Travels in India (Tavernier) 21.5.1

21.5.1

Having then started for Bengal, these three inspectors of jewels, incensed with spite, and urged on, no doubt, by Zafar Khán, who was anxious to take his revenge for my refusal, wrote to Sháistá Khán that I was taking some jewels to show to him, and among others a very beautiful pearl which I had sold to Zafar Khán ; but that he had returned it to me subsequently, having ascertained that I wished to make him pay 10,000 rupees more than it was worth. They wrote similarly regarding the other jewels which I carried, and it was upon these false and malicious advices, which Sháistá Khán did not receive till after he had delivered to me my bill of exchange, that this Prince wished to deduct 20,000 rupees from the total sum; this was reduced finally to a rebate of 10,000 rupees, with which I was obliged to content myself. Since I have above spoken of the present which I made to Shaista Khan, I ought not to be silent regarding those which I was also obliged to make to the King, to the Nawab Zafar Khan, to the eunuch of the Grand Begum, sister of Aurangzeb, to the Grand Treasurer, and to the attendants of the treasury. For it should be stated that whoever it may be who desires to have audience of the King, they ask, before everything else, where the present is that he has to offer to him, and they examine it to see if it is worthy of being offered to his majesty. No one ever ventures to show himself with empty hands, and it is an honour obtained at no little cost.