'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.' [‎42] (713/1024)

The Hiftory of the Empire
fmce not only the honour of the Royal Houfe, but alfo the fafety of the King’s p er-
{on is herein concerned.
Some months after, there arrived at Debit feveral AmbafTadors, almoft at the fame
time. The hrft was Xerif of Meccba, whofePrefent did confift in fome Arabian Kor
ies : The fecond and third Ambaffadors were, he of the King of Hyeman , or Happy
Arabia^ and he of the Prince of Bajfora, who likewife prefented Arabian Hoiks, The
two remaining Ambafladois were fent from the King of Ethiopia. To the three hrft
no great regard was given - , they appear’d in fo miferable and confufed an Equipage,
that it was perceived they came only to get fome money by the means of their Prefent
and of the many Horfes, and other Merchandize, which under the pretence of Ambaf
fadors, entred without paying any Duty into the Kingdom, there to be fold , and to
buy for the money a quantity of Indian Stuffs, and fo to return, without paying likewife
any I mpoll at all.
But as ;o the Ethiopian Embafly, that deferves to be otherwife taken notice of i the
King of Ethiopia having received the News of the Revolution of the Indies , had a
defigp to fpread his Name in thofe Parts, and there to make known his Grandeur and
Magnificence, by a fplendid Embaflfy : Or, as Malice will have it, or rather as the very
truth is, to reap fome Advantage by a Prefent as well as the reft. Behold therefore this
great Embafly ! He chofe for his Ambalfadors two perfons, that one would think were
the moft confiderable in his Court, and the moft capable to make fuch a Defign profper.
And who were they ? The one was a Mahumetan Merchant, whom I hadfeen fome years
ago at M(9%, when I pafled there coming out of Egypt over the where he was
to fell fome Slaves for that Prince, and to buy of the money, raifed thence, fome In
dian Commodities. And this is the fine Trade of that great Chrijlian King of Africa.
The other was a Chriftian Merchant of Armenia^ born and married in Aleppo^ known
in JEthiopia by the name of Murat. I had feen him alfo at M^, where he had ac
commodated me with the half of his Chamber, and affifted me with very good Ad
vice, whereof l have fpoken in the beginning of this Hiftory, as a thing taking me off
from pahTing into Ethiopia^ according to my firft defign. He alfo came every year to
that place, in that King’s Name, for the fame end that the Mahumetan did,and brought
the Prefent which the King made every year, to the Gentlemen of the Englifh
Dutch Company of the Eaft-Indies, and carried away theirs. Now the King of
Ethiopia, futably to his defign, and the defire he had of making his Ambaftadors ap
pear with great Splendor, put himfelf to great Expences for this Embaffie: He gave
them Thirty two young Slaves, of both Sexes, to fell them at Moly, and thence to
make aSum of Money to bear their Charges. A wonderfulLargefs ! Slaves are com
monly fold there for Twenty five or thirty Crowns apiece, one with another. A con
fiderable Sum. Befides, ,he gave them for a Prefent to the Great Mogul Five and twen
ty choice Slaves, among which there were nine or ten very young, proper to make
Eunuchs of. A very worthy Prefent for a King, and he a Chriftian, to a Mahumetan
Prince ! It feems the Chriftianity of the Ethiopians is very different from ours. He
added to that Prefent, twelve Horfes, efteem’d as much as thofe of Arabia, and a kind
of little Mule, of which I faw the Skin, which was a very great Rarity, there being
noTyger fo handfomly fpeckled, nor Silken Stuff of India fo finely, fo varioufly, and
fo orderly ftreaked, as that was. Moreover, there were for a part of the Prefent, two
Elephants teeth, fo prodigious, that they affured it was all that a very able bodied
man could do, to lift up one of them from the ground. Laftly, an Horn of an Ox full
of Civett, and fo big, that the Aperture of it being meafur’d by me, when it came to
Dehli, it had a Diameter of Half a Fcot, and fomewhat better. All things being thus
prepared, the Ambaffadors depart from Gondez, the Capital of Ethiopia, fituated in the
Province of Dambea, and came through a very troublefom Countrey to Beiloul, which
is a difpeopled Sea-Port over againft Moha, nigh to Babel-mandel, not daring to come
( forReafons elfewhere to be alledged ) the ordinary way^if the Caravans, which is
made with eafe in Forty days to Arkjkg, and thence to pafs to the Ifle of Mafoua. Du
ring their ftay at Beilout, and expe&ing a Bark of Mofy, to waft over the
there died fome of their Slaves, becaufe the Veffel tarried, and they found not in that
place thofe refrdhments that were neceff'ary for them. When they came toMoka-> they
foon fold theit Merchandize, to raife a Stock of Money according to order. But they
had tl is ill luck, that that year the Slaves were very cheap, becaufe the Market was
glutted