Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	king_n	prince_n	state_n	2,872	4	5.6626	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12119	Sir Antony Sherley his relation of his trauels into Persia The dangers, and distresses, which befell him in his passage, both by sea and land, and his strange and vnexpected deliuerances. His magnificent entertainement in Persia, his honourable imployment there-hence, as embassadour to the princes of Christendome, the cause of his disapointment therein, with his aduice to his brother, Sir Robert Sherley, also, a true relation of the great magnificence, valour, prudence, iustice, temperance, and other manifold vertues of Abas, now King of Persia, with his great conquests, whereby he hath inlarged his dominions. Penned by Sr. Antony Sherley, and recommended to his brother, Sr. Robert Sherley, being now in prosecution of the like honourable imployment.	Sherley, Anthony, Sir, 1565-1635?	1613 (1613)	STC 22424; ESTC S117262	94,560	148

SIR ANTONY SHERLEY HIS RELATION OF HIS TRAVELS INTO PERSIA THE DANGERS AND DIStresses which befell him in his passage both by sea and land and his strange and vnexpected deliuerances HIS MAGNIFICENT ENTERTAINEment in PERSIA his Honourable imployment there-hence as Embassadour to the Princes of Christendome the cause of his disapointment therein with his aduice to his brother Sir ROBERT SHERLEY ALSO A TRVE RELATION OF THE great Magnificence Valour Prudence Iustice Temperance and other manifold Vertues of ABAS now King of PERSIA with his great Conquests whereby he hath inlarged his Dominions Penned by Sr. ANTONY SHERLEY and recommended 〈…〉 brother Sr. ROBERT SHERLEY being now in pro●●cution of the like Honourable Imployment LONDON Printed for Nathaniell Butter and Ioseph Bagfet 1613. TO THE READER MAny haue beene desirous to vnderstand on what hopes helpes and grounds Sir Anthony Sherley with his brother Sir Robert Sherley and many other friends and followers of our Nation could not onely be induced to vndertake to trauell into a Kingdome so farre remote and to liue amongst a people so farre different in Religion Language and Manners as that of Persia is from ours but also he supplied of all necessaries for life in a plenteous and magnificent manner and so highly endeare his seruice and industry to that King and State as to bee esteemed and called a Mirza or Prince of Persia and to bee employed within few monthes after his comming thither as Embassador from so great a Potentate in a matter of such ma●ne consequence and trust to many of the greatest Princes and States of Christendome And no lesse haue many meruailed how after his failing in the accomplishment of so great an enterprise for want of due correspondence in an Instrument hee had taken vnto him out of that Country for his better credence his Brother Sir Robert Sherley whom hee left behind him in Persia could not onely maintaine his reputation but win so much credite with that King as to be honoured with the Title of his Embassadour to the Princes of Christendome in the like employment newly reuiued At his late being here in England where hee hath beene so accepted as in the Courts of other great Princes of Christendome a Gentleman of some vnderstanding conuersing oftentimes with him and being desirous of true information concerning that action whereof he had formerly heard and read some incoherent and fabulous reports conferred with him often concerning the carriage and circumstances of their proceedings and thereby gaue him occasion to discourse vnto him as well of the motiues of that enterprise as of many accidents that befell him and his Brother in the conduct of that affaire Wherein al-be-it hee receiued good satisfaction in diuers particularities yet because the questions occasioning such discourse were but incidently moued and by many occasions that happened their conferences were often interrupted On the entreaty of the said Gentleman for the better satisfying of himselfe and such others of his friends as might bee desirous out of their curiosity to vnderstand the whole progresse dependance and prosecution of the said voyage into Persia hee obtained of the Persian Embassadour a Copy of this discourse penned by his Brother Sir Anthony Sherley as it seemeth since his returne out of Persia into Europe for the better satisfaction of his friends and preseruing the memory of so memorable an action To these labours of his Brother Sir Robert Sherley himselfe as time and opportunity shall giue him leaue hath promised some addition of his owne endeuours which being not yet in such readinesse as his friends haue wished and desired This discourse being but the former part yet containing the Register ●f so rare an attempt whatsoeuer the suc●sse hath bene or may bee as hath seldome bene seene in this or any former age by a priuate Gentleman to haue beene enterprized the same being recorded by his owne pen who hath beene the first and chiefe Actor in it hath bene thought by men of mature iudgement to whom it hath beene communicated besides the History it selfe which is pleasing and delightfull to containe many fruitfull aduertisements So that hauing in it both the eleuations of a high spirit and