As to his Doctors, Cazies, and Ecclesiastics, he gave them so much authority, and allowed them such an unbounded sway, that their perpetual interference came at last to obstruct the wheels of government, and to disgust, as well as to deprive of all power, the Governors of Provinces, the Collectors of the Revenue, the Fodjdars and the military Commanders, all of whom fell into a neglect of the duties incumbent on their stations, and by their inaction gave rise to an infinity of disorders; insomuch that all the ancient rules of Government were set aside, all ranks were confounded, and an universal neglect and indifference took place everywhere. Hashem-aaly-qhan-qhafi, the Historian, relates that the Emperor having appointed Abdol-vehhab, a citizen of Ahmed-abad, to the office of Cazi of Cazies, or Supreme Judge, he suffered him to assume so much authority in all matters of revenue and Government, that the Ministers themselves thought it incumbent upon them to keep fair with such a man, and to husband his good will; after having experienced to their cost, that it was in vain for them to find nothing but artifice and collusion in his conduct, and to accuse him of being intent only on amassing money. And of this we have a very strange instance in the following story, which, as well as so many others, is upon record:—

Whilst the illustrious Moqhtar-qhan was Governor of Burhanp8r (and he was a nobleman allied both to the Emperors of Iran and to those of Hindostan), the office of Supreme Cazy of that Province was bestowed on Mahmed-saleh, a man born in the East*, who being supported by the Emperor’s favor and known countenance, became so enterprising, and assumed so much authority, that the Governor-General himself seemed to bend under his authority. Once Moqhtar-qhan happened to concern himself for a man against whom another had set up an obsolete claim for a house, claim which the whole city, as well as the Governor-General, knew to be superannuated. But the Judge, by admitting the testimony of two witnesses in opposition Extreme authority and overbearing pride of the Ecclesiastics under that reign. to the evidence of the Governor and of most of the Grandees of Burhanp8r, adjudged the house to the claimant, were it but to shew his power in opposition to that of the Governor’s. The latter, unable to withstand the Cazy’s decision, retired in disgust. A few days after, another similar cause being brought before the Judge, and it being again decided in a similar manner upon the evidence of those two men, the Governor, with a number of creditable men, stood up and accused them both of perjury; on which both the men acknowledged themselves guilty of the charge. The Governor upon this public acknowledgment turned to the judge and said: “These are those same men upon whose contemptible evidence you have deprived some days ago that poor man of his house, against the general conviction and universal testimony of all the citizens of Burhanp8r.” The Cazy, aware of Moqhtar-qhan’s intention, became angry, and he answered in these words: “I suppose, sir, that your inten­tion was only against me, whom you wanted to render ridiculous; but I inform you that you have rendered the law itself ridiculous, as well as it’s preposed; and of course, that you have fallen under it’s lash, and have merited corporal punish­ment. The credit of these two witnesses does not seem to be yet affected; it is so far intire, that should those same men stand up now, and give evidence that you have drunk wine yesterday, I would condemn you immediately to the chastise­ment decreed by the law*. As to those that prevaricate, the law is clear on that head.” This said, he ordered the beards and whiskers of those two men to be shaven, their persons to be seated upon an ass, with their faces besmeared with dirt, and turned backwards, and then to be confined in prison, after having been carried in derision throughout the principal streets and markets of the city. One of those two men poisoned himself on hearing this sentence; and the Cazy resigned his office, and retired to his house. This retreat consterned the Governor, who sensible how addicted was the Emperor to ecclesiastics, and apprehensive that he might take this affair very ill, thought it expedient to pay a visit to the Judge, and to engage him to resume his functions with as overbearing a sway, and as offensive a haughtiness as ever; nor did he reap from all this affair any thing but shame and repentance. Never­theless, the Emperor with all his prejudices came to open his eyes at last. Finding that the ecclesiastics troubled and overset the whole administration, and that nothing would go forwards unless he employed the Gentoos again in his service, a set of men who, either as powerful Princes, or as keeping the books and registers of the Revenue, were the axle-trees of the wheels of Government, he contrived to take his revenge of that loyal submissive people, by loading them with new impositions, exact­ing double duties from those of that description, and submitting them to a poll-tax—innovations which after all gave him a deal of trouble, and produced nothing but repentance. For such ordinances require a strong hand, and a great exactitude, so as to subdue equally the highest and lowest of mankind; and when they affect only the impotent, without having any energy over the headstrong and refractory, they cease to be laws and they dishonour all Government. After all, it must be remembered that as Princes and Kings are reputed the shadows of God, they ought, in humble imitation of His divine attributes, to accom­modate themselves to the dispositions and minds of their subjects, so as to carry an equal hand over them, without exception, with­out predilection, and without shewing a dislike or hatred to any description of men. Such impartiality is incumbent upon Princes, if they intend to be the fathers and cherishers of the people entrusted to their care, and if they really wish that every man Singular sentiments of an Asiatic, which ought to be written in letters of gold upon the gates of all the Princes in Europe. should look up to the Monarch as to his benevolent forgiving father. This is a duty in cumbent upon them, if they wish that every one should think himself happy under their government. For the subject must be cherished in the very palm of the Monarch’s hand, if the Monarch really intends to discharge his duty, and to let the world see, that he feels all the meaning of these verses of Saadi’s:

