who desired my assistance for the engraving the plates, the translation, and printing his story of that wonderful Persian Monument near Persepolis, and other rare antiquities, which he had caused to be drawn from the originals in his second journey into Persia;” 15th March, “I dined at the Lord Keeper’s, and brought him to Sir John Chardin, who showed him his accurate draughts of his travels in Persia.”
In the year 1686 he published his first volume of Travels; his residence was now in Greenwich. Evelyn writes, 18th July 1686, “I went to see Sir John Chardin at Greenwich.” The volume was a folio, profusely illustrated, entitled, “Voyage de Monsieur le Chevalier Chardin de Paris à Ispahan, Capitale de l’Empire de Perse.” It was dedicated to King James. It was speedily translated into English, Dutch, and German.
In the year 1687 his son and heir was born. On 6th October, Evelyn writes, “I was godfather to Sir John Chardin’s son, christened at Greenwich Church, named John; the Earl of Bath and the Countess of Carlisle were the other sponsors.” Another son was born in 1691, as appears from the register of St. Martin’s-in-the Fields, which contains the baptism of George Chardin, son of John and Esther, 11th October 1691.[1]
As a Protestant exile, he was a known friend of the persecuted Protestants. In a State Paper, Her Majesty Queen Anne declares:[2]—
“By our warrant, bearing date the 30th Sept. 1704, we did direct (amongst other things) that the following yearly sums should be paid to our trusty and well-beloved Sir John Chardin for the uses following, that is to say,
| To be remitted by him for the use of the Vaudois Ministers, per annum, |
£425 0 0 |
| To be remitted as our bounty to a school at Offenbach, | 30 0 0 |
| And for the use of [Henri] Arnaud, per annum, | 100 0 0 |
| £555 0 0 |
“The said yearly sums have been satisfied and paid to the said Sir John Chardin to Michaelmas 1709.”
After that date, the payments fell into arrear, and the Vaudois pastors in 1711, when calling Mr. Hill’s attention to this, and also to new channels for remitting the money, observe, “The Chevalier Chardin has heretofore been the channel through which this maintenance has reached us, but his age and infirmities (as he has often assured us) prevent him from being so for the future.” (Hill, pp. 834, 978.)
He devoted his best energies to the task of composing and revising his works as a traveller, in which public and philanthropic labour he was most painstaking and conscientious. He had established himself in a residence suitable to his fortune. Evelyn writes on the 18th May 1705, “I went to see Sir John Chardin at Turnham-Green, the gardens being very fine and exceeding well planted with fruit.” In 1711 his Travels appeared in three volumes, the first being the fifth edition of his previous work, and the other two being new. He recommends himself to his readers, as one who knows Ispahan better than London, who speaks the Persian language as easily as English, and understands it almost as well as French. He gives many specimens of the moral sentences of the Persians, for instance —
If the ass on which Christ rode should go to Mecca, he would come back from thence as much an ass as before.
Never take a house in a part of the town where the common people are both ignorant and devout.
A man deserves to be accounted wise, whilst he seeks wisdom; but as soon as he thinks that he has acquired it, he is a fool.
A learned man knows an ignorant man, because he has been ignorant; but an ignorant man does not know a learned man, because he never was learned.
Such aphorisms the Persians often exhibit on the walls of buildings, both public and private. From the front of a mosque, built in a solitary place, Chardin copied this inscription:—
The Church does not consist in a multitude of people.
Whoever has truth with him is the Congregation of the faithful,
though he be alone.
Sir John Chardin’s Travels, as they were the first really good accounts of foreign countries and nations, so they long retained their hold on public attention. In 1735
