Storia do Mogor 63.5
Storia do Mogor (Irvine) 63.5
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63.5.1
Weeping came easily to Jahangir, for without any reason at all he would burst into tears. It was enough for the queen to deny him a drink of wine to drive him to tears, and to dry them you had only to present him a glass well filled with liquor. Anything and everything made him cry, just as any sort of gift sufficed to pacify him. Although of such a soft disposition, he was still very watchful that real justice should be done; and if he was loved by the people, he was feared by his officials. These were compelled to walk in the right way, since, if they went wrong in any matter of justice or in any important business, he ordered them to be thrown to the lions, which were always present in his hall of audience. It happened one day that he was on the banks of the river and saw a pot carried down by the stream. He ordered that this pot should be produced before him. It was found to contain a dead body cut into pieces. Orders were given for the officers of justice to discover the culprit, with the warning that if they did not find him, all of their heads would be cut off. Among the other expedients they resorted to, one was to order every potter to deliver one pot, and by examining the marks on these, they hoped to trace the vendor of the pot in question. It is customary in the Mogul country for every potter to put his own special mark on his pots. It was thus that they caught the culprit.
63.5.2
Another time, returning from the chase, he saw the officers of justice carrying away a Rajput to be hung. The king asked what offence he had been guilty of. They replied that he had forced a Mahomedan woman, then present and demanding his execution. The king called the woman before him and asked her if the Rajput's body was hairless, like he was in the face. 'Yes,' answered the woman. She supposed that as it is the fashion of the Rajputs to shave their beards, they must also be accustomed to remove the hair from all the rest of their body. The king ordered an examination. It turned out that the woman had raised a false complaint; whereupon he ordered that the woman should die and the Rajput be released. He also fined the officials for their negligence. Among the other fancies that he had was a particular affection for the Jesuit fathers. He gave them a house and a church in Lahor. In that reign Europeans had much freedom in regard to hearing about Christianity; and the said fathers instructed the king's sons, one of whom, by reason of some affront received from the fathers, after he had become king, sent an order to burn the church and carry off the bell at Agrah, as I shall state hereafter (I., 137). It is now time to speak of his sons.
63.5.3
Jahangir [116] had no son by his beloved queen Nur Jahan, but there were two by other mothers. The heir-apparent was Sultan Bolaqui (Bulaqi), and the name of the other son was Sultan Corram (Khurram). Bulaqi had two sons, of whom I will speak farther on (I., 120); Sultan Khurram, besides two sons, Dara (Dara) and Xaxuja (Shah Shuja'), had a pregnant wife with the most extravagant fancies and complaints. Jahangir gave the order that when this princess was delivered he should be informed in whatever place he might happen to be, and if asleep they were to awake him. The princess brought forth a male child, and at once they went to report to the king, who at that moment happened to be relieving himself. Jahangir said that if that prince survived to be king, he was destined to conquer the whole of Hindustan. Nor in this did he deceive himself, as we shall see hereafter, this child being that same Orangzeb (Aurangzeb) who now reigns.
63.5.4
Sultan Khurram, who was the second son, perceiving that his father Jahangir favoured the sons of Sultan Bulaqi, and intended their exaltation, went into rebellion. He took up arms against his father, but was defeated several times. After his last defeat he passed near to Ugolin (Hugli), in the territory of Bengalla (Bengal), a village that the king Jahangir had given to the Portuguese in order that they might frequent the said port. Some Portuguese sallied forth and seized two beloved female slaves of the princess Taigemahal (Taj Mahal, a corruption of Mumtaz-mahal, 'chosen one of the harem'). This lady sent word to them that it would be better for them to help a prince then seeking refuge in flight than to attempt to rob him. Therefore she urgently prayed them to send her the two slave girls. But the Portuguese paid no heed to her request, an act which cost them dear, as I shall explain hereafter (I., 120, 121).
63.5.5
Meanwhile Sultan Corram (Khurram), pursued by the forces of his father, finally took refuge in the territories of the King of Vizapur (Bijapur). He lived in a town called Juner, distant thirty leagues from the city of Bassaim (Bassein), which belongs to the Portuguese. The King of Bijapur ordered that one of his own houses should be given to the prince to dwell in, with a garden full of vine-trees, where I have been myself. Thus was Jahangir delivered from the attacks of one son, who left behind him nevertheless this bad example to a new generation of revolt against his father. He had learnt it from Jahangir, who rebelled against his father, Akbar. Jahangir followed his father's example, and gave orders for his tomb to be erected opposite the royal palace at the city of Lahor. In preparing this mausoleum he went to great expense, building a dome adorned with many precious stones. These were removed by orders of King Aurangzeb, only allowing stones of small value to remain, such as agate, amethyst, turquoise, and such-like [117]. These stones were cut into the shapes of various flowers. Some years before the death of Jahangir it happened that the secretary (wazir) presented to him a Persian, exaggerating greatly about him, and saying that he was known to everyone in Persia, and even to the king himself, who ate salt in his house. As the king heard this about him he made him a great noble, and gave him the title of Cassam Can (Qasim Khan).
63.5.6
Persians are famed for favouring their own nation in the Mogul Empire, and the larger number of the nobles are Persians. But in addition to this, the wazir was indebted in some small way to this vendor of salt, and desired to favour him on this occasion, so that he might share his (the wazir's) own good fortune. Others told the king that this so-called Qasim Khan had been a seller of salt in Persia, and Jahangir asked the wazir why he had uttered such encomiums of a man who sold salt. The wazir replied : 'I let your majesty fully understand that he sold salt in Persia, for I said that even the king ate the salt of his house, for he held a farm of all the salt in that kingdom.' For this reason Jahangir styled him Cassam Can Namaquin (Qasim Khan Namakin, from namak, 'salt') — that is to say, 'distributor of salt,' and his title of nobility was left with him. I dwelt seven years in his house in the city of Lahor. It had been given me by the governor to live in, he (Qasim Khan) being then dead. It was one of Jahangir's laws that the crown was heir to the wealth and houses of his servants when they died, also to those of his vassals who had no sons.
63.5.7
Favours often serve for the downfall of those who receive them, seeing that they do not know how to control themselves afterwards. Thus it was with the English who dwelt in Hindustan. Relying on the kindness that Jahangir always showed to Europeans, when they had a difference at the port of Surat with the governor, in order to take their satisfaction they laid an embargo on the ships that the king and the wazir destined for Mecca, and also on those of many merchants, obstructing them in their voyages. Jahangir observed what was going on, and forwarded an order to adjust the dispute without incensing the English. At various times many different complaints about them were laid before the king, until, displeased at hearing so many complaints, he ordered the English to be seized. As they resisted the execution of the royal orders, he sentenced them all to be beheaded. Hence was brought about the death of those who were in the territories of Agrah and Surat. This event happened in the year one thousand six hundred and twenty-two, two years before his death [118], which came about as follows:
63.5.8
This king was, as can be seen by the above account, somewhat over-jovial. In the hot season he went away for recreation to Kashmir, and returning in the cold weather, he came to live in the city of Lahor. He happened to fall ill while coming from that country, and before he could reach Lahor he died of disease, after having reigned twenty-two years seven months and eleven days. His corpse was carried to the mausoleum of which I have spoken (I., 116).