That The Expences Of My Residence At Court For So Long A Time,
At His Majesty's Command, And Under Promises
To provide for me, would be
my utter ruin; wherefore, I humbly entreated his majesty to take my case
into
His gracious consideration, either to establish me as formerly, or
to grant me leave to depart. In answer to this, he gave me permission to
go away, and commanded a safe conduct to be given me, to pass freely and
without molestation throughout his dominions. On receiving this
passport, I came to make my obeisance, and to take my leave, when I
entreated to have an answer to the letters of my sovereign. On this
Abdul Hassan came to me from the king, and utterly refused in a
disdainful manner; saying, that it was not meet for so great a monarch
to write a letter to any petty prince or governor. To this I answered,
that the king knew more of the mightiness of the King of England than to
suppose him a petty governor.
I went home to my house, using all my endeavours to get my goods and
debts gathered together, meaning to purchase commodities with the money
remaining, and exerted every diligence to get out of the country,
waiting only for the return of Nicholas Ufflet from Lahor with some
indigo then in charge of William Finch, who was determined to go home
over land, as he had no hope of our ever being able to embark at Surat.
I would willingly have gone home by the same route, but it was well
known that I could not travel through Turkey, especially in company with
a female. I was forced therefore to curry favour with the Jesuits, to
procure me a pass or seguro from the Portuguese viceroy, to go by way
of Goa to Portugal, and thence to England. But when the mother and
kindred of my wife saw that I was about to take her away, and supposing
they should never see her more, they were so importunate with me, that I
was forced to engage that she should go no farther with me than Goa,
which was in India, and where they could go to visit her; and that, if
at any time I were to go to Portugal or elsewhere, I should then leave
her with such a dower as is usual with the Portuguese when they die. But
knowing that if my wife should chuse to go with me, all these might
have no effect, I concerted with the Jesuits to procure me two seguros
or passports; one giving me free permission and liberty of conscience to
reside and trade at Goa, which only I meant to show to my wife's
relations; while the other was to contain an absolute grant for a free
passage to Portugal, and so for England, with my wife and goods, so as
not to be hindered by any interference of my wife's relations; any thing
that I might be under the necessity of conceding to them to be void and
of no effect, but that I should have liberty to stay or go when I
pleased, with liberty of conscience for myself.
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