1 9 8 The F e r s t a n Travels Bo ok V. 



plaint to the King ; who having heard it, immediately lent him to be Go- 

 vernour of GttiLin , in the place of MHr&a Take ', and order'd him to f enc j 

 him his head by one of the Officers, which he difpatch'd along with him. The 

 King alfo, in regard the Page was very young, appointed him a perfon able 

 to advife him in his affairs. In the mean while Mirxa Take miffing his Pao e 

 and making no qucftion but he was gone to make his complaint to the KinV 

 which would of neceility prove his ruin, if not prevented; he refolv'd to di- 

 vert the ltorm by punifhing himfelf, and caus'd that part to be cut clean off 

 that committed the crime. At the lame time, and in that bad condition where- 

 in he then was, he caus'd himfelf to be put into a Litter c and taking his Chi- 

 rurgeon along with him, he gets to Ifpahan by another way which was not 

 ufually travePd, for fear of meeting the Page, and caufing himlelf to be car- 

 ry'd into the Palace in that pitiful and languishing eftatc, defir'd to fpeak with 

 the King, who was furpriz'd at his arrival. But the Kkn having prelented 

 him in a Plate of Gold with the undoubted marks of his repentance, befbu£ht 

 his Majefties pardon. Whereupon the King confidering the rigor and extraor- 

 dinary punifhment which he had inflicted upon himfelf/ent him back to his Govern- 

 ment, and recalPd the Page, whom he otherways gratifi'd. And this was the 

 man whom Sha Abbas upon his Death-bed order'd that Sha-Sefi fhould make 

 Athcmadoulet , as being the litteft for the employment of any perfon in his 

 Kingdom. 



Sha-Sefi not content to have rid himfelf of the Lords that had prefum'd to 

 invade his Authority, was re(blv'd to have the head of Ali-merdan-Kan y Go- 

 vernour of Candabar • of whom he was jealous, by reafon of his vaft riches, his 

 Plate being all Gold, and his Houfe as magnificently furnifh'd as the Kings. *But 

 the King could not bring about his defign ; for the Kan being prefs't to come 

 to Court, and believing it was only to take away his head, to "free himfelf from 

 the danger, deliver'd Candabar to the Great Mogul, by whom he was kindly 

 entertain'd, and highly carefs'd. Neither was AU-mer dan- Kan's wealth of his 

 own getting, but left him by inheritance, as being defcended from the ancient 

 Kings of Candabar, who were originally Tartars. Now whatever favours or ad- 

 vancement the Great Mogul beftow'd upon AL-merdan-Kan, the fame did the 

 Tcrfan King beftow upon his two Sons ; . whereas all the world behev'd, that 

 after fuch a piece of Treafbn committed by their Father; the King would have 

 ript up their bellies. This piece of policy of Sha-Sefi was very advantageous 

 to Sha-Abbas the fecond, when he bcfieg'd Candabar with fifty thoufand men. 

 For the greatelt part of the Moguls Army being compos'd of Fcrfians, they 

 remembring how kindly Sba-Scfi had us'd the two Sons of AU-merdan-Kan, 

 made little refinance againft the King of Perfia, who enter'd Candabar in a final! 

 time. The Great Mogul troubl'd at the lofs, ask'd AU-mer dan-Kan, by what 

 means he might retake Candabar 5 who prefently made anfwer, that it would 

 be very eafie, if he could find fcch another Tray tor as he had been. 



But to return to Sha-Sefi; his Reign was very violent, of which I will give 

 you this Example : 



One day the King returning from the Kclonters Houfe in Zulpha, having 

 drank to excefs, commanded that the Stdtanefs fhould come to him ; who un- 

 demanding that he was in drink, made no great hafte, fo that the King in the 



and in expectation of his waking, hid her felf in a Nich behind the Hangings 5 

 where generally the Mattreiies and Coverlets are laid by. The King wakings 

 and not yet perceiving the Suiianefs, in a great chafe demanded why fhe was 

 not yet come. The Queen-Mother, who was a Georgian Slave, and mortally 

 hated the young Stdtanefs, who was the Daughter of the £ing of Georgia, and 

 therefore difdain'd by her, took an occaiion to put her out of the Kings fa- 

 vour j and having firft fpok'n ill of her, made a lign to the King to let him 

 underftand that the young Queen was hid in fuch a Nich. Upon that the King 

 rifing in a great fury, ftab'd the poor Princefs with his Dagger four or five times 

 . in the belly, and hardly knowing what he had done, went to bed again. The 



next 



