Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 42.11
A Translation of the Seir Mutaqherin (Haji Mustafa) 42.11
- Language
- English
42.11.1
After such a narrative (and there are some others that will follow) the candid reader shall have it now in his power to form a judgment of Aoreng-zib, of the Prince of Mascat, of the Monarch of Iran, and of some others. He will soon find the nobility or baseness of each character, and the vileness and infamy of each individual, and will thenceforth conclude for himself and make his choice of what models he intends for his pattern, and what for his detestation and contempt. After this digression, which we have thought of use, nothing remains now for us, but to return to our history, and to the Radjpoot Princes. This escape of the consorts and children of Radja Djesventsing's (escape that did so much honour to the bravery and fidelity of the Radjpoots), and this protection afforded him by the Ranna, added to the fatal consequences to which it gave birth, incensed Aoreng-zib to such a high degree, that he set out for Adjmir with an intention to destroy the Ranna's family. His hatred to Gentoos rose now to a pitch ; so that he ordered the Capitation-tax to be raised rigorously, sent circular orders for that purpose throughout all the provinces, and enforced his commands with great asperity, both in his camp and Capital.
42.11.2
As the Gentoos in that city amounted to several lacs, many thousands amongst whom were too poor to afford the tax, they assembled in vast multitudes under the place where they knew the Emperor was sitting, and they set up a plaintive tone of voice, which by degrees rose to the cupola of heaven. Aoreng-zib, so far from granting their request, did not so much as take notice of their sobs and complaints. The Gentoos consterned, but not without hopes, waited for the next Friday, when the Emperor was to go, as usual, to perform his devotions at the cathedral, and then they assembled by ten thousands and by lacs, so as to fill up all the space betwixt the gate of the citadel and the great mosque, together with the adjacent streets and lanes. The passage being intirely barred up, cries, sobs, and lamentations commenced on all sides, and little by little, they rose to the highest skies. No efforts were wanting to clear up the way, and the guards striking mercilessly over heads and hands, maimed and wounded numbers of people ; for all that, no passage could be cleared ; and no sooner had the moving throne advanced the length of two yards, than it was stopped short again. At last it became equally impossible to move backwards or forwards from the spot where it was jammed in ; nor could the Emperor move in his own throne, nor any man from his place ; and yet the throng seemed to increase, and it pressed so hard as to render respiration difficult.
42.11.3
The Emperor, after pausing awhile, called for a number of lofty elephants, which carry the Imperial streamers and insignia, and had gone forwards; he also commanded the elephants destined for the Imperial person, and he directed that they should be brought together, and made to force a passage by forming several ranks. The order being executed, numbers of people were under-trodden by the elephants, or wounded by the horses, grown unruly; the rest fled to their homes, and expecting nothing from the Emperor's compassion, submitted to their fate, and paid the tax. All this mercilessness, and all this hardness of heart proved of little avail, and for very little purpose. His obstinate wars in Decan necessarily slackened the stiffness of the law. Nor did those very bloody battles, and very laborious expeditions of his, produce any very great advantage to the Empire; for no man will attribute to the Emperor the battles fought, and the conquests made, in Decan, in Bengal, and in Asham, by those immortal Lieutenants of his, the heroes of the age, all Commanders equally intrepid and prudent; for instance, Qhan-djehan-cocal-tash, the Lord of Lords, Muazzem the Moghul, the Afghans Dilir-qhan, Agher-qhan, and Daud-qhan the Coreishy, and so many others who everywhere exhibited feats of prowess, that would have attracted the admiration of any age. All these were disgusted, one after another, on seeing the little notice taken of their services;
42.11.4
and the consequence of that disgust and universal discontent was, that several of his armies met with the most shameful and unaccountable defeats; such, indeed, as it is difficult and improper to mention at length. Hence the reason why we find so great a chasm after the first ten years of that Prince's history, the analysts of his reign having been forbidden in the tenth year of it to continue their chronicles; and hence the reason why after those ten years we find no detail of many parts of that long reign. It is those very parts which the historian, Hashem-aaly-qhan-qhafi, seems just to indicate, which I have expressly selected for publication, and which I shall mention here, in his own words, to save my own credit; they are as follow: — Although the analysts of those times were forbidden to continue in their chronicles the rest of that religious, that equitable Emperor's history, after those ten years; nevertheless, some bystanders, and what for his detestation and contempt. After this digression, which we have thought of use, nothing remains now for us, but to return to our history, and to the RadjpUt Princes. This escape of the consorts and children of Radja Djesventsing's (escape that did so much honour to the bravery and fidelity of the RadjpUts), and this protection afforded him by the Ranna, added to the fatal consequences to which it gave birth, incensed Aoreng-zib to such a high degree, that he set out for Adjmir with an intention to destroy the Ranna's family.
