All these precautions being over, the Emperor thought only of raising his relations to dignities and honors, and of rewarding his friends to the utmost of his power. His milk-brother, Cocal-tash-khan, was promoted to the highest offices, and his name was changed into that of Qhan-djehan-bahadyr.* His beloved mistress, Lal-coär, was decorated with the title of Imtiazmahal-begum, or the Exalted Princess of the Sanctuary or Seraglio, and distinguished with the privilege of riding close to her master on an elephant covered by an umbrella: an honor affected to the Imperial person only. He was equally lavish to his milk-brother, whom he raised to the office of Emir-ul-omrah, or Prince of Princes, which was now the third dignity in the Empire. He even became so very fond of him, that he would add everyday something to his influence and emoluments; but his partiality for Lal-coär became now boundless. He seemed solely intent on pleasing her. Her brother, Qhoshall-qhan, was made a Hest-hezary, or a Commander of Seven Thousand Horse; and her uncle, Naamet-khan, received the command of five thou­sand. Not content with that, he intended to dispossess an illustrious Nobleman of the Viceroyalty of Ecber-abad, in order to bestow it on Qhoshall-khan; but here that man’s sudden rise, as well as the Emperor’s partiality, met with an unexpected check. The Vezir on casting his eyes on the patent he produced, refused to pass it the seals, unless he also brought the fees of office, which, in derision of the new Governor’s former calling, he fixed at five thousand guitarres, and seven thousand timbrels. Qhoshall-khan, stung to the quick by such a merciless sarcasm, imparted his resentment to his sister, who had a thorough command over the Emperor’s mind. The Emperor, who owed the highest obligations to the Generalissimo, now his Vezir, commanded his attendance, and in a mild tone of voice, recom­mended Qhoshall-khan’s affair to him, adding, that the strange kind of fees he had asked, was doubtless by way of joking. “No joke at all,” answered the Minister, in serious tone; “no pleasantry in the matter—please your Majesty, I was in earnest. For, as the nobility, your servants, are, from father to son, in Singular answer of the Vezir to the Emperor. possession of serving the crown in Viceroyalties, Governments, and such other employments; and the custom of your Imperial ancestors has been only to amuse themselves with dancers and singers, whose merits it was customary to reward only by pen­sions and bounties; so soon as these last shall aspire to dignities and Governments, and shall contrive to take pos­session of them, there shall remain then no other party for your nobility but that of betaking themselves to the profession just forsaken by the dancers and singers. For, after all, they must have, as well as these, some calling, by which they may support life. When, therefore, I have asked from this gentle­man so many thousand guitarres, with as many timbrels, it was with a veiw to distribute them to your dispossessed Governors and Generals, who certainly have a right to earn their bread as well as any others.” This answer struck the Emperor “dumb. He hung his head; but said not a word. The new Viceroy lost his promotion.

Nevertheless matters were going on much in the same manner, and, perhaps, would have been much farther, had not an accident happened, which gave the Emperor some insight into the general discontent.

Lal-coär, when yet a common dancer, had been so intimately connected with Zohra, a woman who sold greens about the streets, the she had made her, her Dogana,* as is the Indian word, that is, her sworn-sister. This woman could not fail of par­taking of her friend’s elevation so near the throne; and she had become the channel of favours and graces, an office by which she was able to appear in the streets with a retinue equal to that of the greatest Lord.* She rode upon a female elephant,* magnificently caparisoned; and whenever she went to see her old friend, Lal-coär, she rode throughout the citadel, quite up to the apartment of the Ladies, a privilege enjoyed only by Princesses Consorts, or Princesses of the blood. Her people, in imitation of their Mistress, were become exceedingly insolent and overbearing, so that whenever she went to the palace, they used to commit insolonces upon old women, and such other inoffensive people, as they met in the streets, a conduct that could not but give general offence, and excite in particular the indignation of the nobility, and of the grandees of the state. There was then in the capital, a lord of importance, an ancient general, son to a great nobleman, known in the world under the titles of Ghazi-eddin-khan-firoz-djung-tevary. His name was Chin-kylydj-khan,* and as he had been generalissimo under Aoreng-zib, had promoted an infinity of officers, and had enjoyed the highest confidence of that discerning monarch. He made hardly any account of Zulficar-khan himself, whom he had never visited. This general after his master’s decease, had abstained from coming to court, finding that the times did not agree with him; he lived retired, was seldom seen abroad, and then it was to pay a visit to some man renowned for his piety or his learn­ing. Unluckily, one day as he was passing by, his very numer­ous retinue was met by that woman’s cortege, which was full as numerous, but much more overbearing; the general out of regard to the complexion of the times, made a sign to his people Singular quarrel of a general with a female friend of the Emper­or’s mistress. to step aside, and leave the street free, so that she might not be stopped. But her people flushed with having got the upper hand, let fly a number of sarcasms at the general’s people, whom their master was at the pains of keeping under control; and all seemed to go well, when Zohra coming up with her elephant, asked whose retinue it was, and what was their master’s name? And being answered, she put her head out of the curtain, and called out: “Thou Chin-kylydj-khan, surely thou must be the son of some blind father.” These words unhinged the gen­eral’s temper; shocked at the deliberateness of her delivery, as well as the indignity of her expression, he made a sign to his people, which they interpreted in an order to chastise that immodest woman’s people. Hardly was the sign made, when those old soldiers fell upon her people, and after having handled them severely, they fell upon Zohra herself, pulled her from her elephant, dragged her on the ground, and gave her a full mea­sure of cuffs, slaps, and kicks. This beating was over in an instant. But this instant was enough to make the General recollect in how much danger he had involved himself, and how critical were the times in which he lived. Struck with this thought, he turned to the right, and for the first time went to pay a visit to Zulficar-khan. The Vezir expressed his surprise, and wished to know what were his commands, and to what he owed the honor of so unexpected a visit. The general made him a faithful narrative of what had happened. The Vezir not only condoled with him on such an accident, but applauded his behaviour, and dismissed him satisfied. As soon he was gone, the minister took pen, and wrote this short note to the Emperor: “The honor of any one of the nobility, your faithful servants, belongs to them all, and your devoted slave joins issue with Chin-kylydj-khan.” It was high time that such a note should arrive. For by this time Zohra was got within the precincts of the sanctuary, but without advancing farther than the gate, where she was laying ashes upon her head, and rolling herself in the dust; and Lal-coär, who thought herself involved in this affair, was working the Emperor’s mind towards some act of severity; and God knows what was going to come out of his mouth, when the note was put in his hand, and to all appearance intercepted some flagitious order.

This affair happened at the very time when Lal-coär’s worthy brother, unable to contain himself in his sudden elevation, was boiling over, and committing excesses of all sorts. This up­start The firmness of the Vezir. having chanced to get a peep at a beautiful woman, married to a gentleman, who lived in the Vezir’s neighbourhood, fell desperately in love with the charms he had seen; and as entreaties and presents proved of no avail, he attempted to satisfy himself by main force. The husband screamed, and ran to Zulficar-khan’s. This minister, who was naturally a great lover of justice and a man of vigour, was shocked at so atrocious an action. In the agitation of mind in which such a recital threw him, he was seen to move from his seat, and he immediately sent people with orders to bring the guilty Qhoshal-khan, dead or alive. The order being executed with as much severity as it had been given, the man was dragged to the Vezir’s apartment, who so soon as he saw him, ordered him to be put to the cudgel; and this was done with so much vigour, that the man was left for dead; and as he heard at the same time that every one com­plained of that upstart’s violences, he sent him prisoner to the castle of Selimgur,* and ordered his whole property to be confiscated to the profit of the Exchequer.