Sultan Churrum Had Contracted A Marriage At
Burhanpoor, Without Waiting For The King's Consent, For Which He Had
Fallen Under Displeasure; And Some Secret Practices Of His Against The
Life Of His Brother Had Been Discovered, On Which He Was Ordered To
Court In Order To Clear Himself.
By the advice of their father, Etimon
Dowlet, Noormahal and Asaph Khan now made proposals of friendship and
alliance with Cusero.
This news has diffused universal joy among the
people, who now begin to hope that their good prince may recover his
full liberty. The 22d the king feasted Asaph Khan. The 25th Asaph Khan
feasted Noormahal. It is reported the Prince Cusero is to make a firm
alliance, as above stated, and is to take a wife of his father's choice.
This will produce his entire liberty, and the ruin of our proud
oppressor, Churrum.
The 1st of September was the solemnity of the king's birth-day, when he
is publicly weighed, to which I went. I was conducted into a beautiful
garden, in the middle of which was a great square pond or tank, set all
round with trees and flowers, and in the middle was a pavilion or
pleasure-house, under which hung the scales in which the king was to be
weighed. The scales were of beaten gold, set with many small stones, as
rubies and turquoises. They hung by chains of gold, large and massy, yet
strengthened by silken ropes for more security. The beam and tressels
from which it hung were covered with thin plates of gold. In this place
all the nobles of the court attended, sitting round on rich carpets; and
waiting the king's arrival. He appeared at length, cloathed, or laden
rather, with diamonds, rubies, pearls, and other precious vanities,
making a great and glorious shew. His sword, target, and throne were
corresponding in riches and splendour. His head, neck, breast, and arms,
above the elbows, and at the wrist, were all decorated with chains of
precious stones, and every one of his fingers had two or three rich
rings. His legs were as it were fettered with chains of diamonds, rubies
as large as walnuts, and some larger, and such pearls as amazed me. He
got into one of the scales, crouching or sitting on his legs like a
woman; and there were put into the other scale, to counterpoise his
weight, many bags said to contain silver, which were changed six times,
and I understood his weight was 9000 rupees, which are almost equal to a
thousand pounds sterling. After this, he was weighed against gold,
jewels, and precious stones, as I was told, for I saw none, as these
were all in bags, and might only have been pebbles. Then against cloth
of gold, silk stuffs, cotton goods, spices, and all sort of commodities;
but I had to believe all as reported, as these were all in packages.
Lastly, against meal, butter, and corn, all of which is said to be
distributed to the Banians, with all the rest of the stuff, but I saw
all carefully carried away, and nothing distributed.
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