Journael van de Reysen ghedaen door den Ed. Heer en Ridder Sr. Thomas Roe [...] naer Oostindien aen den Grooten Mogol, ende andere ghewesten in Indien [...] Uyt het Engels vertaalt, ende met Copere Figuren verciert

Sir Thomas Roe - Journael van de Reysen ghedaen door den Ed. Heer en Ridder Sr. Thomas Roe [...] naer Oostindien aen den Grooten Mogol, ende andere ghewesten in Indien [...] Uyt het Engels vertaalt, ende met Copere Figuren verciert - t'Amsterdam - By Iacob Benjamin Boeck-verkooper inde Warmoes-straet, by de Papenbruch-steegh in de Druckery - 1656 - 1st edition - [2], 126 pp - Paper wrappers - 15 x 19 cm.

Condition: Vulnerable - COMPLETE. The interior with an old water stain and here and there an old trace of a bookworm. Chip in p. 59, repaired tear in p 67 with some text loss. Attractive as a whole in 20th century decorative paper covers.

Antiquarian 17th century travel account of Sir Thomas Roe's mission for the English East India Company to India as ambassador of King James to the court of Nuruddin Salim Jahangir (1569-1627), Emperor of the Mughal Empire. Illustrated with title engraving and four copper engravings in the text (including a globe, elephants and maritime acts of war at sea; a spectacular military action against the Portuguese in which one of the ships is on fire).

The Great Mogul Jahangir was sensitive to luxury and a great lover of opium and alcohol. The diplomat Thomas Roe, as a drinking buddy of the Emperor and by offering him gifts, was able to negotiate deals with varying degrees of success for the English East India Company, but a real trade treaty was not accomplished, as evidenced by the excerpt from the "Brief aan de Oostindische Compangie" ( on p. 122-126) in which 'the Dutch' are also discussed, who "door het sweert haer hier hebben soecken neder te setten" [= tried to fight their way into here with the sword].

¶ Not in Landwehr (which is not surprising, since this is about the British VOC); Picarta refers to Tiele 927 (not known by me) and indicates that the book can be consulted in five public collections). This is the first - and only - Dutch translation of this historically important account.

Howgego p.902-903 : "Leaving England early in 1615, in a ship captained by Christopher Newport, [Sir Thomas] Roe (1581-1644) disembarked at Surat [in September] and travelled overland [...] by way of Ajmer to Agra. Always disdainful of Indian society, he had difficulty convincing the authorities that he was a man of quality and not just another merchant. However, he did manage to impress Jahangir and after obtaining protection for an English factory at Surat [... he sailed back to England in February 1619]".