The Cutwall Made Many Motions, And Brought In
His Executioner, Who Received Some Commands, But I Understood Them Not.
I this day sent my secretary with a message to the Persian ambassador,
to say I would visit him, if he gave his word to return my visit.
He
sent me for answer, with much respect, that it was not the custom of the
country for ambassadors to visit each, other without leave of the king,
which he would ask; and which given, he would thankfully accept my
visit, and repay it with all manner of pleasure.
On the 1st November, Sultan Churrum took his leave and went to his
tents. On this occasion the king sat in his durbar at noon, when the
prince passed his establishment in review before his father, consisting
of about 600 elephants richly caparisoned, and about 10,000 horse, all
splendidly arrayed, many of his followers being clad in cloth of gold,
and their turbans adorned with herons plumes. The prince himself was in
a dress of cloth of silver, all over embroidered, and splendidly
decorated with pearls and diamonds, shining like the firmament in a
clear night. The king embraced and kissed him with much affection,
presenting him with a rich sword, the hilt and scabbard all of gold set
with precious stones, valued at 100,000 rupees, a dagger valued at
40,000, together with an elephant, and a horse, the furniture of both
magnificently adorned with gold and jewels. At his departure, he gave
him a coach, made in imitation of that sent by the king my master to the
emperor, and commanded the English coachman to drive the prince to the
tents. Churrum went accordingly into the coach, sitting in the middle
thereof, all the sides being open; and was attended by all his chief
nobles a-foot, all the way to the camp, which was about four miles.
Being followed by a vast concourse of people, he scattered all the way
among them handfuls of quarter rupees. At one time he reached his hand
to the coachman, and put about 100 rupees into his hat.
On the 2d, the king removed, with his women and all the court, to the
tents, about three miles from town. I went that morning to attend upon
him at the Jarruco window of the palace, and went up to the scaffold
under the window, being desirous to see this exhibition. Two eunuchs
stood upon tressels, having long poles headed with feathers, with which
they fanned him. On this occasion, he dispensed many favours, and
received many presents. What he gave was let down by a silk cord, rolled
on a turning instrument; and what he received was drawn up in the same
manner, by a venerable, fat, and deformed old matron, all hung round
with gymbals like an image. Two of his principal wives were at a
window on one side, whose curiosity led them to break holes in a lattice
of roods that hung before the window, to gaze on me. At first I only saw
their fingers; and afterwards, applying their faces to the holes, I
could at times see an eye, and at length could discern their entire
countenances. They were indifferently fair, having their black hair
smoothed up from their foreheads; and they were so adorned with pearls
and diamonds, that I might have seen them without the help of any other
light. On my looking at them, they retired very merry, and, as I
supposed, laughing at me.
After some time, the king departed from the window, and we all went to
the durbar, to wait his coming out of the inner apartments. He came not
long after, and remained in the durbar for about half an hour, till his
ladies had mounted their elephants, which were in all about fifty, all
richly caparisoned, especially three, which had turrets or howders of
gold, with grates of gold wire for the ladies to see through, and rich
canopies over head of cloth of silver. The king then descended the
stairs, amid such acclamations of health to the king, as would have
drowned the noise of cannon. At the foot of the stairs, where I
contrived to be near him, a person brought to him a large carp, and
another presented a dish of some white stuff like starch, into which the
king dipped his finger, with which he touched the fish, and then rubbed
it on his forehead. This ceremony was said to presage good fortune. Then
came another officer, who buckled on his sword and buckler, all set with
large diamonds and rubies. Another hung on his quiver with thirty
arrows, and his bow-case, being that which had been presented by the
Persian ambassador. On his head, the king wore a rich turban, with a
plume of heron's crests, not many but long: On one side hung a rich
unset ruby as large as a walnut; on the other side a diamond of equal
size; and in the middle an emerald much larger, shaped like a heart. His
sash was wreathed about with a chain of great pearls, rubies, and
diamonds, drilled. A triple chain of excellent pearls, the largest I had
ever seen, hung round his neck. He had armlets above his elbows, richly
set with diamonds; and three rows of diamonds round each wrist. His
hands were bare, having a rich ring on almost every finger; and a pair
of English gloves were stuck into his girdle. His coat, without sleeves,
was of cloth of gold, over a fine robe as thin as lawn. On his feet he
wore buskins embroidered with pearls, the toes being sharp and turned
up.
Thus richly accoutred, he went into the coach, which waited for him
under the care of his new English servant, who was dressed as gaudily as
any player, and more so, and had trained four horses for the draught,
which were trapped and harnessed all in velvet and gold.
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