'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎45] (716/1024)

J Kx
of the MOGOL
named himfelf a Greek Phyfician: that an ancient tnan, of about Fourfcore years of
age, did one day prefent to the King fourfcore Sons, all of age, and able to bear Arms i
and that the King asked him, Whether he had no more but them > To whom having
anfwer’d, No, but only fome Daughters, the King fent him away with this reproach j
Begone, thou Calf, and be alhamedfor having no more Children at that age, as if
Women were wanting in my Dominions! that the King himfelf had at leaft fburfcore
Sons and Daughters running about pell-mell in the Seraglio, for whom he had caufed
to be made a number of round verniftied flicks, made like* little maze » thofe Chil
dren being fond of having that in their hand like a Scepter, diftinguilhing them from
thofe that were Children of Slaves, or from others living in that place.
Aureng-Zebe fent alfo twice for thefe Ambafladors, for the fame reafort that my
Agah did, and efpecially to enquire after the ftate of Mahuntetanifm in that Country,
lie had alfo the curiofity of Viewing the skin of the Mule, which remained, I know
not how, in theFortrefs amongft the Officers» which was to me a great mortiflca*
tion, becaufe they had defigned it for me for the good fervices I had done them. 1
made account to have one day prefented it to fome very curious perfon in Europe. I
urged often, that together with the Mule^skin, they ffiould carry the great Morn to
fareng-Zebe, to (hew it him j but they fear’d, leafl he ftiould make a queftion, which
would have perplexed them » viz. how came to pafs, that they had faved the Mom
from the plunder of Suratte^ and loft the Civet ?
Whilft thefe Ambaffadors of Ethiopia were at Vehli^ it came to pafs that Aureng'
Zrbe called together his Privy Gouncel, and the moft learn’d perfons of his Court, to
chufe a new Mafter for his third Son, Sultan Eckbar , whom he defign’d for his Sue-
ceflbr. In this Gouncel he (hew’d the paffion he hath to have this young Pririce well
Educated* and to make him a great Man. Aurenge-Zebe is not ignorant of what im
portance it is, and how much 5 tistobe wiffied, that as much as Kings furmount o-
thers in Greatnefs, they may alfo exceed them in Virtue and Knowledge. He alfo well
knows, that one of the principal fources of the Mifery^ of the miTGovernment, of the
un-Peopling, and the decay of the Empires of Afia proceeds from thence, that the chil
dren of the Kings thereof are brought up only by Women and Eunuchs, which often
are no other than wretched Slaves of RuJJia, Circajjia, Mingrelia, Gurgiflan and Ethio-
pia j mean and fervile, ignorant and infolent fouls. Thefe Princes become Kings,
when they are of Age, without being inftru&ed, and without knowing what ’tis
to be a King > amazed when they begin to come abroad out of the Seraglio, as per
fons coming out of another World, or let out of fome fubterraneous Cave , where
they had lived all their lifetimes wond ring at every thing they mtet, like fotnahy
Innocents j believing all, and fearing all, likd Children, or nothing at all, as if they
were ftupid: And all this, according to their Nature, and futableto the firft Images
imprinted upon them > commonly high and proud, and feemingly grave* but of that
kind of pride and gravity, which is fo flat and diftafteful, and fo unbecoming them,
that one may plainly fee, 5 tis nothing but brutality or barbaroufnefs, and the efled of
fome ill-fludied* and ill-digefted Documents > or elfe they fall into fome childiftl civi
lities, yet more unfavoury* or into fuch,cruelties, as are blind and brutal** or into
that mean and grofs vice of drunkennefs, or into an exceffive and altogether unreafon-
able Luxury, either ruining their bodies and underftandings with their Concubines*
or altogether abandoning themfelves to the pleafures of Hunting, like fome carnive-*
tous Animals, preferring a pack of Dogs before the life of fo many poor people,
whom they force to follow them in the purfuit of their Game, and fuffer to perilh of
Hunger, heat, cold,and mifery. In a word, they always run into fome extreme or other,
being altogether irrational and extravagant, according as they are carried by their fta*
tural temper, or by the firft impreffions that are given them * thus remaining, almoft
all, in a ftrange ignorance of what concerns the ftate of the Kingdom* the reins of the
Government being abandoned to fome Vifir, who entertains them in their ignorance
and in their paflions, which are the two ftrongeft fupports he can have to rule always
according to his own mind, with moft affurance, and the leaft contradidion ** and
given over alfo to thofe Slaves their Mothers, and to their Eunuchs, who often know
nothing but to continue plots of cruelty, whereby they ftrattgle and banifh one ano
ther, and fometimes the Vilirs, and even the Grand Signors themfelves 5 fo that no
tnan whatfoever, that hath any Eftate, cart be in fafety of his life.