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 4^th day of the moon of Chahban 1719