inconveniences, I must notice that it contains many lions, tigers,
wolves, and jackals, which are a kind of wild dogs, besides many other
noxious and hurtful animals. In their rivers they have many crocodiles,
and on the land many overgrown snakes and serpents, with other venomous
and pernicious creatures. In the houses we often meet with scorpions,
whose stinging is most painful and even deadly, unless the part be
immediately anointed with an oil made of scorpions.[233] The abundance
of flies in those parts is likewise an extreme annoyance; as, in the
heat of the day, their numbers are so prodigious, that we cannot have
peace or rest for them in any part. They cover our meat the moment it is
set on the table, wherefore we are obliged to have men standing ready to
drive them away with napkins, while we are eating. In the night,
likewise, we are much disquieted with musquetos, like our gnats, but
somewhat less; and, in the cities, there are such numbers of large
hungry rats, that they often bite people as they sleep in their beds.
[Footnote 233: This is a mere fancy, as any bland oil is equally
efficacious.--E.]
In this country the winds, which are called monsoons, blow constantly,
or altering only a few points, for six months from the south, and other
six months from the north. The months of April and May, and the
beginning of June, till the rains come, are extremely hot; and the wind,
which then sometimes blows gently over the parched ground, becomes so
heated, as much oppresses all who are exposed to it: Yet God so
mercifully provides for our relief, that most commonly he sends so
strong a gale as greatly tempers the sultry air. Sometimes the wind
blows very high during the hot and dry season, raising up vast
quantities of dust and sand, like dark clouds pregnant with rain, and
which often prodigiously annoy the people among whom they fall. But
there is no country without its inconveniences; for the wise Disposer of
all events hath attempered bitter things with sweet, to teach mankind
that there is no true or perfect contentment to be found, but only in
the kingdom of God.
This country has many excellent horses, which the inhabitants know well
how to manage. Besides those bred in the country, they have many of the
Tartarian, Persian, and Arabian breeds, which last is considered as the
best in the world. They are about as large as ours, and are valued among
them at as dear a rate as we usually esteem ours, perhaps higher. They
are kept very daintily, every good horse being allowed one man to dress
and feed him. Their provender is a species of grain called _donna_,
somewhat like our pease, which are boiled, and then given cold to the
horses, mixed with coarse sugar; and twice or thrice a week they have
butter given them to scour their bodies. There are likewise in this
country a great number of camels, dromedaries, mules, asses, and some
rhinoceroses. These are huge beasts, bigger than the fattest oxen to be
seen in England, and their skins lie upon their bodies in plaits or
wrinkles.
They have many elephants, the Great Mogul having not fewer than 1400 for
his own use, and all the nobles of the country have more or less, some
having to the number of an hundred. Though the largest of all
terrestrial animals, the elephants are wonderfully tractable, except
that they are mad at times; but at all other times, a little boy is able
to rule the largest of them. I have seen some thirteen feet high; but I
have been often told that some are fifteen feet in height at the least.
Their colour is universally black, their skins very thick and smooth,
and without hair. They take much delight to bathe themselves in water,
and they swim better than any beast I know. They lie down and rise again
at pleasure, as other beasts do. Their pace is not swift, being only
about three miles an hour; but they are the surest footed beasts in the
world, as they never endanger their riders by stumbling. They are the
most docile of all creatures, and of those we account merely possessed
of instinct, they come nearest to reason. Lipsius, _Cent_. 1, _Epist_.
50, in his observations, taken from others, writes more concerning them
than I can confirm, or than any can credit, as I conceive; yet I can
vouch for many things which seem to be acts of reason rather than of
mere brute sense, which we call instinct. For instance, an elephant will
do almost any thing which his keeper commands. If he would have him
terrify a man, he will make towards him as if he meant to tread him in
pieces, yet does him no hurt. If he would have him to abuse a man, he
will take up dirt, or kennel water, in his trunk, and dash it in his
face. Their trunks are long grisly snouts, hanging down betwixt their
tusks, by some called their hand, which they use very dexterously on all
occasions.
An English merchant, of good credit, told me the following story of an
elephant, as having happened to his own knowledge at Ajimeer, the place
where the Mogul then resided:--This elephant used often to pass through
the bazar, or market-place, where a woman who there sold herbs used to
give him a handful as he passed her stall. This elephant afterwards went
mad,[234] and, having broken his fetters, took his way furiously through
the market-place, whence all the people fled as quickly as possible to
get out of his way. Among these was his old friend the herb-woman, who,
in her haste and terror, forgot to take away her little child. On coming
to the place where this woman was in use to sit, the elephant stopped,
and seeing the child among the herbs, he took it up gently in his trunk,
and laid it carefully on a stall under the projecting roof of a house
hard by, without doing it the smallest injury, and then continued his
furious course. A travelling Jesuit, named Acosta, relates a similar
story of an elephant at Goa, as from his own experience.--The king keeps
certain elephants for the execution of malefactors. When one of these is
brought forth to dispatch a criminal, if his keeper desires that the
offender be destroyed speedily, this vast creature will instantly crush
him to atoms under his foot; but if desired to torture him, will break
his limbs successively, as men are broken on the wheel.
[Footnote 234: This temporary madness of the male elephants is usual in
the rutting season.--E.]
The Mogul takes great delight in these stately animals, and often, when
he sits in state, calls for some of the finest and largest to be
brought, which are taught to bend before him, as in reverence, when they
come into his presence. They often fight before him, beginning their
combats like rams, by running furiously against each other, and butting
with their foreheads. They afterwards use their tusks and teeth,
fighting with the utmost fury, yet are they most careful to preserve
their keepers, so that few of them receive any hurt in these
rencounters. They are governed by a hooked instrument of steel, made
like the iron end of a boat-hook, with which their keepers, who sit on
their necks, put them back, or goad them on, at pleasure.
The king has many of his elephants trained up for war; each of which
carries an iron gun about six feet long, which is fastened to a strong
square frame of wood on his back, made fast by strong girths or ropes
round his body. This gun carries a bullet about the size of a small
tennis-ball, and is let into the timber with a loop of iron. The four
corners of the wooden frame have each a silken banner on a short pole,
and a gunner sits within, to shoot as occasion serves, managing the gun
like a harquebuss, or large wall-piece. When the king travels, he is
attended by many elephants armed in this manner, as part of his guard.
