These converts were
only for the sake of money; for when, by order of the Portuguese, the
new converts were deprived of their pay, they brought back their beads
again, saying they had been long without pay, and would be Christians no
longer.
In consequence of the Portuguese refusing to deliver back the
goods taken at Surat, the king ordered the church doors to be locked up
and they have so continued ever since; so the padres make a church of
one of their chambers, where they celebrate mass twice a day, and preach
every Sunday, first in Persian to the Armenians and Moors, and
afterwards in Portuguese for themselves, the Italians, and Greeks.
By them I was informed of the particulars of Mildenhall's goods, who had
given them all to a French protestant, though himself a papist, that he
might marry a bastard daughter he had left in Persia, and bring up
another. The Frenchman refusing to make restitution, was thrown into
prison and after four months all was delivered up.
Between Agumere and Agra, at every ten coss, being an ordinary day's
journey, there is a Serai or lodging house for men and horses, with
hostesses to dress your victuals if you please, paying a matter of
three-pence for dressing provisions both for man and horse. And between
these two places, which are 120 coss distant, there is a pillar erected
at every coss, and a fair house every ten coss, built by Akbar, on
occasion of making a pilgrimage on foot from Agra to Agimere, saying his
prayers at the end of every coss. These houses serve for accommodating
the king and his women, no one else being allowed to use them. The king
resides at Agimere on occasion of wars with Rabna, a rajput chief, who
has now done homage, so that there is peace between them. I made an
excursion to the Ganges, which is two days journey from Agra. The
Banians carry the water of the Ganges to the distance of many hundred
miles, affirming that it never corrupts, though kept for any length of
time. A large river, called the Geminie [Jumna], passes by Agra.
On the 24th of May, 1616, while on our voyage home to England, we went
into Suldunha bay, where were several English ships outwards bound,
namely, the Charles, Unicorn, Janus, Globe, and Swan, the general being
Mr Benjamin Joseph. We arrived safe at Dover on the 15th September,
1616.
* * * * *
John Mildenhall, mentioned in the foregoing article, left England on the
12th February, 1600, and went by Constantinople, Scanderoon, Aleppo,
Bir, Caracmit, Bitelis, Cashbin, Ispahan, Yezd, Kerman, and Sigistan, to
Candhar; and thence to Lahore, where he arrived in 1603. He appears to
have carried letters from Queen Elizabeth to the Great Mogul, by whom he
was well received, and procured from him letters of privilege for trade
in the Mogul dominions. He thence returned into Persia, whence he wrote
to one Mr Richard Staper from Cashbin, on the 3d October, 1606, giving
some account of his travels, and of his negociations at the court of the
Mogul.
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