* * * * *
"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.
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