Storia do Mogor 63.1
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 63.1
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63.1.1
It is a truth tested by experience that sons dissipate what their fathers gained in the sweat of their brow; nor do all sons imitate the good qualities of their ancestors. Thus it was in Hindustan, for, after having seen one king who was a great soldier and a great conqueror, such as Akbar was, it had for king his only son, Jahangir, a man with no desire to undertake the labour of further conquest, one who contented himself with enjoying the fruit of his father's labours. This king was fond of feasts, dancing, and music. Just as much as he was a friend of and devoted to these amusements was he inimical to the Mahomedan religion. For this reason he did many [103] things against it, chiefly in not observing the fast customary among the Mahomedans, in drinking wine, in eating pig's flesh, and other such things. In these actions he sought a means of scoffing at the Mahomedans, which I will recount as I proceed.
63.1.2
Once he sent for the Jesuit fathers and asked them what pork tasted like. They replied that it had a special taste and a most extraordinary flavour. He was desirous of eating of this flesh, and visited the house of the said fathers. There he ate pork and drank wine, and acquired such a liking for such food and drink that subsequently he ate it and drank wine publicly many a time. The learned in the Mahomedan law gave him to understand repeatedly that wine and pork were prohibited in the Quran. Enraged at so many warnings, he sent out orders one day to assemble all the learned men. He inquired from them the religions in which it was allowable to drink wine and at the same time eat of pork. They replied that only the Christians had that liberty. He (Jahangir) then said publicly that he meant to become a Christian. To this end he forthwith ordered that tailors be summoned to cut out clothes after the European fashion, and that search should be made for hats. The learned men were in amazement, and taking counsel together, said that the king might eat and drink whatever he liked. I have met persons who were present at the time.
63.1.3
Jahangir, finding these men so easy to deal with, seized every occasion to aggravate them. To this end he ordered the casting of several figures of pigs in solid gold, which he kept in his palaces; and when he awoke from sleep, on seeing these images, he used to say he would rather see the figure of a pig than the face of a Mahomedan. These figures remained until his death, when his son Xaaiahan (Shahjahan), who then became king, ordered them to be buried in front of the royal seat in the fortress of Lahor, where Jahangir usually lived. Many a time I sat there with the governor of the fortress. He used to say to me that if he had the wealth then beneath his body he would be a very rich man. This governor's name was Amanatcan (Amanat Khan), an old man belonging to the times of that king (Jahangir), a great friend of mine and of all Christians ; he delighted to listen to talk about the Gospel. It was in this hall that King Jahangir gave audience ; it was three hundred paces long and two hundred and fifty wide. Among the other things done by Jahangir to annoy the Mahomedans was refusing to fast as they do every year for a whole month. During the daytime they eat and drink nothing ; it is only at night they eat what is then made ready ; during the day they retire [104] and go to sleep. At night they are jovial, taking their meal and conversing with their house fully lighted up. This king (Jahangir) did the exact contrary.
63.1.4
Not a day passed without his giving audience, as he did near the middle of the day for about two hours or more, so as to incommode the people about his court. He ate and drank in front of them all, giving portions to those who seemed to him the most bigoted, with a view to make them break the fast. They ate for fear of an order being given to throw them to the lions. These beasts were kept in his presence, and were used to put to death whomsoever he pleased. Besides this, he had a small tray in which there were some very sharp lancets. When any soldier came into his presence with a courageous look or with his turban cocked, he called him near, and with one of the said lancets pierced his nose. If the soldier showed that it hurt him, he ordered the man to be ejected from the court with cuffs and buffeting, saying that a soldier who was afraid of such a little piece of iron as that would never in war-time endure lance-thrusts and sword-cuts. On the contrary, if the soldier made believe to meet the lancet without fear, he would double the man's pay, and his estimation rose at court. The king would say such men deserved the name of soldiers — they were veritable men of war. It happened that a soldier killed a tiger, and making the skin into a coat, came to court with great pride. On seeing him, Jahangir fired his gun at him, and the bullet went through the man's leg, so that he fell where he stood. The king said : ' If I had not killed that tiger my lion would have got enraged.'
