Storia do Mogor 354.4
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 354.4
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354.4.1
All this I did and said solely to the end that it should not be thought I was needy, and also to let them know my lofty way of looking at things. My prince [116], when he knew what had happened, said that he felt I must have been brought up in the midst of riches. He sent me the money over again, recovering it from the porters, and added to it a valuable set of robes and a fine horse. He said he must maintain the customs of his court, but without my being subordinate to anyone, and that I should have entire liberty. Another mysterious thing happened to me when I first drew blood from the wife of the prince, called Nurnixam (Nur-un-nissã) Begam. The lady thrust her arm out from the curtain, as is the custom, and holding my lancet, I moved forward to open the basilic vein. I was still at a distance of six inches from the arm, when suddenly the princess turned round and threw up her arm violently towards the lancet — I know not whether through fear, or simply in changing the position of her body. The instrument went into the basilic vein, and blood flowed.
354.4.2
The prince, who was present, patted me with his hands on the shoulders (a sign of pleasure), and applauded my ability in having opened so skilfully so difficult a vein as the basilic. At this unrehearsed success I cannot tell you how I felt. Pallor spread over my countenance at the thought that all that portion of the lancet which projected beyond my finger-ends had entered [117] the basilic vein, and might have cut the artery. Having this in my mind, I stood watching the blood flow with no little apprehension. However, when four ounces had been lost, I noticed that I had not in any way touched the artery; on the contrary, I had struck exactly on the basilic, and thus I was reassured without having betrayed my concern. The princes who were in attendance, although they had observed the difference of method in this extraction of blood, nevertheless did not attribute it to accident, but to the dexterity of my hand; and as such they spread it abroad, talking me up as a great master of surgery, although it was really an accident. In this way I left the court after obtaining great honour and valuable gifts, in addition to being praised by everybody.
354.4.3
What I have observed and learned about the Jesuits is that, when unable to find out by public channels all that is done in private houses and in the city council, they endeavour to learn it by private means and through the medium of the confessional. They make the penitent understand that to observe silence or not to reply to their interrogations will trouble his conscience—a maxim, as it seems to me, the principal end of which is to secure knowledge of everything that is discussed in public and private gatherings. Above all [118], however, they make use of women, knowing thoroughly well that they are unable to keep anything a secret. By these means they govern the world and courts, as we see them do in Europe. But these arts are of no use to them among Mahomedans; with them they are somewhat more politic. The Jesuits know what Mahomedans are, and therefore behave with moderation; nevertheless, when they find a little opening, they endeavour to draw to themselves as much as ever they can. Experience shows this to be true, and I will relate a case in confirmation of this dictum.
354.4.4
In Bengal there was a Portuguese married man, who placed full reliance on Jesuit hypocrisies. The man drew up his will, the terms of it being that he bequeathed all his goods to the said fathers for the benefit of the Madura mission. The estate consisted of three thousand rupees in ready-money, besides all the other property he owned. The moment he was dead the Jesuits took possession of everything, leaving the wife and three marriageable daughters without a penny. Thus at this time they are houseless wanderers, through not having the means to get married. I might recount many such cases, but I [119] pass them over, believing that to the cautious reader this one instance can serve as his guide, if he will only reflect on it. In the month of March, 1706, the Shivã Jis [i.e., the Mahrattahs] came again to plunder the suburbs of Surat and all the surrounding country. Among other places they sacked a large town called Gandoui (Gandevi), lying half-way between Surat and Daman ; it was a place of considerable wealth, owing to many traders living there.
354.4.5
At that time the qãzi of Súrat found himself there ; he had gone not only to amuse himself, but to make rent collections from, and audit the accounts of, his villages. The unhappy man was unable to flee before the arrival of the Mahrattah troops, and he was taken prisoner. They pierced his hands, passed a cord through the holes, and dragged him about everywhere in the country, demanding money from him and a statement of where his hoards were buried. From these tortures he died. This was a merited punishment, for the man was not only an oppressor, but an unjust judge. The Mahrattah princess, widow of Rãm Rãj and mother or the new prince, Shivã Jí, caused the head of the general, Danojado, to be struck off. His crime was that he had not, as he ought to and could have done, made a prisoner of Dã,úd Khãn; another crime was that he had not conquered the kingdom of the Karnãtik [120]. On the contrary, he had retreated from that conquered country after the payment to him of some sums of money by the aforesaid Dã,ud Khãn. At this punishment all the captains and soldiers rejoiced.
354.4.6
The merchants whose ships had been taken by the Portuguese while on their way to Mecca, as I have already stated (IV. 153; V. 3, 24), never ceased to make complaint to King Aurangzeb and demand justice. Wearied by their supplications, his Majesty sent several dispatches to the Portuguese demanding restitution of the vessels, but they would never consent to give them back. Enraged at this conduct, the king suddenly expelled from his camp the Father Rector of Ãgrah, after having subjected him to some disagreeable treatment. Next he ordered the Governor of Surat to punish the Portuguese at Daman. A march was commenced at once at the head of six thousand men, cavalry and infantry. As soon as the governor approached the Portuguese villages, the frightened peasants took to flight. Upon noticing this the governor sent for the village headmen, and treating them courteously, reassured them, and told them that they ought to remain in their villages and go on cultivating their fields as usual. For, so he assured them, no one would interfere [121] with them. He sent them away contented, giving presents to each according to his merits.
354.4.7
After this he marched onwards and attacked a small Portuguese fort, situated two leagues from Daman. It was provided with five pieces of artillery, and defended by forty soldiers. They surrendered to superior force after a contest of one half-hour, during which one man was killed and several wounded. The rest of the garrison were made prisoners. Just then the news was brought to the governor that seven Dutch ships had come into the port of Súrat. This news made the governor desist from his invasion of Portuguese territory ; he acted prudently enough, for he was afraid that the Dutch might take possession of the Surat fortress. For this reason he gave hasty orders for the march of his army back to that town. The demands of the Dutch were as I have already recounted (IV. 153). It may now be close on twenty years ago that a most curious incident arose at the port of Surat. A European living there had been married to a lady who was a native of India. During a voyage that he undertook [122] he lost through robbery both the wealth he possessed and his life. His wife was known as an honourable woman, virtuous and charitable, ready to help the sick poor and gather into her house orphan girls, bringing them up to good habits. Thus she was held in esteem by everybody.
354.4.8
In the neighbourhood of this lady dwelt a very wealthy Mahomedan trader, married to a lady of good family. This man, on leaving Surat in the pursuit of his business, made over his house to the charge of his consort. The woman committed adultery, and became pregnant. Seeing her fault thus exposed, and expecting on her husband's return to be put to death, she resorted to the above lady, her neighbour, and sought her advice, telling her what had happened. The virtuous lady, in order to protect the honour of the Mahomedan woman, and at the same time to gain for the Faith her offspring, made pretence that she was with child, at the sacrifice of her own reputation and of the esteem in which everyone held her. Everyone spoke evil of her and she became universally abhorred ; nor was there anyone who would help her with alms as they had hitherto done. In the end the Mahomedan was delivered in secret [123], and the Christian lady carried the infant to her house, had it baptized, and brought it up as her son. In this way the Mahomedan continued to be held chaste, since there was no one else who knew the secret.