Storia do Mogor 156: Corpulence of a Mahomedan.
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 156
- Language
- English
Corpulence of a Mahomedan.
156.1
Another case occurred which made me famous throughout the kingdom. It was as follows: Fida,e Khan ordered the beheadal of a powerful rebel, who plundered in all directions in the king's territories; he was brother-in-law of the qdzl of Lahor. His name was Theka Araham (? Thika, Arain), and he was extremely fat. I thought it was a good chance of laying in a stock of human fat, procuring it from the man and his companion, who was also very obese. I spoke to Fida,e Khan, pointing out the necessity I was under of having this medicament. As the opportunity was favourable, would he give orders to remove the fat from these two condemned men ? He then ordered the kotwal to have this done, and in compliance with the order men were sent to carry out the operation. I thus acquired eighteen sirs — that is, five hundred and four ounces purified. This matter caused great talk in the city, and the qazi, assembling many of the learned, sent men to complain to the king against Fida,e Khan for protecting a Frank. On his behalf he had committed the sacrilege of removing the fat of a Mahomedan, a man who read the Quran and yet had been thus afflicted. According to the strict law the Frank deserved to be burnt, but as Fida,e Khan declined to listen to argument, they were forced to come to His Majesty to present a complaint and demand justice.
156.2
I was warned of the plot, and spoke to Fida,e Khan about the qazis intentions. He sent at once a messenger to court to report that the population of Lahor were restless, and if there came in any complaint about the beheaded man, Thika, Arain, it must not be listened to, for the qazi and others had been his supporters. This was enough to secure that on the arrival of the complaint at court, where many had clad themselves in mourning to present the petition, the king should send them away after saying very little, with the remark : ' Caziey zemi, bessare zemi ' {Qazayd-i-zamln bar-sar-i-zamln). This means : ' Cases about land are settled on the land itself.' Thus I was left unharmed for that once and freed from a great persecution that would have cost me my life.
156.3
God was also pleased to deliver me once more after several months. For [163] there came a relation of the beheaded man expressly to kill me. By a lucky chance he came when I was prescribing for the sick, distributing medicine, adding alms for those who were in want. He came into my diwan with his sword and shield, leaving his spear and horse at my door. Without any salutation he sat down in front of me and watched my movements, the humanity with which I spoke to the sick, and the liberality with which I succoured the needy. Nor did I fail from time to time to observe the face of this new guest, without knowing either who he was or what he wanted. I wondered at his wrathful countenance, his head-shakings, and other signs of a man in anger. Having got rid of my patients, I asked him more than once if he wanted anything in which I could be of use, but he returned no answer. At length, there being no one else left, he asked me if I knew the cause of his coming. I replied that I did not. He said he had come resolved to kill me because I had removed the fat from his uncle. But finding that in my hands it was being well employed, he felt satisfied at making my acquaintance. He rose to his feet, refusing to eat, or take betel, or listen to my words. He could have killed me quite safely, but God was pleased to change his intentions in reward for the little or much that I managed to do for the poor who were in ill-health.
156.4
The qazi did not find it so easy to forget his anger against me. Fida,e Khan did not stay much longer in Lahor. He (the qazi) then sent someone for me, and on my presenting myself he was very affectionate, but did all he knew to trip me up in my talk. He began a conversation about the fat of his brother-in-law, asking me if I ever gave such fat to be taken for a medicine, and for what complaints it was used. I answered, in ignorance of his maliciousness, that fat was not administered by the mouth, but served simply to make ointments in nervous disorders. It was lucky that I answered thus, for if I had said that the fat was also given by the mouth, it would have been enough to afford him an opening for planning a fresh persecution against me, and ordering me to be tortured.
156.5
It appeared to him most barbarous to prescribe human fat to be taken, imagining I did [164] this to make mock of the Mahomedans by getting one man to eat the fat of another. After this, I fell into conversation with him and discovered his malice, and saw the kindness God had done me in making me reply as above. For it was this which had delivered me from death. But he who came to catch me got caught himself! On his demanding of me some remedy for a cough he had, I told him of various drugs ; among other things I said that, as he was an old man, human 'myrrh' would be good. He answered that he had already taken it, but it had done him not the least good. Upon this, with a smile, I said openly to him that to me it did not seem much of a thing to give human fat through the mouth by way of medicine, when at the same time he had no scruple in eating human flesh and fat. For that is what is meant by human 'myrrh.' He also could not help laughing, and told me such medicines were to be taken secretly only, so that no one knew.