whom he was ready to die at the imperial gate, rather than resign the prince into the hands of his enemies:  But, if his majesty required, he was ready at all times to obey his commands.  To this the king replied, “You have done honestly and faithfully, and have answered discretely.  Continue your purpose, and take no notice of any orders.  I will not seem to know any thing of this, neither do you speak of it any farther.  Preserve your fidelity, and let us see how far they will prosecute this affair.”

Next day, finding the king silent on the subject, the prince and his faction took no notice of any thing, hoping the king might forget what had passed in his cups over night.  I have communicated this incident, that you may beware of scattering your goods in this country, or of engaging your servants and stock too deeply; for the time will come when the whole of this empire will be in commotion, and it is not a few years war that will put a period to the inveterate enmity accumulated on all hands against a day of vengeance.  Should Sultan Cuserou prevail in procuring his rightful inheritance, this empire will become a sanctuary for Christians, whom he loves and honours, being a patron of learning, and an encourager of true valour and just government, abhorring all covetousness, and despising the base custom of accepting bribes and presents, in use among his ancestors and the nobility of this empire.  Should Sultan Churrum ascend the throne, it will be a great loss to us, as he is a rigid adherent to the superstition of Mahomet, a hater of all Christians, proud, subtle, false, and barbarously tyrannical.[206]

[Footnote 206:  From this paragraph it appears that the journal of Sir Thomas Roe was addressed to the Governor and Committees, or Directors of the East India Company.—­E.]

The king returned from hunting on the night of the 13th October, and sent me a wild pig.  An ambassador is daily expected here from Shah Abbas, king of Persia.  This day I received advice of the arrival of four of our ships in safety at Swally roads, and at the same time received letters from England.  The fleet, originally consisting of six ships, left England on the 9th March, 1616, losing company of the Rose about the North Cape, in foul weather.  The other five arrived safely in Saldanha bay on the 12th June, where the Lion was waiting for a wind, homewards bound, her officers and people all in good health.  After staying some time at the Cape without news of the missing ship, they dispatched the Swan for Bantam, and sailed on the 29th June with the other four ships for Surat.  On this passage, on the 6th August, when in lat. 12 deg. 50’ S. near the Comora islands, they got sight of a carrack of 1500 tons burden, and 600 men, being the admiral of a fleet for Goa.  The Globe fetched her to windward, and after the usual salutations of the sea, the carrack commanded her to leeward, and seconded this order with five shots through her hull, to which the Globe replied with eighteen, and