Volume 1
A collection of voyages and travels, some now first printed from original manuscripts, others now first published in English. To which is prefixed, an introductory discourse (supposed to be written by the celebrated Mr. Locke) intitled, the whole history of navigation from its original to this time / Illustrated with maps and cuts, curiously engraved.
- Awnsham Churchill
- Date:
- 1744-1746
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A collection of voyages and travels, some now first printed from original manuscripts, others now first published in English. To which is prefixed, an introductory discourse (supposed to be written by the celebrated Mr. Locke) intitled, the whole history of navigation from its original to this time / Illustrated with maps and cuts, curiously engraved. Source: Wellcome Collection.
748/778 page 642
![Roe. the king fits, but the porters fmell his breath, and if he have but tailed wine, is not fuffer’d to come in ; and if the reafon of his abfence be known, ic will be a difficult matter to eicape the whip: lor if the king once takes offence, the father will not fpealc for the fon. Thus the king made all the company pay the Perjian embafiador’s pre¬ lent. The 28 th, the king’s day of removal be¬ ing at hand, I fent to Afaph Chan for a warrant for carriages. The merchants ha¬ ving fought all the town to remove their goods to Agra, could find none. I being in rolled by. his majefty, received order for twenty camels, four carts, and two coaches at the king’s price. Of thefe I allowed the rafters as many as they needed for their life. I cannot here omit a palfage either of wonderful bafenels in this great mo- JtcJemp- narch, or elfe a trial put upon me. The L,t king had condemn’d divers thieves, among condemn d C[r!];ria]s which were iotne boys. 1 here was no way to lave their lives, but to fell them for Oaves. His majefty commanded Afaph Chan to offer two of them to me for money which he appointed the cut wall, that is the marfhal, to do. My interpreter made an- fwer, without my knowledge, that Chri- ftians kept no Oaves; that thofe the king had given me I had let free, and it was in vain to propofe it to me. Yet afterwards of himfelf he told me of it. I fufpefted it might be a trial of me, to fee whether I would give a little money to fave the lives of two children ; or elfe, I thought, tho’ it were in earned:, it were no great lofs to do a good deed, and try the bafe- nefs or fcope of this offer. I commanded my interpreter to go to Afaph Chan, and tell him he had acquainted me with the motion, and his aniwer; that I had reprov’d him for pretending to deliver my thoughts in any cafe: and therefore my own reply was, that if there were any money to be paid to redeem the lives of two chil¬ dren to thofe whom they had robb’d, or to redeem them from the law, I was ready to give it, both out of refpeft to the king’s commands, and for charity •, but I would not buy them as flaves, only pay their ran- fom, and free them: and therefore if he would know the king’s pleafure, that I might give them their liberty without of¬ fence, 1 was very willing to do it. Afaph Chan rcply’d, 1 might difpofe of them as I plcafedj. that it was an extraordinary go'qdnefs, and with many commendations accepted oi the money; defiring me to lend it to the cutwall, and to ufe my own dil- cretion with the boys-, never offering to inform the king, which was one end of my liberality. But I refolving not to be impos’d upon, left this fhould be only a 2 trick of the officers to get money, fent to let the cutwall know what had pafs’d be¬ tween me and Afaph Chan, and that if at night he would acquaint the king that I had offered to redeem the prifoners out of charity, and his majefty would content to their liberty, I was ready to pay the mo¬ ney, but would not buy them as Haves; and defined his majefty to pardon them upon my redemption. Thus I put them to the tell of their own offer. The fum de¬ manded did not exceed ten pounds. The cutwall anlwer’d, he would know the king’s pleafure. Some would perfwade me this is one of the Mogul’s lignal favours, to pitch upon fuch great men, to whom he will ofier the opportunity of doing good, as the redeeming of prifoners and that the money is to make latisfaftion to the party that was robb’d; and that thefe fo appointed by the king to ranfom others, make the fizeda, as tor fome benefit re¬ ceived. I went to the Durbar to fee if his majefty would himfelf fpeak to me; the cutwall made many motions, but I under- ftood nothing. This day I fent my fecre- tary to the Perjian embaflador, to let him know I would vifit him, if he would give his word to repay the vifit, with other com¬ pliments. Who anfwered with all refpeft, that it was the cuftom of the country for embaffadors not to vifit one another without the king’s leave, which he would move for, and then receive me with all friendfhip, and repay my vifit; with many more expreffions of civility. November the firft, fultan Ccrone took Sultan his leave and went to his tents. The kingCorone’s at noon fat out in the Durbar, whither deParture the prince brought his elephants, beingthe about fix hundred richly trap’d and fur-arm>' niffi’d, and his followers by computation one thoufand horfc; many of them in cloth of gold, with herons feathers in thftr tur- bants all very gallant. The prince him¬ felf in a coat of cloth of filver embroider’d with great pearl, and glittering with dia¬ monds like the firmament. The king em¬ brac’d, kifs’d, and ihew’d him much affec¬ tion. At his departure he gave him a i-word, the fcabbard all of good let with ftones, valued at 100000 roupies; a dag¬ ger at 4000; an elephant and two horfes, ail their iurmture ot gold let with ftones; and for a dole, one of the new coaches made in imitation of that fent by the icing my mafter; and commanded the Englijo coachman to drive him to his tents. The prince went into the coach, and lat in the middle, the Tides open, his chieielt nobles a-foot walking by him to his tents about four miles diftant. All the way he threw quarters of roupies, being followed by a multitude or people. He reached his hand to](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30455042_0001_0748.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
