'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.' [‎178] (199/448)

Sha^ Abbas his Hjrcania,
twanging Bow -ftrings, ripping up Mens Guts, and the likej what c6uld be the efferfb,
but an odious and unnecellary remembrance ? Whofe Image do fuch as are cruel bear
buthis,whofe true Title is, the Deftroyer? To take away Life is an eafie thing, notlb
to reftore it. But, Soveraign Princes, by the duty of their place ufually protect their
Subjeds from wrong, reprefs fadions, reward the good, puniihthe bad, preferve the
publick peace, conferve the Law, and encourage Sciences and Arts, by which they
gain immortal honour to themfelves *, yea, make their Dominions famous and wealthy:
Thence it is the Poet fays, and that truly,
Fallitur egregio qaifquis fttb principe credit
Servitmm: nunquam libertas gratior extat
Qukm fuh Rege pto.
For by thefe few fad Inftances we fee that ftrait is the fingle Path that leads to Life,
but to Death many Road-wayes appear. And Life, albeit Calarm the Brachman ar
guing with Alexander-, maintained that nothing is more defpicable than Life, and made
it good upon himfelf, therein being Felo de fe, believing the immortality of the Soul,
which he fancied was Spirit mixt of Fire and Air, and that this fpiritual Eifence was
but clogg'd with Clay, fo as he could with confidence aver, that Anguflm eft animm
quern terrena delettant ; yet St. Augufiine has a contrary opinion ^ for he put that value up
on Life as induced him to maintain that Mufca Soli praferenda eft, quia Sol caret vita,
fed Mufca vitam hahet, A Fly is to be preferred before the Sun which hath no Life,
as the Fly hath. And albeit nothing be more commendable in Princes than Juftice,
for it is that which makes them Gods yet Clemency is of greateft exaltation by
being moft honourable. Tally (though a Heathen) affirms as much in his Oration
to Cafar for the Life of Ligarim , "Thy Clemency (OCafar) is moft excellent, yea
" more honourable than thy other Vertues: Fortune hath made thee great, but Na-
" ture hath advanced thee higher, in thy inclination unto mercy. Nor can they well
be feparated, feeing that .a Prince, exalted above others in dignity, is tied to an im
partial way, neither hating nor fearing any, but rewarding and punilhing as caufe
required! *, without which, contempt or confufion followeth. But to thefe irregu
larities of Abbas I may not give the Attribute of Juftice i lince, if the punifhment
exceed the fault, Juftice then degenerates into Cruelty; a Vice odious to God, who is
the Father and Fountain of Mercyand unto Men, who are too apt to imitate bad Ex
amples conceiting any Ad, though never fo unnatural, if moulded after fuch a pattern,
commendable. Yea, we fee, that Heathen Potentates fwervingfrom the Divine Rule
of Juftice, pamper the corrupt habit of their minds, out of a monftrous opinion that
they may every way inebriate their luft without controul; as appears by thofe inhumane
Games exercifed in the Roman Amphitheaters ; by that barbarifm Xerxes (as Xenophon
notes) pradifed on Mafiftes his Brother, and other Satrapa's ^ fuch in Dejoces (Father to
Phraartes) who laboured utterly to exterminate the Perftan generofity; and may add the
miferable Tragedy of his Son, the memory whereof is recent through part of the grea
ter A/ia.
Abbas, by divers Wives, had feveral Children *, for whofe education neither coft, nor
care, wasfpared: Of moft hope were Ifmael, Sophy-mir^a, Codobanda-Sultan, and £-
mangoly ; four brave young Princes*, thetwofirft were begot on Gordina, Daughter of
Simon-cawn\ the latter two of Martha^ Daughter of Scander-mirta'-, both Georgians, both
Chriftians: the fir ft Lady was brought thence by Kurchiki-cavw the other by Shaw-Ta-
mas 'Coolibeg both being Perfians, both Favourites: all of them fo dear to Abbas, that
it feemed he then had got the Elixir of Earthly happinefs: His Wives were fo incompa
rably beautiful, his Favourites fo exadly faithful; and his Sons fo lively the Charaders
of his Perfon, policy and courage 4 , reciprocally joying the aged King, and over-joying
the warlike Perfians. But it is commonly obferved, that as the moft excellent things al
ter fooneft, and that no day is foferene that is notihadowed with fome Cloud; fo this
candor and perfedion in thefe youthful Princes quickly vanilhed. For Jfmad (when by
reaibn of his delight in Arms and quick figns of magnanimity, the Afiatick world gaz'd
and admired him) in an infernal cloud of poyfon went down to an untimely grave at
nineteen, in the meridian of his fplendour. Sofy-myrza, dogg'd by a like adverfe de-
ftiny, though elevated at firft for revealing a confpiracy, was in the end at equal years
thrown down and crufht to death, after the dumb Capigi had got a hateful vidory, meer
jealoufie in the King commanding it. And Emangoly, e're his popular applaufe could
hatch his ruine, upon conference with a Witch that underftood the Almuten of his na
tivity,