Storia do Mogor 90.9

90.9

These and such-like things, rumour said, had been written by Shah 'Abbas to Aurangzeb. Others declared that Shah 'Abbas was very wroth that Aurangzeb, on his coin, had styled himself ' Conqueror of the World ' (i.e., 'Alamglr). But the truth is that no one knew what was entered in the letter, because Aurangzeb did not confide it even to his own wazlr, he being a Persian. On the whole, the above statements were the nearest to certainty. Thus, anyone who had no experience would wonder how Shah 'Abbas could send along with such a terrible letter presents of such value. But anyone who reads history well knows that it was a great crime to appear before the kings of the Lacedemonians and of the Persians [with empty hands]. Hence the kings of Asia acquired the habit [37] of finding out, when a foreigner came to court, whether he brought presents or not ; he who brought none was unable to obtain an audience.