'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎49] (368/1024)

Book I.
Travels in India.
and till the return of the King he never ftirr’d out of the Gate, where he lodg’d
neither by night nor day. At fuch a time that it was, that I was permitted to
fee the Palace of Agra. The King being departed for Gehanabad, whither all the
Court followed him, together with the Women, the Government of the Palace
was given to" one that was a great Friend of the Hollanders^ and indeed to all the
Vrangms. Menheir Fdam, chief of the Holland Faftory at Agra, fo foon as the
King was departed, went to vilit the Lord, and to prefent him according to
cuftom. The Prefent was worth about 6000 Crowns, and confined in Spices.
Cabinets of Jay an y and fine Holland-CXodXh. He ddlr 7 d me to go along with
him when he went to Compliment the Governour. But the Lord being offended
that he had put himfelf to fo much charge, forc’d him to carry the Prefent back
again, taking only one Japan-Cane, of fix that were in the Prefent, telling him he
would have no more, out of the kindnefs which he had for the Frangidz.. Nay
he would not fo much as take the Gold-head and Ferula, but caus’d" them to be
taken off. The Complements being over, the Governour ask’d Menheir Fetnm
wherein he might ferve him .• whereupon he dellring the favour, than fnce the
Court was gone, he might fee the iniide of the Palace, the Governour granted his
requeft, and order’d lix men to attend him.
The firft Gate where the Governor of the Palace lies, is a long blind Arch,
which leads you into a large Court all environ’d with Portico’s} like our Pia^a
in Covent-Garden, The Gallery in front is larger and higher than any of the reff,
fuftain’d by three ranks of, Pillars, and under thofe Galleries on the other fide of
the Court which are narrower and lower, are little Chambers for the Souldiers
of the Guard. In themidfi: of the large Gallery, is a Nich in the Wall, into
which the King defcends out of his Haram by a private pair of Stairs, and
when he is in, he feems to be in a kind of a Tomb. He has no Guards withhim
then, for he has no reafon to be afraid of any thing } there being no way to
come at him. In the heat of the day he keeps himfelf there only with one
Eunuch,but more often with one of his Children, to fan him. The Great Lords
of the Court ffay below in the Gallery under the Nich all the while.
At the farther end of this Court is another Gate that leads into a fecond
Court encompaft with Galleries, underneath which, are little Chambers for fome
Officers of the Palace. The fecond Court carries you into a third, which is the
King’s Quarter. Cha-jehan had refolv’d to cover with Silver all the Arch of a
Gallery upon the right-hand. And a frcnch-man, Aufiin de Bordeaux by name,
was to have done the work.- but the King not finding any one in his wholeKing*
dom fo capable as the French-xnan was to treat with the Portugals at Goa about
fome important affair he had at this time ^ the defign was' laid afide : For they
being afraid of Auftins Parts,poifon’d him upon his return to Cochin. This Gal
lery is painted with branch’d-work of Gold and Azure, and the lower-part is
hung with Tapeftry. There are feveral doors under the Galkry that lead into
little fquare-Chambers} of which we faw two or three open’d, and they told us
all the reft were fiach. The other three fides of the Court lie all open', there be
ing,nothing but a fingle Wall, no higher than for a njan to lean over. On the
fide that looks toward the River there is a Divan, or a kind of out-jutting Bal
cony, where the King fits to fee his Brigantines,or to behold his Elephants fight.
Before the Divan is a Gallery, that ferves for a Portico} which Cha-jehan had a
defign to have adorn’d all over with a kind of Lattice-work of Emraulds and Ru
bies that Ihould havereprefented to the life Grapes when they are green,and when
they begin to grow red. But this defign which made fuch a noife in the World,
.ana requir’d more Riches, than all the World could afford to perfect, remains
untiniffi d ; there being only three Stocks of a Vine in Gold, with their leaves ? as
y, re ft ought to have been} and enamel’d in their natural colours, with Em-
nf u ^ u ^ es an d Granates wrought into the falhion of Grapes. In the middle
the Court ftands a great Fat to bath in, 40 foot in Diameter, cut out of one
n ire grey-ftone, with fteps wrought out of the fame ftone within and with-
fo t .^ e Monuments which are in and about Agra, they are very fair ones,
amK • re ^ carce . an Lunuch belonging to the King’s Haram, that is not very
oitiQus of leaving a fair Monument behind him. Indeed, when they have
> * H heaped