the obseruations of a man experienced and versed in great affaires it is the rather vnto thee re-commended THE TRVE History of Sir Anthony Sherleys Trauels into Persia Penned by himselfe SINCE men are brought forth vpon the earth for good ends the principallest of which is the glory of God and then to better the world in which many haue had bands either of necessity or other occupations to haue lesse experience by their knowledge I thinke I should mightily erre if I should not deliuer as well to others what I haue seene and learned by my passing so many and so strange countries as I should haue done if had not giuen my time and the expence of it to the first end which was and is God his great glory In my first yeares my friends bestowed on mee those learnings which were fit for a Gentlemans ornament without directing them to an occupation and when they were fit for agible things they bestowed them and me on my Princes seruice in which I ran many courses of diuers fortunes according to the condition of the warres in which as I was most exercised so was I most subiect to accidents With what opinion I carried my selfe since the causes of good or ill must be in my selfe and that a thing without my selfe I leaue it to them to speake my places yet in authority in those occasions were euer of the best in which if I committed errour it was contrary to my will and a weakenesse in my iudgement which notwithstanding I euer industriated my selfe to make perfect correcting my owne ouer-sights by the most vertuous examples I could make choise of Amongst which as there was not a Subiect of more worthinesse and vertue for such examples to grow from then the euer-liuing in honour and condigne estimation the Earle of Essex as my reuerence and regard to his rare qualities was exceeding so I desired as much as my humility might answere with such an eminency to make him the patterne of my ciuill life and from him to draw a worthy modell of all my actions And as my true loue to him did transforme me from my many imperfections to bee as it were an imitator of his vertues so his affection was such to mee that hee was not onely contended I should do so but in the true Noblenesse of his minde gaue me liberally the best treasure of his mind in counselling mee his fortune to helpe mee forward and his very care to beare mee vp in all those courses which might giue honour to my selfe and inworthy the name of his friend in so much that after many actions into which peraduenture he prouoked my owne slackenesse The Duke of Ferrara dying and leauing Don Cesare D'Este Inheritor of that Principality who by his birth could indeed challenge nothing

euer so ready against his State in all occasions especially now that his Maiesties vertue and fortune ministred to the Turkes will too great maine causes First to stop the course of his too fast rising greatnesse which hee could by no reason willingly suffer Then to recouer his reputation which his Maiesty had taken from him by assubiecting the Tartars which were vnder his protection And if with both these hee saw his subiects also fall from him to his Maiesty in so great troopes it might bee a mighty effectuall working-reason to hasten him to a conclusion vpon indifferent tearmes of those warres in Hungary his Maiesty being much more dangerous vnto him not onely through his power the reputation of his late victories and such a floud of fortune ioyned to his great vertue and wisdome but also by the symbolizing of religiō which would more facilitate an entry into his state then the sword when there should grow no more mutation in the maine points of gouernement lawes nor orders but the person of the Prince onely The obstinate warres and resistances of the progresse of the one and the other betweene the Turkes and the Christians grew from the maine alterations of all Lawes Orders and forme of gouernment with the vtter ruine of the conquered being so diuerse in all those and more in the principall point of religion by which he was euermore assured of vs generally infestuous to the very apprehension of his Subiects But his Maiesty from whom there was none of these generall dangers was questionlesse the more perticularly feared by him And euer hee that is feared wrongeth his iudgement if hee liue into great and carelesse security I concluded it would please his Maiesty to pardon me that I said so much that if I had erred it was in my iudgement not in my zealous affection vnto him neither had I presumed to looke into such high matters if his Maiesty by his discourse had not directed my sight which if it had bene amisse his Maiesties benignity and great wisedome could pardon the fault for the true affection which caused it He answered that he was so far from mis-liking my liberty of speech that he thanked me for it desiring me to continue it For Princes said hee are indeed more then men when they find faithfull friends which will freely aduise them and lesse them men when they are without such the brightnesse of their greatnesse so dimming their sight that they haue much more neede of helpe then priuate men who being conuersant in all things gather experience of euery thing which a Prince cannot haue Nature onely bringing