A Voyage to East India, Account of voyage · Section 28
SECT. XXVIII.
Of the Mogols wives and women; where ſomething of his Children, &c.
WHom I conceive to be Women of good feature, though for their colour very ſwart, which that people may call beauty, it being the complexion of them all, as the Crow thinks his bird faireſt, but (as before) I never obſerved any crooked, or deform'd perſon of either ſex amongſt them: For the honeſty of thoſe great mens Wives and Women, there is ſuch a quick eye of jealouſie continually over them, that they are made ſo by force, though (as they ſay) they are never much regarded by thoſe great ones after the very firſt, and prime of their youth is paſt.
For that great Monarch the Mogol in the choiſe of his Wives and Women, he was guided more by his eye and fanſie, than by any reſpect had to his honour, for he took not the daughters of neighbouring Princes, but of his own ſubjects, and there preferr'd that, which he looked upon as beauty, before any thing elſe.
He was married to four Wives, and had Concubines, and Women beſide (all which were at his command) enough to make up their number a full thouſand (as they there confidently affirm'd.) And that he might raiſe up, his beaſtly and unnatural luſts, even to the very height, he kept boyes as before &c.
His moſt beloved wife (when I lived at his Court) he called Noor-Mahal, which ſignified the light of the Court, and to the other of his Wives, and Women, which he moſt loved, he gave new names unto them, and ſuch names as he moſt fancied.
For his Wife I firſt named, he took her out of the duſt, from a very mean family, but however, ſhe made ſuch a through conqueſt on his affections, that ſhe engroſſed almoſt all his love, did what ſhe pleaſed in the Government of that Empire, where ſhe advanced her brother Aſaph-Chan; and other her neareſt relations, to the greateſt places of Command and Honour, and profit in that vaſt Monarchy.
Her brother Aſaph-Chan was preſently made one of the Starres of the firſt Magnitude that ſhined in that Indian Court, and when he had once gotten, ſo kept the Mogols favour by the aſſiſtance of his ſiſter Noor-Mahal, that by the Penſions given, and many Offices beſtowed on him, he heaped up a Maſſe of Treaſure above all belief (as before) and married his daughter unto Sultan Caroom, who is now King.
The Mogol of all his ſo many Wives and Concubines had but ſix Children, five Sons and one Daughter. The names he gave his Children, and others were names that proceeded from Counſel (as he imagined) rather than chance. His eldeſt Son was called Sultan Coobſurroo, which ſignified the Prince with the good face, his perſon and beauty anſwered his name, for he was a Prince of a very lovely preſence. His ſecond Son he called Sultan Perum, Prince of the Pleiades, or of the ſweet influences of the Pleiades. His third Son (now King) though that great dignity was never intended to him by his Father, was called Sultan Caroom, or the Prince of bounty. His fourth Sultan Shahar, or the Prince of fame. His fift, and laſt Son was called by him Sultan Tauct, Tauct in the Perſian tongue, ſignifies a Throne, and he was named ſo by the King his Father, becauſe the firſt hour he ſat peaceably on his Throne, there was news brought him of that Sons birth.
The firſt Son of that King, which he hath by any of his married wives, by prerogative of birth, inherits that Empire, the eldeſt Son of every man (as before) called there (the great brother.) And he that inherits that Monarchy, doth not openly ſlaughter his younger brothers, as the Turks do; yet it is obſerved, that few younger brothers of thoſe Indoſtan Kings have long ſurvived their Fathers.
Yet notwithſtanding that long continued cuſtom there for the eldeſt Son to ſucceed the Father in that great Empire; Achabar Sha, Father of that late King; upon high & juſt diſpleaſure taken againſt his Son, for climbing up unto the bed of Anarkelee, his Fathers moſt beloved Wife (whoſe name ſignified the Kernel of a Pomegranate) and for other baſe actions of his, which ſtirred up his Fathers high diſpleaſure againſt him, reſolved to break that ancient cuſtom, and therefore often in his life time proteſted, that not he, but his Grand-childe Sultan Coobſurroo, whom he always kept in his Court, ſhould ſucceed him in that Empire.
And now by the way, the manner of that Achabar Sha his death (as they report it in India) is worthy obſervation. That wicked King was wont often to give unto ſome of his Nobles (whom upon ſecret diſpleaſure he meant to deſtroy) Pills prepared with Poiſon that ſhould preſently put them into incurable diſeaſes. But the laſt time he went about to practiſe that bloudy treachery, he died himſelf by his own inſtrument of death, for then having two Pills in his hand, the one very like the other; the one Cord…ll for himſelf, the other Corraſive, for one of his Grandee… he meant to purge, and flattering him with many proffers of courteſie before he gave him the P…ll, that he might ſwallow it down the better, at laſt haveing held them both in the palm of his hand long, by a miſtake took the poyſoned Pi… himſelf, and gave him the other, which Pill put the King immediately into a mortal flux of bloud, which in few dayes put an end to his life in his …itie Lahore.
—Neque enim lex juſtior ulla eſt,
Quam necis artifices arte perire ſua.
When ſome to kill moſt deadly engines frame,
'Tis juſt that they themſelves be caught it'h ſame.
