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DOCUMENT 1 Document 1 is a laissez-passer issued by Sultan Badi III to the Franciscan missionaries Theodoro Krump and Antonio della Terza on their departure from Sinniir on 1 May 1702. The translation given here is derived from Krump's travel account, where he calls it a "Copy of the letter of recommendation given to me and Father Antonio della Terza in Arabic by the king, which I have translated into German with my own hand. "1 (The explanatory comments in parentheses were added by Krump himself.) The probable authenticity of the king's letter and the general accuracy of Krump's translation are supported by the similarity between this document and the other laissez-passers from Sinnar (Docs. 19,20,21) and the sultanates of the western Sudan.2 Krump described the circumstances of the document's issue as follows: On the first of May [1702] Father Pasquale and I were granted a royal audience. I opened by saying that since the king's first personal physician, Father Pasquale, had returned, I was inclined to go back to Egypt with the caravan to seek my fortune. Although the king would rather have had me here, he did not want to hinder me, and at once ordered Shaykh Ismii.'il to deliver to me one of his best dromedaries from his court stable. He then ordered his secretary to prepare a royal letter for me and Father Antonio della Terza . . .. It should say that wherever we went on the journey people should supply us, as royal servants, with everything necessary for ourselves and our camels and servants. I heartily thanked him for this great favor. After a few hours had passed the letter of recommendation and a very beautiful and excellent dromedary were brought to me at our dwelling by a mursal 33 ...

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