And being arrived, Mr Martin was so good as to say that if I would, he would make interest for me to be under him in the business, and to lie in the chamber next to him of nights. And of this offer when I had gratefully accepted, I had my trunks brought to the place he shewed me, and was assigned a Gentue servant for to wait upon me, and was carried by Mr Martin to view the whole of the Factory. Which Factory is, as I have said, a great house, given to the English many years since by the king of Guzeratta, but whereto they have added go-downs[21] and storehouses, built on hired land. And the house itself is built after the Indian mode, of two storeys, and the upper and lower rooms opening on two long galleries, the floors being of the best cement, and near half a yard thick, all this for the sake of coolness. The walls are part of stone and part of timber, whereof the last is adorned with tolerable carvings, after their heathenish fashion. There is a neat oratory, or chapel, where divine service is held twice in the day, and on Sundays three times, and a convenient dining-room, open on all sides, but shaded at the top, wherein all the Company’s servants do eat together, being placed according to their degree in the service. The President’s rooms are very finely furnished, in part after the Oriental style, and Mr Secretary’s are likewise decent and comely enough, close to which was Mr Spender’s chamber. And we happening upon the President about this time, Mr Martin did present me to his honour, and ask his leave to keep me under him, which his honour was pleased to grant. And on that same evening, Mr Martin carried me to the garden belonging to the English, which is situated without the town, and should have been very fair and pleasant but for the doings whereof I will tell you. For as Mr Martin and I rid to the garden, he discovered to me all the trials and troubles wherefrom this poor town and Factory had lately suffered, which I will set down, that so you may perceive in what an evil case was his majesty’s poor subjects in Surat at this time.
Now first you must know that near the whole of East India (and now, for aught I know, the entire country) is subject to the Moors, that are akin to the Scythian Tartars, and come from the north, and the chiefest nation of these Moors is called the Moguls. And the ruler of these Moguls is a mighty emperor, that hath his court in the great cities of Agra and Dhilly,[22] and reigns there with such magnificence as no sovereign of Europe can equal, far less surpass. And the emperor when I came to Surat, and that is still (in 1697) reigning, was the great Auren Zeeb,[23] said by the Moors to be so wise and just as no prince hath been since Solomon, and by the Gentues the most cruel and tyrannical ruler that did ever oppress a nation for its sins. Now of these Gentues, the most warlike and bravest tribe is that called the Morattys,[24] dwelling in a province named, so far as I can spell it, Moruchtraw.[25] And of this province the boundaries are uncertain, but it lies in great part in the kingdom of Guzeratta. The Morattys are said by some to be a most bloodthirsty and treacherous people, but ’twould ill become me to indorse this opinion without more strict inquiry, since it hath pleased God by their means to give me great deliverance, and this not once only, as I shall shew hereafter in its place.
Now these Morattys had at this time a great king, or chief, by name Seva Gi,[26] son to a famous captain of the king of Visiapour’s,[27] called Shaw Gi, surnamed the Bounceloe,[28] from the caste or family whereto he belonged, and his mother was descended from the ancient kings of that country. He, rising up against the king of Visiapour, defeated and murdered by treachery Abdul Caun[29] his general, and had thereafter great success, taking many considerable places, even fortified towns, so that at one time he was master both of Duccan and also of Conchon,[30] which is the rugged country lying between the mountains and the sea. But neither he nor any leader of the Morattys hath ever been able to retain his hold on the plain country, but hath always been forced to seek refuge again in the hills, which, indeed, is the native land of the Moratty, where he is most at home. Now with such craft and subtilty did this Seva Gi go to work, that he was able for some years to maintain his peace with the Mogul emperor, while all the while warring with him that should have been his ally—viz., the king of Visiapour. It may well be that the mighty Auren Zeeb felt no grief to see two powerful princes destroying the one the other, and he did observe the fighting with no small diversion, calling the said Seva Gi his Mountain-rat, because he must needs retreat always to the hills. Now with regard to the town of Surat, I must premise that there is set over it on the behalf of the Great Mogul a governor, whose government is a byword among all the Europe merchants for its injustice. But whatever may be this person’s iniquities, he is, at the least, faithful to his master, and spurned all the offers made him from Seva Gi, that he should take his part. Wherefore Seva Gi made a road[31] into the place, and took and plundered the town, holding it for six days, and taking from it a prodigious booty. But the English, being retired into their Factory, and using that for a citadel, did show so fierce a front, and upon occasion defend themselves so bravely, as Seva Gi was forced to leave ’em in peace. But their fair garden, lying, as I have said, outside of the city, was overrun and ruined, and was not yet recovered when I first saw it, all this happening but shortly before my coming.
“But pray, sir,” says I to Mr Martin, “how can you have any comfort of life, knowing that you are all the time placed between an unjust governor and a murderous robber?”
“Beggers should be no chusers, sir,” quoth Mr Martin. “Sure we are in better case here than under the eye of the Inquisition at Goa, or even than quarrelling with my Lord Malbery[32] and the king’s officers at Bombaim.”[33]
“At the least you are your own masters here, sir,” says I.
“Not so fast, if you please, sir,” says he. “Not many months ago were we held under grievous oppression by the Dutch, that would have us acknowledge ’em to be lords of the Eastern Seas. Not being contented with the most injurious conduct towards ourselves, they must needs hoist their ancient[34] above our St George’s cross, as though we were surrendered to ’em. And not a warship had we for to defend us against their injuries. Had they but had Old Noll to deal withal, he should have punished ’em first and made ’em ask pardon after.”
“I trust, sir, that you an’t regretting the most fortunate death of that rebel?” said I. Mr Martin looked upon me jestingly.
“He that hath an ill name is half-hanged, an’t he?” said he. “Old Noll was a rebel, sir, but the Dutch feared him as the very devil.”
While thus discoursing, we walked to and fro in the garden, wherein had stood divers choultries, or summer-houses, very pleasant to take the air within, but now heaps of ruins, together with grottoes of many fantastical forms, and fountains, whereof the sound and the coolness was mighty agreeable. But the wildness of the place surprised me (though now I know that the Indian gardeners do not affect neatness and symmetry of arrangement, as do ours), nor had the ruins been cleared away, but the flowers were springing and growing up around them. And of the flowers themselves was nothing extraordinary, but only mallows and stocks and jessamines and suchlike common things, for so cursed with idleness are the lower sort here, that they won’t take the trouble even to grow roses. Nevertheless, this garden is a mighty pretty and pleasant place, and were it only better dressed and kept, might be a very paradise.