forth a man his perfection following by his owne vertue learning and experience the two first a Prince might haue the last hardly and euer vnperfect Which made him euer carefully desire such friends as might minister a faithfull helpe to that defect but because we are now in iourney we shall leaue those things for a more reposed time to be spoken of at Hisphaan where we shall haue leasure enough both to deliberate and resolue of some good things and with that called some other who entertained him with discourses of Hunting and Hauking in which he is much delighted and vseth them with great magnificence Neuer going to any of those sports but that he carrieth forth aboue fiue hundred dogges and as many Hauks nothing rising before him but it is game For flies he hath sparrowes for Birds Hobbies and Marlins for the greatest sort some Hawke or other and for Roe-deare Eagles hee hath particular Agaes for his Hawkes and Dogges and other Officers to them a great number The next day I singled out Oliuer Di-Can with whom after a few complements I communicated the Kings discourse with me of his first troubles and latter fortunes extolling his Maiesty as it was fit and besides giuing the greatest honour to himselfe without flattery that I could deuise then I told him of my answere to the King and on purpose I said I feared that it might turne to my harme being newly planted in the Kings fauour subiect to the enuy of the Court and wanting a tongue to speake for my selfe and that to entermeddle in so great and perrilous matters it could not choose but awake some couered malice to take occasion to worke me some damage But my confidence was such first in the Heroycke minde of the King himselfe then in the generous disposition of his excellency that I should bee protected from perill for this fault as I would preserue my selfe with more cautel heereafter Hee answered me that the Kings affection vnto me was such that no man durst lift vp a thought against me which the Court knew well For himselfe as he knew not the conditions of our Courts so I might mistake those of theirs if enuy bare so great a sway with vs wee had lighter Princes and men of more presumption In this Court there was not a Gentleman but the King the rest were shadowes which moued with his body But in this which I had said to the King if I had entended it to moue him to warre in so fit a time against the Turke I had done well and assured mee that both he and Xa-Tamas-Coolibeague would with all their powers concurre with me to bring it to an essentiall deliberation though said he there be three dogges Haldenbeague Bastan-Aga and Courtchy Bassa that will mainely oppose themselues against it yet in the conscience of my duty which I owe to his Maiesty I assure my selfe that there is no secure way either for the preseruation of his person or state but that Therefore since you haue begunne in so happy an houre to breake the Ice of so great and so good an enterprise follow it without feare since God will prosper your good intention in it and we will second you with all the strength and industry which wee haue This was all which I desired to be assured of some friend especially such a one as might haue both opinion and credite of wisedome and fauour with the King For being a stranger if I had vndertaken the bearing of so weighty a businesse my selfe alone I should hardly haue escaped the being ouer-weighed with it knowing that the best propositions haue euer oppositions mens humours neuer concurring all to one end and the nature of men being alwaies opposite to a strangers aduancement Which since it must proceed in such a place from a speciall act of his owne vertue which could neuer be produced without a subiect to worke by the next way to wash away insensibly such a growing reputation was to keep me from any other meanes of establishment then bare Fauor which as it is very transitory in priuate men so is it much more in Princes the volubility of whose natures maketh them easily glutted and most mutable in their kinds of satisfaction and if once I had declined in the height of my fortune I knew there was no bayting place ●etweene mediocrity and precipitation so

out at the port for iustice and the ambition of other competitors for so great a place and so large a breach already made to enter into honour by the time ran so far in length that the peace brake between the Emperour the Turke and the warres reuiued in Hungary so that the age of the king of Persia his being broken with those first troubles and suspition of intestine answering iust to the desire of the Turke there was a truce concluded betweene those two potentates vpon no other condition But that each should be contented with that they had The eldest son of the king remained at the Court of his father administring all that which his fathers defect of light vnabled him to doe Abas the second sonne twelue yeares of age vnder the gouernment of Tutors held the prouince of Yasde and as Courts are full of rumors and suspition neuer wanteth in Princes especially which haue such imperfections as they are cōpelled to take knowledge of the vertues of Abas by which he bound to him the hearts of his prouincials spred themselues