Page 136 - Early English Adventurers in the Middle East_Neat

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136 EARLY ENGLISH ADVENTURERS IN THE EAST

and with his hat off. Tho ambassador proudly replied
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that he came in honour to see the prince and was free from
the custom of servants.
“ So,” proceeds Roe, “ I passed on until I came to a
place railed in right under him with an ascent of three steps
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where I made him reverence and he bowed his body ; and
so went within it. I demanded a chair, but was answered 1
no man ever sat in that place, but I was desired as a cour- j
tesy to ease myself against a pillar covered with silver that ^
held up his canopy. Then I moved for his favour for an i
English factory to be resident in the town, which he .
willingly granted and gave order for the drawing up of the j
firman.” Thereafter Roe submitted his presents. Amongst I
them was a commodious coach and harness for four horses ( !
with an “ able coachman ” to manage the whole.
The inner lining of the coach was crimson China velvet,
which at once caught Jehangir’s sharp eyes. Why, he
demanded of Roe, had the Company taken the trouble
to send to China for material wherewith to furnish the
coach when, as he had been informed, “ the English King / fe
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had much better velvet near home for such or any other
uses ? ”
Roe’s reply is not given, but we may take it that the
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blunder was not repeated, more especially as Jehangir
afterwards had the China velvet removed and another fabric
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1 substituted. This was done when, on his order, the Eng­
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lish coach was taken to pieces in order that his workmen
might make an exact copy from it. The imitation of the
original coach was so good that without close examination
it was not possible to distinguish it from the presentation
coach.
I Jehangir appears to have taken to Roe from the outset.
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