46 SIR THOMAS ROE’S VOYAGE TO INDIA.

that die worth two or three millions, he gives fome fmall lordihip to begin the worldanew.

The King fits out in three feveral places at three times of the day, except fomethingextraordinary hinder him. An hour at noon to fee his elephants fight; from four til!five to entertain all comers, to be feen and worlhipped; from nine till midnight amidlthis principal men in more familiarity, being below among them.

AH the policy of his ftate is to keep the greateft men about him, or to pay themafar off liberally. There is no council, but every officer gives the King his opinionapart.

Pie (meaning Jehan Guire) is of countenance cheerful, and not proud in nature, butonly by habit and cuftom; for at night he is very affable, and full of gentle conver-fation.

[There is an account in this letter of Sir Thomas Roe’s audience, but that is to befeen before in the journal.]

An Extra A of a Letter of Sir Thomas Roe to the Archbijhop of Canterbury. Dated at

Adfmere, the 30th of October, 1616.

BEFORE the inundation of Temer the Great, that is Tamerlan, the ninth anceftorof this King, thefe countries were governed by divers heathen petty Princes, wor(hip-ping all forts of creatures after their feveral manners. Tamerlan’s offspring broughtin the knowledge of Mahomet, but impofed it on none by the law of conqueft, leavingconfciences at liberty. So that the natives from the circumcifion brought in by theMahometans, called them Moguls, or chief of the circuihcifed. Among the Mogulsthere are many ftridt Mahometans, many that follow Hali his fon-in-law, and otherlater prophets, who have their Xerifes, Mulhaes, and priefts, their mofques, religiousvotaries, wafhings, praying, and ceremonies without end. And as for penitents, nofeet in the world can fliew fuch Arrange examples, nor boaft of fuch voluntary poverty,punifhments, fufferings, and chaflifements as thefe, who are all efteemed holy men,but of a mixed religion, not upright with their prophet *. The Gentiles are of moreforts, fome valiant good foldiers, drinking wine, eating hog’s fidh, but worlhippingthe figure of a beaft. Some who will not touch the fleffi that is not holy by imputa-tion ; others that will not eat any thing that ever had life, nor kill the vermin thatbites them, nor drink in the fame cup with thofe that do, fuperftitious in waffling, andmoll zealous in their profeffion ; but all of them aferibe a fort of divinity to theirriver Ganges, at which once a year forty or fifty thoufand meet, and caff in gold andfilver for an oblation. In like manner they reverence a pig’s head in a pagod near thiscity, and all living cows, and fome other beafts and creatures. Thefe have their pa-gods, and holy men, prophets, witches, foothfayers, and all other impoftures of thedevil. The Mahometan Mulhaes know fomewhat in philofophy and the mathematics,are great aftrologers, and can talk of Ariftotle, Euclid, Averroes , and other authors.The learned tongue is the Arabian. In this confufion they continued till the time ofEzbar Sha, father to this King, without any knowledge of Chriffianity f. Ezbar Shabeing a Prince by nature juft and good, inquifitive after novelties, curious of new opi-

* Sir Thomas Roe (hould have excepted the idolaters in India , who far outdo the Mahometans in thisparticular.

f This is another miftake in Sir Thomas Roe, for they had always heard of Chriftianity, and there wereCkrillians both in Pcrfia and fome parts of India .

mons,