Fall of the Mughal Empire v1.c13.s1.3

v1.c13.s1.3

In the midst of the ennui caused by sensual excess, he used to seek diversion in childish acts of sovereignty. For instance, we read that one day in February 1753, he took his infant son Mahmud Shah with himself to a bed of narcissus flowers in bloom in the plain below the window of morning salute, and summoning all the little sons of the nobles and other courtiers who had the entree made them present *nazars* to the prince and follow in his train! Then he took the child with himself to the balconies of the Queen-mother and Malika-i-Zamani and made him formally salām them from outside, as the Emperors used to do. Next, he seated the infant on a royal cushion in a diminutive tent newly made for him, sent the nobles' sons to stand round him, and himself went to visit this juvenile Court. The royal infant's eunuchs welcomed the Emperor on the way and offered him presents in the name of their master! After this, we need not wonder that in November 1753 he thought fit to appoint this son (a boy in his third year) as governor of the Panjab, and in perfect keeping with this spirit nominated a baby one year old as the deputy under him, and that the prince toddled up to the Diwān-i-khās and made his bow of thanksoffering in full Court, while baby-clothes made of cloth of gold were sent to his juvenile deputy at Lāhor; or that the equally important charge of Kashmir, then threatened with invasion by Abdali's general Jahān Khan, was conferred on a still smaller prince Tāla‘ Sa‘id Shah (one year old) as absentee subahdār, with a lad of fifteen (another Court favourite) as the nāib nāzim. Even his Court annalist is constrained to say that these acts only showed the Emperor's lack of sense. [TAh. 46b, 85b, 86a.]