A Voyage to East India, Account of voyage · Section 26
SECT. XXVI.
Of the exceeding great Penſions the Mogol gives unto his Subjects, how they are raiſed, and how long they are continued, &c.
WHich great revenues that many of them do enjoy, makes them to live like great Princes rather than other men. Now for thoſe Penſions, which are ſo exceeding great, the Mogol in his far extended Monarchy allowes yearly pay for one Million of horſe, and for every horſe and man about eighteen pounds ſterling per annum, which is exactly paid every year, raiſed from Land, and other Commodities which that Empire affords and appointed for that purpoſe. Now ſome of the Mogol's moſt beloved Nobles have the pay of ſix thouſand horſe; and there are others (at the leaſt twenty in his Empire) which have the pay of 5000. horſe, exceeding large Penſions above the revenue of any other Subjects in the whole World, they amounting unto more than one hundred thouſand pounds yearly unto a particular man. Now others have the pay of four thouſand horſe; others of three, or two, or one thouſand horſe, and ſo downward, and theſe by their proportions, are appointed to have horſes alwayes in readineſſe well mann'd and otherwiſe appointed for the Kings ſervice, ſo that he who hath the pay of five, or ſix thouſand, muſt alwayes have one thouſand in readineſſe, or more, according to the Kings need of them, and ſo in proportion all the reſt which enables them on a ſudden to make up the number, at the leaſt of two hundred thouſand horſe, of which number, they have alwayes at hand one hundred thouſand to wait upon the King whereſoever he is.
There are very many private men in Cities and Towns, who are Merchants, or Tradeſmen that are very rich, but it is not ſafe for them that are ſo, ſo to appear, leaſt that they ſhould be uſed as fill'd ſponges.
But there is never a Subject in that Empire, who hath Land of inheritance, which he may call his own, but they are all Tenants at the will of their King, having no other title to that they enjoy beſides the Kings favour, which is by far more eaſily loſt than gotten; It is true that the King advanceth many there, unto many great honours, and allows them as before, marvelous great revenues, but no Son there enjoyes either the Titles, or means of his Father that hath had Penſions from that King, for the King takes poſſeſſion of all when they are dead, appointing their Children ſome competent means for their ſubſiſtence, which they ſhall not exceed, if they fall not into the Kings affection as their Fathers did, wherefore many great men in this Empire live up to the height of their means, and therefore have a very numerous train, a very great retinue to attend upon them, which makes them to appear like Princes, rather than ſubjects.
Yet this their neceſſary dependance on their King binds them unto ſuch baſe ſubjection, as that they will yield with readineſſe unto any of his unreaſonable and wilfull commands. As Plutarch writes of the Souldiers of Scipio, nullu… eſt horum, qui non conſcensâ turri ſemet in mare praecipitaturus, ſi juſſero, that there was never a one in his Army, by his own report, that would not for a word of his mouth, have gone up into a Tower, and caſt himſelf thence head-long into the Sea, and thus the people here will do thing the King commands them to do; ſo that if he bid the Fa…her to lay hands of violence upon his Son, or the Son upon his Father, they will do it, rather than the will of their King ſhould be diſobeyed. Thus forgetting Nature, rather than Subjection.
And this tye of theirs (I ſay) upon the Kings favour makes all his Subjects moſt ſervile flatterers, for they will commend any of his actions, though they be nothing but cru…lty, ſo any of his ſpeeches, though nothing but folly. And when the King ſits and ſpeaks to any of his people publickly, there is not a word falls from him that is not written by ſome Scr…veners, or Scribes that ſtand round about him.
In the year 1618. when we lived at that Court, there appeared at once in the MonethMonth of November in their Hemiſphear two great Blazing-ſtars, the one of them, North, the other South, which unuſual ſight appeared there for the ſpace of one MonethMonth. One of thoſe ſtrange Comets in the North, appeared like a long blazing Torch, or Launce fired at the upper end, the other in the South, was round like a pot boyling out fire. The Mogol conſulted with his flattering Aſtrologers, who ſpake of theſe Comets unto the King, as Daniel ſometimes did of Nebuchadnezzars dream, Dan. 4. 19. My Lord, the dream is to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof unto thine Enemies. For his Aſtrologers told him that he needed not trouble himſelf with the thought thereof, for it concerned other places and people, not him nor his. But not long after this, their ſeaſon of Rain, (before ſpoken of) which was never known to fail till then, failed them, and this cauſed ſuch a famine and mortality in the South parts of his Empire, that it did very much unpeople it, and in the Northern part thereof (whether the Mogol then repaired) his third Son Sultan Caroom raiſed, and kept together very great forces, and ſtood upon his guard, and would not disband, till his Father had delivered his eldeſt Son Sultan Coobſeroo into his hands, and how, when he had him in his power he uſed him, you ſhall after hear.
