The first of these, a goldsmith and jeweller, presses his way with shrewd deliberation into the courts of the Orient all the while displaying the precious and exquisite wares he promotes, and is everywhere conscious of where he should be and where he may go. He reaches the diamond mines of India and after a hazardous trip home, receives a rather chilly welcome. His posthumous writings are extremely informative and yet, he is not so much obstructed during his lifetime by his countryman, successor and rival Chardin as besmirched in public opinion after his death. The latter, who at the very outset of his travels must grapple with the severest obstacles, grasps just how to work expertly upon the mentality of oriental potentates and plutocrats, which fluctuates between magnanimity and meanness, and knows also how to minister in manifold ways to their insatiable craving for fresh gems and exotic goldsmithery – no matter how great the treasures they already possess – and as a result he returns home not lacking in good fortune and standing.
The intelligence, equanimity, proficiency, perseverance, charming comportment and steadfastness of both of these men are admirable beyond measure; every man of the world could take them as models to esteem on his own journey through life. And yet, they possessed two advantages not granted to everyone: they were at once Protestants and Frenchmen – qualities which when found together are capable of producing supremely capable individuals.