Selected quad for the lemma: son_n
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A62173
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The present state of Persia with a faithful account of the manners, religion and government of that people / by Monsieur Sanson, a missionary from the French King ; adorned with figures ; done into English.
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Sanson, Nicolas, 1600-1667.
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1695
(1695)
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Wing S687; ESTC R37147
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83,172
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223
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in Europe Manner of putting to the Torture 1. Ordinary and 2. Extraordinary Ordinary by way of Bastinadoes which are always given in full Assembly and which cause no ordinary Terrour of their Tribunals There are many kinds of Extraordinary which consist also of Bastinadoes but after a manner much more Merciless and Sensible For they slash the bottom of the Heels with Razors put Salt into their bleeding Wounds and then make use of the Battoon which you must needs think is no common Torture Also they sometimes tear off the Nails from their Feet with Pincers Sometimes they bind the Criminals to four Stakes by the Hands and Feet and apply red-hot Irons to the most fleshy parts and sometimes they quite tear out the Flesh with Pincers If these poor wretches confess the Crimes of which they are accused then they desist from Tortures and proceed to Sentence Afterwards they deliver the condemn'd to the Parties concern'd The Criminal deliver'd to the Accuser to be dispos'd of at their pleasure But if they do not confess the Accusers must pay the Person Tortur'd SMart-money which is allow'd 'em according to their Quality 'T is Remarkable that they do not proceed against Murtherers till the Party interess'd requires it So that a Child whose Father has been kill'd is at liberty to revenge or compound for his Blood without any Check from the Court of Justice When the Party interess'd will not Compound and that he has prov'd the Murther the Sadre determines the Punishment and returns the Criminal to the Parties power to take Blood for Blood The Party interess'd has none of the Goods Confiscated the Court seizes upon all whence it comes to pass that Executions are seldom practis'd when the Criminal has any Money to Compound Their Laws are very severe against Crimes of Uncleanness Rigorous Laws against Impurities Women that abuse their Husbands Beds are thrown from the top of the Minarées or Mosque-Steeples When a Woman is accus'd of this Crime of Uncleanness they first shave her Head and daub her Face and then mount her upon an Ass with her Face towards the Tail which the Hang-man leads thro' the Streets crying before her Woe be to Women who have no care of their Honour The Laws of the Imans are so very rigorous A Story of a Brother that kill'd his Sister taken in this Crime that they allow Fathers and Mothers to Stab their Daughters if they take 'em in this Crime I saw an Example of this kind at the Lieutenant's of the Governour of Hamadan A Mother having surpriz'd her Daughter in this Act not being able to vent her Anger upon him who had dishonour'd her made her Daughter the Victim of her Indignation who had not time to escape For this passionate Woman calling her Son to her commanded him to kill his Sister upon the spot who as hastily obeying he had so little remorse after this Parricide that he could not content himself with Stabbing her but immediately cut off her Head and carry'd it home in Triumph His Neighbours came to the Lieutenant's to accuse him as a Parricide He was seized and his Mother followed him to the Hall where I heard all the Circumstances The Lieutenant ask'd him why he had kill'd his only Sister He answered He had done well and that he deserved a Reward rather than a Punishment for in having Stabb'd an Unchast Sister he had reveng'd the Honour of his Religion which she had defil'd and wash'd away a blot which her Crime had cast upon his Family And then turning to his Mother he gave her a thousand Benedictions for having inspir'd him with so noble a design Whereupon he was bid to withdraw and his Mother commanded to stand forth Where she being ask'd her reason for what she did she presently justify'd her self and commended the generous Action of her Son The end of this Tragedy was very surprizing for the Lieutenant being then at Dinner gave the Mother Melons and other Fruit from his Table and after having exalted her Inhumanity as an Heroick Action he gave her Son an