Letter from Filip de Zagly to Jan Jabłonowski regarding a mission to Persia

[P. 2] My Lord, I confess that I could not commit a greater error than to neglect the opportunity to always pay my respects to such an eminent Lord, my Patron and Friend, as Your Excellency, who has not only captivated me with his rare and excellent qualities, virtues, and kindness, but has also so greatly won my heart and attachment that I have sworn to be devoted to your interests all my life, My Lord, and to act at all times in everything that concerns your satisfaction and contentment. It is a very great misfortune that we were detained here for six months by this barbaric pasha, of which Your Excellency has undoubtedly learned and which can be seen from the letter I had the honor to write to His Excellency, my Lord, your most eminent and worthy Father; enough, our matter has now been resolved, I hope to leave in a few days for the Persian court, where I will be diligent enough to [P. 3] fulfill my instructions, so as to return with a great caravan to Poland in the company, undoubtedly, of a Persian envoy; but so that all this may take place as quickly as possible and without difficulty, as well as everything that is beneficial both for His Majesty the King, for the Most Serene Republic, and in particular for your eminent House and the House of Potocki, have the kindness, My Lord, with all urgency and as soon as possible, to send me the royal letter, just as I request in my aforementioned letter, which I had the honor to write to my Lord your Father [...], My Lord, you will see wonders and things that will give you reason for contentment for the rest of your life. As for the rest, I offer with all respect my regards to Her Ladyship and ask her to be convinced that I am and will be occupied with bringing her in a good casket all kinds of rarities and finery from Persia and India, as well as what Your Excellency has ordered me. My Lord, the royal letter that I request for the King of Persia costs only paper and ink, considering that I take upon myself all expenses and gifts, to bear them at my own cost. My Lord, the reason why they delayed in Persia in granting me support here is that it was thought that I was perhaps a priest or a monk carrying [P. 4] some letter of recommendation; but when it was learned that I am neither a priest nor a monk, but quite a different man, entrusted with important missions, letters, and acts, they took my matter very much to heart. My Lord, to tell the truth, at the Persian court they do not want to see priests arriving with instructions and letters from kings at all; this type of person is considered unworthy and derogatory to the respect due to kings, which provokes great contempt. As for the rest, I await with impatience the letters from Your Excellency, in which I hope to find also the desired letter of His Majesty the King to the King of Persia; meanwhile, I greet with all courtesy my Lords your brothers and I am, My Lord, Erzurum, the 7th of February, 1696 [?] Your Excellency's most humble and most obedient servant, Count Filip de Zagly, by his own hand [P. 5, address:] To His Excellency My Lord the Voivode Jabłonowski, Voivode of Volhynia etc. in Lviv or in Kraków

[S. 2] Monseigneur Je confesse que ie ne puis faire une plus grande faute que d'obmettre l'occasion a rendre tosiours mes deuoirs enuers un si Illustre Seigneur mon Patron et Amie comme est V[ost]re Exc[ellen]ce, qui ne ma pas seulem[en]t charme par ses rares et Illustres qualites, vertus, et bontes, mais encore a tellem[en]t gaigne mon Coeur et affection que iay iouré d'estre toute ma vie attaché a vos interes Mons[eigneu]r et d'agir a tout temps en tout ce que regarde a Vostre Satisfactio[n] et contentement; c'est un tres grand desastre que nous auons esté 6 mois arreté Icij par ce Barbar Baschia ainsi que V[ost]re Exc[ellen]ce sans doute a aprit et qu'en peut voir par la Lettre que ie me suis doné l'honeur d'escrir a Son Exc[ellen]ce Mons[eigneu]r vostre tres Illustre et digne Pere; basta aprese[n]t nostre affaire est determiné i'espere de partir dans quelques iours pour la Cour de Perse ou ie seray dilligent asse pour [S. 3] maquitter de mes Comissions afin de reuenir auec une grande Carauane en Pologne accom pagnie sans faute d'un Ambassadeur de Perse, mais afin que tout cela se passe au plus- tost et sans peine et tout ce que est auan tageuse tant a Sa M[ajes]te a la Serenissime Republique et particulierement a Vostre Illustre Maison et a celle de Pototzki, ayes la bonte Mons[eigneu]r en toute dilligence et au plus tost de m'enuoyer la Lettre Royalle ainsi que ie desir dans ma sus ditte Lettre que ie me suis done l'honeur d'escrir a Mons[eigneu]r vostre Pere au[...]tes Mons[eigneu]r vous verres des merueiles et Choses qui vous doneront suiet d'estre tout le temps de vostre vie contants. au reste ie salüe Mad[am]e en tout respect et la prie d'estre persuadé come ie suis et seray occupé de luy porter une bone cassete tout sorte de raretes et galanteries de Perse et des Indes aussi bien ce que V[ost]re Exc[ellen]ce m'a ordoné, Mons[eigneu]r la Lettre Royalle que ie demande pour le Roy de Perse ne custe que papier et d'ancr veuque tant tout les despens que les presens ie les prens sur moi a les faire a mes propres despens. Mons[eigneu]r la raison pourquoy on a tardé en Perse pour me seconder Icij est qu'on a crüe que i'estois peutestre un prestre ou moin qui porte [S. 4] quelque Lettre de recomandation mais apres qu'on a sceu que ie n'estois pas nij prestre et nij moin mais bien tout un autre home et qui suis chargé des importantes Comis sions Lettres et Actes on a prit mon affai re tres fortement a coeur. Mons[eigneu]r pour dire la verite a la Cour de Perse absolu ment on ne veut pas voir des prestres venir chargé de Lettres et Comissions des Roys on estime la cette sorte de Persones indigne et contre le respect des Roys et cela cause beaucoup de mepris. Au reste i'attans auec impatience quelques Lettres de V[ost]re Exc[ellen]ce ou i'espere de trouuer aussi la Lettre desiré de Sa Maiesté pour le Roy de Perse, cepandant ie salüe en tout ciuilité mes Seig[neu]rs vos freres et suis Monseigneur Erzerum d[ie] 7.mo febrer a[nn]o 1696 [?] Vostre tres humble et tres obeissant seruiteur Comes Philippus de Zagly m[anu] p[ro]p[ri]a [S. 5, adres:] A Son Excellence Monseigneur le Palatin Jablonowski, Woywoda Wolini &c. a Leopolis ou Crackaw