Storia do Mogor 338.21.2

338.21.2

Meanwhile, until I have further occasion to speak of King Aurangzeb, let me relate some things that happened to those who feign to be virtuous and holy, yet, moved by self-interest, deceive the rest of the world through their pretences. In addition to what I have said of the false holy men found in the Mogul country, I met in Bengal with the case of a married trader. His wife, finding her husband would not trust his money into her hands, pretended to be devout, wore nothing [213] The judicious King of Bījāpur, Sultān Muhammad 'Ādil Shāh, as will have been seen earlier (III. 218), managed once by his cleverness to recover a precious stone out of the hands of the Jesuits. In his reign there was a Portuguese who showed much zeal for the Mahomedan religion, hoping thereby to obtain a certain woman of that faith. To secure his desires he had recourse to his Majesty in person, saying he wished to become a Mahomedan. To find out by experiment whether this proceeded from any interested motive or was said in good [214] faith, the king ordered a pot to be opened, and directed the man to extract the contents. When he placed his hand inside, there suddenly darted out a fierce cobra. In terror he gave a jump, and exclaimed, 'Jesus, my Mediator!' By this means the king discovered that he was moved by interest, not by faith, and turned him out of the city.