further and so to the Court where they were increased to such a condition as altered the father brothers reioycing in them to an opinion that his winning of the affections of the people proceeded not from any other worthinesse but artifice which had the intent of it stretching to the Crowne which tooke such hold in the f●thers mind worne with age and griefe and sore with his late misfortunes that hee resolued secretly his death The newes of which being brought to Abas speedily by the meanes of secret friends not onely to himselfe but to his Gouernors which as they were the greatest of the state so they were not vnfriended in the Court being so farre from any such designe that he had no sort of prouision at hand to defend himselfe he fled to the king of Corasan a countrey of the Tartars limiting vpon the east of Persia euer infestu o us to that state not more in their owne disposition being a people giuen to spoile vnquiet and which cannot liue in rest then through their depēdance vpon the Turke whose religion they professe which the Persians do not but much altered and whose petnionaries they were by which they were bound in all seasons when the Turke was tied to the Christians wars to diuert the Persian from looking to the commodity of such a time besides on occasions the Turke vsed to transport great forces of them ouer the Caspian sea into Siruana and from thence passed them into Hungary either the longer way by land or the shorter by sea ouer Negropont To this king Abas was exceeding welcome and cherished and honored like his owne sonne Shortly after the flight the father died and Sultan Hamzire Mirza his sonne succeeded him who renued the truce with the Turke through the necessity which he had to vse the most which his strength and power could yeeld him to suppresse a great rebellion of the Turcomans whom at the last he so brake with diuers battels and all other sort of afflictions that they deliuered him vp their Princes and then themselues Their Princes he beheaded and of them slue twenty thousand of the ablest for the warres assuring his peace with them by their extremest ruine and as he was by all reports a most braue warlike Prince hauing pacified his owne state and desirous to recouer not onely what was freshly lost but all which was formerly taken from the Sophies kingdome by the power of the Ottomans vnited all his thoughts and all his Councels to that one great end which all finished with his life ending it selfe by treason of his Princes not without perswasion of the Turke when he had fit yeares mind and courage and meanes ioined with ocasiō to haue made himselfe the greatest Prince of many ages all which though they made his death miserable yet the manner was more miserable being vilely slaine by his Barber retiring halfe drunke from a banquet to which he was prouoked by the conspirators which presently parted the state between them euery man making himselfe absolute Prince of those prouinces which they had in gouernment and parting the royall treasure amongst them for their reciprocall maintenance disposed themselues vnitely to resist the comming in of Abas whom notwithstanding they did not much feare hauing promise of the Turke that he should be detained in Corassan where he was refuged knowing that he had neither men nor money nor years to giue him any incoragement to attempt against them who had soone confirmed themselues both with giuing good satisfaction to the people and with liberality to the Souldiary and their entrance into the state being without opposition and so without offence made the foundation both more sure and more facile The Turkes Councell also was exceeding good for his ends for hauing dissipated the vnite power of that great dominion into so many branches which though he knew could continue together to maintaine their wrong against the true kings right yet that their owne ambitions in short time would stirre them to debate amongst themselues by which as he was out of doubt of perill during the trauels of his warres so he was assured that at his conuenient occasion either by their owne quarrels or by his power they should be all subiected to him Abas in the meane time whose iust Title made him king assured himselfe that both the murder of his brother and this parting of the state had the Turkes counsell concurring with those Princes impiety and not doubting but the king of Corasan was also perswaded to deteine him resolued notwithstāding by his necessity began to deale boldly with him for his assistance against his rebels laying before him how preiuditiall the example was to all Princes and most to him who was chiefe of all those Tartar Princes rather by their voluntary election then his states surpassing them in power that as ambitions were vnlimited generally so were they euer most in those which had most power to vse them largely that all the states of the Tartars were held by great Princes and absolute which had obeyed him so long rather because they would then they could do no other If this rebellion of naturall subiects proceeded to a happy course much more would they bee animated to do the like which were Lords and no subiects besides though the counsell of the Turke had not palesated it selfe openly yet in all iudgement it might be perceiued that he had onely raised this as a Pageant to fill the world with gazing whilest hee fitted his designes to impatronize himselfe of the state which if he should do how terrible a neighbour he would be to the King of Corassan he submitted to his wise consideration For himselfe that he had bin so bound to him in his first calamity that without other re asons he did not doubt but the same royall and generous spirit which moued him then to take compassion of him