63.1.5
If there was any youth too lively and too fond of women, he would order him to be shut up with a woman of low caste, dirty, malodorous, and covered all over with filth. Thus he would leave the youth for several days, punishing in this manner the riotousness of youth. He never forgave his physician, a very religious man, who came to court once when the king had already several cups in his head. Jahangir called for a bow and arrow wherewith to slay the physician. The queen, who was behind a screen, humanely ordered them to produce arrows of cane, so that the king might not kill him. Thus, when the physician arrived, he shot at him with the said arrows. In spite of this attack the physician behaved in a very dutiful manner, though the king never desisted from shooting at him. At length the courtiers, by order of the queen, made a sign to him that he should fall to the ground. He fell as one dead, and Jahangir said that he deserved death, having by his pretences taken the life of many a one. All this he did by reason of the displeasure he had against Mahomedans.
63.1.6
Some assert that Jahangir was willing to become a Christian, and this is why he mocked so much at the Mahomedans. Many times he ordered the learned men to dispute with the Jesuit fathers over the Faith in his presence, and the fathers always came out the victors. Once the learned men, not having any other answer to give, replied : ' What can we reply ? Those with any knowledge are aware that our reasons are the stronger ' — that is to say, that the Gospel was falsified. Of the givers of this answer, among the rest was the Qazi. The father retorted instantly with some animation : ' On this very spot I can prove to your majesty and the whole court that the Gospel which I hold in my hand has not been falsified, but is the Truth. If you will order a stack of straw to be brought into your majesty's presence, I, with my book in my hand, will seat myself on the straw, and there shall also be seated with me the Qazi holding his quran. When we have seated ourselves in this manner, let them set the straw alight, and thus will be seen which faith is the true one.'
63.1.7
The Qazi was in great fright at this speech; and knowing that Jahangir was just the man to make the experiment, he dropped his head, the colour left his face, and trembling, he defiled himself, filling the whole court with the odour, but answering never a word. When the smell reached Jahangir, he held his nose, as also did the courtiers. Then he spoke briefly: 'I see that the padre is ready to prove the truth of his faith, but the Qazi is already in a fright, and has made one mistake.' He said to the padre: 'Your name shall be from this day forth "Padri Atax"' (Atash)—that is to say, 'Father Fire.' The name of the padre in question was Joseph da Costa, a Portuguese by race, but after this he was always called Padre Atash. Jahangir, being at his palace within the city of Lahor, which he had built upon a river called the Ravy (Ravi), saw a covered boat pass with its curtains down. When it arrived near the royal seat, he saw that in the boat was a beautiful woman. He fell so violently in love with her that he had no sleep nor rest; but the woman replied firmly to all the solicitations made to her on behalf of the king, that she was the wife of a soldier of position named Xir Afgam (Sher Afgan)—that is to say, 'Tearer of Tigers'—nor would she hear a word from any other man so long as her husband remained alive.
63.1.8
The king, who was deeply in love with her, sent an order to the governor of the city of Patana (Patnah) that as soon as Sher Afgan should arrive there with a letter he must be slain. This was done, but the valorous soldier, although taken unawares, killed five persons in defending himself. Sher Afgan being dead, Jahangir took the woman into his palace. The condition made was that she should be principal queen, and her father be made wazir, with absolute power throughout the empire, her brothers and nearest relations to be grandees at the court. All of these things were conceded by the king ; he made a grand feast which lasted for eight days, and many gifts were conferred on all the men at court. The queen thus obtained, to whom Jahangir gave the title of Nur Jahan — that is to say, ' Dawn of the World ' — governed the kingdom, and did everything that she pleased. She was a woman of great judgment and, of a verity, worthy to be a queen. They struck coin in her name, which had for symbol the twelve signs of the zodiac, and in her time these were current money.