Company, whose dominions now
include Delhi and Agra, two of its great capitals, and many of its
finest provinces--E.]

Mucrob Khan was now ordered in public to make ready to depart upon an
appointed day for Guzerat, whence he was to proceed to Goa, and was on
that day to come to court to take leave, as is the custom. At this time
three principal merchants of Surat came to court about affairs in which
they had been employed by the king or the chief vizier. Likewise, some
six days before this, a letter came to the king from the Portuguese
viceroy, accompanied by a present of many rarities; in which letter the
viceroy represented how highly the King of Portugal was dissatisfied at
the English being admitted into the king's dominions, considering the
ancient amity between him and his majesty. After many compliments, the
viceroy stated, that a merchant had arrived at Goa with a very fine
ballas ruby, weighing 350 _rotties_, of which the pattern was sent. On
coming to take his leave, accompanied by Padre Peneiro, who was to go
along with him, the three Surat merchants being in the presence, Mucrob
Khan made his speech to the king, saying that he hoped to obtain the
great ruby, and many other valuable things, for his majesty from the
Portuguese, if the privileges granted to the English were disannulled;
and besides, that it would occasion great loss to his majesty and his
subjects, if the English were suffered any more to frequent his ports.
In confirmation of this, he called upon the Surat merchants to declare
to his majesty what loss was occasioned by the English, as they best
knew. They affirmed that they were all likely to be undone because of
the English trading at Surat, and that no toys or curiosities would
hereafter come into his majesty's dominions, because the Portuguese,
being masters of the sea, would not suffer them to go in or out of the
ports, because of the licence granted to the English. All this was a
plot concerted by the Portuguese with Mucrob Khan and the vizier, with
the assistance of the jesuits; and by means of these speeches, and the
king's anxiety to procure the great ruby, together with the promises of
the _padres_ to procure many rarities for his majesty, my affairs were
utterly overthrown; and the king commanded Mucrob Khan to inform the
Portuguese viceroy, that the English should not be suffered any more to
come into his ports.

I now saw plainly that it would be quite bootless for me to make an