Notes concerning this fourth voyage into Persia, begun
in the moneth of July 1568. gathered by M. Richard
Willes from the mouth of Master Arthur Edwards,
which was Agent in the same.
WHEN he came first to the Sophies presence, at his court
in Casbin, bringing his interpreter with him, and standing
farre off, the Sophie (sitting in a seat roiall with a great
number of his noble men about him) bad him come neere,
and that thrise, until he came so neere him that he might
have touched him with his hand. Then the first demand
that he asked him was, from what countrey he came: he
answered, that he came from England. Then asked hee
of his noble men, who knew any such countrey? But
when Edwards saw that none of them had any intelligence
of that name, he named it Inghilterra
, as the Italians call
England. Then one of the noble men said Londro,
meaning thereby London, which name is better knowen
in far countries out of Christendom, then is the name of
England. When Edwards heard him name Londro, he
said that that was the name of the chiefe citie of England,
as was Teveris of the chiefe city of Persia. He asked
him many things more, as of the
realme of England,
marvelling that it should be an Island of so great riches
and power, as Edwards declared unto him: of the riches
& abundance of our merchandize he further understood
by our traffike in Moscovia and other countreis. He
demanded also many things of the Queenes majestie, and
of the customes and lawes of the realme: saying oftentimes in his owne language, Bara
colla, (that is to say)
Well sayd. He asked also many things of king Philip,
& of his wars against the Turke at Malta
. Then he
demanded of him what was the chiefe cause of his resort
into his realme. And being certified that it was for the
trade of merchandize, he asked what kind of merchandize
he could bring thither. Such (sayd hee) as the Venetian
merchants do, which dwelling in our country in the city of
Londro send to Venice
, & from thence into Turkie by
Halepo & Tripoli
in Syria
, from whence, as by the second
and third hands, with great charges of many customs and
other things thereunto pertaining, they are at the length
brought into your countrey and cities of Persia. What
merchandize are those? sayd the Sophie. Edwards
answered, that they were great abundance of fine karsies,
of broad clothes of all sorts & colours, as skarlets, violets,
and other of the finest cloth of all the world. Also that
the Venetians brought out of England not onely such
clothes ready made, but furthermore great plenty of fine
wooll to mingle with their wools, of which they could not
otherwise make fine cloth: affirming that there went out of
England yeerly that waies, above two hundred thousand
karsies, and as many broad clothes, beside fine wooll &
other merchandize, beside also the great abundance of like
clothes, the which were caried into Spaine, Barbarie, &
divers other countries. The Sophie then asked him by
what means such merchandize might be brought into
Persia. Right wel sir (said he) by the way of Moscovia,
with more safety and in much shorter time then the
Venetians can bring them: first from England to Venice
,
and from thence into Persia by the way of Turkie. And
therefore if it shai please your majestie to grant us free
passage into all your dominions, with such privileges as
may appertaine to the safegard of our lives, goods and
merchandize, we will furnish your countries with all such
merchandize and other commodities, in shorter time, and
better cheape then you may have the same at the Turks
hands. This talke and much more was between the
Sophie and Edwards for the space of two houres: all
which things liked him so well, that shortly after he
granted to the sayd Arthur Edwards other privileges for
the trade of merchandize into Persia, all written in Azure
and gold letters, and delivered unto the lord keeper of the
Sophie his great seale. The lord keeper was named Coche
Califay, who sayd that when the Shaugh (that is the king
or prince) did sit to seale any letters, that last priviledge
should be sealed & delivered to Laurence Chapman. In
this priviledge is one principall article for servants or
merchants: That if the Agent do perceive that upon their
naughtie doings, they would become Busormen, that then
the Agent wheresoever he shall find any such servant or
servants, to take them and put them in prison, and no
person to keepe them or maintaine them. This article
was granted in respect of a custome among the Persians,
being Mahumetans, whose maner is friendly to receive
and wel entertaine, both with gifts and living, all such
Christians, as forsaking their religion, wil become of the
religion of the Persians. Insomuch that before this priviledge was granted, there was great occasion of naughty
servants to deceive and rob their masters, that under the
colour of professing that religion, they might live among
them in such safetie, that you might have no lawe agaynst
them, either to punish them or to recover your goods at
their hands, or elsewhere. For before the Sophie (whom
they say to be a marvelous wise and gracious prince)
seemed to favour our nation, and to grant them such
priviledges, the people abused them very much, and so
hated them, that they would not touch them, but reviled
them, calling them Cafars and Gawars, which is, infidels
or misbeleevers. But after they saw how greatly the
prince favoured them, they had them afterward in great
reverence, and would kisse their hands and use them very
friendly. For before they tooke it for no wrong to rob
them, defraud them, beare false witnesse against them,
and such merchandizes as they had bought or sold, make
them take it againe, and change it as often as them listed.
And if any stranger by chance had killed one of them, they
would have the life of two for one slaine, and for the debts
of any stranger would take the goods of any other of the
same nation, with many other such like abuses, in maner
unknowen to the prince, before the complaints of our men
made unto him for reformation of such abuses: which
were the cause that no merchant strangers of contrary
religion durst come into his dominions with their commodities, which might be greatly to the profite of him and
his subjects.
The Articles of the second priviledge delivered to Laurence
Chapman, which are to be annexed unto the former
priviledge.
- Item, that the merchants have free libertie, as in
their first priviledge, to goe unto Gilan
, and all other
places of his dominions, now or hereafter when occasion
shall be given.
- Item, if by misfortune any of their ships should
breake, or fall upon any part of his dominions on the sea
coast, his subjects to helpe with all speed to save the
goods and to be delivered to any of the sayd merchants
that liveth : or otherwise to be kept in safetie until any of
them come to demaund them.
