pitch of exaltation; and your pretensions are no less than to
demand in marriage the daughter of your sovereign, who with one
single word can crush you to pieces. I say nothing of what
respects yourself. I leave you to reflect on what you have to do,
if you have ever so little thought. I come now to consider what
concerns myself. How could so extraordinary a thought come into
your head, as that I should go to the sultan and make a proposal
to him to give his daughter in marriage to you? Suppose I had,
not to say the boldness, but the impudence to present myself
before the sultan, and make so extravagant a request, to whom
should I address myself to be introduced to his majesty? Do you
not think the first person I should speak to would take me for a
mad woman, and chastise me as I should deserve? Suppose, however,
that there is no difficulty in presenting myself for an audience
of the sultan, and I know there is none to those who go to
petition for justice, which he distributes equally among his
subjects; I know too that to those who ask a favour he grants it
with pleasure when he sees it is deserved, and the persons are
worthy of it. But is that your case? Do you think you have
merited the honour you would have me ask for you? Are you worthy
of it? What have you done to claim such a favour, either for your
prince or country? How have you distinguished yourself? If you
have done nothing to merit so high a distinction, nor are worthy
of it, with what face shall I ask it? How can I open my mouth to
make the proposal to the sultan? His majestic presence and the
lustre of his court would absolutely confound me, who used even
to tremble before my dear husband your father, when I asked him
for any thing. There is another reason, my son, which you do not
think of, which is that nobody ever goes to ask a favour of the
sultan without a present. But what presents have you to make? And