Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A62173
|
The present state of Persia with a faithful account of the manners, religion and government of that people / by Monsieur Sanson, a missionary from the French King ; adorned with figures ; done into English.
|
Sanson, Nicolas, 1600-1667.
|
1695
(1695)
|
Wing S687; ESTC R37147
|
83,172
|
223
|
those of Fifteen Years old Seven Livres and Ten Sols and those of Twenty Fifteen Livres The principal Custom-Houses in Persia are that of the Persian Gulf The Custom-Houses and that of Guilan whence comes the Silk That of the Persian Gulf which comprehends the Ports of Bandar Abassi Bandar Congo Bandar Ric and the Isle of Babarin is farm'd at Threescore and five thousand Tomans which make of our Money Two millions Nine hundred and twenty five thousand Livres The English for having assisted Cha Abbas to take Ormus from the Portuguese shar'd the Customs of Bandar Abassi with the King of Persia and the Portuguese those of Bandar Congo but at present they have little or no Benefit from ' em The Customs of Guilan bring the King in Fourscore thousand Tomans which make Three millions and Six hundred thousand Livres of our Money The Customs of Tobacco produce Two millions and 500 thousand Livres and those on the Oyl of Naphté about a Million This Oyl is brought from Sciamaki I can't tell how much the Pearl-Fishing at Baharin the Fishing at Guilan or the Mummy they draw out of Wells in certain places of Persia and not embalm'd Bodies out of the Sands like those of Egypt produce the King That which distills from a Rock near the City of Lar is so precious and so rare that none but the King has of it I am also ignorant of what duties are laid upon Weights and Cattle but I know they give two Sols and six Deniers for every Beast and fifteen Deniers for an Hundred weight of all Commodities sold in Markets The Searchers of the High-Roads take Five Sols for every Horse-Load of Merchandise without opening Searchers or examining what it is The Governours of Provinces farm these and the foregoing Customs and that is the reason I could not learn what they were worth The King gets a swinging Summ from Bawdy-Houses but Cha Abbas fearing to sully his Treasury with Money rais'd from so infamous a Commerce order'd it should pass the Fire to purifie it that is be employ'd to defray the expence of Flambeaux Illuminations and other artificial Fire-works that are made at the King's charge There is in every City a Vizier Intendant of the Customs or Intendant of the Customs who collects all these Duties and out of which the Governour has always Ten per Cent. for his part For he has no other Revenue than what is assigned him upon these Duties and the several Causes he determines where he always takes the Tenth of the Summ adjudg'd But his Officers are maintain'd out of the Royal Treasury for only those of Garisons who compose his Court are entertain'd in his Government These Soldiers serve both for Messengers and Collectors of Taxes These Troopers are maintain'd out of the King 's Demesn Lands Trooper's Pay He gives a County to a Colonel and such a number of Villages to a Captain on condition they raise their Soldiers Pay out of ' em A Trooper's Pay is an Hundred Crowns a Year The Generals are also provided of Governments to defray their Charges and those Princes that retire into Persia The Ambassadors and Guests who are entertain'd at Court are all charg'd upon the Demesn Lands which also furnish Expences to the Kings Houshold The King 's vast Revenue Thus all Charges paid the King lays up overy year Eight hundred thousand Tomans which make 28 millions of Livres The King's Guards are compos'd of Fourteen Thousand Men The King's Guards who are divided into Five several Bodies The first is that of the Sophi's but which is none of the most Honourable Five Bodies as I observ'd before Nevertheless they have the nearest Guard to the Gate of the Haram They make together a Body of Two Thousand Men over whom the Echik Agassi or Great Captain of the Guard is Colonel The Second is the Dgez Hairtchis that is Guards du Corps They perform Duty in the Inner Court of the Palace Their Body is compos'd of Four Thousand Men whose Colonel is the Toptchi Bachi or Great Master of the Artillery The Third is of the Kouls or King's Slaves who keep guard in the Cloysters between the First and Second Gate of the Palace Their Body also consists of Four Thousand Men of of whom the Kouler Agassi is Colonel The Fourth is of the Fusiliers who guard the Entrance into the Palace Their Body is of Two Thousand