The stranger, however, immediately supplied the
surrounding courtiers from a basket which was slung on his left arm; and
no sooner had they all tasted his gift than they fell upon their knees
to worship him, vowing that the distributor of such delight must be more
than man. If this avowal be considered absurd and extraordinary in this
present age of philosophy, we must not forget to make due allowance for
the palates of individuals who, having been so long accustomed merely to
horse-chestnuts and acorns, suddenly, for the first time in their lives,
tasted Pine-apple.
The stranger, with an air of great humility, disclaimed their proffered
adoration, and told them that, far from being superior to common
mortals, he was, on the contrary, one of the lowliest of the human race;
in fact, he did not wish to conceal it; in spite of his vessel and his
attendants, he was merely a market-gardener on a great scale. This
beautiful fruit he had recently discovered in the East, to which quarter
of the world he annually travelled in order to obtain a sufficient
quantity to supply the great Western hemisphere, of which he himself was
a native.
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