Saddles plated with gold and set with Rubies and Turkesses the rest either plated with siluer or veluet embroidered and guilt sixteene Moyles twelue Cammels laden with Tents and all furniture both for my house and voyage telling mee withall that this was but a small demonstration of the Kings fauour by which I might notwithstanding conceiue what better hopes I might gather And that it was his Maiesties pleasure I should follow him to Cassan In the house where I was I should leaue a keeper beeing his Maiesties pleasure to bestowe it on mee and that there were ten Courtchies which should attend me the next morning to serue mee in my iourney All this while I moued nothing to the King of that which was the maine purpose of my comming both because I had no fit opportunity and if I had yet it was too soone and besides it was too great a businesse to expose without such an occasion as might helpe my good intention with the goodnesse of it selfe Moreouer though I knew little yet so much I knew that in handling with Princes especiall affaires of such momentuall importance I ought not so much to repose my selfe vpon the good and iust property of my proposition as in the direct knowledge of the nature of the Prince who either might grow iealous of the hazard or hauing his ambitions turned to other ends might mistake or not regard my aduertisements Both which would haue beene the ruine of what I intended A businesse hardly rising againe and recouering grace which hath beene once foiled Therefore I tooke time to deeme by the proceeding of other deliberations of the way which I should take and to make my selfe learned in the purpose of his actions by his nature and inclination besides not onely to get first a kinde of possession in his owne affection but of all his great men especially of those whom I did imagine would bee best and strongest assisters of my purpose which I did iudge to bee Oliuer di-Can his Generall and Xa-Tamas Coolibeague both which were Georgians and though they were made Mahometans by the father of the King to whom they were brought young yet they had euer Christians hearts and infinitely well-inclined to all those things which might promoue the Christians enterprizes publiquely wishing well to their proceedings and taking all offered occasions to giue them honour and reputation Then Constantino Mirza who was a Christian and in great fauour with the King Yet for all this that I meant to make those the maine helpers of my designe I left no sort of fashion forgotten which might procure mee fauour from all the other though I soone found their appearances answered not with their mindes which were onely contained from ill demonstrations against mee by the Kings fauour to mee and their feare of offending him not onely through the ordinary enuy which followeth all Courts but by the great hatred which they had to the very name of a Christian beeing in their soules Turkes though not daring to palesate it for their owne certaine danger For the king knowing how potent a vniter of mens mindes the selfe-same Religion is for the tranquility of an Estate and the like dis-vniter seuerall Religions are for the disturbance of the peace of an Estate hee is exceeding curious and vigilant to suppresse through all his Dominions that Religion of Mahomet which followeth the interpretation of Vssen and Omar and to make his people cleaue to that of Aly Not as I iudge through any Conscience which carrieth him more to the one then the other but first to extirpate intrinsicke factions then to secure himselfe the more firmely against the Turke who beeing head of that part which followeth Omar and Vssen should haue too powerfull a way into his Countrey if his peoples hearts were inclined vnto him by the force of Religion Therefore hee doth not onely striue to roote it out but to defile it and make it odious hauing in vse once a yeare with great solemnity to burne publiquely as maine Heretiques the Images of Vssen and Omar then doth hee cause his great men publiquely in scorne of their institution to goe with a Flagon of Wine carryed by a Foote-man and at euery Village or where they see any Assembly of people to drinke which himselfe also vseth not for the loue of the Wine but to scandalize so much more the contrary Religion that by such a kinde of prophaning of it they may weare the respect of it out of the peoples heartes Which when it fayleth with reuerence in Religion the pillers thereof are vtterly broken Yet as I say there are of the very greatest exceeding precise Turkes if they durst do other for their owne fortune sake then couer with all artifice that infection Ten dayes I was betweene Casbin and Cassan where arriued