Hamilton's account of the east indies.

3*3

Chap. XV.— Gives an Account of the famous Aurengzeb's Birth y his Politicks andA A ions in obtaining the Empire , and of his long and profperous Reign.

AND now, before I leave Surat , I will venture to relate Aurengzeb’s origin, andfome of his actions.

Cha Jehan was one of the moft polite kings that ever ruled over that great empireof Mogulftan. He was a great patron to all fkilful perfons in arts and fciences, andgave great encouragement to foreigners to come to his court, treating them kindly andfamiliarly, and allowed them handfome penfions to live on, and often fent for the moftpolite of them, and difeourfed with them about the cuftoms,laws, commerce, and ftrengthof the European nations, and what he found valuable amongft them, he would fainhave brought into his own dominions. He was forry to fee the moft beautiful part ofthe creation caged up in feraglios, bred up in ignorance, and kept from ufeful andpleafant conversation, by the heavy fetters of blind and unreafonable cuftom. Heturned his thoughts to break thofe fordid chains, and introduce the ladies to a free air,and reckoned his court, which he then kept at Agra, a great city , to be the moftproper part for the ftage to aft it firft upon.

The firft ftep he took, was to order all the ladies at court to provide precious {tonesto bring to a market-place that he had erefted, and there to {hew their wares publicklyto all the noblemen at court, who were ordered to buy them at whatever prices theladies put upon them ; and the King himfelf was to be a buyer, to put the greaterhonour on the new erefted market. The ladies obeyed, and took their booths as theythought fit. On the market day the King and noblemen came to market, and boughtthe jewels and other trifles the ladies had to difpofe of.

The King coming to the booth of a very pretty lady, alked what fhe had to fell.She told him, fhe had one large fine rough diamond ftill to difpofe of. He defired tofee it, and he found it to be a piece of fine tranfparent fugar-candy, of a tolerable gooddiamond figure. He demanded to know what price fhe fet on it, and Ihe told him witha pleafant air, that it was worth a lack of rupees, or 12,500k fterling. He orderedthe money to be paid, and falling into difeourfe with her,found her wit was as exquifiteas her beauty, and ordered her to fup with him that night in his palace. She promifedto obey, and accordingly went, and ftayed with him three nights and days, and then wentback to her hufband, whofe name was Jemal Chaun,and was a commander of 5000 horfe.The hufband received her very coldly, and told her, that he would continue civil to her,but would never cohabit with her again, and would livewithher in thefamemanner as if fhewas his filler. Upon which {lie went back to the palace, and defired to be brought to theKing, and, being conducted to him, Ihe fell at his feet, and told what her hufband had faid.The King, in a rage, gave orders to carry the hufband to the elephant garden, and thereto be executed by an elephant, which is reckoned a {hameful and terrible death. Thepoor man was foon apprehended, and had his clothes torn off him, as the cuftom is whencriminals are condemned to that death, and he was dragged from his houfe, with hishands tied before him. On his way to the garden, he was to pafs near the palace, and hebegged to have leave to fpeak to the King, and then he would die willingly, if His Ma-jefty did not think fit he Ihould live. A friend of his, who was an officer of the guards,ordered the mefiengers of death to ftop a while, till he had acquainted the King withthe requeft, which was accordingly done, and he was ordered to be carried into thec ourt of the palace, that the King might hear what he had to fay, and being carried

t t 2 thither,