He was Sultan Selim before his accession to the throne,
but was afterward known by the new name of Jehunguire. - E.]
The Great Mogul speaks with much revrence of our Saviour, naming him
Hazaret Eesa, that is to say, the Great Prophet Jesus.[248] He
likewise uses all Christians, and especially the English, with more
benevolence than does any other Mahometan prince. He keeps many wild
beasts, such as lions, elephants, leopards, bears, antelopes, and
unicorns, [rhinoceroses,] of which I saw two at his court, the strangest
beasts in the world. They were brought out of Bengal, a kingdom in his
dominions of most wonderful fertility, above four months journey from
this place, the mid-land parts of which are watered by various channels
and branches of the famous river Ganges. I have not yet seen that
country, but mean to visit it, God willing, before my departure, the
nearest part of it being only about twelve days journey from hence.
[Footnote 248: The Persian word Hasaret, here erroneously rendered
Great Prophet, seems to signify literally face or presence, and is
metaphorically used as a term of highest dignity, of which an instance
occurs in the present section, used by Coryat himself in addressing the
Great Mogul - E.]
Twice every week elephants are made to fight before the Mogul, forming
the bravest spectacle that can be imagined, many of them being thirteen
feet and a half in height, and they jostle together as though they were
two little mountains; and were they not separated in the midst of their
fighting, by means of certain fire-works, they would exceedingly hurt
and gore each other, by their murderous tusks.
