Travels in India (Tavernier) 54.1

54.1

Concerning the prison of Sultan Muhammad, son of Aurangzeb, and of Sultan Suliman Sheko, eldest son of Dara Shah. Although Aurangzeb was considered a very great politician, and was so in fact, still he allowed himself to be deceived in entrusting a powerful army to his son under the conduct of a great captain, but one who, having already, as I have said, betrayed two Kings, his masters, ought to have made Aurangzeb fear for himself a similar treatment. This Prince, who had mounted the throne by means of many crimes, and had supplanted his father, whom he held a prisoner, and also his two brothers, one of whom he had executed, and the other of whom he had put to flight, was always justly alarmed lest Heaven should inspire his own son to avenge his grandfather. As it had been reported to him that Sultan Muhammad was extraordinarily pensive and melancholy, he firmly believed that he was meditating means to ruin him, and in this belief he sought to draw some explanation from Mir Jumla. He wrote to him that having heard that Sultan Muhammad had had some secret communications with his uncle, Sultan Shuja, it was advisable that he should arrest him and send him to court.