'A New Account of East-India and Persia, in Eight Letters. Being Nine Years Travels, Begun 1672. And Finished 1681. Containing Observations made of the Moral, Natural, and Artificial Estate of Those Countries: Namely, of their Government, Religion, Laws, Customs. Of the Soil, Climates, Seasons, Health, Diseases. Of the Animals, Vegetables, Minerals, Jewels. Of their Housing, Cloathing, Manufactures, Trades, Commodities. And of the Coins, Weights, and Measures, Used in the Principal Places of Trade in Those Parts.' [‎353] (400/506)

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The Frefent State o/ P E R S I A.
( where private Avarice and Pelf is preferred before Virtue and Ho- Chap. XII
, nefty, and a due Refpea: to the only Supreme Deity ) overtakes
thofe Wretches who were the caufe of their Overthrow. How it
fell out with the Perfians, who feemed to have'the jufter Caufe, I
cannot tell; but fome of Thofe People now alive, who were the Un-
doers of Thefe , are as Miferable, and it may be more, than
thole they madefo 5 .the Captain s Children having been known to
go anights to the Brew-hou fe for Grains for their Subfiftence, and the
reft of them who are ftill furviving are the unhappy fcorn of all that
know them ; whereas they thought by this deed to have purchafed a
Jafling Fame, and lived to have enjoyed their 111-got Goods; which
how it did thrive at home, thofe from whpfe Information I take this
have been, in part, Eye-witneflesbut here I amfure, at this time'
both Perfians, Arabs, and Turksy fare the better for it, while they
have divided among themfelves what was entirely the Portugals;
the Perfians in the mean while doing what they pleafe with us, To
that at this prefent, all things confidered, they allow us little more
than a Name; but even here the truth mud be confefled, it is be-
caufe we have no Ships to guard the Gulf; which if done, and the
Perfians could be made to ftand to their firft Terms, in my Opinion
muft turn to a good account, and be a thing of greater concern than
can be well managed by lels than a Royal Company; though as things
now ftand they have free recourfe to Tigris and Euphrates, this Sea
being open, which was always kept fhut by the For tubals, to their no
fmall profit. /
This Emperor, Shaw Ahas, in whofe time this was Atchiev'd, was ^
Cotemporary with our King James [. who had been happy in a Son, tZti 'son
if the Fates had not envied fo great a Man his Father's Favour; but for
his Virtue he reaped Hatred ; for there were not wanting fawning
Parafytes, who abufed the Emperor's Ears by fpreading abroad, and
cafting out words, as if his Son Mirza Suffee courted the Popular
Air; whereupon he withdrew his Countenance, and deprived him
of the common Light, by that barbarous Cuftom of the hot Iron
drawn over his Eye-balls; but feeing that could not fufBciently break
his Spirit, he having gone thus far, could not reft till he had per-
fecSted his Mortality by Poyfon: Thus what Virtue had raifed to
full growth, Jealoufy foon cut off, although he could leave no bet
ter Effigies of his Manners, Virtue, Conftancy, Piety, and towardly
Difpofition, than his Son Suffee ; to whom our Countryman Drey den
has ventured to give Immortality in his Tragedy called, The Sophy
which
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Suffee after his Grandfather's death enjoyed the Throne; who
when he gave place to Death ; permitted
tSto? the Good, who was the Father of
Shaw Scholymon, the prefent Emperor:
Who is a Man of a good Prefence, and of no mean Capacity, unlefs Theprefent
by indulging his Body he thickens his Underftanding, as well as he Emperor
has made his Body Grofs; he is Tall and very Flefhy, fo that when j^uch^.
he ftirs or laughs, all the Mufcles of the Scapula, as well as Ribs,
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