“That beneficent Being which from its invisible treasury

Feeds, with an equal hand, the believer, the unbeliever, the weak, and the strong,

Might, if it had so pleased, have created men of one opinion,

Or have converted them at one word to one and the same religion.”

If, then, conversion is intended, lenity and benevolence especially to the poor and impotent, will go a great way in reconciling the hearts of mankind. Let then Kings and Monarchs look day and night into the book containing the actions and say­ings of the Prince of Prophets and Chief of messengers; let them admire with what sweetness and forbearance that Noble Being used the unbelievers of his time, his personal enmies*, and how he opened the recesses of those stubborn understand­ings with the key of his goodness and liberality; let them admire how he softened the ulcers of those cankered hearts of theirs, with the balsam of his good manners! He gained their hearts at last so far as to convert them into so many friends, whom he associated to himself in his wars and expeditions; but whom he also knew how to keep in such a state of inferiority, that none of them could pretend to an equality with him, although every one of them was invested with some command.

“Never take your ownself for the standard to which virtue can rise in a virtuous heart;

Nor ever confound Shir and Shir* although they be written alike.

One would think that a Prince, so zealous for a religion that recommends meekness, and enforces mercy, must have been remarkably tender-hearted; and here are some instances of that tenderness of heart: He kept his eldest son confined for years together for no other reason, but because that young unex­perienced Prince had joined Soltan-shudjah, his maternal uncle, in his wars of Bengal, in hopes of becoming his son-in-law. It is true that the Prince repented of his rashness, and came back of himself; but it is no less true that he was punished with a severe confinement; and this was also the usage offered to his other son, Sultan Muäzzem, since Bahader-shah, who was accused of intriguing with Soltan-ab8l-hasen, surnamed Nana-shah, King of Haider-abad. The Prince, with his sons and family, and some of his trustiest eunuchs, was confined for a number of years; and in this long confinement he suffered numberless affronts and hardships, in which Nor-en-nessa-begum, his beloved, his sensible and learned consort, was joined to him, for she would not part with her husband on any terms. His eunuchs underwent a variety of hard usage and even torments, to make them confess their master’s guilt; but as nothing could be proved that way, and nothing came out of their mouths, he rightly concluded that he would be accused of injustice and hardness of heart. He sent the Prince word that he had better confess his misdemeanors, and ask his pardon, as such a confession would conduce to his safety in this world and the other. The Prince with an admirable presence of mind answered directly, That although it was true that man never could repay the obligations he had to the Divine Goodness, and of course was guilty and defective, yet as he was not conscious of the crime laid to his charge, he could not of course confess himself guilty of it. The father was shocked at his answer; and this resentment rising to a pitch, he increased the rigours of his son’s confinement, and carried matters so far, that the Prince was debarred the use of suitable clothes and aliments, and condemned to live without paring his nails, shaving his head, clipping his beard, or bathing his body; so that for a length of time, he was himself, with his whole family, obliged to undergo these hardships.