He keeps many of them likewise, merely for state, which go before him,
and are adorned with bosses of brass, and some have their bosses made of
silver, or even of gold; having likewise many bells jingling about them,
in the sound of which the animal delights. They have handsome housings,
of cloth, or velvet, or of cloth of silver, or cloth of gold; and, for
the greater state, have large royal banners of silk carried before them,
on which the king's ensign is depicted, being a lion in the sun. These
state-elephants are each allowed three or four men at least to wait upon
them. Other elephants are appointed for carrying his women, who sit in
pretty convenient receptacles fastened on their backs, made of slight
turned pillars, richly covered, each holding four persons, who sit
within. These are represented by our painters as resembling castles.
Others again are employed to carry his baggage. He has one very fine
elephant that has submitted, like the rest, to wear feathers, but could
never be brought to endure a man, or any other burden, on his back.
Although the country be very fertile, and all kinds of provisions cheap,
yet these animals, because of their vast bulk, are very chargeable in
keeping; such as are well fed costing four or five shillings each,
daily. They are kept out of doors, being fastened with a strong chain by
one of their hind legs to a tree, or a strong post. Thus standing out in
the sun, the flies are often extremely troublesome to them; on which
occasions they tread the dry ground into dust with their feet, and throw
it over their bodies with their trunks, to drive away the flies. The
males are usually mad once a year after the females, at which time they
are extremely mischievous, and will strike any one who comes in their
way, except their own keeper; and such is their vast strength, that they
will kill a horse or a camel with one blow of their trunks. This fury
lasts only a few days; when they return to their usual docility. At
these times they are kept apart from all company, and fettered with
strong chains to prevent mischief. If by chance they get loose in their
state of phrenzy, they run at everything they see in motion; and, in
this case, the only possible means of stopping them is by lighting a
kind of artificial fire-works called wild-fire, the sparkling and
cracking of which make them stand still and tremble.
The king allows four females to each of his great elephants, which are
called their wives. The testes of the males are said to lie about his
forehead, and the teats of the female are between her fore-legs. She
goes twelve months with young. The elephant is thirty years old before
he attains his full growth, and they live to seventy or eighty years of
age. Although very numerous, elephants are yet so highly prized in
India, that some of the best are valued at a thousand pounds or more.
§3. _Of the People of Hindoostan, and their Manners and Customs_.
The whole inhabitants of Hindoostan were anciently Gentiles, or
notorious idolaters, generally denominated Hindoos, hot ever since the
time of Tamerlane they have been mixed with Mahometans.[235] There are,
besides, many Persians, Tartars, Abyssinians, and Arminians, and some
few of almost every nation in Asia, if not in Europe, that reside here.
Among these are some Jews, but not esteemed, for their very name is
proverbial, as a term of reproach. In stature, the natives of Hindoostan
are equal to ourselves, being in general very straight and well-made,
for I never saw any deformed person in that country. They are of a dark
tawny or olive colour, having their hair as black as a raven, but not
curled. They love not to see either a man or a woman very fair, as they
say that is the colour of lepers, which are common among them. Most of
the Mahometans, except their molahs or priests, or such as are old and
retired, keep their chins shaved, but allow the hair on their upper-lips
to grow long. They usually shave all the hair from their heads, leaving
only one lock on their crowns for Mahomet to pull them by up to heaven.
Both among the Gentiles and Mahometans they have excellent barbers. The
people often bathe and wash their bodies, and anoint themselves with
perfumed oils.
[Footnote 235: The Mahomedans made extensive conquests in India long
before the era of Timor.--E.]
The dresses of the men and women differ very little from each other, and
are mostly made of white cotton cloth. In fashion, they sit close to
the shape to the middle, and from thence hang loose to below the knee.
Under this they wear long close breeches down to their ancles, crumpled
about the small of their legs like boots. Their feet are put bare into
their shoes, which are made like slippers, that they may be readily put
off on entering their houses, the floors of which are covered with
excellent carpets of the country manufacture, as good as any made in
Turkey or Persia. Instead of these carpets, some have other
floor-cloths, according to the quality of the owner. On these they sit
when conversing or eating, like tailors on the shop-board. The men's
heads are covered by turbans, being sashes, or long webs of thin cloth,
white or coloured, wreathed many times about. They do not uncover their
heads in making reverence, instead of which they bow their bodies,
placing the right hand on the top of the head, after which they touch
the earth with that hand, as if indicating that the party saluted may
tread upon them if he please. Those who are equals take each other by
the chin or beard, as Joab did Amasa; but salute in love, not in
treachery.
The Mahometan women, except such as are poor or dishonest, never appear
abroad. Though not fair, they are all well favoured, have their heads
covered with veils, and their hair hanging down behind, twisted with
silk. Those of quality are decorated with many jewels hung around their
necks, and about their wrists and arms; and they have several holes
round their ears in which they hang pendents, besides that every woman
has a hole in her nostrils, in which to wear a ring, which seems to have
been an ancient ornament, being mentioned in the Old Testament. Their
women are happy above all others I have ever heard of; in the ease with
which they bear their children, being one day able to ride with their
infants unborn, and to ride again the next with their child in their
arms.
The language of the common people of this country, called Hindoostanee,
is smooth, and easily pronounced, and is written from left to right, as
we do. The learned tongues are the Persian and Arabic, which are written
backwards, from right to left, like the Hebrew. There is but little
learning among them, which may be owing to the scarcity of books, which
are all in manuscript, and therefore few and dear; but they are a people
of good capacity, and were they to cultivate literature among them,
would assuredly produce many excellent works. They have heard of
Aristotle, whom they name _Aplis_, and have some of his writings
translated into Arabic. The noble physician, Avicenna, was a native of
Samarcandia, the country of Tamerlane, and in this science they possess
good skill. The most prevalent diseases of this country are dysenteries,
hot fevers, and calentures, in all which they prescribe abstinence as a
principal remedy. The filthy disease produced by incontinence is
likewise common among them. They delight much in music, having many
instruments, both stringed and wind; but, to my ears, their music seemed
all discordant. They write many pretty poems, and compose histories and
annals of their own country. They profess great skill in astrology, and
the king places great confidence in men of that profession, so that he
will not undertake a journey, nor do any thing whatever of importance,
unless after his wizard has indicated a prosperous hour for the
undertaking.
The idolaters begin their year on the 1st of March, and the Mahometans
at the instant when the sun enters Aries, as calculated by their
astrologers. From which time the king keeps a festival, called the
_norose_, or nine days, for which time it continues, like that made by
Ahasuerus in the third year of his reign. On this occasion, all his
nobles assemble, bringing great gifts, which he repays with princely
rewards. Being myself present on this occasion, I beheld most incredible
riches, to my amazement, in gold, pearls, precious stones, and many
brilliant vanities. I saw this festival celebrated at Mandoa, where the
Mogul has a most spacious house or palace, larger than any I ever
beheld, in which the many beautiful vaults and arches evince the
exquisite skill of his artists in architecture. At Agra he has a palace,
in which are two large towers, at least ten feet square, covered with
plates of pure gold.
