144 



" Pity, ah pity, those whom, dead to joy, 



" No soothing thoughts engage, nor cause employ, 



" But night and day their hapless fate to mourn. 

 " Pity, who forc'd by sullen Fortune's frown, 

 " Have chang'd for bed of straw their couch of down; 



" O sad transition, and estate forlorn !" 



Such are the sad consequences of war, directed by a fatal 

 thirst for honour, wealth, and power. Fearful of such convul- 

 sions, and influenced by an avaricious disposition, the Hindoos 

 frequently deposited their wealth in the bowels of the earth; a 

 practice still continued by their posterity. The Afghan and 

 Mogul princes, on the contrary, appropriated their riches to much 

 better purposes, in the encouragement of literature, art, and 

 science. They adorned the imperial cities, and other large towns, 

 with splendid palaces and mosques, triumphal arches, extensive 

 aqueducts, and commodious caravansaries; which although in 

 elegant proportion and taste inferior to the public works of 

 Greece and Rome, might vie with them in magnitude and dura- 

 bility. 



Thejumma musjed, or grand mosque, built by sultan Mah- 

 mood, deserves a particular description. The walls, columns, 

 floors, and minarets, w r ere of the choicest marble, granite, and por- 

 phyry, inlaid with agates and precious stones; the ornaments 

 within were of gold and silver, with hangings and carpets of the 

 richest manufacture, and large chandeliers of massive gold; this 

 plendid temple was called the Celestial Bride. Near it the sultan 

 founded a large college, and an extensive library, with a museum 

 containing a variety of curiosities from all parts of the world; he 