I receiued more gracious demonstrations from the King then I could hope for or wish beeing farre beyond my present merit and my iudgement how to deserue it at all Foure dayes his Maiestie stayed there after my comming in which time there passed many Triumphes at giuoco-di-canna in the day good fire-works in the night at which I was euer present with himselfe with no lesse respect then if I had been his brother as he also called me and continued that name afterward all the time of my being in Persia. The second day of his Iourney from thence towardes Hisphaan hee called mee vnto him my Brother and my Interpreter and after some few discourses hee began to tell vs the whole history of those his fortunes which I haue discoursed and ioyned that hee vnderstood the Turke had sent him a faire sword hee did beleeue to cut off his head withall● if Ferrat Cans treason had well succeeded for after the Messenger arriued at Tauris vnderstanding how God his great prouidence had not onely mightely preserued but giuen him that famous victory ouer his enemies he had sent for new order to Constantinople which came to no other end but to call him back againe But the best was the more the Prince hated him the more his subiects loued him hauing receiued newes at Cassan of ten thousand soules of Courdins which had abandoned their possessions vnder the Turke and required some waste land of him to inhabit in which he had giuen them And though this discourse opened somewhat largely the Kings heart vnto mee I durst bee no bolder at that time then to say It was euer almost impossible to preserue a quyet amity betweene two so great Potentates as himselfe and the Turke especially beeing so neere neighbours that I doubted not but his Maiesty in his great wisedome prouided his Counsell and strength alwayes ready against any danger which might grow from him of which there was no present doubt as long as hee was so powerfully diuerted by the warres of Hungary which if they were ended I saw no Obligation of faith or any thing else which could secure his Maiesty from those Armes which had beene

and the sinewes which bind together an estate Your Maiesty hath now a certaine peace with him and that the more certaine through his necessity which assureth you of time to gather treasure and all kind of strength against him if hee should breake the faith of his truce or moue against you hereafter That it is iust honourable and profitable for your Maiesty perhaps I may agree though it bee a question whether it be iust or honourable to breake a peace without a iust occasion giuen But howsoeuer it is more wisedome for your Maiesty to find a better and more fit time which shall furnish you with all necessary prouisions for so great an enterprise And further I say if the Turkes gouernement bee corrupted giue it more time and the sicknesse will encrease Is hee incapable his yeares are too many to make him amend therefore by giuing your selfe time you loose nothing he will be incapable still But Sinan Bassa was a great name So was Mustapha and so was Osman and so hath hee many now so that his state doth neither stand nor decline with his defects as long as hee hath worthy men to maintaine it His Countries are full of rebellion These are Rumours with which wise men are neuer moued since they grow by reportes and diminish by experience And if they bee true let him consume with his owne malady and your Maiesties designes whensoeuer you shall resolue of them will passe with the more facility How dangerous a thing it is to embrace diuers and continuall action your Maiesties greatest wisedome can better tell you then I your Tartars haue but newly felt the offence of your Armes they are farre from being well tasted or at all secured with your Maiesties gouernement Beginne a warre with the Turke in which must bee ingaged the vttermost of your strength what other opinion is to be had of them but that like old enemies and freshly more then euer offended they will rebell and infest you with the greatest resolutions that extreme enemies can And againe Where is your Maiesties treasure where is your munition and where is your Artillery all which must bee had for a warre and though your fortune and the nature of the country which hath no strong places did not require them against the Tartars yet of necessity you must haue them against the Turke who hath a Fortresse in Tauris Tifflis and Vannes strong places and neuer moueth his Armies but full of Artillery which you must also haue if you meane to proceed honourably and with condigne fortune against him Moreouer for you to send and begge an Amity of the Christian Princes what a sit perswasion is it for your Maiesties greatnesse which notwithstanding if you were compelled by necessity somewhat from your selfe yet necessity would make it tollerable But for you to seeke them which haue need of you there is so litle reason that he hath sinned against your power person and state which hath propounded it Your Maiesty may in your too great benignity passe ouer your iust indignation for such acouncell but we know what it meriteth There is behinde you Lar and Ormus the one a kingdome fomentated as a bar between you and the Portugals and the