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206
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JULY, 1906.
had sent for me & writt me if [I] did not come, I was ye cause to bring his gray haires in sorrow to ye graue. He askt if my fra weere Lords or what honor they had. I told him only Gentlemen & I a Tradsman.
Before this ye Emperror & ye Old La his freind tooke me privat And Exammoned Me in My religion vizt., If we had Moses Law, If we had ye Sacrifize of Abram And if we had ye pfetts, wch said Issara' sou' la law' [Isa ar-rasulullah] should come.
They haue litle of ye old testamt & vnderstand lesse. The Emp askt of ye Creation from Adam. I had lernt my Cattechize and out of it, Mr Balls, gaue them some of or princypalls. The Emperror caused it to be written in theire Language. And askt me what was ment by Orriginall sinn or Corruption of ye whole nature. For 6 days he & his Counsell debated it & at last Sd his Slaues slane knew much. He askt how many wifes his slaue had, meaninge ye Kinge. I said but One. Issa' ra' sou' la 'law' [Isa ar-rasulu'llah] commands he should haue noe more. Wth that he smott his brest but sd noethinge in answer to yt, Bat said, Is' sa' ra soulalaw we read is to come. I said, he is alredy come & was in ye forme of Man, Relating his Birth, Sufferings, Merrackls And assention; & sd he will come againe, But it wilbe at the last day to iudgemt, ye good to life & ye bad to everlasting death. Wth that yo Emper" lift vp his eles to heaven & sd, Hodah mara cull [Khuda hamara ankh khōl], Lord open my Eies, and Kist the Booke. He commanded me Seuerai tymes to pray, Asking me to whome we praid, Sun or Moone. I told him we praid to God for all things throw ye Mediation of his sonn. He then caused me to show ye posture & to speake my prayer a Loud in their tong, & he & ye Ld my frd kneeled as I did & vsed the same postures I did in my prayer. This he commanded me often & kist y" bible & put it on his heade & would open it at venter & cause me read in yt place, And to tell him wtt it ment. I sd I was a tradesman & verry Ignorant in Is' sa' ra' la' sou' la' law' [Isa ar-rasulullah]. I know but little for my privat practice. Hee replied we knew much, & [was] might[y] Importunate to haue me instruct them in Issara sou la law, yts ye Gospell of or Savior. I did soe far as my weake Capassity served. The Etaperror then sd, we never had anie to tell or teach vs in Issa' ra' la' son' la' law', we would gladly be tought & importunate with me. I said I would bringe wth me men, hable fully to instruct them to theire. desire. The Empor had then granted me leaue to goe. He, ye Emp, sd they had herd theire weere xpians, but never one before was in his Contrey.
Mad Not only the Emperrer, but Gennerally all ye Court & Contrey, are Mightily nclined to be instructed, And are Gennerally affable, iust & witty, And a Contrey for plenty & riches, A good Climate And Grandure of State of yo Emperror. All yt ever I saw not to be Compared with it, men & weomen Beautifull, & of stature, & white.
In this Contrey are abondance of Ollyfants bredd. They haue but one in 3 yeares, some tymes two they bring forth. They are verry loveing & intelligeable Creatures & will doe ought tought. I haue seene them weepe when they haue beene Commanded wit theire strenth would not doe; they vnderstand words & will goe an errand.
The Emperror Kills in his Kitchin every day 3: 4: 5: or 6, not yt he eats anie, tho they are rare food, but for Gandue [Grandeur] yt noe prince in ye world can doe ye like. Anie tought Ollifant theire is worth 6: 700 lb some 2000, but untought, anie size, 500 pounds.
Againe I was Importuned to stay, but as before wept & told them wtt I had don was for my, liberty, elce I would [have] chosen rather to die. This Le replied, was it not better beinge made a Ld, And wall told me y Emperror would send for me & threaten me, but resenting [feeling for] my greefe, Sa to me, be not aff raid, I will stand yor freinde, & tho ye Emperror threaten you
89 John Ball, a Puritan Divine, was the author of "A short Catechisme," published in 1648.
