Storia do Mogor 338.22.8

338.22.8

As an example I will give a case in Bengal. There is a province there which in the time of Shãhjahãn yielded seventeen lakhs of rupees. The king noticed that during his time it was bringing in no more than five lakhs. He asked the grand wazīr the cause of this falling off. The wazīr replied hypocritically that the government of Shãhjahãn was tyrannical and the people oppressed ; whereas that of his majesty was compassionate and holy, leaving the people to live in peace and happiness. These words satisfied his majesty, and this is the method by which the officials succeed in doing as they please. Nowadays most of the old ones are dead, and those appointed in their places are wanting in experience ; they also draw much less pay, and thus are discontented. With the Hindu princes it is just the same. One of them, having a grievance against the son-in-law of Mahamed Amican (Muhammad Amín Khãn), deserted to the enemy [223] with two thousand horsemen, and on the march looted the royal baggage train.