The leading princess, as a sign of her affection for me, sent me food daily, and made me presents of different kinds of fruit. Seeing that the date of departure was close at hand, she asked my permission to deal herself with the prince on my behalf, since the physician had done nothing. Before this, I had requested her not to speak on the subject. My reply to her now was, that I begged as a favour she would not speak to the prince on the subject, as I had left it to the discretion of the physician. This I said in spite of my being in great straits from the want of money, and my sufferings from the persecutions of my adversaries, the aforesaid (European) blood-letter
(of the prince) and the (European) surgeon of the king, of whom I have spoken above. I stood strong and firm in my decision in order to prove to the physician, Muhammad Muqim, and those others, the vast difference there was between one person and another, and that he might see my upright modes of action.
I held my tongue for several days, looking out for some movement on the physician's part. Finally, seeing that he was not forwarding my interests, in spite of his making a great show of wishing me well, I left the court, gave up my house, and took refuge in the house of a friend named Luis Gonzalves, intending subsequently to remove to the city of Lahor, where I had lived for a number of years. On the day that I disappeared the princess as usual sent me some gifts of food. When it was reported to her that I had gone, and it was not known where (the news reached her rather late) she was much grieved. She shut herself up in her room, and would not go to the garden to join the prince as was her custom. He passed his time there listening to music and other pastimes.
The prince noticed the absence of the princess. Not aware of the cause, he sent to invite her, letting her know that he was waiting in the garden most impatiently, for without her there could be no joy. The princess, aware of the great love the prince bore to her, sent back to say that she had been kept awake and troubled by a slight ailment; would he, therefore, excuse her for that day? Hardly had the news reached the prince's ear, than he quitted the entertainment, and with all possible haste made for her apartments. He saw she had nothing the matter beyond being in low spirits, so he pressed her to tell him the cause of her melancholy.
But the princess in a graceful way made excuses, just exactly as ladies do when they are intent on having their own way. Finally, being forced into
consenting to explain her ill-humour, she said it all sprang from the thought that His Highness did not love her to the extent that he asserted ; because, if his love were really such, he would not have neglected to entertain at court, and taken into his service, the physician Manuchi, a man who knew her constitution, a man who had nursed her as a little child in his arms.
Taking her by the hand, to these words the prince replied that when morning came he would send in search of me, and pledged his word of honour that he would do so. Women can do much, and demand a good deal as soon as they perceive that they are held in estimation. On this occasion, that was how the princess acted ; therefore she replied to the prince that that very moment he must write an order to the principal eunuch, Nazir Daulat, directing him to send off a troop of soldiers, who at the time were on guard, to trace me out. Prince Shah 'Alam gave way to the wishes of the princess, and the soldiers, rushing about all night, made a fruitless search for me.
However, they came in the end to know that if I were in any place in the suburbs of the city, 1 should not be found anywhere else than at the king's artillery park, in the house of my great friend, Luis Gonzalves. In fact, when it was already full daylight, being seated in the garden, I observed one of the prince's guard thrusting his head in at the door, but as soon as he saw me he withdrew it at once. Having seen this man, I was a little reassured, guessing what it might be for, when in a moment or two there entered twelve troopers in the highest glee. They treated me most ceremoniously, and in a few words conveyed to me that the prince was waiting for me, and I must start quickly.
At these words I pretended to turn a little uneasy, as if they had need of me for some case of illness. They assured me that everybody was in good health, and I was sent for solely with a view to do me honour.
The men urged me to start, and, to tell the truth, I was extremely eager myself, yet concealed it, and gave signs of the exact contrary of what I desired. I told them to let me go to sleep, during which time they, too, could sit down and rest. To sum up, we began our journey about nine o'clock in the morning.
Meanwhile, let us look at what was going on about me at the court. By this time the princess had given up hoping for my return, and carried her lamentations to the prince. Shah 'Alam went forth to hold audience, and asked his chief minister and counsellor, Casmir (Qazi Mir), where Manucci had gone to. The Qazi, knowing nothing about my disappearance, replied that I was in the city. Shah 'Alam then ordered him to include me among the servants of His Highness. Upon receipt of this order, Qazi Mir suggested that Manucci had heavy expenses; it was therefore necessary to give him an honourable rate of pay. The prince thought over this for a little, and then instructed him that he should give me seven rupees a day, the sum that his blood-letter had received. My friend Qazi Mir put on a dejected air, and made this suggestion : " Your Highness ought to know that the father of your blood-letter was barber to the father of Manucci; thus he would never accept that rate of pay."
At these words, another friend of mine who was present, named Mirecautaula, came forward three paces, and, making obeisance, said, " If Your Highness permits me to speak, I will inform him of what I know about Manucci." The prince turned his eyes in his direction, and with a smiling face said he might speak. Mirecautaula then started : " Does Your Highness know that Nawab Mahabat Khan offered him through me three hundred rupees a month, with a palanquin, robes, and food, yet Manucci would not enter his service ? " Having said this much, he bowed and returned to his place. The prince asked him whether, if he were to offer me three hundred rupees a month, create me man$abdar (noble) of the court, 19*
*8* A GOOD APPOINTMENT
would I accept? Mirecautaula replied: "Maybe he will agree, this being a royal establishment." The prince ordered Qazi Mir to settle with me, and obtain my consent. This is the way they are accustomed to act in this court when they want to give a helping hand to anyone.