The walls of his houses have no hangings, on account of the heat, but
are either painted or beautified with a white lime, purer even than that
we term Spanish. The floors are either paved with stone or are made of
lime and sand, like our Paris plaster, and are spread with rich carpets.
None lodge within the King's house but his women and eunuchs, and some
little boys, whom he always keeps about him for a wicked use. He always
eats in private among his women, being served with a great variety of
exquisitely dressed meats, which being proved by his taster, are put
into golden vessels, as they say, covered and sealed up, and brought in
by the eunuchs. He has meats made ready at all hours, and calls for
them at pleasure. These people do not feed freely, as we do, on full
dishes of beef or mutton, but use much rice, boiled up along with pieces
of flesh, or dressed in a variety of ways. They have not many roasted or
baked meats, but stew most of their meat. Among their many dishes, I
shall only notice one, called by them _deupario_. This is made of
venison cut into slices, to which are put onions and sweet herbs, with
some roots, and a little spice and butter, forming the most savoury dish
I ever tasted; and I almost think it is the same dish that Jacob made
ready for his father Isaac when he got his blessing.
In this kingdom there are no inns or houses of entertainment for
travellers and strangers. But, in the cities and large towns, there are
handsome buildings for their reception, called _serais_, which are not
inhabited, in which any passengers may have rooms freely, but must bring
with them their bedding, cooks, and all other necessaries for dressing
their victuals. These things are usually carried by travellers on
camels, or in carts drawn by oxen; taking likewise tents along with
them, to use when they do not find serais. The inferior people ride on
oxen, horses, mules, camels, or dromedaries, the women riding in the
same manner as the men; or else they use a kind of slight coaches on two
wheels, covered at top, and close behind, but open before and at the
sides, unless when they contain women, in which case they are close all
round. These coaches will conveniently hold two persons, besides the
driver, and are drawn by a pair of oxen, matched in colour, many of them
being white, and not large. The oxen are guided by cords which go
through the middle cartilage of the nose, and so between the horns into
the hand of the driver. The oxen are dressed and harnessed like horses,
and being naturally nimble, use makes them so expert, that they will go
twenty miles a-day or more, at a good pace. The better sort ride on
elephants, or are carried singly on men's shoulders, in a slight thing
called a _palanquin_, like a couch, but covered by a canopy. This would
appear to have been an ancient effeminacy used in Rome, as Juvenal
describes a fat lawyer who filled one of them:
_Causidici nova, cam venial lectica Mathonis; plena ipso--_
They delight much in hawking, and in hunting hares, deer, and other wild
animals. Their dogs of chase somewhat resemble our greyhounds, but are
much less, and do not open when in pursuit of their game. They use
leopards also in hunting, which attain the game they pursue by leaping.
They have a very cunning device for catching wild-fowl, in the following
manner:--A fellow goes into the water, having the skin of any kind of
fowl he wishes to catch, so artificially stuffed, that it seems alive.
Keeping his whole body under water except his face, which is covered by
this counterfeit, he goes among the wild-fowl which swim in the water,
and pulls them under by the legs. They shoot much for their amusement
with bows, which are curiously made of buffaloe's horn, glewed together,
their arrows being made of small canes, excellently headed and
feathered, and are so expert in archery, that they will kill birds
flying. Others take great delight in managing their horses. Though they
have not a quarter of a mile to go, they will either ride on horseback
or be carried, as men of any quality hold it dishonourable to go on foot
any where.
In their houses, they play much at that most ingenious game which we
call chess, or else at draughts. They have likewise cards, but quite
different from ours. Sometimes they are amused by cunning jugglers, or
mountebanks, who allow themselves to be bitten by snakes which they
carry about in baskets, immediately curing themselves by means of
certain powders which they smell to. They are likewise often amused by
the tricks of apes and monkeys. In the southern parts of Hindoostan,
there are great numbers of large white apes, some of which are as tall
as our largest greyhounds. Some of those birds which make their nests on
trees are much afraid of the apes, and nature has instructed them in a
subtle device to secure themselves, by building their nests on the most
extreme twigs, and hanging them there like purse-nets, so that the apes
cannot possibly come to them.
Every city or great town in India has markets twice a-day, in the cool
of the morning just after sun-rise, and again in the evening a little
before it sets; and in these they sell almost every thing by weight. In
the heat of the day, every one keeps within doors, where those of any
rank lie on couches, or sit cross-legged on carpets, having servants
about them, who beat the air with fans of stiffened leather, or the
like, to cool them. While thus taking their ease, they often call their
barbers, who tenderly grip and beat upon their arms and other parts of
their bodies, instead of exercise, to stir the blood. This is a most
gratifying thing, and is much used in this hot climate.
The Mahometans and Hindoos are much to be commended for their
truthfulness as servants; for a stranger may safely travel alone among
them with a great charge of money or goods, all through the country,
having them for his guard, and will never be neglected or injured by
them. They follow their masters on foot, carrying swords and bucklers,
or bows and arrows, for their defence; and so plentiful are provisions
in this country, that one may hire them on very easy terms, as they do
not desire more than five shillings each moon, paid the day after the
change, to provide themselves in all necessaries; and for this small
pittance give diligent and faithful service. Such is their filial piety,
that they will often give the half of these pitiful wages to their
parents, to relieve their necessities, preferring almost to famish
themselves rather than see them want.
Both among the Mahometans and Hindoos there are many men of most
undaunted courage. The _Baloches_ are of great note on this account
among the Mahometans, being the inhabitants of _Hjykan_, adjoining to
the kingdom of Persia; as also the Patans, taking their denomination
from a province in the kingdom of Bengal.[236] These tribes dare look
their enemies in the face, and maintain the reputation of valour at the
hazard of their lives. Among the many sects of the Hindoos, there is but
one race of warriors, called _Rashbootes_, or Rajaputs, many of whom
subsist by plunder, laying in wait in great troops to surprise poor
passengers, and butchering all who have the misfortune to fall into
their hands. These excepted, all the rest of the natives are in general
pusillanimous, and had rather quarrel than fight, being so poor in
spirit, in comparison with Europeans, that the Mogul often says,
proverbially, That one Portuguese will beat three of them, and one
Englishman three Portuguese.
[Footnote 236: This is a strange mistake, confounding the city of Patna,
in Bengal, in the east of Hindoostan, with the Patans, a race of
mountaineers between Cabul and Candahar, far to the west of India,
called likewise Afgans, and their country Afghanistan.--E.]
