Travels in the Mogul Empire (Bernier) 3.10.1

3.10.1

Secondly. I shall now say a few words regarding the celebrated Emir-Jemla, recur to some of the incidents, wherein he was concerned after the termination of the civil war, and mention the manner in which he closed his brilliant career. In effecting the subjugation of Bengale that great man did not behave to Sultan Sujah with the cruelty and breach of faith practised by Gion-Kan, that infamous Patan, towards Dara, or by the Raja of Serenaguer towards Soliman-Chekouh. He obtained possession of the country like a skilful captain, and disdaining any unworthy stratagem to secure Sujah's person, contented himself with driving the discomfited Prince to the sea, and compelling him to leave the kingdom. Emir-Jemla then sent an eunuch to Aureng-Zebe with a letter, supplicating the King to permit his family to repair to Bengale under the eunuch's care. 'The war is happily at an end,' he said, 'and as I am enfeebled and broken down by age, you will not, you surely cannot, refuse me the consolation of passing the remainder of my days with my wife and children.' But Aureng-Zebe penetrated at once into the design of this expert politician; he knew that if his son Mahmet Emir-kan were permitted to visit Bengale, the father, Jemla, would aspire to the independent sovereignty of that kingdom, if indeed such an acquisition would have satisfied the pretensions of that extraordinary man. He was intelligent, enterprising, brave, and wealthy; at the head of a victorious army;