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MAT, 1907.3 THE TRAVELS OF RICHARD BELL (AND JOHN CAMPBELL).
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Two days after, we weere sent for, & My flower being come home from Cammertoon [Gombroon], [who] had a peent for the Kinge from the Company, 4 went wth me. Ye Kinge askt me what I had brought from India rare, & gd, theirs few travellers by land but bring rarities wth them. I Sa, Only my person. Sd ye King, we have seene many french, bat few Engl travell home by land, & ye french bring not only theire persons. I then told him I had a Stone [Bezoar] would Expell poyson. Yo Kinge desired to see it. I showed it; he sleighted it, sayinge this is but a stone, what vertge can theire be in it. I s, gine me w poyeon you can, & then yo vertae will be showne.
One of his Capons [eanuchs] brought a Glasse of poyson. M+ flowers then left me wth a looke as if he would [have] kild me.
One of yo Kings Cheife Docters gane it to me. I dranke it, ye Kinge first desireing me sit at a distance & sd, freinde, if ya kill yor selfe I have noe hand in it; haue a care.
I cald for a Basin. A Jarr of gold was brought. I then tooke my poyson stone & put it into a glasse of wyne q [containing] I of a pinte & kept y stone in yo wyne a quarter of an hower or more. ga the Kinge, his Nobles & Docter by, when I had dranke, He stumbles not at it. Sa the Docter, he hath as much as would kill Ten Ollyfants; he cannot live; Its the wyne makes him soe Curagious. With that I drank of my wyne & pat ye stone into a little warme water (y quantity I had dranke of wyne), & drank it. Immeadiatly I fell vommittinge. gd the Kingo, now hes deade. I vommitted
of an hower ; y don, I tooke water & washt my mouth and face & cald for a glass wyne. Now gd ye Kinge, I se ye stone hath vertue. Not, sa the Docter, for a Kingdome would I doe soe much. I must, sa yo Kinge, hane yo Stone, & what it Cost or yu will have for it, I will give yo; But first purged me on my Oath wtt it cost me. I, on my Oath, told him it cost me 3000 Bopees, woh is 8371 10s Engl money.36 He then said, ask a Gift. (Mdd. This was but a peece of A Stone.) In then comes my Cozen flowers.36 gd the Kinge, yor freind is not deade. Sd Mifflowers to me, now y have a good occation if ya vallew my honor or the Company, Ask yo Arreeres at Commerroon woh weere for 4 yeares. I was silent. Sa he Kinge, aske. I askt y arreares. Yo Kinge granted it, & caused thee Acoompts to be stated, woh caime to Two lack of Abasse, wth is about 50000 fifty Thowsand pounds Engl money.37
When yo Lds gane ye Kinge this aoc!, The Kinge Sd to me, had yo not better (have) asked for yor selfe. A smaller thinge would have contented yo, But my word is past, & yors granted.38 But will not y, yoword beinge granted, be willinge to serve me. I replied, wth all my heart, but I must obey my Kinge. Give, sa he, it vnder yo' & Mifflowers hand, if you come not, yu will furnish me wth 3 as good men. Mifflower past it vnder his hand.
The King gave me a Serpaw [saropā], that is Sash, cote & Girdle worth 300 Dollars.
* This was Flower's second visit to Ispahan.' In 1666, at the time of the Coronation of Shah Sulaiman, he W sont by the President of Surat to the Persian Court. He had orders to keep an eye on the Dutoh deputation and their great present, to attend their motion and observe att Court, and learne what their business is, as also by his personalo appearance ohooke the liberty which they would otherwise take in abusing you our Masters and the nation."- General Letter from Surat to the Court, Factory Records, Miscellaneous, Vol. 2. On the occasion spoken of in the text, Flower arrived at Ispahan on the 9th Aug. 1669. Writing to Surat on the 5th Sept. (Factory Records, Surat, VoL 105), Flower remarks that " The King with his Court lately retired to one of his Gardens with purpose after 8 or 10 days stay to proceed towards Gundeman (not fare from Bussers) being Jealous for the Turks who are masters of it." Flower gives an account of his ibterview with the “ Ettamon Dowlett" on the 3rd Sept. and of the minister's promise to " Aoquaint the King with our Complaints, but does not say that he had any personal interview with the King, nor does he allude to Campbell, For Flower's first embassy to the Persian Court, see Chardin, The Coronation of Solyman III., p. 66, ed. 1991.
15 4, ., at 20. Sd. the rupee. .
I have not been able to trace the relationship between Campbell and Flower. See note 19 on p. 103, ante, where Flower writes of Campbell as of a stranger.
31 The author's caloulation cannot be right. Sir Thon, Herbert in 1077 rates the Abai at Ls. 1d. This would make the two lao amount to £13,383 68. 8d.
The records of the time make no allusion to any sugh concession by Shah Sulaimio.