In regard to arms for war, they have good ordnance, which, so far as I
could learn, were very anciently used in this country.[237] I have
already described the iron pieces carried on elephants. They have
smaller guns for the use of their foot-soldiers, who are somewhat long
in taking aim, but come as near the mark as any I ever saw. All their
pieces are fired with match, and they make excellent gun-powder. They
use also lances, swords, and targets, and bows and arrows. Their swords
are made crooked like faulchions, and very sharp; but, for want of skill
in tempering, will break rather than bend; wherefore our sword-blades,
which will bend and become straight again, are often sold at high
prices. I have seen horsemen in this country, thus accoutered, carrying
as it were a whole armory at once; a good sword by their sides, under
which a sheaf of arrows; on their back a gun fastened with belts, a
buckler on their shoulders; a bow in a case hanging on their left side,
and a good lance in their hand, two yards and a half long, with an
excellent steel head. Yet, for all these weapons, dare he not resist a
man of true courage, armed only with the worst of all these. The armies
in these eastern wars often consist of incredible multitudes, and they
talk of some which have exceeded that we read of in the Bible, which
Zerah, king of Ethiopia, brought against Asia. Their martial music
consists of kettle-drums and long wind-instruments. In their battles,
both sides usually begin with most furious onsets; but, in a short time,
for want of good discipline, they fall into disorder, and one side is
routed with much slaughter.
[Footnote 237: Vertoman says the Portuguese who deserted at the first
discovery of India, and entered into the service of the native princes,
taught them this art.--_Purch_.
I have somewhere read, many years ago, but cannot recollect the
authority, "That, when Alexander besieged a certain city in India, the
Brachmans, by the power of magic, raised a cloud of smoke around the
walls, whence broke frequent flashes of lightning, with thunder, and the
thunderbolts slew many of his soldiers." This would infer the very
ancient use of fire-arms of some kind in India.--E.]
The Mahometans have fair places of worship, which they call _mesquits_,
well built of stone. That side which looks to the westwards is a
close-built wall, while that towards the east is erected on pillars, the
length being from north to south. At the corners of their great mosques,
in the cities, there are high turrets or pinnacles, called _minarets_,
to the tops of which their molahs or priests resort at certain times of
day, proclaiming their prophet in Arabic, in these words,--_Alla illa
Alla, Mahomet resul Alla_; that is, There is no God but God, and Mahomet
is the ambassador of God. This is used instead of bells, which they
cannot endure in their temples, to put religious persons in mind of
their duty. On one occasion, while Mr Coryat was residing in Agra, he
got up into a turret over against the priest, and on hearing these
words, he contradicted him, calling out, in a loud voice,--_La Alla illa
Alla, Hazaret Esa Ebn-Alla_; there is no God but God, and Christ, the
Son of God, is his prophet. He farther added, that Mahomet was an
impostor, in any other country of Asia, in which Mahomet is zealously
followed, this bold attempt had surely forfeited his life, with all the
tortures which cruelty could invent, or tyranny inflict; but in this
country every one is permitted to follow his own religion, and may even
dispute against theirs with impunity.
In regard to their burials, every Mahometan of quality provides a fair
sepulchre for himself and his family, in his life-time, surrounding a
considerable space of ground with a high wall, and generally in the
neighbourhood of some tank, or else near springs of water, that they may
make pleasant fountains. Within the enclosure, he erects a round or
square tomb, either on pillars or of closed walls, with a door for
entrance. The rest of the enclosure is planted with trees and flowers,
as if they would make the elysian fields of the poets, in which their
souls may repose in delight. They have many such goodly monuments built
in memory of those they esteem as saints, of whom they have an ample
calendar, in these there are lamps continually burning, and thither many
resort in blind devotion, to contemplate the happiness enjoyed by these
_peires_, as they call the holy men. Among many sumptuous piles
dedicated to this use, the most splendid of them all is to be seen at
_Secuadra_, a village three miles from Agra. This was begun by Akbar
Shah, the father of the present king, and finished by his son, the
reigning Mogul. Akbar lies here interred, and Jehanguire Shah means to
be here buried when he dies.
The molahs, or priests of the Mahometans, employ much of their time as
scribes, doing business for other men, having liberty to marry as well
as the laity, from whom they are no way distinguished by their dress.
Some live retiredly, spending their time in meditation, or in delivering
precepts of morality to the people. They are in roach esteem, as are
another set called _Seids_, who derive their pedigree from Mahomet. The
priests neither read nor preach in the mosques; yet there is a set form
of prayers in Arabic, not understood by most of the people, but which
they repeat as fluently as the molahs. They likewise repeat the name of
God, and that of Mahomet, a certain number of times every day, telling
over their beads, like the misled papists, who seem to regard the number
of prayers more than their sincerity. Before going into their mosques
they wash their feet, and, in entering, put off their shoes. On
beginning their devotions, they stop their ears, and fix their eyes,
that no extraneous circumstances may divert their thoughts, and then
utter their prayers in a soft and still voice, using many words
significantly expressive of the omnipotence, goodness, eternity, and
other attributes of God. Likewise many words full of humility,
confessing their unworthiness with many submissive gestures. While
praying, they frequently prostrate themselves on their faces,
acknowledging that they are burdens upon the earth, poisonous to the
air, and the like, and therefore dare not look up to heaven, but comfort
themselves in the mercy of God, through the intercession of their false
prophet. Many among them, to the shame of us Christians, pray five tunes
a-day, whatever may happen to be their interruptions of pleasure or
profit. Their set times are at the hours of six, nine, twelve, three,
and six, respectively.
The manner in which they divide the day is quite different from us; as
they divide the day and the night each into four equal parts, which they
denominate _pores_, and these again are each subdivided into eight
smaller parts, called _grees_. [Hence each _pore_ contains three of our
hours, and each _gree_ is equal to 22-1/2 of our minutes.] These are
measured, according to an ancient custom, by means of water, dropping
from one small vessel into another, beside which there always stand
servants appointed for the purpose, who strike with a hammer upon a
concave plate of metal, like the inner portion of a plate, hung by a
wire, thus denoting the _pores_ and _grees_ successively as they
pass.[238] Like the mother and her seven sons, mentioned in the
Maccabees, such is the temperance of many, both among the Mahometans and
Gentiles, that they will rather die than eat or drink of any thing
forbidden by their law. Such meats and drinks as their law allows, they
use only in moderation, to satisfy nature, not to please their
appetites, hating gluttony, and esteeming drunkenness a sin, as it
really is, or a second madness; and indeed their language has only one
word, mest, for a drunkard and a madman.
