Page 9 - Journal of the Cenral Asian Society (1960)

7H SOME EARLY TRAVELLERS IN PER
Gough's “Camden,” that his son rebuilt the church of Stanton Harold, •i
as set forth iu the following inscription :
“In the year 1653, Si
When all things sacred throughout the Nation .4
Wore cither demolished or profanod,
Sir Robert Sherley, Bart., founded this Church :
Whose singular praise it is to have done
Tho best things in the worst of times.''
'a
Anthony Sherley, the second son, was born in 1565 and educated
at Oxford. Before he was of age he commenced his career, in the fj
wars in the Lower Countries, the usual field for the enterprising 3 his Court, to endeavour to induce him to enter into a combination with
youth of that period. In 1586 he held a command in the famous
battle of Zutphen, and subsequently accompanied his great friend and >3
patron the Earl of Essex when he was sent to the assistance of Henry
%
IY. of France, who bestowed on him the Order of St. Michael, his
acceptance of which extremely displeased Queen Elizabeth, who
observed that, “ as a virtuous woman ought to look on none but her
I
husband, so a subject ought not to cast his eyes on any other Sovereign •$l
than him God hath set over him. I will not have my sheep marked
with a strange brand, nor suffer them to follow the pipe of a strange
shepherd.”
For this breach of allegiance Sir Anthony, on his return to England
in 1593, was committed to the Tower, but was speedily released, and in
;
the following year contracted a marriage which appears to have proved 3 arrival of Shah Abbas. They were well received by all classes but, as
an unhappy one, for he immediately commenced arrangements for a 1 Sir Anthony states, “ more by the opinion which they had that the
new adventure and, in a letter from Rowland Whyte to Sir Robert
Sydney, dated in November 1595, the former writes: “ Sir Anthony n ill people in themselves, being only good by the example of their King,
Sherley goes forward on his voyage very well furnished, led by the
strange fortune of his marriage to undertake any course that may
occupy his mind from thinking of her vainest words."
Into this venture—an attack upon the Spanish island of St. Thome
—we cannot here follow him; the details are enshrined in the pages of
Hakluyt. He was unsuccessful in this and other ventures and, after •
many hardships and after visiting Newfoundland, he returned home in
1590, only to leave again at the end of the year under the auspices of
the Earl of Essex to fight for the illegitimate son of the Duke of
Ferrara against the Vatican. He was accompanied by his younger
brother Robert, then little more than seventeen years of age. To quote
his own words: 111 had my brother with me, a young gentleman
whose affection to me had only led him to that disaster, and the working
of his oune vertue, desiring in the beginning of his beBte years to inable
A
himself to those things which his good mind raised his thoughts unto. a
I also had five and twentie others; gentlemen for the most part, the
rest such as had served me long; only carried with their loves to me
into the course of my fortune.”
]
AND THE PERSIAN GULF 79
Before he reached Italy ho heard that his client had made terms with
the Pope, so he repaired to Venico, apparently with the idea of under­
taking some expedition into Turkey, for he represents himself ' ' not
willing to relume and turue such a voyce as was raised at my going
to nothing.”
Here he obtained information that Shah Abbas was extremely
jealous of the power of Turkey and well inclined to enter upon
hostilities with his rival; and, hearing also that the Persian monarch
was of a gallant and liberal disposition, he determined to proceed to
the Emperor of Germany against Turkey.
The party had a tedious passage of five-and-twenty days to Zante.
One of the passengers, a Cypriot, made use of disrespectful language
regarding Queen Elizabeth, which, being reported to Sir Anthony,
“ not only moved with dutiful zeal which a subject oweth to his prince,
but even with that respect which every gentleman oweth to a lady,”
ordered one of the meanest of his men to give him the bastinado,
which he did right soundly.
After many vicissitudes, travelling via Aleppo and down the
Euphrates, the party reached Baghdad, where they were detained.
Escaping by a clever ruse, they made their way via Mendeli, Ivarman-
shah, and Hamadan to Qazvin, where they resolved to await the
King would take satisfaction by us, than by their own honours, being an
and their exceeding obedience unto him."
He was warmly welcomed by the Shah and royally entertained ; he
had not been long at Court before a Tiirkish embassy arrived, bearing
gifts. Sir Anthony happened to fall sick at this juncture but, during
his severe indisposition, the Shah** was a constant attendant by his
6ick-bed, and in these friendly visits Sir Anthony was probably enabled
to bring forward arguments and inducements which it might not have
been prudent or easy to have dwelt upon publicly. In the event, the
Turkish Ambassador was dismissed, while preparations were made to
send Sir Anthony as Envoy Extraordinary from the Shah to the Pope,
the Emperor of Germany, and the King of Spain, proposing a league
against the general enemy.
At Sir Anthony’s suggestion, the Shah organized his army—a
regular force about 20,000 strong—under the general title of Ghatoms
or Kurchis, composed both of cavalry and infantry; the latter equipped
with firearms, and specially termed Tufangchis.
His mission to Europe was fruitless, and we cannot here follow
further the fortunes of this notable soldier of fortune and worthy