'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.' [‎86] (757/1024)

Dehli and Agra
I bow wi& I could lead you about in the Seraglio^ as I have done in the reft of the
Fortrefs : but who is the Traveller that can fpeak of that as an Eye-witnefs ? I have
fomedmes entred into it when the King was not at Dehli^ and I think pretty far, up 0n
die occafion of a great Lady, that was fo fick that die could not be carried to the Gate
according to cuftom i but I had always a Covering of Kachemire over my Head, which
like a great Scarf hung down to my Feet, and an Eunuch conduced me by the Hand
like a blind Man, fo that I cannot particularly defcribe to you what it is. Only in gene
ral I can tell you, according to what I have learnt from fome Eunuchs, that in it there
are very handfom Apartments fevered one from another, more or lefs great and (lately
according to the Quality and the Penfions of the Women i that there is almoft no
Chamber but it hath at its Door a Store-houfe of running Water > that kis full of Par
terres, pleafant Walks, (hady Places, Rivolets, Fountains, Jets of Water, Grbtta’s, great
Caves againfi the heat of the day, and great TerrafTes raifed high, and very airy, f 0
deep upon in the cool s in a word, you know not there what kis to be hot. They prin
cipally boaft of a little Tower refpeding the River, being, fay they, covered with
Plates of Gold, as thofc two that are at 4 gra, and within all Gold and Azure, very
handfom and rich Figures and Looking-glaffes.
This is very near what I can tell you of the Fortrefs,, yet before we leave it, let us
return once more to the Am-bfl. I am now going to reprefent it to you after the man
ner I faw it at certain Fehivals of the Year, efpecially at that which was kept after the
War for an extraordinary rejoycingi for this is one of the mod remarkable things 1
have feen*
The King appeared iitting upon his Throne, in the bottom of the great Hall of the
Am-kai, fpiendidly apparelled. His Veit was of white Sattin Fowred, and raifed with
a very fine Embroidery of Gold and Silk. His Turban was of Cloth of Gold, having a
Fowl wrought upon it like an Heron, whofe foot was covered with Diamonds of an
extraordinary bignefs and price, with a great Oriental Topas, which may be faid to be
imtchlefs, {tuning like a little Sun. A Collar of big Pearls hung about his Neck down
to his Stomach, after the manner that fome Heathens wear here their great Beads. His
Throne was fupported by fix high Pillars, or Feet, faid to be of maifie Gold, and fet
with Rubies, Emeralds and Diamonds. I am not able to tell you aright, neither the
number nor the price of this heap of precious Stones, becaufe it is not permitted to
come near enough to count them, and to judge of their water and purity. Only thisf
can fay, that the big Diamonds are there in coofufion, and that the Throne is eflirmted
to be worth four Kmrmre? of Roupies, if I remember well. I have faid elfewhere, that
a Rmjiie is almoft equivalent to half a Crown, a Leeque to an hundred theufand Rou-
pks, and a Kmrour? to an hundred Lecques : fo that the Throne is valued forty millions
of Roupies, which are worth about fixty millions of French Livers. Cbab-Jehan^ the
Father of Aureng-Zebe, is he that caufed it to be made, to fhew fo many precious Stones
as fucceifively had been amaffedin the Treafury, of theSpoyls of thofe ancient Fat a ns
and and of thePrefents which the Ommhs are obliged to make yearly upon cer
tain Feftival days. The Art and Workmanfhip of this Throne is not anfwerable to the
Matter: that which! find upon it beff devifed, are two Peacocks covered with precious
Stones and Pearls, which are the work of a French-man, called— that was an
admirable Workman, and that after having circumvented many Princes with his Doub
lets, which he knew how to make admirably well, Fed unto this Court, where he made
his Fortune. Beneath this Throne there appeared all the Otnrahs in fpiendid Apparel,
upon a raifed Ground covered with a great Canopy of purFed Gold with great golden
Fringes, and inclofed by a filver BaliFre. The Pillars of the Hall were hung witb Ta-
peftries of purFed Gold, having the ground of Gold * and for the roof of the Hall, there
was nothing but great Canopies of Fowred Sattin, faftened with red filken Cords, that
had big tufts of Silk mixt with threads of Gold hanging on them. Below there was
, nothing to bcfeenbut great filkcnTapeftries very rich, of an extraordinary length and
breadth. In the Court there was fet abroad a certain Tent they call the AJj>ex, as long
and large as the Hall and more. It was joyned to the Hall by the upper part, and
reached almoft as far as to the middle of the Court b mean time it was all inclofed by a
great BaliFre covered with Plates of Silver. It was fupported by three Pillars, being of
the thicknefs and heightof aBarge-maft, and by fome leffer ones, and they all were co
vered with Plates of Silver. It was red from without, and lined within with thofe fine
Chines, or Cloth painted by a Pencil of MaJUpatan, purpofdy wrought and contrived