[Footnote 238: This device for measuring time is the same with the
_clepsydra_, or water-clocks, of the ancients.--_Purch._]
They keep yearly a solemn feast, or Lent, which they call _Ram jan_,
[Ramadan] about the month of August, which continues a whole moon;
during which time, those who are strict in their religious observances,
avoid the embraces of their women, and abstain from meat or drink so
long as the sun is above the horizon, but eat after it sets, at their
pleasure. Towards the close of this Lent, or ramadan, they consecrate
one day of mourning, in memory of their departed friends; on which
occasions, I have seen many of the meaner people making bitter
lamentations. Besides this ordinary and stated time of sadness, many
foolish women are in use, oft times in the year, so long as they
survive, to water the graves of their husbands or children with the
tears of affectionate regret. On the night succeeding the day of general
mourning, they light up innumerable lamps, and other lights, which they
set on the sides and tops of their houses, and all other most
conspicuous places, taking no food till these are burnt out. When the
ramadan is entirely ended, the most devout Mahometans assemble at some
noted mosque, where some portion of the _Alcoran_ is publicly read; this
being their holy book, like our Bible, which they never touch without
some mark of reverence. They keep a festival in November, which they
call _Buccaree_, signifying the _ram-feast_; on which occasion they kill
and roast a ram, in memory, as they say, of the ram which redeemed
Ishmael, when about to be sacrificed by his father Abraham. They have
many other feasts or holidays consecrated to Mahomet, and their
_pieres_, or pretended saints.
They have the books of Moses, whom they name _Moosa curym Alla_, the
righteous of God. Abraham they call _Ibrahim calim Alla_, the faithful
of God. Thus Ishmael is called the true sacrifice of God; David is named
_Dahoode_, the prophet of God; Solomon is _Seliman_, the wisdom of God,
and so forth; all neatly expressed, as the former instances, in short
Arabic epithets. In honour of these our scripture worthies, they
frequently sing songs or ditties of praise; and, besides, all of them,
except those of the ruder sort, when at any time they happen to mention
our Saviour, always call him _Hazaret Eesa_, the Lord Jesus; and ever
speak of him with respect and reverence, saying, that he was a good and
just man, who lived without sin, and did greater miracles than were ever
performed before or since. They even call him _Rhahew Alla_, which
signifies the breath of God, but cannot conceive how he could be the
Son of God, and therefore deny that. Yet the Mahometans look upon us as
unclean, and will neither eat with us, nor of any thing that is cooked
in our vessels.
There are many men among the Mahometans called _Dervises_, who
relinquish the world, and spend their days in solitude, expecting a
recompence in a better life. The strict and severe penances these men
voluntarily endure, far exceed all those so much boasted of by the
Romanist monks. Some of these live alone on the tops of hills, remote
from all society, spending their lives in contemplation, and will rather
die of famine than move from their cells, being relieved from devotion
by those who dwell nearest them. Some again impose long fasts upon
themselves, till nature be almost exhausted. Many of those whom they
call religious men, wear no garments beyond a mere clout to cover their
shame, and beg for all their provisions, like the mendicant friars of
Europe. These men usually dwell about the outskirts of the cities and
towns, like the man mentioned by our blessed Saviour at the city of the
_Gadarens_, who had devils, and wore no clothes, neither abode in any
house, but dwelt among the tombs. They make little fires during the day,
sleeping at night among the warm ashes, with which they besmear their
bodies. These men never suffer a razor to come upon their heads, and
some of them let their nails grow like to bird's claws, as it is written
of Nebuchadnezzar, when driven out from among the society of men. There
is also a sort of men among them called _mendee_, who often cut and
slash their flesh with knives, like the priests of Baal. I have seen
others, who, from supposed devotion, put such massy fetters of iron on
their legs, that they are hardly able to move, yet walk in that manner
many miles upon pilgrimages, barefooted, upon the parching ground, to
visit the sepulchres of their deluding saints; thus, _tantum religio
potuit suadere malorum_, taking more pains to go to hell than any
Christian that I know does to attain heaven. These do not marry. Such
Mahometans as choose to marry, are allowed four wives by the law of
Mahomet, but they keep as many concubines as they can maintain. The
priests content themselves with one wife.
Notwithstanding their polygamy, such is the violent jealousy of these
lustful Mahometans, that they will scarcely allow even the fathers and
brothers of their beloved wives or concubines to converse with them,
except in their own presence. Owing to this restraint, it has become
odious for such women as have the reputation of virtue, to be seen at
any time by strangers. If any of them dishonour their husbands beds, or,
being unmarried, are found incontinent, even their own brothers will put
them to death rather than they should escape punishment; and for such
unnatural actions they shall be commended, rather than called in
question. Yet is there full toleration for harlots, who are as little
ashamed of receiving visits as the men are of frequenting their houses.
The women of any fashion are waited upon by eunuchs instead of
women-servants; and these eunuchs are deprived in their youth of every
thing that can provoke jealousy. Their marriages are solemnised in great
pomp. After the molah has joined their hands, with certain ceremonies
and words of benediction, they begin their revels at the first watch of
the night. Whether the man be poor or rich, he mounts on horseback,
attended by his friends, having many _oressets_, or great lights,
carried before him, and accompanied by drums, and wind-instruments of
music, and various pageantry. The woman follows with her friends, in
covered coaches. And having thus paraded through the principal places of
the city or town, they return home and partake of a banquet, the men and
women being in separate apartments. They are mostly married at the age
of twelve or thirteen, the matches being made by their mothers.
§4. _Of the Sects, Opinions, Rites, Priests, and other Circumstances of
the Hindoo Religion; with other Observations_.
The Hindoos[239] are distributed into eighty and four several sects, all
of which differ materially in opinions. This has often filled me with
wonder; but I know that they are all deluded by Satan, who is the father
of division. Their illiterate priests are called _Bramins_, being the
same with the _Brachmanni_ of the ancients; and, for aught I could
learn, are so sottishly ignorant and unsteady, that they know not what
they believe. They have little round-built temples, which they call
_pagodas_, in which are images in most monstrous shapes, which they
worship. Some of them dream, of Elysian fields, to which their souls
pass over a Styx or Acheron, and there assume new bodies. Others hold
that ere long, this world shall have an end, after which they shall live
here again, upon a new earth. They talk of four books which were sent
them about 6000 years ago by their prophet _Ram_, two of which were
sealed up and might not be opened, the other two being read by the
Bramins only. They say that there are seven orbs, above which is the
seat of God; and they hold that God knoweth not of petty things, or, if
he doth, regardeth them not. They circumscribe God in place or
dimensions, alleging that he may be seen, but far off as in a mist, and
not near or clearly. They believe in the existence of devils or evil
spirits; but that they are so bound in chains, as to be incapable of
doing hurt. They call man Adam, from the first man of that name; whose
wife, as they say, when tempted with the forbidden fruit, swallowed it
down; but, as her husband was about to do the same, it was stopped in
his throat by the hand of God: Whence men have a protuberance in that
part, which we call the _pomum adami_, which women have not.
