Mogul India 1653-1708

– Those are kings whom God appoints, but as they know not His secret purposes, men decline to acknowledge those who unjustly seize some kingdom. God alone raises men to the throne to be either a scourge or a solace to their subjects. Thus, although the holy men of Mecca declined to accept the gifts sent by Aurangzeb, because Shahjahan, his father, was still alive. I shall not, in this my book. Delay speaking of him as king until the death of Shahjahan, but from the commencement feel obliged to concede his being such, for as an undisputed monarch he ruled over Hindustan ; Finding himself now arrived at the goal of all his hopes, his father in prison, his brothers dead, Aurangzeb ordained a nine days' festival, during which he received congratulations and valuable gifts from the great men of the kingdom. He continued his accustomed sacrifice of pimento, which he began when prince in the Dakhin. This was conducted in the following way Catrou’s ‘Histoire Generale De L’Empire Du Mogol’, The Berlin MS., Phillipps, The Venice Codex, The Venice Codex XLV. The Other Manucci Codices at Venice, The Volume of Portraits in the Bibliotheque Nationale, Pairs, Manucci’s Biography, Summary of Plan and Contents of the ‘Storia’, Manucci, the Author and the Man