t Shirley, see Peyton's first
voyage before; and of the rest of his journey see the second voyage of
Peyton, in the sequel.--_Purch._]

_Copy of the Firmaun granted by the King of Persia._

"Firmaun or command given unto all our subjects, from the highest to the
lowest, and directed to the _Souf-basha_, or constable of our country,
kindly to receive and entertain the _English Franks_[159] or nation,
when any of their ships may arrive at Jasques, or any other of the
ports in our kingdom, to conduct them and their merchandize to what
place or places they may desire, and to see them safely defended upon
our coasts from any other Franks whomsoever. This I will and command you
to do, as you shall answer in the contrary. Given at our royal city,
this 12th of _Ramassan_, in the year of our _Tareag_, 1024. [October,
1615.]"

The chief commodities of Persia are raw silks, of which it yields,
according to the king's books, 7700 _batmans_ yearly. Rhubarb grows in
Chorassan, where also worm-seed grows.

[Footnote 159: Frank is a name given in the East to all western
Christians, ever since the expedition to the Holy Land, because the
French were the chief nation on that occasion, and because the French
council at Clermont was the cause of that event.--Purch.]

Carpets of all sorts, some of silk and gold, silk and silver, half silk,
half cotton, &c. The silver monies of Persia are the _abacee, mahamoody,
shakee_, and _biftee_, the rest being of copper, like the _tangas_ and
_pisos_ of India. The _abacee_ weighs two _meticals_, the _mahmoody_ is
half an abacee, and the _shahee_ is half a _mahamoody_. In the dollar or
rial of eight there are thirteen shahees.[160] In a shahee there are two
_biftees_ and a half, or ten cashbegs, one _biftee_ being four
_cashbegs_, or two _tangs_. The weights differ in different places; two
_mahans_ of Tauris being only one of Ispahan, and so of the _batman_.
The measure of length, for silks and other stuffs, is the same with the
pike of Aleppo, which we judge to be twenty-seven English inches.

[Footnote 160: Assuming the Spanish dollar at 4s. 6d. sterling, the
shahee ought therefore to be worth about 4d. 1-6, the mahamoody,8d. 1-3,
and the abecee, 1s. 4d. 2-3.--E.]

John Crowther returned into India, and Richard Steel went to England by
way of Turkey, by the following route. Leaving Ispahan on the 2d
December, 1615, he went five p. to a serail. The 3d, eight p. to another
serail. The 4th, six p