[Footnote 239: By Terry, the Hindoos are uniformly denominated the
_Gentiles_, a word of vague and general meaning, merely signifying
idolaters, or unbelievers, literally the nations, as contradistinguished
from the Jews. By some authors, the natives of Hindoostan are called
Gentoos, a word of uncertain origin. The term of Hindoo seems the more
appropriate name; at least it has now become universal.--E.]
As anciently among the Jews, the priesthood is hereditary with this
people; every son of a Bramin being a priest, and marries with the
daughter of a Bramin. So also among all the Hindoos, the men take their
wives among the daughters of those who are of the same tribe, sect, and
occupation, with their own fathers. Thus the son of a merchant marries a
merchant's daughter, and every man's son that lives by his labour,
marries the daughter of one of the same profession with himself, so that
they never advance themselves to higher situations. The Hindoos take but
one wife, of whom they are not so fearful as are the Mahometans of their
numerous women, for they are suffered to go abroad. They are always
married very young, at six or seven years of age, their parents making
the contracts, and they come together when twelve years old. Their
nuptials are celebrated with as much pomp and jollity as those of the
Mahometans. The habits of the Hindoos differ little from those of the
Mahometans, already described; but many of their women wear rings on
their toes, and therefore go barefooted. They have likewise broad rings
of brass, or of more valuable metal, according to their rank and wealth,
which they wear about the small of their legs, being made to put off and
on. These seem to resemble the tinkling ornaments about the feet,
mentioned by the prophet Isaiah, or the ornaments of the legs, anciently
in use among the Jewish women. They have also such on their arms. The
laps of their ears are pierced when young, and the hole is daily
stretched and widened, by things put in on purpose, so that it at length
becomes large enough to hold a ring as broad as a little saucer, made
hollow in its edges to contain the flesh. Both men and women wash their
bodies every day before they eat, and they sit entirely naked at their
food, excepting only the covering of modesty. This outward washing, as
they think, tends to cleanse them from sin, not unlike the Pharisees in
scripture, who would not eat with unwashed hands. Hence, they ascribe a
certain divine influence to rivers, but above all to the Ganges, daily
flocking thither in great companies, and throwing in pieces of gold and
silver, according to their devotion or abilities, after which they wash
themselves in the sacred stream. Both men and women paint their
foreheads, or other parts of their faces, with red or yellow spots.
In regard to their grosser opinions, they do not believe in the
resurrection of the flesh, and therefore burn the bodies of their dead,
near some river if they can, into which they strew the ashes. Their
widows never marry again; but, after the loss of their husbands, cut
their hair close off, and spend all their remaining life in neglect;
whence it happens, that many young women are ambitious to die with
honour, as they esteem it, throwing themselves for lore of their
departed husbands into the flames, as they think, of martyrdom.
Following their dead husband to the pile, and there embracing his
corpse, they are there consumed in the same fire. This they do
voluntarily, and without compulsion, their parents, relations, and
friends joyfully accompanying them; and, when the pile of this hellish
sacrifice begins to burn, all the assembled multitude shout and make a
noise, that the screams of the tortured living victims may not be heard.
This abominable custom is not very much unlike the custom of the
Ammonites, who made their children pass through the fire to Moloch,
during which they caused certain tabrets or drums to sound, whence the
place was called _Tophet_, signifying a tabret. There is one sect among
the Hindoos, called _Parsees_, who neither burn nor inter their dead.
They surround certain pieces of ground with high walls, remote from
houses or public roads, and there deposit their dead, wrapped in sheets,
which thus have no other tombs but the maws of ravenous fowls.[240]
[Footnote 240: These Parsees, called _Parcees_ in the Pilgrims, and
Guebres by other writers, are a remnant of the ancient Persians, who are
fire-worshippers, or followers of Zerdust, the Zoroaster of the
Greeks.--E.]
The Hindoos are, generally speaking, an industrious race; being either
cultivators of the ground, or otherwise diligently employed in various
occupations. Among them there are many curious artificers, who are the
best imitators in the world, as they will make any thing new very
exactly after a pattern. The Mahometans, on the contrary, are generally
idle, being _all for to morrow_, a common saying among them, and live by
the labours of the Hindoos. Some of these poor deluded idolaters will
eat of nothing which has had life, feeding on grain, herbs, milk,
butter, cheese, and sweet-meats, of which last they have various kinds,
the best and most wholesome of which is green ginger remarkably well
preserved. Some tribes eat fish, and of no other living thing. The
Rajaput tribe eat swine's flesh, which is held in abomination by the
Mahometans. Some will eat of one kind of flesh, and some of another; but
all the Hindoos universally abstain from beef owing to the reverence
they entertain for cows; and therefore give large sums yearly to the
Mogul, besides his other exactions, as a ransom for the lives of these
sacred animals. Whence, though they have other and good provisions in
abundance, we meet with very little meat in that country.
The most tender-hearted among the idolaters are called _Banians,_ who
hold the _metempsychosis_ of Pythagoras as a prime article of their
faith, believing that the souls of the best men and women, when freed
from the prison of their human bodies, transmigrate into the bodies of
cows, which they consider as the best of all creatures. They hold that
the souls of the wicked go into the bodies of viler beasts; as the souls
of gluttons into swine, those of the voluptuous and incontinent into
apes and monkies; the souls of the cruel, furious, and revengeful, into
lions, tigers, and wolves; the souls of the envious into serpents; and
so forth, according to their qualities and dispositions; transmigrating
successively from one to another of the same kind, _ad infinitum;_ and,
by consequence, believing in the eternal duration of the world. Thus,
according to them, there does not exist even a silly fly but is actuated
by a soul formerly human, considering these to have formerly belonged to
light women; and so incorrigible are their sottish opinions, that they
cannot be persuaded out of them by any reasoning. Owing to these
opinions, they will not put to death the most offensive animals, not
even the most venemous snakes, saying, that it is their nature to do
harm, and that man is gifted with reason to shun these noxious
creatures, but not at liberty to destroy them.
