but I held him fast, while Asaph Khan continued to make signs to him not to interpret my words.  On this the king became suddenly very angry, pressing to know who had wronged us, and seemed in such fury, that I was unwilling to follow it out, and spoke in broken Spanish to my interpreter, desiring him to say, That I would not trouble his majesty with what was past, but would seek justice of the prince his son, whose favour I doubted not to obtain.  Not attending to what my interpreter said, but hearing the name of his son, the king mistakingly conceived I accused him; and hastily saying mio filio! mio filio! he called for the prince, who came in great fear, humbling himself.  Asaph Khan trembled, and all those present were amazed.

He chid the prince roundly, and he excused himself.  But as I perceived the king’s error, I made both the king and prince understand the mistake, by means of a Persian prince who offered himself as interpreter, as my Italian understood Turkish better than Persian.  By this means I appeased the king, saying that I in no respect accused the prince, but wished to inform his majesty that I should appeal to the prince’s justice, in regard to the past wrongs our nation had suffered in those places which were under his government.  The king then commanded the prince, that he should give as effective justice.  In his justification, the prince said that he had already offered me a firmaun, which I had refused.  The king asked me the reason of this.  To which I answered, that I humbly thanked the prince, but he knew that it contained a condition I could not accept; and besides, that I wished to propound our own demands, in which I would insert all the desires of the king my master at once, that I might not daily trouble his majesty and the prince with complaints.  And, when the conditions on both sides were mutually agreed upon, I would reciprocally bind my sovereign, to mutual offices of friendship, and to such reasonable conditions for the benefit of his majesty’s subjects as he might propose:  All of which being drawn up in tripartite, I hoped his majesty would graciously sign one, his son the prince another, and I would confirm the third in the name of my sovereign, in virtue of my commission.

The king pressed to know what was the condition in the prince’s firmaun which I had refused, which I stated.  So we fell into earnest dispute before the king, with some heat.  Mukrob Khan interposed, saying he was advocate for the Portuguese, and spoke slightingly of us, alleging that the king ought to grant no articles to us that were unfavourable for them.  I answered, that I did not propose any against them, but only in our own just defence, and that I had not conceived he was so great a friend to the Portuguese.  On this the jesuit and all the Portuguese faction struck in, so that I explained myself fully concerning them; and as I offered a conditional peace, so I valued the friendship of the Portuguese at a