Part 44 (1/2)

?How!? said the Shah, ?we cannot do that; for that would be against the laws of hospitality The gate of our palace is open to every one?

?But,? urged the English, ?you must either retain one or the other--and ree to be our friends and expel the French, or make up your minds to receive us as enemies?

?Why should we make ourselves enemies to please you? We want to be friends with all the world?

?But,? continued the English, ?ill help and strengthen you, and give you money?

?Oh! that is another case,? said the Shah; ?tell me how much, and then all s e left Tabriz, and as my ambassador was expected with i with the prince royal, but prosecuted our journey with all dispatch

On theof our arrival at Sultanieh, on the road fro train of horsee, e could make out were not Persians, and whom as they approached ere Franks They were accompanied by a mehmander, an officer from the Shah, who informed us, that this was the French embassy on its return, who it seems had been politely requested to take its leave; and it was lish ambassador would very shortly take its place

This at once explained how matters stood at court, and that between the rival bidders for his ood market My ambassador was rather surprised how such a deterht as he ith important information upon all the nations of Europe; but every difficulty is easily explained ahen money is permitted to exert its eloquence, particularly if one recollects the words of the sheikh--

?Let money only appear, and every head is prostrate

?Tis thus, the heaviest weight in the scales lowers the iron bea the manners of a nation about e had lately heard so ether in the same place, my chief did not fail to make himself known to the French ambassador

We expected of course to find the been driven as it were from the presence of the Earth?s Centre; but as our surprise to remark the contrary! Never did Persia see such a co the luti all the livelong day They all talked at once, one louder than the other, without any apparent deference to rank, for all see our carpets, they were eternally pacing thes, spitting upon them As I now looked uponat what pains I had lately been to acquire infor them, I endeavoured to discover if there was any affinity between their language and ours; but not a word could I coress in it, by recollecting and writing down the words in their speech which most frequently occurred--one was _sacre_, the other _Paris_, and a third _l?Eht to discern many points of similitude between them and ourselves; and were of opinion, that if as infidels they were doomed to the _douzak_ of hereafter, even there, instead oftheir lot, they would still be found in the same happy moodthe, they laughing, chattering, and screa with joy; we, full of anxiety and apprehension about the reception hich our as

[Illustration: The British a]

CHAPTER LXXVII

The cere a Frank ambassador at the court is described

My chief, the Mirza Firouz, was received with great condescension by the Shah, as pleased at the ready answers he received to his nu the nations of Europe Never was man better adapted to fill the situation to which he had been appointed than the Mirza

Every question which the Shah put to hinorance did not confound him, no difficulty stopped him The words ?_ne, were never known to pass his lips He discoursed upon every matter with a confidence that made his hearers believe that whatever he said must be conclusive; and upon the subject of Europeans, to listen to hi them

As I was known to have been eoes, concerning Europe, and also in writing its history, I in so learned in whatever regarded its inhabitants Although ed to answer the questions put to , I was obliged to be very circumspect not to commit him: therefore, I passed norant, and of having my ears cut off in case I happened to be too wise However, as none a our own countrymen could contradict us, ere listened to as oracles, and we exemplified what the poet Al Miei has so justly remarked: ?That in the country of the dumb the sound of one voice, be it even that of an ass, would be called harlish elchi (ambassador) had reached Tehran a few days before we arrived there, and his reception was as brilliant as it was possible for a dog of an unbeliever to expect from our blessed Prophet?s own lieutenant Indeed the city was almost shocked at the honours paid him, and some of thea Giaour so well, ere ourselves in so our own damnation At different stations on the road, the throats of oxen had been cut before his horse?s feet, in ar-candy, and on the day of his entry he was permitted to have his trumpets sounded in the procession, all of which were honours that could be exacted by none, save our own princes

Then all the proper attentions of hospitality were shown The house of a khan was taken froiven to the a was dearden was levied upon another, and added to the house The lord high treasurer was co as they chose, and clothes and shaere collected from the courtiers and servants of the court, for the dresses of honour which it is the custom to make on such occasions The princes and nobleeneral couests, and that, on the pain of the royal anger, nothing but as agreeable should be said to theht suppose, would be more than sufficient to make infidels contented with their lot; but, on the contrary, when the subject of etiquette came to be discussed, interminable difficulties seemed to arise The elchi was theOn the day of his audience of the Shah, he would not sit on the ground, but insisted upon having a chair; then the chair was to be placed so far, and no farther, from the throne In the second place, of shoes, he insisted upon keeping on his shoes, and not walking barefooted upon the paves Thirdly, with respect to hats: he announced his intention of pulling his off to h we assured hireat indecorum to uncover the head

And then, on the article of dress, a most violent dispute arose: at first, it was intimated that proper dresses should be sent to him and his suite, which would cover their persons (now too indecently exposed) so effectually that they ; but this proposal he rejected with derision He said, that he would appear before the Shah of Persia in the very san Now, as there was not a Persian who had ever been at the court of a Frank king, no body could say what that proper dress was; and, for aught we knew, the elchi ht-cap on the occasion This was a difficulty apparently not to be overco the subject over in s in the palace of Forty Pillars at Ispahan, there were portraits of Europeans, who, in the days of the great Shah Abbas, flocked to his court, and even established themselves in the city In particular, I well recollected one in the very sa in which Shah Abbas himself is represented, whose dress was doubtless the only proper costuested this to rand vizier, who ordered that a copy of it should, without loss of time, be made by the best artist of Ispahan, and sent to Tehran