While this was in progress, I arrived at the house of my friend, Qazi Mir, not far from the court. He was not long in making his appearance. As he was coming in at the door, I went to meet him with the usual compliments, but with a very long face, in spite of my knowing all that had taken place. The moment he saw me he put his hands to his sides, halted, and showed all the signs of being quite worn out, telling me : " To-day I laboured in a cause which very seldom is carried to success in the Mogul court ; you are already made a servant of the Prince Shah 'Alam, and have as pay three hundred rupees a month, and in addition you are a noble of the court."
With a humble countenance, making an obeisance, I rendered him sincere asseverations of my gratitude. But Qazi Mir, observing that I had not changed my expression one little bit, nor shown any sign of gladness, came to the conclusion that I was dissatisfied. Therefore, coming closer to me, he suggested that for the time being I ought to accept the pay that had been fixed. He could assure me it would very soon be increased, and this he repeated at least twice.
Discovering by these remarks that he had not perceived that I was more than content, in order to let him see the truth, I drew back one pace, and lifting my head and my voice, I said : " I accept with all goodwill the honour that, through your mediation, His Highness has done me, and I live in the hope of receiving through your protection still greater." Thus did I reassure Qazi Mir, and inform him that I was satisfied. Embracing me, he took me by the hand and led me into the house. We had dinner together, then
he presented me with a horse (which I was much in want of) and a valuable set of robes, thereupon I returned to my own house.
As soon as I reached my house, the princess sent me her usual gift of food, toget
her with a thousand rupees, giving me to understand that this money should serve as a help for the expenses I might have to incur in connection with the ensuing march, which was to begin a few days afterwards.
The eunuch Nazir Daulat sent a man to call me, whereupon I paid him a visit and sat down in his presence. On seeing me he shook his head and said : 11 You are the man who had the royal gates opened at unsanctioned hours, a thing never allowed in the royal palace." I replied that to have the royal gateway opened at that hour was due to the generosity of His Highness, who desired to favour a foreigner.
This man (Daulat) was a great friend of mine, as I experienced on many necessary occasions, as will have been seen. In opposition to the habits of his class, he was of a good disposition, and very liberal. He had sixty horses in his stalls, and sixty camels loaded with pieces of cloth and other valuables. His tent was like a general's, and in his suite were noble horsemen. He was much esteemed at the court because he behaved prudently; his income was very large, owing to the offices he held, and his words were listened to by the prince.
I likewise give an account of the manner in which it is usual to bleed the princes, at what seasons it is done, and what happened to me on such occasions.
Ordinarily the princes and princesses have themselves bled twice in the month of March, and the interval between the two bleedings does not exceed twenty-four hours. The operation is begun half an hour before the setting of the sun. Three days afterwards they take a purge; but if necessity demands a shorter interval they do not wait the three days, but are governed by the requirements of the case. In
the month of September the same procedure is repeated.
The first time that Shah 'Alam had blood let by me I was summoned to the Maal (mahat), which means the palace, and went into the saral (sarde)— that is, seraglio. He showed me his arm, inquiring if his veins were visible, and asked if I should give him any pain when I drew the blood. When I heard this question, I took hold of his arm, and looking at it, said without a pause that the vein could be opened without the least difficulty, and he would be quite satisfied. I quickly tied his arm with a bandage of fine broad cloth without stretching the skin very much. As I took up my lancet to make the incision, he stopped me, and said I ought to stretch and rub the arm well, as other blood-letters did. I answered that His Highness need not be alarmed, that I knew what I was doing.
I took hold of the arm again and at once made the incision, opening the vein without going so deep as other practitioners do, by which practice some days must be passed without being able to move the arm. What 1 noticed on this occasion was that the prince betrayed signs of fear, turning away his face until the blood had been taken. It is customary to keep ready for these occasions a set of silver scales and weights; the basin for receiving the blood is also of silver.
On the ground is spread a large sheet, in order not to dirty the carpets and floor-cloths; over the body of the prince is cast another sheet, somewhat smaller. All the princes are present at the operation, as also the principal eunuch, and some under-eunuchs who act as attendants. It is the business of one of these to throw a little charcoal into the blood that is collected from the vein, also a little bit of iron, some small coin, and a few grains of raisins for the preservation of the blood. After all these ceremonies they bury the blood in the garden, also performing other customary superstitious observances. When the
incision is made all those who are present make profound bows, adding the words: " May the bloodletting be to your benefit." The same ceremonial is followed in the case of a princess.
As soon as the surgeon has left the room alms are distributed. When I had finished the blood-letting the prince ordered them to give me four hundred rupees. At the time of my reaching the gate a eunuch handed me the said money on a salver, telling me it was proper for me to make a bow with my face turned towards the palace. I did so, according to the custom of this court.
