Part II. An account of the Money of Asia. it 



with a powerful Army againft the King ofKfapcur, who was in Rebellion. Qneen 

 tfotrmahatt feeing her felf deliver'd from thofe that were able to crofs her de- 

 signs, and particularly from Sutean Kottrom, the moft Potent, and the moft inve- 

 terate of all her enemies, and believing it feafonable to difcover her purpofe to 

 the King, fet her (elf to flatter him more than (he was wont $ inventing new 

 ways to divertize him,fometimes with Hunting/and fometimes in the Haram.mih. 

 Balls and Comedies : One day that the King was extremely well-pleas'd, and 

 having drank briskly, began to be very merry ; after the Queen had Danc'd in 

 his prefence, he took her, and fet her by him, protefting to her, that he 

 lov'd her above all the Princefies in his Court ; and that but for her, he had dy'd 

 for grief, to fee that his Son Saltan JCcfrou mould be fo traiteroufly bold, as to 

 endeavour to deprive him of his Scepter. The Q^een feeing the King fo highly 

 arte&ed toward her, fail'd not to make ufe of fo favourable an opportunity. To 

 which purpofe, Sir, laid (he, if it be true that your Majefty has that kindnefs for 

 me, of which you would perfwade me to affure my felf, I know you will grant 

 me one favour which I have paffionately defir'd a long time j that I may only 

 Reign as Sovereign the fpace of twenty four hours. This requeft furpriz'd the 

 King, and kept him very fad for fome days , being unwilling to deny her any 

 thing, and vet being as loth to grant her a Boon of fo high a nature. In the mean 

 time the Queen ply J d the King with Paftime and Divertifements, pretending to 

 rake no notice of his melancholy. At length the fife day after (he had made her 

 Petition, the King no longer able to refift her Charms, nor the ftrong Paifion he 

 had for her, told her he would retire for twenty four hours, and that me might 

 afliime the abfblnre Command of the Kingdom during that time. At the fame time 

 he caus'd all the Gra idees that were then at Court, to be fent for into his prefence, 

 and then commanded them to obey her, and punctually to execute her Orders, as 

 if it were he himfelf that fpoke to them. It was a long time before that the 

 Qneen had made every thing ready, and that fhe had fecrctly hoarded up great 

 quantities of Gold and Silver in all the Cities where the Mints were appointed, 

 and had difrributed the Stamps as fhe thought convenient. And indeed it was a 

 wonderful thing, that a Woman mould fo politickly carry on fo great a ciehgn, as 

 to have four and twenty Stamps engrav'd^ and to keep in a readinefs in Gold and 

 Silver above two Millions in all the Cities, without being difcovered to the King, 

 or any of the Court. There were none but the Mint-Matters that knew any thing 

 of her defign,whom fhe engag'd by large promiies,and larger hopes j as believing 

 that fhe could certainly obtain herdeilre one day of the King ; and then, if fhe 

 had her Materials ready, that fhe could do her bufinefs in twenty four hours. The 

 day being appointed, fhe fent away Meffengers to all the Cities, commanding them 

 on that day to Coin Roupics of Gold and Silver, to the value already mention'd. 

 When the King and the Grandees came to underftand the bufinefs, they were 

 ftrangely furpriz'd ; efpecially Sultan Kourcm, the Queens implacable enemy, 

 who, as fome perfons of the Countrey alfur'd me, fainted away at the news, and 

 did not come to himfelf in a good while after. The thing was fo fuddenly done, 

 efpecially in the Cities neer at hand, that within two hours after fhe was fate up- 

 on the Throne, fhe caus'd fcveral quantities of that Gold and Silver to be thrown 

 among the people, which during the Reign of Gehm-guir went currently for Rou- 

 pics. But when Sultan Kourom, who took upon him the Name of Ch^-gcban came 

 to the Crown after the death of his Father, he forbad all perfons to ufe thofe 

 Roupics upon pain of death, and commanded all that had any of them, either in 

 Gold or Silver, to carry them to the Mint ; where they fhould receive the value 

 of them, to the end they might be melted down. For which reafon they are at 

 prefenf very rare, particularly thofe in Gold j among the reft, two or three of 

 them are fo hard to be found, that an hundred Crowns has been given for one of 

 them. The Roupics of Gold are worth one and twenty Livret of our Money : 

 and thofe of Silver, thirty Sous. The Queen, during her Reign of twenty four 

 hours, had that refpect for the King, that on the back-fide of the Pieces whereon 

 the twelve Signs were Engraven, me caus'd the Name of Gchan-guir to be ftamp'd 

 with her own, and the name of the place where they were Coin'd, all in ArabUk^ 

 Letters. 

 Perhaps the Reader may be curious to know from w r hence this Illuftrious Qneen 



*C2 Of 



