me from the pacha. With this we seemed satisfied, and gave him
many thanks; and indeed they all seemed perfectly willing to give us
every satisfaction, yet, in my opinion, not from good-will or justice,
but from fear, as they knew we were able to intercept their whole trade.
After some conversation about our ambassador, who now resided at
Constantinople, and about the Portuguese and Spaniards, whom Rajib said
were proud and faithless nations, we spoke of Sir Henry Middleton,
asking the cause of their treacherous conduct to him and his people. He
answered, that the then Vizier was a bloody, cruel, and ill-minded man,
and made worse by the instigation of the Turks and Arabs of Mokha, who
were enraged by the uncivil behaviour of our people, who made water at
the gates of their mosques, forced their way into the houses after the
citizens wives, and being daily drunk in the streets, would fight and
quarrel with the people,[290] things hateful in their eyes. These were
only in part the cause, for the covetousness of the governor, hoping to
have got their ship and goods, was the main cause of that scandalous
conduct, for which he was soon afterwards sent to Constantinople to
answer for his crimes.

[Footnote 290: Let English Christians read, blush, and amend--_Purch._]

We dined that day with the scrivano, and hired a house of Hassan Aga,
one of our pledges, at seventy dollars the monsoon, or yearly rent, it
being all the same. The scrivano insisted to swear himself our friend on
his Koran, yet denied the present governor to be the person who captured
Sir Henry Middleton, which we afterwards found to be Turkish faith, or
absolute falsehood. We now agreed to pay at the rate of three in the
hundred, _ad valorem_, both inwards and outwards, though the scrivano
swore that all others paid five; all money, with silver and gold in
bullion, to pass free of duty. We remained this night with the scrivano
to supper, and gave him a present.

On the 29th of April we expected to have had our phirmaun publicly read
before all the merchants, and proclaimed to the people; but most part of
the day was spent in ceremony by the governor and other chiefs at the
mosque, on account of the death of Sultan Achmet, the Grand signior,
and the accession of his brother to the throne. They came riding past
our house while we were sitting at a window which opened to the street,
whence we made our obeisance to them, and they bowed in return. They
were all