afforded me daily opportunities
of remarking characters and manners, and of tracing human nature through
all its variations.
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