Achabar Sha thus dead. Sultan Coobſurroo his Grand-Childe, then aged about twenty years, took his opportunity at the firſt bound, and aſcended the Regal Throne at Lahore, where by a general Acclamation of that very great and populous City he was pronounced, and acknowledged King. His Father (the late Mogol) was thus acknowledged at Agra. Two great Armies were preſently levied, and meet together to decide the controverſie, and the generality of the people within that Empire, thinking it meet that the Father ſhould be King before the Son, clave by far, more to him then to his Son, by which means Sultan Coobſurroo was defeated and taken priſoner, and a very great many of young Gallants with him, whereof his Father immediately after cauſed to be impaled, or put upon Stakes (that moſt cruell and tormenting death) eight hundred in two ſeverall ranks in one day, without the City Lahore, and then carried his Son moſt diſgracefully through them, bidding him to behold the men in whom he truſted. His Son told him that he ſhould have ſerv'd him ſo, and ſpared the other, who did nothing in that action but upon his command; his Father replyed that he could ſerve him ſo preſently if he ſo pleaſed) his Son, wild and deſired him ſo to do, telling his Father that he had no joy at all to live, after the beholding of ſo many gallant men dead. Notwithaſtanding, the King ſpared his life, caſting him into Priſon where his eyes were ſealed up (by ſomething put before them which might not be taken of) for the ſpace of three years, after what time that ſeal was taken away, that he might with freedom enjoy the Light, though not his Liberty. And after his Father had taken him out of Priſon, he kept him alwaies near about him, but with a very ſtrong guard upon him, ſo that he following the King his Father in his Progreſſes, we ſometimes ſaw him. And once he called my Lord Ambaſſadour to him as we paſſed by him, asking him many queſtions, as how far diſtant our Country was from them, and what we brought thither, and what we carried thence, and how the King his Father had uſed him ſince his arrive there, whither or no he had not beſtowed upon him ſome great gifts. The Ambaſſadour told him that his buſineſs there was to obtain a free trade for his Nation the Engliſh, and that being granted him, he had reward enough. The Prince replyed that this could not be denyed us, we coming ſo far to trade there with him; and the Prince further asked him how long he had been there, the Ambaſſadour told him about two years, the Prince replyed again, that it was a very great ſhame for the ſucceſſor of Tamberlane, who had ſuch infinite Rules, to ſuffer a man of his quality to come ſo far unto him, and to live ſo long about him, and not to give him ſome Royall gift; and he further added that for himſelf he was a Priſoner, and therefore could do him no good but he would pray for him, and ſo he departed.
For that Prince, he was a Gentleman of a very lovely preſence and fine carriage, ſo exceedingly beloved of the common people, that as S…tonius writes of Titus, he was Amor & Deliciae, &c. the very love and delight of them. Aged then about thirty and five years. He was a man who contented himſelf with one wife, which with all love and care accompanied him in all his ſtreights, and therefore he would never take any wife but her ſelf, though the liberty of his Religion did admit of Plurality.
It was generally beleeved to be the intent of his Father (for he would often preſage ſo) to make this Prince his firſt-born his ſucceſſor, though for the preſent out of ſome jealouſie (his being ſo much beloved of the people) he denyed his liberty.
His Fathers love, brings upon him the extream hatred of his Brother Caroom the Mogals third Son, who then lived in very great Pomp and ſplendor at that Court, ayming at that Empire, to which end he put many jealouſies into his Fathers head (now grown in years) concerning his Brother Coobſurroo, and that his Father might live more ſecure and out of all preſent fear of him, if he ſo pleaſed, upon which inſinuations, partly by force (as I obſerved before) and partly by intreaty of friends about the King, he was by the King put into the Cruel hand of his Brother Caroom, who told his Father that he would have both his eyes upon him, and further ſo provide, that he ſhould never have cauſe to fear him any more, and he was as good as his word, for preſently after he had gotten poſſeſſion of him (tho…gh his Father had given him as great a charge as poſſibly he could to uſe him well, and to keep him honourably, and by no means to hurt him, which was all promiſed by Caroome, to be faithfully obſerved) he cauſed his ſecond Brother Sultan Parveen to be poyſoned, and not long after that, ſtrangled that moſt gallant Prince his eldeſt Brother, which did ſo trouble his Father, that the grief thereof (as it was ſtrongly beleeved) ſhortned his days, who not long after this (much againſt his mind) made room for that murderer to ſucceed him in that Empire, who layd the foundation of his high advancement, in the blood of his Brothers, and rather than he would have miſſed it, would certainly made a way through the blood of his Father likewiſe, All Laws of honeſty, of Nature by him thrown down, trampled under foot, forgotten and made void to compaſs and gain his moſt unjuſt ends, as if he reſolved to practiſe that language which Polynices out of the height of Ambition ſpake in the Tragedy
—Pro Regnovelim
Patriam, Penates, Conjugem flammis dare;
Imperia Precio quolibet conſtant bene
Sen. Trag.
Fire on my Gods, Wiſe, Country for a Crown,
An Empire can the deareſt price weigh down.
But whatſoever he might think, I am ſure that the holy Scriptures are ſtored with examples, that have fallen heavy upon uſurpers and reſiſters of lawfull Authority, as upon Corah, and his Confederates ſwallowed up quick into the Earth. Upon Zimri burnt in his Palace, which he had but immediatly before uſurped: Upon Abſolon hangd by his hairy Scalp, As Achitophel in an halter.
Certainly they, who ever they be, that come to rule upon hard and unjuſt tearms, ſhall firſt or laſt live to rue and to repent their bargain, as Ahab did in another caſe, after he had kild and taken poſſeſſion: And as the Emperours of this large ſpreading and far extended Monarchy, have been like Pikes in a great Pond, that eat up all the leſſer Fiſhes about them, which can make no reſiſtance; by which they have enlarged themſelves like Hell by a ſtrong hand, and have gained what they have by force, and by force keep what they have gotten, ruling by an Arbitrary and an illimited Power: ſo time in probability will ravel and rent all again in pieces; for
Regum timend…rum in Proprios greges,
Reges in ipſos imperium eſt Jovis.
Hor.
Over ſlav'd men dread Powers do reign,
God over them is Soveraign.
I ſhall adde but a few things more to this Relation before I conclude it. And one ſhall be to give my Reader a taſt but very briefly,