Storia do Mogor 281.6
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 281.6
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281.6.1
Nothing can be more surprising than the way things go on in the Mogul Empire. The king, the princes, the governors, and the generals have each their own line of policy, calculated for securing success to their own designs. Under this head I have been witness to the most extraordinary things. Down to the very smallest officer there is not one who is not a past master in the art of enriching himself prodigiously. They flinch from nothing in their pursuit of wealth; they ignore even the loyalty due to their sovereign. They maintain a correspondence with the enemy with a view to prolonging the war as much as possible, going so far even as supplying him with all the money he wants. Here is one instance.
281.6.2
Fazil Khan, chief officer of the royal wardrobe, had developed, and had even begun to put into execution, the idea of conveying secretly to Prince Akbar in Persia the sum of five lakhs of gold coin. His attempt was discovered by the governor of Surat, who gave immediate notice to the king. This fact becoming known to Fazil Khan, he saw that his intrigue was unmasked, and at once swallowed some poison, of which he died. He thus avoided the torture which would, no doubt, have been inflicted upon him. However, the king commanded that the cash be removed into his treasury, being extremely annoyed that the man had escaped from his vengeance. It was not owing to any necessity he was in that the money was to have been sent to Prince Akbar, for the traders living in Hindustan never leave him in want of cash. I have reported this affair as proof of what I have just advanced, namely, that no one has the slightest hesitation in violating the fidelity he owes to the king. Here is a second instance.
281.6.3
The general Zu,lfiqar Khan, of whom I spoke at the beginning of this volume (III. 2), was in charge of the campaign against Shiva Ji (the Mahrattahs). He was the son of Asad Khan, chief minister of Aurangzeb, and in his army was a crowd of Hindu princes serving under him. One of these, named Achep-nar (? Ajai' Punwar), a handsome and wealthy young man, made an offer to the general that in a short space of time he could capture the great fortress of Singy (Jinji), within which Shiva Ji (i.e., Ram Raja, Mahrattah) had taken shelter. The project did not suit Zu,lfiqar Khan's views. Success in it would have ended the war, and with it his own power. Thus he always brushed the proposal aside. The young [15] prince, disgusted at these delays, addressed himself direct to the king, and offered to make him master of the place in eight days by his own troops alone. Unfortunately the letter fell into the hands of the wazir, the general's father, who never hesitated to suppress it, foreseeing quite well what would be the consequences to his son. Without any delay he wrote to him about what was going on, and warned him directly on receipt of that letter to kill the 'wolf' for fear he might ruin everything. As soon as Zu,lfiqar Khan had learnt this news, he sent for Achepnar (? Ajai, Punwar) on the pretext of having something to tell him. Immediately the poor prince appeared he was bound, and orders were given to cut off his head.
281.6.4
In spite of all the blows delivered by the executioner, the sword never even grazed the skin. But the prince felt sure that he would never be able to preserve his honour, so he told the executioner to remove from his hair a small writing hidden there, and after so doing he would be able to decapitate him. The man did as he was bid, and after Achepnar had addressed thousands of reproaches to the general, he bowed his head, and it was separated from his body. His corpse was dragged ignominiously round the tents of Zu,lfiqar Khan. Subsequently that captain took possession of all the most valuable articles in the prince's equipage, and the rest he allowed to be pillaged. Then he caused the women to be shut up in a tent close to his own, posting round it a number of sentinels. Among these illustrious sufferers was a son of the defunct, aged about ten years. Along with him were his mother, his sister, and four other of his father's wives. They were convinced that shortly the Mahomedans would proceed to dishonour them. Finding themselves in this extremity, neither the boy nor those afflicted princesses could endure the thought of such an affront. Drawing his sword, he slew them all. Never a word did they utter, but rather felt death to be sweeter far than the condition to which they had been brought. The tragedy was only discovered through the trickling blood issuing from the tent, the only sign to inform the public how these unfortunate princesses had come to their end.
281.6.5
The reader must not be surprised. Devoting themselves to death is common enough among the women of this empire, for I have several times seen a house in a town in flames while the poor women, who might have easily saved their lives, choose rather to be burnt than merely to expose themselves to the view of strangers. Having performed this dastardly piece of treason, the general wrote to the king that he had caused the Hindu prince Achepnar to be beheaded for rebellion, and the additional crime of being in correspondence with Shiva Ji ( = Ram Raja, Mahrattah). The king approved all his acts, and [16] the general proceeded to appropriate the dead man's goods. At the present moment this man (Zu,lfiqar Khan) is the greatest captain in the Mogul service ; the king thinks very highly of him, and has conferred on him the title of the 'Valiant.' The captain, 'Ali Mardan Khan, was subjected to an almost exactly similar piece of treachery. He commanded some troops under the same general, and made a parade of his high valour and great loyalty to the king's service. But the two men could not agree. The general, who hated him, resolved to ruin him, and to secure this he warmly commended him to an officer of Shiva Ji called Santangape (Santa Ape), earnestly entreating him to give the man a thorough good beating the first chance he had. Santa Ji executed this commission without fail a few days afterwards. He inflicted a defeat on 'Ali Mardan Khan, and killed one thousand of his men.
281.6.6
The wretched commander was captured and conveyed as a prisoner into the fortress of Singy (Jinji). He could only obtain his release by the payment of three hundred and thirty thousand rupees by way of ransom. This is the conduct of the generals towards those who do not submit implicitly to their wishes; and being great and powerful nobles, they are listened to at the court to the prejudice of everybody else. It has just come to mind what was said to me by one Kabecales (Kab Kalash), the first minister of Sambha Ji, when I was envoy to that prince on behalf of the Portuguese. I had been submitting to this lord that his excellency the viceroy desired to have matters take such a course as was pleasing to him. He (Kab Kalash) gave me a very good answer. He said princes and the great desire many things, but we do not permit them always to succeed in their designs. The diversity of government in the nations through which I have passed, as well as their manner of choosing their masters, has often given me occasion to admire the way Providence deals with them. This is so both with regard to the happiness in life which is granted them, and the chastisements dispensed to them. Here are some instances, which I have learnt from persons worthy of belief, as well as some I have seen myself. These may not be unpleasing to the reader. [17] [Story of the mode in ancient Persia of choosing a king by the alighting of a bird. Omitted as being neither historical nor Indian.]
281.6.7
[18, 19] [Another story of the Champa kingdom in Cochin China, where a he-goat was elevated to the throne. Omitted for the same reasons.] [19] Some years ago a Hindu prince called 'the Victorious,' whose country is close to Cape Comorin, sought to obtain the privileges of a Brahman, a thing that in that country is absolutely impossible. However, the prince, anxious to carry out this design, called an assembly of all the Brahmans within his dominions. He gave them a great feast, and promised a large sum of money if they would grant him the right to enjoy their privileges. To this the Brahmans answered that he was asking an impossibility. Nevertheless, he continued to press them with such insistence that to get rid of him they told him that nothing of the sort could be effected until he was born anew in the stomach of a cow.