'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎76] (113/1024)

‘The Persian Travels Book E
the eteateft part of the neighbouring Provinces. Which is the rejfon that fom e
of the Ptrfian Stateitnen hold it very inconvenient for the King of /Vp to keep
Baodat, as well by r'eaibn of the vaftnefs of the Charge, as alfo for that it draws
from Jmadan that which fhoutd fupply other Provinces. On the other fide, it y
cafte for the Grand Signer to hold it, by reafon of the neighbourhood ol
umia Myri *,and the Arabs ,Enemies to the by which means Prcvi.
fions a’re very cheap, which the people would not know where to put off, if the King >
of Perfta were Lord of Bagdat. , , n ■ ...
We ftaid at Amadan about ten days, by reafon'of the Rains y during Which time
the Caravant cannot travel. While we tarry’d there, we were vifited by fevenl
Sabyl oman Chriftians, who were glad to fee that we had efcap’d the Clutches of the
B T(ha of Baodat, who had giv’n order to the Bajha o( Kark°u, and the % of
Sharaffon that corhmands the Fiontiers of Turkic, tofCiz.e us, and carry us back lo
gafdat. For which we might have thank’d the Ambaffador, and a malicious
that came along with us in the Caravan from Aleffo who finding the Feaft of the
Tabernacles to be at hand, and that we had a great way to left us at»
vivehy to keep the Feftival with the Jem of Babylon. ^ Where that he might infi.
nuatehirafelf iniottitBafia's favour, he inform’d him that there was a Fmguk
in the Caravan, whom he look’d upon as a Spy, and that he was an Envoy into frrfin
from the Commonwealth of renice .-‘for he carry’d ho Merchandize, btit had three
Cherts fail of rich Habits, and feveral other thing?, which he took fotPrefehtsto
the Per/tan King. For out of vanity or folly, the Venetian had feveral times open’d
his Chert and expos’d his Gallantry to view. And yet he was fo clutch-fifted and
niggardly in every thing, that when there was any occafion to reward the Kan\ Ser-
vant, of any of the Country-men that brought us the Dainties of the place, it came
all out of my Pocket. So that I left him to my Interpreter and the two Ca^ucbm>
and with three Servants and a Guide, after I had ftaid at Jmaetan three days, l
took Horfe for Jjvahan. . t .
When I came there, the Nazar or Mafter of the Kings Houlhold hearing I ,
had left an Ambaftador behind the with the Caravan, enquir’d of me what manner
of Pcrfon lie was, but I pretended I had but little converfe with him, unwilling
to dilcover his mean Spirit. The Evening before his Arrival the Atozr fent to
give the Frinoniz. notice in the King’s Name, that they fbould be ready to go meet
the Ambatfador the next day •, which we did, and brought him into the City and
through vAU's Gate, that joyns to the King’s Palace. Now ’tis the cuftom for
all Ambafladours to falute that Gate, by reafon of a white Marble Stone made like
an Afles back, and which ferves for a Step: being, as they report, brought am
ciently out of Arabia, where M \W&. So foon as you have ftrid over that Stone
without touching it, which were a great crime, you enter into a kind of a Gallery,
where there are Rooms on each fide, which ferve for a Sanauary for Criminals,
which the King himfelf cannot fetchout of that place. That day that the new King
receives his Enfigns of Royalty, he goes to ftride over that Stone •, and if by negli
gence he fhould chance to touch it, there are four Guards at the Gate, that would
make a (hew of thrufting him back again. =, . f
But now the Mafter of the Ceremonies being ready to condua thd Ambamdor
to the Apartment alotted him, as an AmbalTador that came from three great Mo-
narchs, and a potent Commonwealth, hedefir’d to lodge at the Houfe of oncT/Vw
Tentalet, defcended from Venetian Parents} whereupon the Mafter of the Ceremonies
conduaed him thither, and caus’d his Dinner to be brought him. While we were
eating, I counted thirteen Languages fpoken at the Table; Latin, French,
Dutch, Englijh, Low-Dutch, Italian,'Portuguez, Perfian, Turkjjh, Arabic, MUfi)
Syriac, Malaye, which is the Language of the Learned, that is fpoken from the
River Indus to China and Japan, and in all the Iflands of the Eaft, like Latin in
Europe not reck’ning the little Morefco or Gibbrifh of the Country. So that it is
a difficult thing to obfervewhat is talk’d in one Company, where the Difcour e
begins in one Language, ispurfu’d in another, and finifh’d in a third: and fort e
TFurki and Armenians, they never fpeak above three or four Languages at nioit.
Now to (hew you the Civility of the Perfians\ the Mafter of the Ceremonies ca
to the Ambaffador and told him, that if he did not like the Cookery of the
fit had Order from the Attwadmkt,who is as the Grand Vizier in Turkic, to