BK«.NIER S S VOYAGE TO THE EAST INDIES.

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prebend, left lending his forces towards Golkonda , the King of Vifapour would enterinto Decan; as, no doubt, he would do, knowing it to be very important to his confer-vation, that that kingdom may always fubfill as now it is.

From all which, fomething may be underftood of the interefts and government ofthe King of Golkonda with the Mogul, and what way he taketh to fupport himfelfagainft him. Yet notwithftanding all this, I find this Hate much fhaken, in regardthat the King that now is, fince that unhappy affair of Aureng-Zebe and Emir-Jemla,feems to have loll heart, and as it were abandoned the reins of the kingdom, not daringany more to go forth of this fortrel's of Golkonda , nor fo much as appear in public togive audience to his people, and to render juftice according to the cuftom of the coun-try : which difcompofeth things very much, and occafions the grandees to tyrannizeover the meaner fort of people, and to lofe even their refpect to the King, often flight-ing his commands, and confidering him no more than a woman ; and the people, wearyof the injuftice and ill-treatment, breathing after nothing but Aureng-Zeb. It iseafy to judge of the flraits this poor King is in, by four or five particulars I am about torelate.

Thefirfl, that an. 1667, when I was at Golkonda , King Aureng-Zebe having fent anambaflador extraordinary to declare war to that King, unlefs he would fumilh him withten thoufand horfe againft Vifapour, he did extraordinary honour, and give excefliveprefents to that ambaflador, as well for him in particular, as for Aur-eng-Zebe, andmade an agreement with him, to fend him, not ten thoufand horfe, but as muchmoney as is neceflary to maintain fo many; which was all that Aureng-Zebe lookedfor.

The fecond is, that Aureng-Zebe’s ambaflador in ordinary that is conftantly at Gol-konda , commands, threatens, ftriketh, gives paflports, and faith and doth whatfoeverhe will, no man daring with the leaft word to croi's him.

The third is, that Mahmet-Emir-Kan, the fon of Emir-Jemla, though he be no morethan a Ample Omrah of Aureng-Zebe, is yet fo much refpe&ed through that wholekingdom, and efpecially in Maflipatan, that the Taptata, his commiflioner, is as it weremafter thereof, buying and felling, bringing in and fending abroad his merchant Ihips,no body daring to contradict him in any thing, nor to demand any cuftoms. So greatwas once the power of Emir-Jemla, his father, in this kingdom, which time hath notyet been able to root out.

The fourth is, that the Hollanders fcruple not to threaten him fometimes, to lay anembargo upon all the merchant Ihips of the country that are in that port, and not tolet them go out until their demands be granted ; as alfo to put in proteftations againfthim ; which I have feen actually done, upon the account of an Englilh veffel, whichthey had a mind to take by force in the port of Maflipatan itfelf, the governor havinghindered it, by arming the whole town againft them, and threatening to put fire to theirfactory, and to put them all to death.

A fifth is, that the Portugueze, as poor, and miferable, and decayed as they are inthe Indies, yet ftick not to threaten that King alfo with war; and that they will comeand fack Maflipatan, and all that coaft, if he will not render them that place of St. Tho-mas, which fome years ago they chofe to put into his hands, rather than to be conftrain-ed to yield it up to the Dutch.

Yet for all this, I have been informed in Golkonda , by very intelligent perfons, thatthis King is a Prince of very great judgment, and that whatever he fo does and fullers,1$ only in policy, to the end to provoke no body, and principally to remove all fufpicionfrom Aureng-Zebe, and to give him to underftand, that he hath in a manner no Ihare

s 2 any

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