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



with a powerful Army againft the King of fifapour, who was in Rebellion. Qjeen 

 JSfourmahall feeing her felf deliver'd from thofe that were able to crois htr de- 

 figns, and particularly from Saltan Kourom, the molt Potent, and the molt inve- 

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

 the King, fet her felf to flatter him more than fhe was wont ; inventing new 

 ways to divertize him,fometimes with Hunting,and fometimes in the Haram } vr\t\\ 

 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 Princefles in his Court ; and that but for her, he had dy'd 

 for grief, to fee that his Son Sultan Kofrou mould be fo traiteroufly bold, as to 

 endeavour to deprive him of his Scepter. The Qneen feeing the King fo highly 

 affe&ed towariher, fail'd not to make ufeof fo favourable an opportunity. To 

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

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

 me one favour which I have paffionately defir'd a long time 5 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 fbme days , being unwilling to deny her any 

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

 time the Queen ply'd the King with Paltime and Divertifements, pretending to 

 take no notice of his melancholy. At length the fift day afcer fhe had made her 

 Petition, the King no longer able to refill her Charms, nor the ftrong Palfion he 

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

 affume the abfolute Command of the Kingdom during that time. At the fame time 

 he caus'd all the Grandees that were then at Court, to be fent for into his pretence, 

 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 

 Queen had made every thing ready, and that fhe had fecreriy hoarded up great 

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

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

 wonderful thing, that a Woman lhould fo politickly carry on fo great a defign, 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-Malters that knew any thing 

 of her defign,whom fhe engag'd by large promi(es,and larger hopes ; as believing 

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

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

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

 on that day to Coin Roupies 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 Kourem, the Queens implacable enemy, 

 who, as fome perfons of the Countrey aflur'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 feveral quantities of that Gold and Silver to be thrown 

 among the people, which during the Reign of Gehan-guir went currantly for Ren- 

 fles. But when Sultan Kourom, who took upon him the Name of Chx-gchan came 

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

 Roupies 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 

 prefent very rare, particularly thofe in Gold ; 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 Roupies of Gold are worth one and twenty Livres of our Money : 

 arid 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, fhe caus'd the Name of Gehan-gmr to be ftamp'd 

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

 Letters. 



Perhaps the Reader may be curious to know from whence this Uluftrious Queen 



*C 2 of 



