'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.' [‎87] (758/1024)

Cities of Indoftan.
with fuch vivid Colours, and Flowers To natural drawn of an hundred feveral falhions
andihapes, that one would have faid, it were an hanging Parterre. Thus was the
great Hall of the Am-kas adorned and fet out.
As to thofe arched Galleries, which I have fpoken of, that are round about the
Court , each Omrab had received order to drefs one of them at his own charges. And
they now driving who ftiould make his own mod dately, there was feen nothing but pur-
fled Gold above and beneath, and rich Tapedries under foot.
The third day of the Fead, the King caufed himfelf to be weighed with great Cere
mony, and after him diversOrirabs, in great Scales, and with Weights faid to be of
maffie Gold. I remember that all the Omrabs expreffed a great joy, that the King
weighed two pounds more now than the year preceding.
Every year there are held fuch kind of Fedivals, but never any was feen done with fo
muchfplendor and charge. It is faid, that that which induced Aureng-Zebe to celebrate
this fplendid Fead, was nothing elfe but to make the Merchants of purfledGold reco
ver themfelves, who had whole Magazins full of it, much fpoiled in thofe four or five
years of War, wherein they could not fell them. Thefe Expences of the Omrabs were
great i but the fimple Cavaliers paid their {hare of it, becaufe that the Omrabs after the
Fcad made them take off that Commodity to make Veds thereof.
There is an ancient Gudom accompanying thefe heads, which little pleafeth the Om-
rahs : And it is this, that then they are by refped: obliged to make feme fair Prefents
to the King in proportion of their Pay. There are fome, that to appear brave, or for
fear of being fearched for the Rapines by them committed in their Offices and Govern-,
marts j or to purchafe the Favour of the King, in the hopes of having their Penfions
augmented, make him Prefents that are extraordinary. Some ( which is ordinary
enough ) do prefent fine Veffels of Gold fet with precious Stones b others prefent fair
Pearls, Diamonds, Emeralds, or Rubies i others ( which alfo is very common) give
him, without other Ceremony, a quantity of thdfe pieces of Gold, that are worth a-
bout a Pidol and an half. I remember, that Ameng-Zebe, being gone tovifit ( during
this great Fedival ) his Vifir Jafer-tyn, notas Vifir, but as a Kinfman, and under the
pretence of defiring to fee a piece of Building, whieh he had caufed to be raifedanew,
Jafer-han prefented him in thefe pieces of Gold, with the value of an hundred thoufand
Crowns, fome good Pearls, and one Ruby valued forty thoufand Crowns j but which
Cbah- Jeban, who was admirably well skill’d in Jewels, difeovered not to be worth five
hundred Crowns , the which perplexed the firii Jewellers exceedingly, that had been
deceived therein.
There is another thing fometimes attending thefe Feafts, which is odd enough : And
that is a kind of Fair, then held in the Mebale^ or the King’s Seraglio. The Women of
the Omrabs and of the great Mavfeb-dars, or little Omrabs ( I mean thofe that are the
handfomefi and the molt gallant ) are theShe-Merchants that keep the Fair, and fell
Commodities i the Kindis the Merchant that buyeth, as alfo all thofe or Prin-
ccffes, and other great Ladies of the Seraglio. The Wares are fine purfled Gold, or
rich Embroideries of the new faffiion, fome rich Ribbons well wrought upon Cloth of
Gold, or fome pieces of that fine Cloth which is worn by the great Ladies, and other
fuch Merchandize of great price'. If they have ever a handfom Daughter, they forget
not to bring her along with them to let the King lee her, and fo make her known to
thofe Begums. The jeff of this Fair is, that the King comes to bargain with thofe She-
Mcrchants, like a petty Merchant, penny by penny, contefting that they are not in ear-
neffi that it is too dear, that he will give no more than fo muchj that the Merchandize
of fuch an one is far better, and the like. The Women, on the other hand, do their,
befi to make good their part, and without confidering that ’tis the King, ( which is the
heft of the fport ) they contend and ftand upon their price, till fometimes they come to
high words, as that that is to be a Merchant of Snow, ( one of their phrafes ) that he
underfiands nothing in the matter of Wares, that he may go to another Place, that that
Commodity is not for him, &e. The Begums do the like, or worfe, for they fometimes
fall to downright railing, fo that there is fuch a cry andnoife, and boufonnery, that it
cannot be parallel’d. But when any price is agreed on, whoever buyeth on this or that
fide, the King payeth, and the Begums pay, all withready money: and it alfo falls out
often enough, that the King and the Begums, infiead of Silver Roupies, let Aide ( in
favour of the handfom She-Merchant, or her Daughter ) fome Roupies of Gold, as if
3 twere by mifiake, and without taking notice of any thing. The She-Merchants alfo
N 2 take