Yet He Forbore To Break
Open The Packages, But Pressed The English To Consent, Which They
Refused By My Orders, And He Thought To Win Them To His Purpose By
Vexatious Usage.
For it is the custom in this country, for the great men
to see all merchant goods before even the king, that they may chuse
first; but I resolved, if possible, to break that bad custom, in our
behalf.
That he might satisfy his own cupidity, the prince sent up a courier to
the king, before I could get intelligence, giving notice of having
detained the goods, but without mentioning that they were presents, and
requested his authority to have them opened, that he might purchase what
he fancied. This faithless proceeding of the prince, contrary to his
promise and his own written orders, satisfied me that I was justifiable
in the eyes of all, if I carried my complaint directly to the king,
having used every possible means to procure favour from the prince, and
having already suffered beyond the patience of a free-born man; so that
I must now be blameless by using rougher means, having already
fruitlessly proved all smoother expedients. I therefore resolved to
appeal for justice, by complaint to the king in person, yet as calmly
and warily as possible. I feared to go to Asaph Khan on this occasion,
lest he might oppose my purpose, yet thought my neglect of him might be
displeasing; wherefore, if I sent to acquaint him that I proposed to
visit the king at the guzalcan, I dreaded he might suspect my purpose,
if he had learnt the injury I meant to complain of. For all which
reasons, I considered how best to avoid being counteracted.
The visit of the king to the dervise, just mentioned, gave me a good
opportunity, and my new linguist, who was a Greek I had sent for from
Agimere, being ready, I rode out to meet the king, who was returning
from the holy man on his elephant. On his majesty's approach, I
alighted, and made a sign that I wished to speak to the king, who
immediately turned his monster towards me, and prevented me, by saying,
"My son has taken your goods and my presents; be not therefore sad, for
he shall not touch nor open a lock or a seal; for at night I shall send
him an order to set them free." He made other gracious speeches,
intimating that he knew I had come brim-full of complaints, and that he
had spoken first to ease me. At this time, seeing that the king was on
the road, I could do no more; but at night, without farther seeking to
Asaph Khan, I went to the guzalcan, determined to proceed with my
complaints, to get back my goods, and to seek redress for the charges,
troubles, and abuses at Surat, and all our other grievances.
As soon as I came in, the king called my interpreter before him, and, by
means of his own, intimated that he had already dispatched his orders so
effectually, that not even to the value of a hair should be abstracted
from our goods.
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