Note 004
Shaw Allum, the present Mogul, reads, values,
but cannot imitate, the institutions of his great ancestor.
The English translator relies on their internal evidence;
but if any suspicions should arise of fraud and fiction,
they will not be dispelled by Major Davy's letter. The
Orientals have never cultivated the art of criticism; the
patronage of a prince, less honorable, perhaps, is not less
lucrative than that of a bookseller; nor can it be deemed
incredible that a Persian, the real author, should renounce
the credit, to raise the value and price, of the work.]
The History Of The Decline And
Fall Of The Roman Empire
—Fall In The East
—Chapter 65