42.11.5
His hatred to Gentoos rose now to a pitch; so that he ordered the Capitation-tax to be raised rigorously, sent circular orders for that purpose throughout all the provinces, and enforced his commands with great asperity, both in his camp and Capital. As the Gentoos in that city amounted to several lacs, many thousands amongst whom were too poor to afford the tax, they assembled in vast multitudes under the place where they knew the Emperor was sitting, and they set up a plaintive tone of voice, which by degrees rose to the cupola of heaven. Aoreng-zib, so far from granting their request, did not so much as take notice of their sobs and complaints. The Gentoos consterned, but not without hopes, waited for the next Friday, when the Emperor was to go, as usual, to perform his devotions at the cathedral, and then they assembled by ten thousands and by lacs, so as to fill up all the space betwixt the gate of the citadel and the great mosque, together with the adjacent streets and lanes. The passage being intirely barred up, cries, sobs, and lamentations commenced on all sides, and little by little, they rose to the highest skies. No efforts were wanting to clear up the way, and the guards striking mercilessly over heads and hands, maimed and wounded numbers of people; for all that, no passage could be cleared; and no sooner had the moving throne advanced the length of two yards, than it was stopped short again.
42.11.6
At last it became equally impossible to move backwards or forwards from the spot where it was jammed in; nor could the Emperor move in his own throne, nor any man from his place; and yet the throng seemed to increase, and it pressed so hard as to render respiration difficult. The Emperor, after pausing awhile, called for a number of lofty elephants, which carry the Imperial streamers and insignia, and had gone forwards; he also commanded the elephants destined for the Imperial person, and he directed that they should be brought together, and made to force a passage by forming several ranks. The order being executed, numbers of people were under-trodden by the elephants, or wounded by the horses, grown unruly; the rest fled to their homes, and expecting nothing from the Emperor's compassion, submitted to their fate, and paid the tax. All this mercilessness, and all this hardness of heart proved of little avail, and for very little purpose. His obstinate wars in Decan necessarily slackened the stiffness of the law. Nor did those very bloody battles, and very laborious expeditions of his, produce any very great advantage to the Empire; for no man will attribute to the Emperor the battles fought, and the conquests made, in Decan, in Bengal, and in Asham, by those immortal Lieutenants of his, the heroes of the age, all Commanders equally intrepid and prudent;
42.11.7
for instance, Qhan-djehan-cocal-tash, the Lord of Lords, Muazzem the Moghul, the Afghans Dilir-qhan, Agher-qhan, and Daüd-qhan the Coreishy, and so many others who everywhere exhibited feats of prowess, that would have attracted the admiration of any age. All these were disgusted, one after another, on seeing the little notice taken of their services; and the consequence of that disgust and universal discontent was, that several of his armies met with the most shameful and unaccountable defeats; such, indeed, as it is difficult and improper to mention at length. Hence the reason why we find so great a chasm after the first ten years of that Prince's history, the analysts of his reign having been forbidden in the tenth year of it to continue their chronicles; and hence the reason why after those ten years we find no detail of many parts of that long reign.