These
Presents, And Many Fair Promises, So Wrought With Mucrob Khan, That He
Sent A Memorial To The King, Accompanied
By the present from the
viceroy, stating, that permitting the English to trade in the land would
occasion the loss
Of the maritime country about Surat, Cambaya, and
other places; and that his ancient friends the Portuguese were much
offended by his entertaining me, as a rumour went among them that I was
now general of 10,000 horse, and was ready to assault Diu on the arrival
of the next English ships. The letter of the Portuguese viceroy was much
to the same effect. To all which the king answered, that he had but one
Englishman at his court, whom they had no reason to fear, as he
pretended to none of those things they alleged, and had refused an
establishment near the sea, preferring to live at court.
The Portuguese were quite enraged with this answer, and laboured
incessantly to get me out of the world. I then represented to the king
the dangerous predicament in which I was, and the uncomfortable
situation I was reduced to: My boy Stephen Grosvenor just dead, and my
man Nicholas Ufflet extremely sick, who was the only English person with
me, while I was myself beginning to fall much off. The king immediately
called for the Jesuits, and assured them, if I died by any extraordinary
casualty, that they should all feel it to their cost. The king was then
very earnest with me to take a white maiden from his palace to be my
wife, offering to give her slaves and all other things necessary, and
promising that she would turn Christian; by which means, he said, my
meat and drink would be properly looked after by her and her women, and
I might live without fear. In answer, I refused to accept of any
Mahometan woman, but said if any Christian could be found I would
gratefully accept his royal bounty.
Then the king called to remembrance the daughter of one Mubarick Shah,
who was an Armenian Christian, of the most ancient Christian race;
Mubarick having been a captain, and in great favour with Acbar Padisha,
this king's father. This captain had died suddenly, and without a will,
leaving a vast deal of money, all of which was robbed by his brothers
and kinsmen, or absorbed in debts due to him which could not be
recovered, leaving only a few jewels to this his only child. Considering
that she was a Christian of honest descent, and that I had passed my
word to the king, I could no longer resist my fortune: Wherefore I took
her, and, for want of a minister, I married her before Christian
witnesses, my man Nicholas Ufflet acting as priest; which I thought had
been lawful, till I met with the chaplain who came with Sir Henry
Middleton, who shewed me the error; on which I was again married.
Henceforwards I lived contented and without fear, my wife being willing
to go where I went, and to live as I lived.[191]
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