Habit for being the Executioner This surpriz'd me very much and quite took away my stomach to my Meat Which the Lieutenant perceiving ask'd me if we did not Judge so in Europe I told him no. And not daring to explain my self farther and to tell him we did not use to reward Parricides I was fain to content my self with only offering my Opinion That this Mother ought first to have had recourse to his Court for Justice against her Daughter and not to take so much upon her without Orders He answered that that was true but that he was oblig'd to determine so according to the Laws of Mahomet which made me have a secret pity for the Persians that are so much blinded by their Alcoran and who are otherwise the most Knowing Polish'd Politick and Rational of all the East They punish severely all Children that abuse their Fathers and Mothers Punishment of Children for abusing Fathers or Mothers For if any one be convicted of such a Crime they immediately cut out his Tongue and if they strike 'em they cut off their Arms. The King deputes oftentimes the Divan Begui as great a Lord as he is The Judges and greatest Lords assist at Executions to assist at Executions or at least he must send one of the greatest Lords of the Court in his Room A poor Armenian Catholick being found in the Road where the King was to pass with his Ladies he was seiz'd and condemn'd to have his Head cut off Whereupon the Kouler Agassi who is the chief Favourite and one of the Four great Officers of State was commanded to assist at his Execution and to offer him Mercy if he would renounce Christianity and become Mahometan But the Christian refusing his Offers kept firm to his Faith And perceiving this Favourite delay'd his Death with hopes he would comply broke out into these words Martyrdom of a Christian Do not expect that I can be so base to forsake my Saviour Jesus Christ who is the Truth itself to follow the Belief of an Impostor whereupon his desires were immediately accomplish'd and his Faith recompens'd for his Head was struck off in a trice and thrown to the Dogs I was his Confessor and at my earnest intreaty his Body was taken from the Dogs and buried in the Franks Church yard The Persians have not set Punishments for every Crime Divers Punishments They make use of a Gibbet after a very cruel manner for they fasten the Patient by the Throat with an Iron Hook and there let him hang till he perish They have another sort of Punishment yet more cruel than the former and that is They bind the Criminal upon a Camel's Back and then open his Belly as a Butcher does a Sheep and thus they lead him about the Streets with his Guts hanging out and who will live sometimes Two or Three Days in this
was the unavoidable occasion of the final ruine of this Constable This Sultan who has been always acknowledged to be one of the most valiant Captains in all Persia having receiv'd Orders Three Years before to go to defend the Castle of Mourg-ab against the Usbegs who were come to besiege it parted from Hispahan with 300 Horse and the King's Orders to the Governour of Herat to equip him with as many other Troops as he should have occasion for in this Expedition But scarce was he got to Mourg-ab but he was invested with Twelve Thousand Usbegs Whereupon he immediately dispatch'd a Courier to the Governour of Herat to send him instant Supplies But this Governour who was a sworn Enemy of the Kan of Merva's being glad of this occasion of ruining the Sultan his Son receiv'd these Couriers without giving them any Answer Governour of Herat 's Treachery He was also so treacherous as to write to the Commander of the Usbeg Army to proceed without fear and to give no Quarter to the Sultan He also dispatch'd another Courier to the Prince of the Usbegs Balk and Bocara to exhort him to profit himself now that the King was as it were in a Lethargy and that he never would have again the like opportunity of regaining the Province of Corassan And moreover that he might be sure of the Constable and of him for that they were both his sworn Friends and he thought they might be allow'd Authority enough between 'em to hinder any Succours being sent to Abdulla Sultan The Sultan receiving neither Answer nor Assistance from the Governour of Herat made all possible haste to Court Vacant two Years where the death of the Etmadaulet and the long vacancy of his Office obliging him to put his Business into the Constable's Hands who had always intelligence with the Governour of Herat and who had the same inclinations for his Ruine he receiv'd no more satisfaction at Court than what he had done before from the Governour The Constable also being unwilling to yield in Treachery to the Governour