History of Aurangzib, Based on Original Sources v4.c64.s12.14

v4.c64.s12.14

It was extremely foolish on the part of the Portuguese to have provoked a war with Shambhuji.* They had neither the men nor the money, neither the armament nor (if we may believe their English trade-rivals) the courage adequate to a contest with the Maratha king. The English, on the other hand, kept their heads cool and long followed the delicate and difficult policy of "keeping fair" with Shambhuji, the Siddi and the Mughals alike For example, after the naval battle with Shivaji about Khanderi, they wisely put their dignity in their pocket and made peace with him to avoid ruinous expense and the loss of white troops. The Portuguese Viceroy unwisely rushed into war and lost much in men money and the property of his villagers, besides subjecting Goa to the risk of capture. Aurangzib, on whose friendship and co-operation he relied and who had induced him to attack the Marathas, was a broken reed, as his real aim was to annex Goa after exterminating Shambhuji. (Storia, ii. 260—282; O. C. 5642.) Shambhuji, too, made a great mistake by frittering away his army and resources in a war on the western coast, which could not really benefit him on account of his want of sea-power,—at a time when his great enemy Aurangzib was posted in full force on his eastern flank. The Portuguese war remained an open sore for years and continued to drain the blood of the Maratha State.