A History of the Mahrattas v1.c23.56

v1.c23.56

The English and French, who were so soon to take a part in the contentions and usurpations of the times, still remained on the defensive, unconscious of their own strength or unwilling to exert it; and although the former, when driven to arms, had manfully asserted their rights on all occasions, yet the merchants of these two great nations, in common with those of other European factories, sought only to increase their trade and privileges by humble submission, and frequent bribes or presents to the petty courts surrounding them.