- Item, if any of the said merchants depart this life in
any citie or towne, or on the high way, his governours
there to see their goods safely kept, and to be delivered to
any other of them that shall demand them.
- Item, the said merchants to take such camel-men as
they themselves wil, being countrey people, and that no
Kissell Bash do let or hinder them. And the said owners
of the camels to bee bound to answere them such goods
as they shal receive at their hands, and the camel-men to
stand to the losses of their camels or horses.
- Item more, that the sayd Cariers do demaund no
more of them, then their agreement was to pay them.
- Item more, if they be at a price with any Cariers, &
have given earnest, the camel-men to see they keepe their
promise.
- Item, if any of the said merchants be in feare to
travel, to give them one or more to go with them and see
them in safetie with their goods, to the place they will
goe unto.
- Item, in all places, to say, in all cities, townes or
villages on the high way, his subjects to give them honest
roume, and victuals for their money.
- Item, the sayd merchants may in any place, where
they shall thinke best, build or buy any house or houses
to their owne uses. And no person to molest or trouble
them, and to stand in any Caravan where they will, or
shal thinke good.
THE commodities which the merchants may have by this
trade into Persia are thought to bee great, and may in
time perhaps be greater then the Portugals trade into ye
East Indies, forasmuch as by the way of Persia into
England, the returne may be made every yeere once:
whereas the Portugals make the returne from Calecut but
once in two yeeres, by a long and dangerous voiage all by
sea: for where as the citie and
Island of Ormus, lying
in the gulfe of Persia, is the most famous
Mart towne of
all East India, whither al ye merchandises of India are
brought, the same may in shorter time and more safely
be brought by land and rivers through Persia, even unto
the
Caspian sea, and from thence by the countreis of
Russia
or Moscovia by rivers, even unto the citie of Yeraslave, and from thence by land 180. miles to Vologda,
and from thence againe all by water even unto England.
The merchandises which be had out of Persia for the
returne of wares are silke of all sortes of colours, both
raw and wrought. Also all maner of spices and drugs,
pearles & precious stones, likewise carpets of divers sortes,
with divers other rich merchandises. It was told me of
them that came last from Persia, that there is more silke
brought into some one city of Persia, then is of cloth
brought into the
city of London. Also that one village of
Armenia
named Gilgat doeth care yeerely five hundred,
and sometime a thousand mules laden with silke to Halepo
in Soria of Turkie, being 4. dayes journey from Tripoli
,
where the Venetians have their continuall abiding, and
send from thence silks which they returne for English
karsies and other clothes into all partes of Christendome.
The maner how the Christians become Busormen, and
forsake their religion.
I HAVE noted here before that if any Christian wil become
a Busorman, that is, one that hath forsaken his faith, and
be a Mahumetan of their religion, they give him many
gifts, and sometime also a living. The maner is, that
when the devill is entred into his heart to forsake his faith,
he resorteth to the Soltan or governor of the towne, to
whom hee maketh protestation of his divelish purpose.
The governour appointeth him a horse, and one to ride
before him on another horse, bearing a sword in his hand,
and the Busorman bearing an arrow in his hand, and
rideth in the citie, cursing his father and mother: and if
ever after he returne to his owne religion, he is guiltie of
death, as is signified by the sword borne before him. A
yong man, a servant of one of our merchants, because he
would not abide the correction of his master for his faults,
was minded to forsake his faith. But (as God would) he
fell suddenly sicke and died, before he gave himselfe to
the devill. If he had become a Busorman, he had greatly
troubled the merchants: for if he would then have said
that halfe their goods had bene his, they would have given
credite unto him. For the avoiding of which inconvenience, it was granted in the privileges, that no Busorman,
&c. as there appeareth.
In Persia in divers places oxen and kine beare the tents
and houshold stuffe of the poore men of the countrey,
which have neither camels nor horses.
Of the tree which beareth Bombasin cotton, or
Gossampine.
IN Persia is great abundance of Bombasin cotton, & very
fine: this groweth on a certaine litle tree or brier, not
past the height of a mans waste or litle more: the tree
hath a slender stalke like unto a brier, or to a carnation
gillifloure, with very many branches, bearing on every
branch a fruit or rather a cod, growing in round forme,
containing in it the cotton: and when this bud or cod
commeth to the bignes of a walnut, it openeth and sheweth
foorth the cotton, which groweth still in bignes untill it
be like a fleece of wooll as big as a mans fist, and
beginneth to be loose, and then they gather it as it were
the ripe fruite. The seeds of these trees are as big as
peason, and are blacke, and somewhat flat, and not round;
they sowe them in plowed ground, where they grow in the
fields in great abundance in many countries in Persia, and
divers other regions.
The writing of the Persians.
ARTHUR EDWARDS shewed me a letter of the Sophie,
written in their letters backward, subsigned with the
hands both of the Sophy & his Secretarie. The Sophies
subscription was onely one word (his name I suppose was
Shaugh) written in golden letters upon red paper. The
whole letter was also written on the same piece of red
paper, being long & narow, about ye length of a foote,
and not past three inches broad. The private signet of
the Sophie was a round printed marke about the bignes of
a roial, onely printed upon the same paper without any
waxe or other seale, the letter seem so mishapen and
disordered, that a man would thinke it were somwhat
scribled in maner at adventures. Yet they say that almost
every letter with his pricke or circunflexe signifieth a
whole word. Insomuch that in a piece of paper as big as
a mans hand their writing doeth containe as much as
doeth ours almost in a sheet of paper.