Many men devote their fortunes to works of charity, as in building
_serais,_ or lodging-houses for travellers, digging wells, or
constructing tanks near highways, that the travellers may have water;
and where such cannot be had, they will hire poor men to sit by the
way-sides, and offer water to the passengers. The day of rest among the
Hindoos is Thursday, as Friday is among the Mahometans, Saturday with
the Jews, and Sunday with the Christians.[241] They have many solemn
festivals, and they make pilgrimages, among which the most famous are
_Nagracut_ and _Syba,_ formerly mentioned; where, if Mr Coryat may be
believed, who says he carefully observed the same, people cut off part
of their tongues out of devotion. It were easy to enlarge on this
subject, but I will not any farther describe their stupid idolatry. The
sum of the whole is, that both the Hindoos and Mahometans ground all
their opinions on tradition, not on reason, and are content to perish
with their fore-fathers, out of preposterous zeal and fond perverseness,
never rightly considering the grounds of their belief.
[Footnote 241: Monday is the day of rest with the people of Pegu. In
Java, each individual keeps that day holy on which he has begun some
great work.--_Purch._]
Both the Mahometans and Hindoos are under subjection to the Great Mogul,
the term _Mogul_ signifying a circumcised man, so that Great Mogul means
the Chief of the Circumcision. The present king is the ninth in lineal
descent from that famous eastern conqueror, whom we name Tamerlane, and
who in their histories is named Timor. Towards the close of his life, he
had the misfortune to fall from his horse, which made him halt during
the remainder of his days, whence he was called Timur-lang, or Timur the
lame. The emperor styles himself The King of Justice, the Light of the
Law of Mahomet, and the Conqueror of the World. He himself judges and
determines on all matters of importance which occur near his residence,
judging according to allegations and proofs, by his own sense of right.
The trials are conducted quickly, and the sentences speedily executed,
culprits being hanged, beheaded, impaled, torn by dogs, destroyed by
elephants, bitten by serpents, or other devices, according to the nature
of the crimes; the executions being generally in the public
market-place. The governors of provinces and cities administer justice
in a similar manner. I could never hear of any written law, the will of
the king and his substitutes being the law. His vicegerents are not
allowed to continue long in one place, lest they acquire popularity, and
are therefore usually removed yearly. They receive the letters of the
king with every possible indication of respect. They look to receive
presents from all who have occasion to apply to them; and, if not often
gratified with these, will ask for them, and will even send back such as
they do not approve, demanding better to be substituted. The cadi has
power to imprison debtors and sureties, who are bound by written deeds;
and men in power, for payment of debts due to them, will often sell the
persons, wives, and children of their debtors, which is warranted by the
customs of the land.
The king appears in public three times every day. His first appearance
is at sun-rise, from a bow-window looking; towards the east, where great
multitudes assemble to salute him, or give him the _salam,_ calling out
_padishah salamet,_ which signifies Live, O King! At noon he again sits
in public seeing his elephants fight, or some other pastimes. A little
before sun-set, he shews himself a third time, at a window looking to
the west, whence he retires amid the sound of drums and wind-instruments
of music, the acclamations of the people adding to the noise. At any of
these three appearances, all who have any suit to him hold up their
petitions to be seen, and are heard in their own causes. Between seven
and nine in the evening, he again sits in private, attended by his
nobles.
No subject of this empire holds any lands by inheritance, neither have
they any titles but such as depend on the will of the king. Owing to
this, many of the grandees live up fully to the extent of their means.
Merchants also, and others, are very careful to conceal their wealth,
lest they be made spunges. Some small means of living are allowed by the
king to the sons of his great men, which they can never make better,
unless they succeed to the favour enjoyed by their fathers. His pensions
are reckoned by the numbers of horsemen allotted to each; and of these
he pays a million in the whole extent of his empire, to the amount of
twenty-five pounds being yearly allowed for each horseman, which are
drawn from lands, specified in the particular grants or commissions.
There are about twenty of his courtiers who have each the pay of 5000
horse; others of 4000, 3000, 2000, and so downwards. He who has the pay
of 5000, is bound to have 2000 always on foot ready for service, and so
in like proportion for all others. This absolute dependence renders
them dissolute parasites. When the Mogul gives advancement to any one,
he adds a new name or title, as Pharaoh did to Joseph. These names or
titles are very significant; as _Mahobet Khan_, the beloved lord; _Khan
Jahaun,_ the lord of my heart; _Khan Allum,_ the lord of the world, &c.
The principal officers of state are, the treasurer, the master of the
eunuchs, who is steward and comptroller of the household, the secretary,
the master of the elephants, the tent-master, and the keeper of the
wardrobe. The subordinate titles of honour are Khan, Mirza, Omrah or
Captain, Haddee, which last is a soldier or horseman. Gorgeous apparel
is in a great measure prohibited, owing to the great heat of the sun;
even the Great Mogul himself being usually clothed in a garment of pure
white calico or fine muslin. Blue, being the colour of mourning, may not
be worn in his presence, neither the name of death pronounced in his
hearing. This circumstance is usually expressed by some circumlocution,
as that such a person has sacrificed himself at the feet of his majesty.
Owing to the great heat of this country, there is but little demand for
English cloth, which is almost only employed for the housings of
elephants and horses, and the linings of coaches. This sovereign
assuredly exceeds all others in the splendour of his thrones, and the
variety and richness of his jewels. In his palace at Agra, he has a
throne upon a raised platform, to which he ascends by several steps, on
the top of which are four figures of lions of massy silver, gilded and
set with precious stones, and supporting a dome or canopy of pure gold.
I may mention, that when I was at his court, he had a tame lion which
went up and down at liberty, as harmless as a dog. The jewels with which
he daily adorns his head, neck, and arms, and the hilts of his sword and
dagger, are rich and valuable beyond all computation. On his birthday,
which happens on the 1st of September, he being now sixty years of age,
he is weighed, and an account thereof carefully noted down by his
physicians, who thereby guess at his bodily condition.[242]
[Footnote 242: See of these and other things, formerly stated, in the
Journal of Sir Thomas Roe, and therefore here omitted. _Purch._]
The following are parts of two letters from the Great Mogul to his
majesty King James I. translated out of Persian, and sent through Sir
Thomas Roe, one written a year before the other. What followed in both
letters, was merely complimentary assurances of his love for the
English. These letters were rolled up and covered with cloth of gold,
the covering being sealed up at both ends, which is the fashion in that
country. Copies were sent to the lord ambassador, from which these
specimens were translated out of the Persian language.
