Storia do Mogor 238.4.7

238.4.7

In this way the people suffer, and those who are the most distant from the court suffer the most. Besides all these inflictions they have other losses, for when the soldiery passes through they plunder everything they can lay hands on — cattle, food-supplies, grass, straw; they destroy houses to get firewood, and on the villagers' heads they load their baggage, and by dint of blows force them to carry it. To me it seems that this is God's chastisement, merited by their evil deeds. Never are they ready to listen to reason; they are all very troublesome, high and low, without shame, neither having the fear of God. The Hindus who turn Mahomedans are the worst of all; these are ordinarily the most insolent, the greatest talkers, and held in no consideration. As for Europeans who come to India, they must arm themselves with great patience and prudence, for not a soul will speak the truth to them, this being the general habit of India. Although they are deceivers, selfish, contumacious, and unworthy of belief [themselves], we are abhorred by the lower classes, who hold us to be impure, being themselves worse than pigs.