writ to his Son the Kan of Sambran to prevent any of his Troops going to the assistance of Abdulla Sultan and also commanded him to send a Letter to the Prince of the Usbegs written by him to the same effect as that of the Governours The Sultan finding his stay vain and being unwilling to disoblige his Prince with Delays which might seem the effect of Cowardice rather than Necessity return'd to his Charge without so much as seeing the King In the mean time A famous Siege the Usbegs press'd on vigorously the Siege of Mourg-ab and Abdulla Sultan defended himself with no less Courage than he was attack'd for having lost all hopes of Relief he was resolv'd to die as bravely as he could He arm'd as many of the Inhabitants as were able with whom he made several successful Sallies But this Advantage over the Usbegs did not procure him any long Quiet for they having receiv'd a Reinforcement of Eight thousand Men push'd the Siege on with greater Vigour than before Whereupon Abdulla not knowing of their Recruits attempted a second Sally where being over-power'd with Numbers he was forc'd to retreat with the total loss of the City and shut himself up in the Castle The Revolt of the Besieg'd against the Sultan But scarce was he enter'd there when the Garison and Inhabitants being tired with so long a Siege and not seeing any Succours come to their assistance immediately revolted against him and admitted the Enemy Thus Abdulla Sultan seeing all Hope 's lost hearken'd to no Motives but those of extream Jealousie which the Persians have all of their Wives His strange Resolutions and by which he thought to save his from Infamy He therefore began to represent to her that the Castle was irrecoverably lost and that she was in danger of being dishonour'd by the mortal Enemies both of her Nation and Religion His Wife stabs her self His Sister also And he himself his Son Whereupon she snatch'd the Ponyard he wore by his side and buried it in her Bosom The Sultan's Sister follow'd her barbarous Example but his only Son who was yet too young for such an Action had his Father's inhuman Help to dispatch him for snatching the Ponyard all reeking with Blood out of his Sister's Breast he plung'd it into this innocent Youth's Heart chusing rather by a false Idea of Honour to murther his own Son than to suffer him to be led a Captive with equal danger by the Enemies of his Prince and Religion Thus having seen the total Extinction and tragical End of his Family there was nothing more remain'd but that he should think of dying himself Whereupon rushing with fury into the thickest of his Enemies he made no small havock of 'em with his Scymiter but tho' he expos'd himself to so many yet he did not meet with that Death his Despair sought after for over-power'd with their Force he at length dropp'd in his own Bloud where his Enemies taking him up He is made Captive they immediately dress'd and bound up his Wounds and then led him Captive The Rigours of this Slavery did not wholly appease the Hatred of his Enemies in Persia for the Constable who had then altogether the King's Ear employ'd the Misfortunes of the Son for the Ruine of the Father and to that purpose gave so sudden and subtile a Turn to the taking of Mourg-ab that the King laid all the fault of this ill success upon the Father of Abdulla Sultan whom he immediately depriv'd of his Governments of Merva and Marouchak The Constables Malice Moreover the Constable had so incens'd the King against him that he would never be perswaded to admit him to any Defence of Himself or Justification of his Son Nevertheless Abdulla Sultan was not without some Consolation in his Captivity for Sepan Kouli Prince of the Usbegs having no ordinary sense of his Valour us'd him well and endeavour'd many times in vain to engage him to his Service but promising him his Liberty if he could end that War successfully which he then had with the Kalmouch Tartars He commands the Enemy's Army he at length prevail'd upon him to accept the Command of his Army which he knew so well how to manage that he quickly recover'd all the Slaves and Country that they had taken from this Prince He conquers and obiains his Liberty wherewithal the Usbeg Monarch was so well satisfied that he kept his Word and gave him his Freedom And to convince him the better of his Respect he deliver'd into his hands the Constable and Governour of Herat's Letters which had been the only cause of the loss of Mourg-ab the Massacre of his Family and his own Captivity Thus being prepar'd for Revenge he posted immediately to Court where he understood his Father had fallen also under his Enemies Ill-will His return into Persia he arriv'd the 4th of August