* * * * *
"When your majesty shall open this letter, let your royal heart be fresh
as a sweet garden. Let all people make lowly reverence at your gate, and
may your throne be exalted among the kings of the prophet Jesus. May
your majesty be the greatest of all monarchs; and may others draw
counsel and wisdom from you, as from a fountain, that the law of the
divine Jesus may revive and flourish under your protection. Your letters
of love and friendship, and the tokens of your affection towards me, I
have received by the hands of your ambassador, Sir Thomas Roe, who well
deserves to be your trusted servant, and who delivered them to me in a
happy hour. Upon them mine eyes were so fixed, that I could not easily
remove them to any other object, and have accepted them with much joy,"
&c.--The other began as follows:
* * * * *
"How gracious is your majesty, whose greatness God preserve and prosper.
As upon a rose in a garden of pleasure, so are mine eyes fixed upon your
majesty. May God maintain your greatness, so that your monarchy may
prosper and increase, that you may obtain all your desires, worthy the
greatness of your renown. As your heart is noble and upright, so may God
give you a prosperous reign, because you powerfully defend the majesty
of Jesus, which may God render yet more flourishing, having been
confirmed by miracles," &c.
* * * * *
We travelled two years with the Great Mogul, who was in progress
through his dominions, moving only during the temperate months, between
October and April. On this occasion, I am confident that the _leskar_,
or camp, contained not less than 300,000 persons, including men, women,
and children, besides elephants, horses, and other beasts, that were fed
upon grain; yet we never experienced any scarcity of provisions, not
even in our nineteen days journey through a wilderness, between Mandoa
and _Amadavar_, [Ahmedabad.] On this occasion, a road was cut for us
through the forest. The tents of the leskar were of various colours,
being regularly arranged, and represented a large and splendid city. The
king's tents were red, and raised on poles to a great height, being
placed in the middle of the camp, and covering a great extent of ground;
the whole of the royal quarter being encircled by _canats_, or walls,
made of red calico, held up by canes at every breadth, and standing
upright about nine feet high, which was guarded all round by soldiers
every night.
The king removed ten or twelve miles every day, more or less according
to the convenience of procuring water. His wives and women of all sorts,
which are not less than a thousand, all lodged and provided for in his
tents, were carried along with the leskar, some in palanquins, others
upon elephants, or in cradles or panniers slung upon dromedaries, all
closely covered up that they might not be seen, and attended upon by
eunuchs. In the choice of his wives, the Great Mogul respects fancy more
than honour, not seeking affinity with neighbouring princes, but to
please his eye at home. _Noormahal_, the best beloved among his wives,
whose name signifies the _Light of the Court_, was of mean origin, but
has since advanced her friends to high rank and employments, and in a
manner commands the commander of the empire, by engrossing his whole
affections. The king and his great men continue to maintain their women,
but little affect them after thirty years old.
Notwithstanding the multitude of his women, the Great Mogul has only six
children, five sons and a daughter. All his sons are styled sultans, or
princes. The eldest is Sultan _Cursero_, the second, Sultan _Parrveis_,
the third, Sultan _Caroon_, the fourth, Sultan _Shahar_, and the
youngest, Sultan _Tauct_.[243] The name of this last signifies a
_Throne_; and he was so named by the king, because he was informed of
his birth at the time when he got quiet possession of the throne. The
eldest-born son of one of his legitimate wives has right to inherit the
throne, and has a title signifying the _Great Brother_. Although the
others are not put to death as with the Turks, yet it is observed that
they seldom long survive their fathers, being commonly employed on some
dangerous expedition.
[Footnote 243: These names seem to have been written by Terry from the
ear. By others, they are respectively named Cusero, Parvis, Churrum,
Shahar, and Taucht.--E.]
Akbar Shah, the father of the reigning Mogul, had threatened to
disinherit him, for some abuse to _Anar-Kalee_, his most beloved wife,
whose name signifies pomegranate kernel; but on his death-bed he
restored him to the succession. Akbar was wont, upon taking any
displeasure at one of his grandees, to give them pills to purge their
souls from their bodies, and is said to have come by his death in the
following manner. Intending to give one of these pills to a nobleman who
had incurred his displeasure, and meaning to take at the same time a
cordial pill himself, while he was cajoling the destined victim with
flattering speeches, he, by mistake, took the poisoned pill himself, and
gave the cordial to the nobleman. This carried him off in a few days, by
a mortal flux of blood.[244]
[Footnote 244: Neque enim lex justior ulla est, quam necis artifices
arte perire sua.--_Purch._]
The character of Jehanguire, the reigning Mogul, seems strangely
compounded of opposite extremes. He is at times excessively cruel, and
at other times extremely mild. He is himself much given to excess in
wine, yet severely punishes that fault in others. His subjects know not
what it is to disobey his commands, forgetting the natural bonds of
private life, even those between father and son, in the fulfilment of
their public duty. He daily relieves numbers of the poor; and often, as
a mark of his filial piety, is in use to carry the palanquin of his
mother on his own shoulders. He speaks with much reverence of our
Saviour, but is offended by his cross and poverty, deeming them
incompatible with his divine Majesty, though told that his humility was
on purpose to subdue the pride of the world.
All religions are tolerated, and even their priests are held in good
esteem. I used often to receive from the Mogul the appellation of
_Father_, with many other gracious words, and had a place assigned me
among his nobles. The jesuits are not only admitted into his presence,
but encouraged by many gifts, and are permitted to convert the subjects,
who do not on that event lose their favour at court. On one occasion,
the Mogul put the sincerity of a convert to a severe trial. Having used
many threatenings to induce him to abandon his new faith, and finding
him undaunted, he tried by flatteries and high promises to draw him
back; but these also being unavailing, he bade him continue a Christian,
and dismissed him with a reward; saying, if he had been able to terrify
or cajole him from his religion, he would have made him a terrible
example for all waverers.
When I was in this country, the chief jesuit residing at the court of
the Mogul, was Francisco Corsi, a Florentine by birth, who acted
likewise as agent for the Portuguese. I wish I could confirm the reports
they have made of conversions; but the real truth is, that they have
merely spilt the water of baptism on the faces of a few, working on the
necessities of some poor men, who from want of means to live, with which
the jesuits supplied them, have been persuaded to wear crucifixes, but
who, for want of instruction, are only Christians in name. Of these few
mendicants, or so called by Christians, I noticed that five of them
would beg in the name of Maria, for one who asked in the name of Jesus.
I also desired to have put my hands to the holy work, but found extreme
difficulty in the way, owing both to the Mahometan laxity in regard to
the use of women, and the debauched lives of some unchristian
Christians.--May he who hath the key of David open their eyes, and in
his good time send labourers into this vineyard. _Amen_.