bernier's voyage to the east indies.

*33

upon the eldeft fon, expofeth it to the conqueft of the ftrongeft, and the moft fortu-nate, fubjedting at the fame time all the princes born in the royal family, by the con-dition of their birth, to the cruel neceffity either to overcome, or to reign, by deftroy-ing all the reft, for the affurance of their power and life, or to perifh themfelves, forthe fecurity of that of others. For I am apt to believe, that upon this confiderationthe reader will not find Aureng-Zebe’s conduct fo ftrange as at firft it appeared. How-ever I am perfuaded, that thofe who ftiall a little weigh this whole hiftory, will not takeAureng-Zebe for a barbarian, but for a great and rare genius, a great ftatefman, and agreat king.

A Letter to the Lord Colbert, of the Extent of Indojlan ; the Circulation of Cold andSilver, coining at length to be /wallowed up there, as in an Abyfs ; the Riches,Forces, Ju/lice, and the principal Caufe of the Decay of the States of A/a.

MY LORD,

SINCE it is thecuftomof Afia, never toapproach very great perfonswith empty hands,.when I had the honour to kifs the veil of the Great Mogul, Aureng-Zebe, I prefentedhim with eight rupies * as an expreffion of refpect; and the illuftriousFazel-Kan, theprime-minifter of ftate, and he that was to eftablifh my penfion as phyfician, with a cafeof knives garnifhed with amber. My Lord, though 1 intend not to introduce new cuf-torns in France , yet I cannot forget this upon my return from thofe parts ; being per-fuaded, that I ought not to -appear before the King, for whom I have a far deeper ve-neration than for Aureng-Zebe, nor before you my Lord, for whom I have a much great-er efteem than for Fazel-Kan, without fome little prefentto both, which is rare, at leaftfor its novelty, though it be not fo upon the account of the prefenting hand. Therevolution of Indoftan, by reafon of its extraordinary occurrences and events, hath tome feemed worthy of the greatnefs of our monarch, and this difcourfe, for the qualityof the matters therein contained, fuitable to the rank you hold in his councils ; to thatconduct, which at my return appeared to me fo admirable in the order, which I foundfettled in fo many things, that I thought incapable of it; and to the paftion you en-tertain to make it known to the ends of the earth, what a monarch we have, and thatthe French are fit to undertake, and with honour to atchieve, whatfoever you /hallhave defigned for their honour and advantage.

It is in the Indies, my Lord, (whence I am lately returned after twelve years ab-fence) where I learned the felicity of France , and how much this kingdom is obligedto your cares ; and where your name is fo dilfufed, and fo well known. This wasa fair theme for me to enlarge upon; but my defign being no other than to dif-courfe of things new, I muft forbear to fpeak of thofe that are already fo noto-rious to all the world. I fhall douhtlefs pleafe you better, by endeavouring to givey°u fome idea of the ftate of the Indies, which I have engaged rnyfelf to give you ana ccount of.

My Lord, you may have feen before this, by the maps of Afia, how great everyY/ay is the extent of the empire of the Great Mogul, whild is commonly called India ° r Indoftan. I have not meafured it mathematically ; but to fpeak of it according tothe ordinary journies of the country, after the rate of three whole months march,traversing from the frontiers of the kingdom of Golkonda, as far as beyond Kazni

* A rupie is about half-a-crown.

near