that it might be faid of him, quando male, nemo pejus, that when he did wickedly, none could do worfe; as if it had been true of him, which was spoken of that monfter Nero, observed before, who was called Lutum fanguine maceratum, dirt foaked in blood.

For his good actions, he did relieve continually many poor people, and not feldom would fhew many expreffions of duty and ftrong affections to his mother, then living; fo that he who efteemed the whole world as his vaffals, would help to carry her in a palankee upon his thoulders; and in this he did exceedingly differ from that most unnatural and cruel Nero, who moft barbarously killed his own mother Agrippina, caufing (as they write) that bed, in which he was conceived, and from whence born, and wherein he took up his first lodging, to be ript up and spoiled. And he would fpeak most respectfully of our bleffed Saviour Chrift; but his parentage, his poverty, and his cross, did fo confound his thoughts, that he knew not what to think of them; (as Bernard complained of fome in his time, that they took offence at the clouts. and rags of our bleffed Saviour, at the humility and meannnefs of his birth) believing that it could not stand with the majesty of the Son of God, to appear in the world in fuch meannefs as he did; though he had been told that Christ Jefus came into the world in that low condition, that he might beat down the pride Cc 3 thereof.

thereof. And that at his first coming, he came for finners, and then he came in great humility; but at his fecond coming, he shall come against finners, and then will he appear in power and great glory.

Laftly, the Mogul is very free and noble unto all those which fall into, and abide in his affection; which brings me now to speak,

SECTION XXVI.

Of the exceeding great Penfions the Mogul gives unto his Subjects; how they are raised, and how long they are contiuued, &c.

WHICH

HICH great revenues that many of them do enjoy, makes them to live like great Princes, rather than other men. Now for thofe penfions, which are so exceeding great, the Mogul in his far extended monarchy, allows yearly pay for one million of horfe, and for every horfe and man about eighteen pounds sterling per annum, which is exactly paid every year, raised by land, and other commodities which that empire affords, and are appointed for that purpose. Now fome of the Mogul's most beloved nobles have the pay of fix thousand horfe; and there are others (at least twenty in the empire) that have the pay of five thousand horfe; exceeding large penfions above the revenue of any other

fub

fubjects in the whole world, they amounting unto more than one hundred thousand pounds yearly unto a particular man. Now others have the pay of four thousand horfe; others of three, or two, or one thoufand horfe, and fo downward; and thefe by their proportions are appointed to have horfes always in readiness, well mann'd and otherwife appointed for the King's fervice; fo that he who hath the pay of five or fix thoufand, muft always have one thousand in readiness, or more, according to the King's need of them, and fo in proportion all the reft, which enables them on a judden to make up the number, at the least, of two hundred thousand horfe; of which number they have always at hand one hundred thousand, to wait upon the King wherefoever he is.

There are very many private men in cities and towns, who are merchants, or tradefmen, that are very rich; but it is not fafe for them that are so, so to appear, left that they should be used as fill'd fponges.

But there is never a fubject in that empire, who hath land of inheritance which he may call his own; but they are tenants at the will of their King, having no other title to that they enjoy, befides the King's favour, which is by far more eafily loft than gotten. It is true, that the King advanceth many there unto many great honours, and allows them (as before) marvellous great revenues; but

Cc 4

no

no fon there enjoys either the titles or means of his father, that hath had penfions from that King, for the King takes poffeffion of all when they are dead, appointing their children fome competent means for their fubfiftence, which they fhall not exceed, if they fall not into the King's affection, as their fathers did; wherefore many great men in this empire live up to the height of their means, and therefore have a very numerous train, a very great retinue to attend upon them, which makes them to appear like Princes, rather than fubjects.

Yet this their neceffary dependance on their King, binds them to fuch base subjection, as that they will yield readiness unto any of his unreafonable and wilful commands; as Plutarch writes of the foldiers of Scipio, nullus eft horum, qui non confcenfa turri femet in mare præcipitaturus fi juffero, that there was never a one in his army, by his own report, that would not for a word of his mouth have gone up into a tower, and caft himself thence head-long into the fea; and thus the people here will do any thing the King commands thein to do; fo that if he bid the father to bay hands of violence upon his fon, or the fon upon his father, they will do it, rather than the will of their King should be diobeyed thus forgetting nature, rather than fubjection.

And this tie of theirs (I fay) upon the King's favour, makes all his fubjects most fervile

тел

fervile flatterers; for they will commend any of his actions, though they be nothing but cruelty; fo any of his fpeeches, though nothing but folly. And when the King fits and speaks to any of his people publickly, there is not a word falls from him that is not written by fome fcriveners, or scribes, that stand round about him.

In the year 1618, when we lived at that court, there appeared at once, in the month of November, in their hemisphere, two great blazing stars, the one of them north, the other fouth; which unufual fight appeared there for the space of one month. One of thofe ftrange comets, in the north, appeared like a long blazing torch, or launce fired at the upper end; the other, in the fouth, was round, like a pot boiling out fire. The Mogul confulted with his flattering aftrologers, who spake of these comets unto the King, as Daniel fometimes did of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, Dan. iv. 19. My lord, the dream is to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof unto thine enemies"; for his aftrologers told him, that he needed not trouble himfelf with the thought thereof, for it concerned other places and people, not him nor his. But not long after this, their feafon of rain (before fpoken of) which was never known to fail 'till then, failed them, and this caufed fuch a famine and mortality in the south parts of his empire, that it did very much unpeo

66

ple