Storia do Mogor : or, Mogul India, 1653-1708 / by Niccolao Manucci, Venetian ; tr., with introduction and notes, by William Irvine.

Storia do Mogor, or, Mogul India, 1653-1708 / by Niccolao Manucci, Venetian ; tr., with introduction and notes, by William Irvine.

  • Manucci, Niccolò, 1639-approximately 1717.
Date:
1907-08
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Storia do Mogor, or, Mogul India, 1653-1708 / by Niccolao Manucci, Venetian ; tr., with introduction and notes, by William Irvine. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    139/512 page 43
    There happened during the time that I was in Isfahan another remarkable instance by which you can gauge the atten- tion which Shah ‘Abbas devoted to deciding justly. There were two rich men, one of whom had, during many months, run up an account with the other, there having been no oppor- tunity of a settlement between them. One of them was called Mahomed Raza (Muhammad Riza), and he owed a large sum of money to the other, who passed as an upright man, and his name was Miza Esmail (Mirza Ismahl). Seeing that they could not come to an agreement, they decided that each should write down his argument and his version of the account. Folding up the papers, each man was to write his name on his ov/n documents ; then they were to be enclosed together in a bag sealed with each man’s seal and those of several witnesses. So said, so done. The good Mirza Jsma‘ll, not suspecting the deceit of his debtor, Muhammad Riza, left the bag in his hands, with the understanding that when Shah ‘Abbas returned from the chase, the said bag should be made over to the king, praying him to give orders for judging the cause. The agree- ment was that after the judge nominated by the king had given his finding, not another word should be said. Muhammad Riza had time, before the king returned from hunting, to cut open the bag ; and withdrawing the papers of Mirza Isma‘il, in which were weighty and convincing reasons, he substituted for those writings and accounts other papers bearing his creditor’s name. Then, sending for a workman, the bag was resewn with such neatness that no one could believe it had been cut. The king returned from his hunting, when both men appeared in his presence and delivered to him the bag, with the prayer that he would graciously order a speedy decision to be given. The king, being eager that justice should be done, as will be seen further from a case that I will mention later on, sent at once for one of his ministers [26] named Fazel Beg (Fazil Beg) —that is to say, ‘ Beamed Person,’ of whom he had a high opinion as being a disinterested and very truthful man. To him the bag was delivered. Coming forth in company of the two petitioners, Fazil Beg
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