Usbek to his wives in the seraglio in Isfahan
May this letter fall like lightning amidst flashes and tempests ! Solim is your principal eunuch, not to guard you, but to punish you. May the entire harem bow before him ; he is to judge your past actions, and for the future he will make you live under a yoke so harsh that you will miss your freedom even if you do not miss your virtue.1
Paris this 4th day of the moon of Chahban 1719
Extension of an opposition voiced by Solim (letter 143) : “if your wives were not virtuous, at least they would be faithful.”