other which is vsurped from a king anciently tributary to your predecessors Whilst your Maiesty maketh your selfe ready for the greater begin with the lesser enterprise Nothing will giue you more honour then that First to vindicate those places in which your religiō is oppressed and by that iustifie the more whatsoeuer you shal enterprize If this Christian can giue you these if he can giue you aboundance of all other wants if he can giue you Hostages from his Kings that they shall not in Hungary alone but in other places also fasten vpon that huge body of the Turke and that they shall neither make peace nor truce with him except your Maiesties consent concurre that nothing may be defectiue in so great an action And that your Maiesty may be secure that the weight of all shal not wholly fall vpon your selfe then your Maiesty shall haue some foundation to deliberate on Otherwise I thinke neither his perswasions to be harkened to nor himselfe to be retained who sheweth by his sudden beginning that no fauour grace nor benefits from your Maiesty can acquiet his mind from stirring you against your owne peace tranquillity and security of your state and person Oliuer di-Can answered that there was difference between a proposition which was only moued to be councelled of and a perswasion That he thought I councelled nothing much lesse perswaded but onely propounded that to the king which if it were not then fit to bee executed for reasons that I knew not in the present condition of the kings affaires yet I deserued not so bitter a censure since Princes ought to heare all and elect the best and for that elections sake to animate all to speake freely And because it hath pleased his Maiesty to giue you and me and all of vs leaue to speake as it is all our duties to say what wee thinke so our places are of such a condition that our powers are nothing in resoluing but onely in discoursing before his Maiesty those things which in the truth of our consciences wee thinke meetest for his seruice And if conuenient and necessary things be propounded by a Christian by a Iew or by the worst man liuing not onely in religion but the very disposition of his life I see no cause why you nor I nor any should reiect that which is good for the illes sake since Princes must and ought make their benefite of all men not regarding what they are but how they may serue them This Christian hath come from farre and through great dangers he faith through his affection growing from the excelling fame of his Maiesty and should not I thinke that his glory is worthy to be carried as farre as tongues of men goe And shall not I thinke also that a Merchant speaking of his vertues is not inabled beyond his spirit raised by such a subiect to shew it like it selfe not like his owne Merchandize And why should I iudge him sent by any when hee hath not assumed to himselfe the honour dignity nor priuiledges of an Embassdour in a strange Countrey where no man would neglect any thing which might aduance his quality or security But hee hath onely put himselfe vpon the Kings fauour and what hee hath proposed hath proceeded rather from a minde to merit by some good act that fauour then a demonstration of other dependance for hauing giuen himselfe to the king to serue him without limitation of time but as long as it shal please his Maiesty to serue himselfe of him hee sheweth plainely that hee hath included his hope of fortune and benefite by this or any other action within the compasse only of his Maiesties gracious benignity And seruing his Maiesty in this or any other imployment which his Maiesty

and what iustice had his king to detaine them If none other but by the potencie of his armes the same point of iustice he had also to preserue what he had alreadie gotten and to vindicate also those vniustly detained from him If he will breake the truce made betweene my father and him and continued by my brother and me vpon so manifest vniust causes as the warre was neuer prosperously prouoked against our state by his predecessors nor himselfe but through some strange accident errour or our owne disunion so beleeue that it will now breake forth to his owne destruction Yet I doe not denie but that I had rather both to preserue what I haue and to recouer what my ancestors haue lost by equitie then bloud and by the force of reason rather then of armes which if I cannot I will certainly amend by vertue what I haue erred in by cunctation My power and glory is yet soundly whole and more increased through the merit of Modestie which was neuer yet despised by the greatest which haue beene among men and is esteemed by God himselfe Wresting of actes could not deceiue others which as they were made to God so the iudgement of their breaking or abusing would euer be in God and his memorie care and power For Mahomet-Aga himselfe though he had forfeited the priuiledges of an Embassador by executing vnder that title a contrarie office if I should said he presently and condignly punish you both the memory of your present fortune into which pride and folly hath throwne you and my glory would be darkned and the punishment would be followed with a sodaine forgetfulnesse but if I free you as I will from