When I gave an order to my servant to take charge of the said rupees, the insolent eunuch said to me, " It seems to me you could never have had as much money in all your life." At once I took the salver and emptied out on the ground all the money in it in the presence of the gate-keepers, telling them I made them a present of it. Then I turned to the eunuch : " Do you not know that I am the son of the chief physician of the King of Spain, who is lord over half the world and owns the mines of silver ? My father, being tired and in a hurry, on one occasion missed the vein; but, seeing that the king required to be bled, he made another stroke, and hit the right place. In spite of this my father was so sorrowful for the error he had committed that the consolation .offered by the king had no effect on him. Therefore, out of the love he bore him, and in the hope of restoring him to happiness, the king gave him a town as large as the town of Sihrind, together with a galleon laden with silver, which had just reached the port of Cadiz. Out of these revenues and moneys my father sends me twenty-four thousand rupees for my expenses, since the pay I receive from this court barely suffices for the expenditure in my kitchen."
All this I did and said solely to the end that it should not be thought that I was needy, and also to let them know my lofty way of looking at things. My
prince, when he knew what had happened, said that he felt I must have been brought up in the midst of riches. He sent me the money over again, recovering it from the porters, and added to it a valuable set of robes and a fine horse. He said he must maintain the customs of his court, but without my being sub-ordinat£ to anyone, and that I should have entire liberty.
Another mysterious thing happened to me when first I drew blood from the wife of the prince, called Nurnixam (Nur-un-nissa) Begam. The lady thrust her arm out from the curtain, as is the custom, and, holding my lancet, I moved forward to open the basilic vein. I was still at a distance of six inches from the arm, when suddenly the princess turned round and threw up her arm violently towards the lancet— I know not whether through fear, or simply in changing the position of her body. The instrument went into the basilic vein, and blood flowed.
The prince, who was present, patted me with his hands on the shoulders (a sign of pleasure), and applauded my ability in having opened so skilfully so difficult a vein as the basilic. At this unrehearsed success I cannot tell you how I felt. Pallor spread over my countenance at the thought that all that portion of the lancet which projected from my finger-ends had entered the basilic vein, and might cut the artery. Having this in my mind, I stood watching the blood flow with no little apprehension. However, when four ounces had been lost, I noticed that I had not in any way touched the artery; on the contrary, I had struck exactly on the basilic, and thus I was reassured without having betrayed my concern.
The princes who were in attendance, although they had observed the difference ol method in this extraction of blood, nevertheless did not attribute it to accident, but to the dexterity of my hand, and as such they spread it abroad, talking me up as a great master of surgery, although it was really an accident. In
this way I left the court, after obtaining great honour and valuable gifts, in addition to being praised by everybody.
I have already spoken of the Persian physicians, and of their inability to believe or admit that European doctors are acquainted with medicine, but I will insert, nevertheless, an instance that occurred in 1679.
While I was at the court of Shah 'Alam in ^Vuran-gabad, there arrived a Venetian physician named Angelo Legrenzi. He came from Aleppo, having quitted the service of the Most Serene Republic, and at the age of thirty-five had set out in search of fresh fortunes. He had thought out various ideas, and collected in his head many thoughts.
He came to see me, and delivered to me a letter of recommendation from the Reverend Father Era Ivo, Capuchin, of Surat. I received him with every civility, making an offer to him of a share in my house, including a companion of his called Signor Protazio, a German gentleman. I was highly delighted at his arrival, in the hope of ridding myself of several patients, who all day long came in searc
h of me personally. Forthwith I gave him out to be my relation, in order to obtain him more respect. I took him to the presence of the chief physician, Mamed Muquin (Muhammad Muqim), of whom I have already spoken, with the object of getting him, too, entry to the court, with handsome pay from the prince, and thereby prevent any hindrance to his practising. The chief physician promised me the new-comer should have a place, but patience was required.
The worthy patrician, seeing how well I was treated, was full of joy, but would not comply with my advice. He showed he was in too great a hurry to enter the prince's service and draw his pay. As a proof of his ability, and that he was not a surgeon, but a physician, he prepared a pamphlet, in which he discoursed on the four principal fevers, of their causes, and the remedies for driving them away. Seeing that
he had little confidence in my word, and none at all in that of other friends, I took him with me to the said chief physician; Legrenzi presented the pamphlet, and its contents were explained.
Muhammad Muqfm, while listening to this talk, seemed pleased and contented, and by his face indicated that he approved of such good arguments. On his side Legrenzi was equally satisfied, in the belief that he had done rather well by presenting his work, which would cause him to be valued at the court. Knowing the contrary, I said to him how much I should rejoice if he met with success. At the time of saying good-bye the chief physician said to him that he could repeat his visit to the court.
I continued to aid him with a horse and servants, who every day attended to him, for the chief physician lived over half a league from my house. This going and coming lasted for over half a year without the chief physician making over to him any patient, or speaking any more to him. Our patrician did not perceive what it meant. Finally, one day, to undeceive him, Muhammad Muqim ordered one of his servants, an Armenian, called Joseph, who acted as interpreter, to sit down near him.
A Pepys of Mongul India (1653-1708) Page 29
