I Then Spoke To Him About The Phirmaunds, When He Bluntly Told Me I
Should Have None; For As We Had Deceived The Prince's Hopes, He Would
Disappoint Us.
I had asked leave to depart, and I might come to take
leave whenever I pleased.
To this I answered, that nothing could please
me more, but that I should requite their injustice in another place, for
I should now apply to the king, and depend no more on them, as I saw
their conduct was made up of covetousness and unworthiness. So I arose
to depart, but he recalled me, desiring that I might come next day to
the king and prince together, when I should have complete satisfaction.
* * * * *
"And now, reader, we are at a stand: some more idle, or more busy
spirits, willing either to take their rest, or to exchange their labour;
and some perhaps wishing they had the whole journal, and not thus
contracted into extracts of those things out of it which I conceived
more fit for the public. And, for the whole, myself could have wished
it, but neither with the honourable Company, nor elsewhere, could I
learn of it; the worthy knight himself being now employed in like
honourable embassage from his majesty to the Great Turk. Yet, to supply
the defect of the journal, I have given thee the chorography of the
country, together with certain letters of his, written from India to
honourable lords, and his friends in England; out of all which may be
hewed and framed a delightful commentary of the Mogul and his subjects.
Take them therefore, reader, and use them as a prospective glass, by
which thou mayst take easy and near view of these remote regions,
people, rites, and religions." - Purchas.
* * * * *
In the Pilgrims, in supplement to the journal of Sir Thomas Roe, Purchas
has inserted a formal complimentary letter from king James to the Great
Mogul, or emperor of Hindoostan, together with another from the Mogul to
king James, containing nothing besides hyperbolical expressions of
regard; both of which are here omitted, as entirely devoid of interest,
amusement, or information. Purchas has also added several letters said
to have been found among the papers of Sir Thomas Roe, with some others
which he says were transcribed from Sir Thomas Roe's own book. As
these letters merely repeat circumstances and opinions already more
fully and more methodically expressed in the preceding journal, they
could only have served unnecessarily to swell our pages, without any
adequate advantage, and are therefore omitted.
Purchas also informs us that Sir Thomas Roe, before he left the court of
the Great Mogul on his return for England, requested to be favoured with
a recommendatory letter from the Mogul to king James. This request was
granted with the utmost readiness, and a letter written accordingly; but
the Mogul, or his ministers, shewed much scrupulousness about the
placement of the seal to this letter, lest, if placed under the writing,
it might disparage the dignity of the Mogul, or, if placed over the
letter, king James might feel disobliged. On this account, the letter
was delivered to Sir Thomas unsealed, and the seal was sent separately,
that it might be afterwards affixed, according to the pleasure of the
king of England.
This seal was of silver, and Purchas has given an engraving, or fac
simile of it, consisting of an inner and larger circle, bearing the
style or title of the reigning king, or Padishah Jehanguire;
surrounded circularly by eight smaller circles, containing the series of
his direct ancestors, from Timor, or Tamerlane, downwards. These are all
of course in the Persian language and characters; but Purchas gives
likewise a copy or translation of the same in English letters. It seemed
quite superfluous to insert here the Persian fac simile, being merely
writing without ornament, armorial bearing, or cognizance. The following
is the series, expressed in English characters; the last being the
central circle, which contains the name and title of the reigning
emperor: -
1. Ebn Amir Temur Saheb Quran.
2. Ebn Miran Shah.
3. Ebn Mirza Soltan Mohamed.
4. Ebn Soltan Abu Said.
5. Ebn Mirza Amar Shah.
6. Ebn Bahar Padishah.
7. Ebn Humaiun Padishah.
8. Ebn Akbar Padishah.
9. Abu Amozaphar Nurdin Jebanguire Padishah.
SECTION VII.
RELATION OF A VOYAGE TO INDIA IN 1616, WITH OBSERVATIONS RESPECTING THE
DOMINIONS OF THE GREAT MOGUL, BY MR. EDWARD TERRY.[222]
INTRODUCTION.
According to Purchas, Mr Edward Terry was master of arts, and a student
of Christ Church in Oxford, and went out to India as chaplain to Sir
Thomas Roe. In the first subdivision of this narrative, we have combined
the observations of Captain Alexander Childe, who was commander of the
ship James, during the same voyage, under Captain Benjamin Joseph, of
the ship Charles, who was slain in a sea-fight with a Portuguese carack,
off one of the Komoro islands. The notes extracted by Purchas from the
journal of Captain Childe,[223] are so short and unsatisfactory, that we
have been induced to suppress them, except so far as they serve to
elucidate the narrative of Terry, in the first subdivision of this
section. - E.
[Footnote 222: Purch. Pilgr. II 1464.]
[Footnote 223: Id. I. 606.]
Sec.1. Occurrences during the Voyage from England to Surat.
Apologies often call truth into question, and having nothing but truth
to offer in excuse for this narrative, I omit all unnecessary preface,
desiring only that the reader may believe what I have faithfully
related. Our fleet, consisting of six goodly ships, the Charles,
Unicorn, James, Globe, Swan, and Rose, under the supreme command of
Captain Benjamin Joseph, who sailed as general in the Charles, our
admiral ship, fell down from Gravesend to Tilbury-hope on the 3d of
February, 1616.
After long and anxious expectation, it pleased God to send us a fair
wind at N.E. on the 9th March, when we departed from that road, and set
sail for the East Indies.
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