'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.' [‎58] (377/1024)

Travels in
I N D I A.
Parc If,
Mvrz~d~Moufon^ whofe buflnefs is to rate eveiy flone. The Banian Merchant of Indian extraction. ^ whole
name is Nalik^n^ is to fee whether the Stones be falfe or not, or whether they
have any defedt. Thefe three men have obtain’d a Licence from the Kina t( j
view, before ever he does, whatever for reign Merchants lhail bring, to Court
andtoprefent their goods to him themfelves. And though they are und r an
Oath not to take any thing from the Merchants, yet they extort whatever
they can get from them, though it be their mine. W hen they fee any thing
that is lovely, and likely to bring great profit, they would perfwade you to
fell.it to them for lefs by half than the Sjhg us worth; and if you refufe to
let them have it, when they are in the Kings prefence, they will feta price
upon it at half the value •, knowing that Aurengz.tb is not very covetous of
Jewels, loving his Money far better. Upon the Kings Feftival-day, of which
I lhail fpeak in another place, all the Princes and Nobility of the Court pre-
fent him with moft magnificent gifts. And when they cannot meet with Jewels,
they fend him Roupies of Gold, which the King likes far better than Stones-
though Jewels are the more honourable prefent. Therefore when this Feflivai
draws nigh, he ifliies out of his Treafury, a great quantity of Diamonds, Ru
bies, Emraulds, and Pearls, which he who is - entrufted to prize the Stones, de
livers to feveral Merchentsto fell to the Nobility, who are bound to prefent
the King; by which means the King gets the Money and his Jewels again.
There is alfo another thing very difadvantageous to a Merchant Jeweller,
which is, that when the King has feen the Stones, no Prince nor Nobleman
that knows of it, will ever buy them. Befides, while thefe three perfons, who
are entrufted to view the Jewels, are confidering and examining them at their
Lodgings, feveral Bam ms refort thither, who are expert, feme in Diamonds,
fome in Rubies, fome in Emraulds, and others in Pearls, who write down the
weight, goodnefs, cleannefs, and colour of every piece. So that when a Mer
chant goes afterwards to any Prince or Governour of any Province, thefe people
fend them a note of what he has, and the price, which they fet down at half
the value. For in trade thefe Banians are a thoufand times worfe than the
Jews ; more expert in all forts of cunning tricks, and more malicioufly mifehie-
vous in their revenge. Now you ihall hear what a trick thefe unworthy peo
ple ferv’d me.
When I arriv’d at Gehanabad^ one of them came to my Lodging, and told
me, he had order from the King to fee what I had brought, before I expos’d
my goods in the Kings prefence. They would have rather that the King had
not been at Gehanabad^ for they would have then endeavour’d to have bought
them themfelves, to gain thereby, by felling them again to the King, or the
Nobility upon occafion; which they could never perfwade me to. The next
day they came to fee me all three, one after another} and they would needs
have of me, amongft other things, a Jewel of nine great Pearls, in the falhion
of a Poar, the biggeft wTereof weigh’d thirty Carats, and the leaf: fixteen;
together with another fingle Pearl like a Pear, of fifty-five Carats. As for
the Jewel, the King took it; but for the fingle Pearl, they finding that .what
ever they could fay, I would not be wrought upon to fell them any bargains,
fo order’d it, that before I had fhew’d my Jewels to the King, GUfer-Km
the Kings Unckle faw, and kept it, telling me he would give me as good a
price as the King; and defin’d me not to fpeak of it, for indeed he hadade-
fign to make a prefent to the.King. ^
When the King had made choice offuchof my Jewels as he pleas’d,
bought of me feveral pieces, and at the fame time agreed with me for
the great Pearl. Some days after he paid me, according as we had agreed, ex
cept for the Pearl, upon whidh he would have abated me ten thoufand Rou
pies. For the two Perjians and the Banian Merchant of Indian extraction. had malitioufly inform’d him, that
at my firft arrival, they could have bought the Pearl for eight or ten thoufand
Roupies lefs than 1 had valu’d it to him ; which was abfolutely falfe. There
upon Giafer-Kan telling me, that if I vcould not take his Money, I might
have my Jewel again; I took him at his word, afiiiring him, he fhould never
fee it again as long as he liv’d. And I was as good as my word. And indee
that which made me the more refolute was, that I was refoiv’d to carry fome-