your punishment though I cannot from the fault I shall be an eternall memorie to the world of clemencie and leaue you a great precept eyther of more iudgement or lesse imployment vntill you can make your selfe fitter for such a one as this to which you haue beene vnworthily elected As I said before if he had vsed the opportunities which he had discreetly he might haue done his Master a notable seruice and honoured himselfe much Tor the kings great discontentment with those of Ormus the strong opposition of most of his counsell to any proposition against the Turke did facilitate a way for him to haue fashioned the king to any condition of firmer tearmes with his Master then they had hitherto stood in And though it was not likely that there could haue beene mediated a restitution of those Courdines yet the losse of them had beene smal being a people euer vnstable in any certaine habitation neither hauing vnderstanding of good nor care of ill proper ministers onely of rapine and to possesse vnproper places for ciuiller inhabitants and he might easily haue procured a restraint that none other hereafter should haue done the like if he had propounded it from his Master disobliged him to the king of Persia and restored the peoples minds to their first dependance being a Nation though otherwise of doubtfull faith both through their owne nature and situation of their countrie yet more inclined to the Turke then any both by the bond of the same religion and hatred to the Persians The next morning the king came vnto me and after some other discourses he told me he had well considered of my proposition which though otherwise he had no great inclination vnto both because of the great separation by distance and difficult meanes of correspondencie which could be made betweene the Princes Christian himselfe besides the small necessitie he had of them God hauing giuen him so ample so rich and so warlike a dominion and if he had their owne disunion amongst themselues gaue him small hope of any great good effect in what he should propound vnto them Besides the derogation from his own greatnesse to be a demander of their amitie whose predecessors had sought it of his by diuers meanes and vpon great conditions Yet to shew me how deare an estimation he held of me he was contented not to see what belonged to himselfe but onely to regard my satisfaction which he willed me to determine of and assured me of the effecting of it whatsoeuer it was And after I had giuen his Maiestie thanks which were conuenient for so high a fauour I told him that I had propounded nothing but that which the future experience and present reason of things would proue not onely infinitely auaileable but also necessarie for his honour profit and securitie to which counsell I was readie and desirous to adde my owne perill which could by no other meanes bring an answerable benefit to the greatnesse of itselfe but onely in the true estimation which I made of the merit of his Maiesties vertue and my infinite affection to his seruice The necessitie of his state I knew eyther counselled him to prouide for a warre or to make a warre Priuate cogitation● hauing their progresse of such a conditiō that they may take as themselues w●ll eyther more of lesse of fortune but those which had raised their thoughts to the sublimitie of dominion are no more in their owne power hauing no meane to step vpon betweene the highest of all and precipitation For his Maiestie to sleepe longer called vpon by so maine reasons which did euidently demonstrate vnto him the ineuitable danger if not raine of his state and contrariwise the certaine addition which his maiestie might make to his glory and state would seeme to those that did not rightly vnderstand the excellencie of his Maiesties heart such a weakenesse in him as is incident to those which haue not power to temper felicitie from glutting themselues with the abundant fruites of present prosperitie though they haue a patient forced vigour to withstand aduersitie That the Turke was to bee vanquished his owne Rebelles had shewed which haue ouercome with small forces his great power in sundrie encounters If his Militia hath had heretofore more vigour and valour it is now changed through pleasure ease and surferinges by their Princes example with great corruptions which a more vertuous Prince may reduce to their soundnesse his Maiesties wisedome should worke immediately vppon the present generall defect and errour Neyther should hee make a proportionable concurrence betweene his factes and wisedome if he did loose time in doubtfull deliberations in such a case which did euidently shew him that if he might securely continue in peace yet that peace was more pernicious vnto him then warre leesing so many fayre occasions of propagating his Empyre and making his estate eternally inuincible and to dangerous to bee attempted againe by the Turke when there should bee so equall a ballance of potencie as would bee betweene them but by the recouerie of his owne if his desire and fortune and vertue disposed no more vnto him then that which was iustly his owne and was vniustly deteyned from him For those rebellions of the Turkes they were likely rather to increase