Men commanded by the Tfankchi Agassi The Fifth is of the Kaurs Ysaouls who are the Messengers on Horse-back They make Two Thousand Men whose Captain is the Great Constable But when they are in the Country upon Duty they are commanded by the Captain of the Watch. These Messengers watch a-nights about the King's Palace They remove the People out of the way when the King gets on Horse-back keep silence in the Divan Begui's Courts persorm all Executions Seizures Arresting of disgrac'd Kans and cutting off their Heads whenever the King commands it The Five Colonels that command these Troops Order of Mounting the Guard mount the Guard in their turns and they are never reliev'd but from three Days to three Days Their Troopers are Tablers whilst they are upon the Guard and they have over and above Three Hundred and Fifty Livres paid 'em a Year which is assign'd 'em out of the Demesns They are all oblig'd to accompany the King when he commands the Army in Person except only the Sophi's who are left to guard the outside of the Haram whilst the Eunuchs guard the inner The chief Eunuch has supream command over these as also of governing the Kingdom in the King's absence The Kingdom of Persia is of great extent yet has a great many Enemies from those Mahometans of a different Sect who have always for 'em an unappeasable Aversion Whence it comes that the King is always oblig'd to keep a strong Guard upon his Frontiers viz. Number of Troops to guard the Frontiers 12000 Men in the Province of Candahar which confines with the Great Mogul 20000 in Korassan which borders with the Tartars of Balk Bocara and Samarkand 15000 in Mazandran and Guilan which border with the Moscovites and Cossacks by the Caspian Sea 12000 at Derband and Chirvan which confine with the same People And also a great number at Circassia Georgia and Colchide 20000 in Media whose Upper part confines with Turcomania and Lower with Curdistan 12000 at Erivan which borders with the Empire of the Grand Signior towards the Lesser Armenia 12000 in Laurestan which confines with Bagdat 15000 in the Province of Susa which confines with Arabia and 12000 in the ancient Persia and Karamania which extend themselves from the Persian Gulf even to the River Indus These Troops Number of the Ordinary Forces together with the King's Guards make no less than an Hundred and Fifty Thousand Men without comprehending the Garisons of Cities which are in the Heart of the Kingdom They are all provided
was the unavoidable occasion of the final ruine of this Constable This Sultan who has been always acknowledged to be one of the most valiant Captains in all Persia having receiv'd Orders Three Years before to go to defend the Castle of Mourg-ab against the Usbegs who were come to besiege it parted from Hispahan with 300 Horse and the King's Orders to the Governour of Herat to equip him with as many other Troops as he should have occasion for in this Expedition But scarce was he got to Mourg-ab but he was invested with Twelve Thousand Usbegs Whereupon he immediately dispatch'd a Courier to the Governour of Herat to send him instant Supplies But this Governour who was a sworn Enemy of the Kan of Merva's being glad of this occasion of ruining the Sultan his Son receiv'd these Couriers without giving them any Answer Governour of Herat 's Treachery He was also so treacherous as to write to the Commander of the Usbeg Army to proceed without fear and to give no Quarter to the Sultan He also dispatch'd another Courier to the Prince of the Usbegs Balk and Bocara to exhort him to profit himself now that the King was as it were in a Lethargy and that he never would have again the like opportunity of regaining the Province of Corassan And moreover that he might be sure of the Constable and of him for that they were both his sworn Friends and he thought they might be allow'd Authority enough between 'em to hinder any Succours being sent to Abdulla Sultan The Sultan receiving neither Answer nor Assistance from the Governour of Herat made all possible haste to Court Vacant two Years where the death of the Etmadaulet and the long vacancy of his Office obliging him to put his Business into the Constable's Hands who had always intelligence with the Governour of Herat and who had the same inclinations for his Ruine he receiv'd no more satisfaction at Court than what he had done before from the Governour The Constable also being unwilling to yield in Treachery to the Governour writ to his Son the Kan of Sambran to prevent any of his Troops going to the assistance of Abdulla Sultan and also