In the mean time, take one admirable example of a very groſſe flatterer, but a great favourite of that King, who was noted above others of that Nation to be a great neglecter of God, believing it Religion enough to pleaſe the Mogol his Maſter. This man was a Souldier of an approved valour: But upon a time he ſitting in dalliance with one of his Women, ſhe pluckt an hair from his breaſt (which grew about his Nipple) in wantonneſſe, without the leaſt thought of doing him hurt. But the little wound, that ſmall, and unparalel'd inſtrument of death made, preſently began to feſter, and in ſhort time after became a Canker incureable; in fine, when he ſaw that he muſt needs dye, he uttered theſe words, which are worth the remembring of all that ſhall ever hear them, ſaying:
VVho would not have thought but that I, who have been ſo long bred a Souldier, ſhould have dyed in the face of mine Enemy, either by a ſword, or a Launce, or an Arrow, or a Bullet, or by ſome ſuch inſtrument of death: But now (though too late) I am forc'd to confeſſe that there is a great God above, whoſe Majeſty I have ever deſpiſed, that needs no bigger Launce than an hair to kill an Atheiſt, or a deſpiſer of his Majeſty, and ſo, deſiring that thoſe his laſt words might be told unto the King his Maſter, died.
Till ſin into the world had made a breach,
Death was not heard of: ever ſince in each
Poor creature may it, doth it couchant lye,
The kernel of a Grape kills one; a fly
Another choaks; by a c…rrupted breath
Of air one dies; and others have found death
In a ſmall bit of meat; or by a Corn
Too cloſely cut, or by a prick of Thorn.
When death comes arm'd with Gods imperial word,
An hair can pierce as deep as ſharpeſt ſword.
The Mogol never advanceth any, but he gives him a new name, and theſe of ſome pretty ſignification; as Pharoah did unto Joſeph, when he made him great in his Court, Gen. 41. 45. the new names (I ſay) that the Mogol gives unto thoſe he advanceth and favours are ſignificant. As Aſaph Chan, the gathering or rich Lord, whoſe ſiſter the Mogol married, and ſhe was his moſt beloved wife, and her brothers marvelous great riches, anſwered his name, for he died worth many Millions (as I have been credibly informed) the greateſt ſubject (I believe) for wealth that ever the world had: ſo another of the Mogols Grandees was called Mahobet-Chan, the beloved Lord. Another Chan-Jahan, the Lord of my heart. Another Chan-Allaam, the Lord of the world. Another Chan-Channa, the Lord of Lords. He called his chief Phyſician Mocrob-Chan the Lord of my health; and many other names like theſe his Grandees had, which at my being there belonged to his moſt numerous Court.
And further for their Titles of honour there, all the Kings Children are called Sultans, or Princes; his daughters Sultanaus, or Princeſſes, the next title is Nabob equivalent to a Duke, the next Channa, a double Lord, or Earle. The next Chan, a Lord. So Meirſa ſignifies a Knight that hath been a General, or Commander in the Wars. Umbra, a Captain; Haddee, a Cavalier, or Souldier on horſe-back, who have all allowed them means by the King (as before) proportionable for the ſupports of their Honours, and Titles, and Names.
His Officers of State are his Treaſurers, which receive his revenues in his ſeveral Provinces, and take care for the payment of his great Penſions, which, when they are due, are paid without any delay: There his chief Eunuchs (which command the reſt of them) take care for the ordering of his houſe, and are Stewards and Controulers of it; his Secretaries, the Maſters of his Elephants; and the Maſters of his Tents are other of his great Officers, and ſo are the keepers of his Ward-robe, who are entruſted with his Plate and Jewels. To theſe I may add thoſe which take care of his Cuſtoms for goods brought into his Empire, as for commodities carried thence. But theſe are not many, becauſe his Sea-ports are but few. The Cuſtoms payd in his Ports are not high, that ſtrangers of all Nations may have the greater encouragement to Trade there with him, but as he expects money from all ſtrangers that Trade there: So it is a fault he will not pardon (as before) for any to carry any quantity of ſilver thence. He hath other Officers that ſpread over his Empire, to exact monies out of all the labours of that people who make the curious manufactures. So that like a great Tree he receives nouriſhment from every, even the leaſt Roots that grow under his ſhadow, and therefore though his Penſions are exceeding great (as before) they are nothing comparable to his enuch greater revenues.
By reaſon of that Countries immoderate heat, our Engliſh Cloath is not fit to make Habits for that people, that of it wch is ſold there, is moſt of it for colour Red, & this they imploy for the moſt part to make coverings for their Elephants and Horſes, & to cover their Coaches, the King himſelf taking a very great part thereof, whoſe payments are very good, onelyonly the Merchant muſt get the hands of ſome of his chief Officers to his bill, appointed for ſuch diſpatches, which are obtained as ſoon as deſired. And this the King doth to prevent the abuſes of particular, and ſingle perſons.
And now that I may preſent my Reader with the further glory of this great King, I ſhall lead him where he may take a view.