In The Evening I Went To The Durbar To Wait Upon The King, Where I Met
The Persian Ambassador With The First Muster Of His Presents.
He seemed
a jester or juggler, rather than a person of any gravity, continually
skipping up and down, and acting all his words like a mimic player, so
that the Atachikanne was converted as it were into a stage.
He
delivered all his presents with his own hand, which the king received
with smiles and a chearful countenance, and many gracious words. His
tongue was a great advantage to the Persian in delivering his own
business, which he did with so much flattery and obsequiousness, that he
pleased as much that way as by his gifts, constantly calling his majesty
king and commander of the world, forgetting that his own master had a
share of it; and on every little occasion of favourable acceptance, he
made his tessalims. When all was delivered for that day, he prostrated
himself on the ground, making sizeda, and knocking his head on the
floor as if he would have entered it.
The gifts this day were a handsome quiver for a bow and arrow, richly
embroidered; all sorts of European fruits, artificially made, and laid
on dishes; many folding purses, and other knacks, of leather, curiously
wrought in coloured silks; shoes stitched and embroidered: great mirrors
in richly inlaid frames; one square piece of velvet, highly embroidered
with gold in panes, between which were Italian pictures wrought in the
stuff, which he said were the king and queen of Venice, being, as I
suppose, the hanging called Venetian tapestry, of which six were given,
but only one shown. There were besides, many other curiosities of small
value; after which came the three times nine horses and mules, the
latter being very handsome, but the horses had lost their beauty and
condition, as, except one or two, they were very unfit for being sent or
accepted between princes. This done, the Persian returned, with many
antic tricks, to his place, which was far inferior to mine, as I stood
alone, and above all the subjects, though Asaph Khan at first wanted to
put me from it, but I maintained it as my right, having been appointed
me by the king. This was only the first act of the play presented by
the Persian ambassador, which will not be finished in ten days.
The 22d I went to the prince's secretary for the promised Surat letter;
but his highness had changed his mind, and, loth to let the presents
pass without ransacking them, refused to seal the letter. The secretary
pretended they could not be allowed to pass without search, lest the
merchants, under that pretence, might defraud the customs. I was
offended, and going away; but the secretary prevailed on me to go with
him to the prince, to whom I delivered some feathers, being two
plurides and two birds of paradise, which he graciously accepted; and
having made known my determination not to have the presents opened, or
to be sent up by any others than my own servants, he at last yielded,
and commanded his secretary to make out the dispatch in my own way.
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