Jourdain, a nobleman of Paris?"
MR. JOUR. The son of the Grand Turk said that of me?
COV. Yes. Then I answered him that I knew you perfectly well, and that
I had seen your daughter. Ah! said he, _marababa sahem_! which is
to say, "Ah! how much I love her!"
MR. JOUR. _Marababa sahem_! means, "Ah! how I love her!"
COV. Yes.
MR. JOUR. Indeed, you do right to tell me; for I should never have
known that _Marababa sahem_! meant, "Ah I how much I love her!"
This Turkish language is admirable.
COV. More admirable than you would ever imagine. For instance, do you
know what _Cacaracamouchen_ means?
MR. JOUR. _Cacaracamouchen_? No.
COV. It means, "My dear love."
MR. JOUR. _Cacaracamouchen_ means, "My dear love"?
COV. Yes.
MR. JOUR. It is wonderful! _Cacaracamouchen_, "My dear love." Who
would ever have thought it? I am perfectly astounded.
COV. In short, in order to end my embassy, I must tell you that he is
coming to ask your daughter in marriage; and in order to have a
father-in-law worthy of him, he wants to make you a _mamamouchi_,
which is a great dignity in his country.
MR. JOUR. _Mamamouchi_?
COV. _Mamamouchi_; that is to say in our own language, a paladin.
Paladin, you know those ancient paladins; in short, there is nothing
more noble than that in the whole world, and you will take rank with
the greatest lords upon the earth.
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