y him, and referred that matter to his wisdom, and
waited therefore to know his pleasure. On this he said, that he would
undertake to reconcile us, and to cause agreement to be made in his
seas, which he would signify in his answer to my master's letter, in
which he would farther satisfy his majesty in all his other friendly
desires.

Notwithstanding of this, I asked leave to go before to Ahmedabad, to
meet the king's presents, and to prepare for my return home. Upon this,
a question arose between the king and the prince, who complained that he
derived no profit from us, and was very willing to be rid of us. Asaph
Khan then took up the discourse, and plainly told the king, that we
brought both profit and security to the port of Surat and to the
kingdom, but were very rudely treated by the prince's servants, and that
we could not continue our trade and residence, unless matters were
amended; for which reason it would be more honourable for his majesty to
licence and protect us, than to treat us discourteously. The prince
angrily replied, That he had never wronged us, and had lately given us a
phirmaund at the desire of Asaph Khan. It is true, replied Asaph Khan,
that you granted him a phirmaund to his satisfaction; but in ten days
you sent down another, virtually to contradict and annul the former; and
as he stood as surety between both, and had undertaken our redress on
the prince's word, the shame and dishonour of this double procedure fell
upon him. He said he spoke for no ends, but for the king's honour and
justice, as he owed me nothing, nor I him, and for the truth of his
words he appealed to me, who complained that our goods were taken away
from us by force, and that Rulph,[218] who began this two years ago,
would never pay us, and his officers continued the same procedure every
season. If the prince were weary of the English, he might turn us away;
but then he must expect that we would seek for redress at our own hands
upon the seas. He demanded whether the king or the prince gave me the
means of living, or, as they did not, at whose expence I was maintained?
saying, that I was an ambassador and a stranger, who lived in this
country and followed the progress of the king at great charges; and if
our goods continued to be taken from us by force, so that we could
neither get back our goods, nor yet their value in money, it would be
impossible for us to subsist.

[Footnote 218: On a former occasion, where this perso