On This The Jesuit And All The Portuguese
Faction Struck In, So That I Explained Myself Fully Concerning Them; And
As I Offered A Conditional Peace, So I Valued The Friendship Of The
Portuguese At A Very Low Rate, And Their Enmity At A Still Lower.
After
some time, having explained my demands, the king said my proposals were
just and my resolution noble, and bade me clearly propound the
conditions I desired.
Asaph Khan, who had stood silent during all this
debate, and who now wished to end it, as we were warm, now interposed,
saying, If we talked all night, it could only come to this at last, that
I should draw my demands in writing and present them; which, if found
reasonable, would be granted by the king. The king said he certainly
would do so; and at my request the prince engaged to do so likewise. The
king then rose to go away, but on my request he turned round, and I
desired my interpreter to say, That I came the day before to see his
majesty and his greatness, and the ceremonies of the feast, on which
occasion I was placed behind him, in an honourable place certainly, but
where I could not see around; and therefore humbly requested his majesty
would be pleased to let me stand on the platform beside his throne. In
answer to this, he commanded Asaph Khan to let me choose my own place in
future.
In the morning of the 14th, I sent a messenger to Asaph Khan, lest he or
the prince might have misunderstood me, by reason of the king's mistake,
and had supposed I had complained against either of them, which I did
not, neither did I so intend; yet I was willing to let them see that I
did not entirely depend upon Asaph Khan, by whom I had hitherto done my
business with the king; but, if he should continue his manner of only
delivering to the king what he himself pleased, and not what I said, I
would find another way. My message was intended to clear up any such
doubts, if they remained, and to entreat he would move the prince to
favour my demands respecting our residence and trade at Surat. His
answer was, that neither the prince nor he had any reason to suspect I
intended to complain against them, the error being sufficiently obvious;
and that, for his part, he had ever been disposed to favour the English,
and would so continue.
The 15th I went again in the evening to see the ceremonies of the
Norose; and according to the Mogul's order, I chose my place of
standing on his right hand, and on the raised platform, the prince and
the son of the Ranna standing on the other side. I here had a full view
of every thing that was to be seen; viz. the presents, and the
exhibition of the elephants, horses, and dancing girls.
The 23d, the Mogul condemned one of his own nation on suspicion of
felony; but as he was one of the handsomest men in India, and the proof
was not very clear against him, instead of condemning him to death, he
sent him in irons to me as a slave, to be disposed of as I pleased.
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