Yet, From The Love I
Bear To The King Of Persia, By Whose Ambassador I Am Solicited, And From
Affection
For the English, together with the faithful performance of the
writing left with me under their hands and seals by
The two merchants
before named, I hereby promise the English nation, under my hand and
seal, if they will come like themselves, so fitted that I may derive
more advantage from them than from the Portuguese, that I will
infallibly grant them trade here, with such reasonable privileges as we
may agree upon."
Given at Diul, this 3d of October, 1613.
ARAH MANEWARUS.
Having received this writing on the 4th October, together with orders
from the governor to his officers for our being furnished with water and
refreshments, we made haste to return to our ships. A little before we
went away, the ambassador fell into discourse with us about procuring a
firmaun from the Great Mogul, for which purpose he wished Mr Salbank
to accompany him to Agra, the principal residence of that sovereign,
affirming that he would procure that grant of trade for us in a short
time, for which he alleged there was now a favourable opportunity, both
because he had other business to transact at the court of the Mogul, and
in consequence of the willingness of Manewardus to admit us to trade
at his port. He alleged likewise that we might never have so favourable
an opportunity, and assured us that he would therein shew himself a
true-hearted Englishman, whatever the company of merchants might think
of him; and that Mr Salbank should be an evidence of his earnest
endeavours to serve the merchants in procuring this firmaun, not only
for Diul, but for other parts of the Mogul dominions, and should also
carry the grant with him over-land to England. All this seemed
reasonable, and as Mr Salbank had been before in these parts, he was
very willing to go, provided it met with the approbation of the captain
and me, and the other gentlemen in the ship; for which purpose the
ambassador wrote a letter to our captain, to urge his consent, which we
carried with us.
We left Diul that same day about four in the afternoon, and on going to
the river side to take boat, many of the natives flocked about to look
at us. We were likewise joined by about a dozen Portuguese, who began to
talk with us in Dutch, as before, asking many frivolous questions. I now
answered them in their own language, on purpose that the Banians, who
were present, might understand what I said; telling them that they were
a shameless and lying people to spread so many slanderous and false
reports of our nation, while they knew their own to be much inferior to
ours in many respects, and that their scandalous conduct proceeded
merely from malignant policy to prevent us from participating with them
in the trade of India. To this I added, that if they did not restrain
themselves within due peaceful bounds, amending their behaviour both in
words and actions, they should be all driven out of India, and a more
honest and loyal nation substituted in their place.
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