'Some years travels into divers parts of Africa, and Asia the great. Describing more particularly the empires of Persia and Industan: interwoven with such remarkable occurrences as hapned in those parts during these later times. As also, many other rich and famous kingdoms in the oriental India, with the isles adjacent. Severally relating their religion, language, customs and habit: as also proper observations concerning them.' [‎177] (198/448)

Hjrcania.
Sha-Abbas
fort of prevention And yet, though our fufferings were great in one fenfe, the extre-
inity of the Pot-Jhagh s juftice, or rigour I may better call it, was more in another, as his
miferable Subjeds felt it in a higher degree. 1 ftail give but a few inftances*, too
many of fo brave a Prince, whofe Vertues ballance his infirmities And feeing they
are the reports of fome I met there who had been long in Per fa I will withQCmiw
lay, Plura fcribo qmm credo, nee emm ajfirmare atifits fam, &c.
A poor diftrelled wretch bellowing a long and tedious pilgrimage from to this
place upon lome little bufinefs, e're he knew what the fuccefs would be, unhappily re-
Ited his weary limbs upon a field-carpet; choofing to refrefhhimfelf rather upon the cool
grafs than be tormented within the Town by the mercilefs vermine ^ poor Man! he fell
a malo in pejus: for fnorting in a climaderick hour, at fuch time as the King fet forth
to hunt, his pamper'd jade ftartling, the King examines not the caufe, but fent an eter
nal arrow of fleep into the poor Man's heart ^ jeafting (as hhicrates did when he flew
his fleepy Centinel) I did the Man no wrong •, I found him fleeping, and afieep 1 left
him. Poor wretch! happy only in this, tsEnetf magni dextra cecidit! The Courtiers alfo
(as the Negroes in Mmicongo, who when their Captain receives a hurt by war or acci
dent fympathize by voluntary maiming themfelves in the like part)to applaud the fad,
parafitically made him their common mark ^ killing him a hundred times over if fo many
lives could have been forfeited. ThtLatin Poet juftly reproving fuch tragick ads could fay,
Regia (crede mihi) res eft fnccurrere UJis.
Mercy is the trueft Conqueror. This is not unlike the pradice of j4rtaxerxes\{\$2X£<{t
Anceftorwho riding to hunt the Lion, caufed/I</(?^^^ a noble Youth to be beheaded,
for no other fault than darting a rowzed Lion that made at him before the King begun
to throw, as Ctefia* relates. A punifhment far exceeding the offence undoubtedly. Nor
like that other Artaxerxes who is no lefs famous for his mercy, by ordering the cutting
off the Tiaras or Tar bams of feveral Men condemned to lofe their heads •, the Law by
this his ingenious and Prince-iike conftrudion being fatisfied, Mercell. L 3 o. But hovv
highly foever they extol their King, 1 prefer that noble Pagan before him, who had this
excellent Maxim of Juvenal, Nulla unquam de morte hominis cunftatio longa eft ; Delay cannot
be long where life's concern'd.
A Soldat's Wife having fed too high, in a luftful bravado petitioned the King for na
tural help, her Good-man proving impotent. A dangerous impudence! The King finds
it to relied upon himfelf, ( old at that time and Mafter of four thoufand Concubines )
fo as he promifes her fpeedy juftice: calls his Phyficiam, and when was held
too mean a remedy for her diftemper, they gave an Aflinego an Ofiat potion, which
fo enraged the Beaft, as by force he bafely became her executioner.
There are Mollijfma fandi tempra, which are not alwayes light upon: as appeared in
a needy Souldier, who drawing up a catalogue of his good fervices, clofing it in want,
and humbly entreating fome ftipend from bis god of War for fuch and fuch good Ser
vices: Non bis peccamr , for, for hisfawcinefs he was drubb'd (with many baftinadoes
on the foles of his feet) well-nigh to death; and (imitating Pyfo the judge in Seneca,
lib. 1. cap. 16.) examines who it was that writ it? The Clerk makes his apologie : but
the King fuffering Paffion to predominate over Reafon, that he ihould never write
worfe, makes his hand to be cut off:, giving the poor wretch juft caufe to ingeminate
Oh! quam vellem nefcirem liter as. Thus we fee the worft Tyranny is Law upon the Rack;
Summum Jm fumma eft injuria.
Two needy Knaves were arraigned in the Divan, and condemned for ftealing : ma
ny grievous taunts the Pot-fliaw levelled^ faying. They deferved death for daring only
to come fo near his Court fo ragged. They confefs they therefore ftole, that they
might wrap themfelves in better cloathing. Abbas not fatisfied with their excufe, com
mands two new Veils to be brought: but Winding-iheets had been more proper^ for
the Executioner forthwith dragged them away, and upon two fticksftak'd them up on
their Fundaments. An Execution pradifed of old in Perfia, as appears by that Decree
of Cyrm mentioned in the 6. of Ezra, v, 11. Elevatum Corpus inftgatur fuper lignum, as the
70 render it.
Such, and fuch other was his inhumame paftime during our ftay at the Cajpian Sea. But
enough, or rather too much, upon fuch a Subjed *, efpecially relating to fo great and
generous a Prince, as notwithftanding thefe miftakes is beloved as well as feared at home,
and abroad rio lefs highly honoured: Therefore to record the variety of tortures here
too much ufed by men-eating Hags of Hell, Canibal-hounds, Capigi and their death-
A a twanging,