commanded him to send a Letter to the Prince of the Usbegs written by him to the same effect as that of the Governours The Sultan finding his stay vain and being unwilling to disoblige his Prince with Delays which might seem the effect of Cowardice rather than Necessity return'd to his Charge without so much as seeing the King In the mean time A famous Siege the Usbegs press'd on vigorously the Siege of Mourg-ab and Abdulla Sultan defended himself with no less Courage than he was attack'd for having lost all hopes of Relief he was resolv'd to die as bravely as he could He arm'd as many of the Inhabitants as were able with whom he made several successful Sallies But this Advantage over the Usbegs did not procure him any long Quiet for they having receiv'd a Reinforcement of Eight thousand Men push'd the Siege on with greater Vigour than before Whereupon Abdulla not knowing of their Recruits attempted a second Sally where being over-power'd with Numbers he was forc'd to retreat with the total loss of the City and shut himself up in the Castle The Revolt of the Besieg'd against the Sultan But scarce was he enter'd there when the Garison and Inhabitants being tired with so long a Siege and not seeing any Succours come to their assistance immediately revolted against him and admitted the Enemy Thus Abdulla Sultan seeing all Hope 's lost hearken'd to no Motives but those of extream Jealousie which the Persians have all of their Wives His strange Resolutions and by which he thought to save his from Infamy He therefore began to represent to her that the Castle was irrecoverably lost and that she was in danger of being dishonour'd by the mortal Enemies both of her Nation and Religion His Wife stabs her self His Sister also And he himself his Son Whereupon she snatch'd the Ponyard he wore by his side and buried it in her Bosom The Sultan's Sister follow'd her barbarous Example but his only Son who was yet too young for such an Action had his Father's inhuman Help to dispatch him for snatching the Ponyard all reeking with Blood out of his Sister's Breast he plung'd it into this innocent Youth's Heart chusing rather by a false Idea of Honour to murther his own Son than to suffer him to be led a Captive with equal danger by the Enemies of his Prince and Religion Thus having seen the total Extinction and tragical End of his Family there was nothing more remain'd but that he should think of dying himself Whereupon rushing with fury into the thickest of his Enemies he made no small havock of 'em with his Scymiter but tho' he expos'd himself to so many yet he did not meet with that Death his Despair sought after for over-power'd with their Force he at length dropp'd in his own Bloud where his Enemies taking him up He is made Captive they immediately dress'd and bound up his Wounds and then led him Captive The Rigours of this Slavery did not wholly appease the Hatred of his Enemies in Persia for the Constable who had then altogether the King's Ear employ'd the Misfortunes of the Son for the Ruine of the Father and to that purpose gave so sudden and subtile a Turn to the taking of Mourg-ab that the King laid all the fault of this ill success upon the Father of Abdulla Sultan whom he immediately depriv'd of his Governments of Merva and Marouchak The Constables Malice Moreover the Constable had so incens'd the King against him that he would never be perswaded to admit him to any Defence of Himself or Justification of his Son Nevertheless Abdulla Sultan was not without some Consolation in his Captivity for Sepan Kouli Prince of the Usbegs having no ordinary sense of his Valour us'd him well and endeavour'd many times in vain to engage him to his Service but promising him his Liberty if he could end that War successfully which he then had with the Kalmouch Tartars He commands the Enemy's Army he at length prevail'd upon him to accept the Command of his Army which he knew so well how to manage that he quickly recover'd all the Slaves and Country that they had taken from this Prince He conquers and obiains his Liberty wherewithal the Usbeg Monarch was so well satisfied that he kept his Word and gave him his Freedom And to convince him the better of his Respect he deliver'd into his hands the Constable and Governour of Herat's Letters which had been the only cause of the loss of Mourg-ab the Massacre of his Family and his own Captivity Thus being prepar'd for Revenge he posted immediately to Court where he understood his Father had fallen also under his Enemies Ill-will His return into Persia he arriv'd the 4th of August