Some Months Afterwards, The New
Convert Craved Some Courtesy From The King, Which He Denied, Saying, "I
Have Already Done
You the greatest of all favours, in allowing you to
save your soul; but you must provide for your own
Body the best way you
can." The king likes not those who change their religion, being himself
of none but according to his own fancy, and freely allows therefore of
all religions in his dominions. Of which I may give the following
notable example:
He had an Armenian in his service, named Scander, whom he one day asked
if he thought any of the padres had ever converted a single Mahometan
to be a true Christian, for conscience sake, and not for money. Scander
answered, with great confidence, that he had one as his servant, who was
a sincere Christian, and would not be of any other for any worldly
consideration. The king immediately caused this man to be sent for, and
bidding Scander depart, he examined the convert as to his reasons for
having become a Christian. In reply, he quoted certain feeble jesuitical
reasons, declaring his determination to be of no other religion, though
the king made him many fair speeches and large offers to return to
Mahometism, offering him pensions, and the command of horse. He said he
had now only four rupees a month, which was a poor recompense for
becoming a Christian, but if he would recant, he would give him high
dignities and large means. The fellow answered, that he had not become a
Christian for such small wages, as he was able to earn as much in the
service of a Mahometan; but was a Christian in his heart, and was
determined so to continue. Finding this method ineffectual, the king
turned his tune, and tried him with threats of severe punishment, unless
he returned to the faith of Mahomet. But the proselyte manfully declared
he would suffer any thing, being ready to endure whatever the king was
pleased to order. Upon this declaration, when all the by-standers
expected present and severe castigation, the king suddenly changed his
manner towards him, highly commending his constancy and resolution,
bidding him return to his master, and to serve him faithfully, and
ordered him an allowance of one rupee a-day for his integrity.
About two months afterwards, the king returned from hunting wild-hogs,
an animal which is held in abhorrence by all Mahometans, and which kind
of venison, therefore, the king was in use to distribute among the
Christians and Rajaputs. On this occasion, the king sent for the
converted catechumen above mentioned, and commanded him to take up a hog
for his master, which no Mahometan will touch. He did so, but on going
out of the court gate, he was so hooted at by the Mahometans, that he
threw down his burden in a ditch, and went home; concealing what had
passed from his master. Some four days afterwards, the Armenian being on
duty in presence of the king, he asked him if the hog he had sent him
was good meat. The Armenian replied, that he had not seen or heard of
any. The king therefore immediately ordered the convert to be sent for,
who confessed that he had not carried home the hog, as being mocked by
the Mahometans for touching so great an abomination, he had for shame
thrown it away. On this the king observed, "By your Christian law there
is no difference of meats. Are you ashamed of your law, or do you
outwardly forsake it to flatter the Mahometans? I now see that you are
neither a good Christian nor a good Mahometan, but a knave dissembling
with both. When I believed you sincere, I gave you a pension, which I
now take from you for your dissimulation, and I farther condemn you to
receive an hundred stripes." These were presently paid him, instead of
his money; and the king desired all to take warning by this example,
that, having given liberty of conscience to all religions, he would have
all to adhere to what they professed.
SECTION IX.
ACCOUNT OF THE WRONGS DONE TO THE ENGLISH AT BANDA BY THE DUTCH, IN 1617
AND 1618.[254]
INTRODUCTION.
This section contains a letter from Mr Thomas Spurway, merchant or
factor, addressed from Bantam, "To the Honourable and Right Worshipful
the East India Company of England, touching the wrongs done at Banda to
the English by the Hollanders; the former unkind disgusts and brabling
quarrels now breaking unexpectedly out into a furious and injurious
war." Such is the account given of this section by Purchas, who farther
informs his readers, "That the beginning of this letter was torn, and
therefore imperfect in his edition; but, what is here defective, was to
be afterwards supplied from the journals of Nathaniel Courthop, and
other continuations of these insolences of the Dutch at Banda, by Mr
Hayes, and others." These journals of Courthop and Hayes are so
intolerably and confusedly written, and so interlarded with numerous
letters about the subject of these differences with the Dutch, that we
have been reluctantly under the necessity of omitting them, being so
monstrously inarticulate as to render it impossible to make them at all
palatable to our readers, without using freedoms that were altogether
inadmissible in a work like the present.
[Footnote 254: Purch. Pilgr. I. 608.]
From this letter, and other information of a similar nature, it appears
that the attempts to form establishments for trade at Banda and the
Molucca islands were found to be difficult or impracticable, owing to
the opposition of the Dutch, who were much stronger in that part of
India, and had not only conceived the plan of monopolizing the spice
trade, but even avowed their determination to exclude the English and
all other European nations from participating in any share of it. We do
not pretend, in our Collection, to write the history of the English East
India Company, but merely to give a series of the voyages which
contributed to the establishment of that princely association of
merchant adventurers.
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