578 
A Defer ipion of the Coajls of 
Baldceus. 
Wealth and 
Strength 
of the Mo- 
gul. 
Combat of 
the Ele- 
phants, 
Feftival- 
days. 
The Prin- 
ce's Birth- 
day. 
rable Force to proteft them againft the 
Rasboutes. 
yigra has four Gates, one on the North- 
fide, cover'd by ftrong Works ^ the fecond 
on the Weft-lide, where is the Market- 
place, and the Royal Court of Judicature \ 
the third on the South-fide leads to the 
Royal Palace, being always chain'd up 
to prevent any body from pafFing through 
it on Horfe-back, except the King and 
his Children : The fourth faces the River, 
where the King every day faluces the 
Sun, and about Noon fees the Engage- 
mencs of Elephants, Lions, and other 
wild Beafls. 
The City of ^gra therefore is now the 
Capital City (as Labor was formerly) 
of that part of rhe Indies on this fide 
of the Ganges^ v/hich is under the Jurif- 
dicftion of the Great AloguL The Caltle 
is faid to have been iounded by King 
yiccahdf (defcended from the Great 'Ta- 
merlan ) after the Conqued of Gufayane. 
1 will not pretend to give you asi exadl 
account of the Wealth of the Mogul^ 
but leave you to guefs at his Strength by 
the Forces he brought into the FieM 
1630. againlt Cbasjaan^ which confifted 
in 144500 Horfe, and 5000 Elephants ^ 
thefe laft the Mogul alfo ufes for his Di- 
ver fions, and he is often feeu in great 
State on the back of an Elephant richly 
accoutred, attended by a great number 
of Horfe. When thefe Elephants are to 
engage againft one another before the 
King, they pay their Reverence by bend- 
ing their Knees, and (baking their Trunks 
to the King ^ which done, they fall on 
wiiii a great deal of liercenefs ^ but as foon 
as they are hotly engag'd, certain Perfons 
are appointed to part them i which done, 
all Enmity ceafes betwixt them, they 
touch one another with their Trunks, 
and are fed with Sugar Reeds, and ylvack^ 
or Strong-waters. 
• As to the Wealth of the Great Mogul^ 
the fame appears in its Luftre on certain 
Feftival days : The New-year's Feaft kept 
on the day of the firft New-Moon in 
March^ which lafts eighteen days. On 
the young Prince's Birth-day every body 
brings his Offerings to the King, who in 
his turn makes Prefents to his Courtiers, 
beftows new Places and Dignities upon 
fuch as have deferv'd well, and augments 
their yearly Salaries. The People flock 
on that day to the Queen's Palace ( if fte 
be living ) where having likewife made 
their Offerings under the found of their 
Mufical Inftruments, the Prince is weighed 
in a Golden pair of Scales againlt Gold 
and Silver^ which (after the weight 
thereof is fet down) is diftributed the 
next day among the Poor. 
The prefent King's Birth-day is cele- The King i 
brated the fecond of September^ when the '^'•tb-d.^s-. 
King is weighed in the fame manner, a- 
gainft Precious Stones, Gold, Silver, 
Gold Tiflues, Silk Stuffs, Butter, Rice, 
Fruits, ire. which is afterwards beftowVi 
upon the Brahmans ^ and Nuts made fo 
curioufly of Gold Wire (as likewife Al- 
monds, and other Fruits) are thrown a- 
mong the People, that 1000 of them 
weigh not above 20 Ropias, and coH 
about 60 Ropias. The whole Ceremony 
is concluded with drinking to a great ex- 
cefs ail the night long, notvvithltanding 
Mahomefs Law. Sir Thomas Row relates, 
that he had a Golden Cup befet with T ur- 
qtwifes^ Rubies and Smaragdes^ prefented 
him by the Great Mogul on his Birth- 
day, but not till he had emptied it four 
or five times. 
The A^oors alfo celebrate a certain Feall 
to the Memory of two Brothers, Ser- 
vants to Mahomet Raly^ who being on 
their way to Coromandel on Pilgrimage, 
were forced by the Pagans of the Coun- 
try to feek for fiielter in a certain Caflle ^ 
but being diftitute of Water, they fal- ^„a^/;j,r 
lied out rourageoufly upon the Pagans, Feaj}. 
and after having killed many of them, 
were at laft (lain themfelves. Their Me- 
mory is celebrated in June ten days after 
the New-Moon, when they carry a Bear 
along the Streets lopden'A ith Turbants, 
Arrows, Bows end Scymeters, certain 
Priefls finging dclefi:!! Tunes, and flafii- 
ing themfelves with Knives, till the Blood 
follows very plentifully. In the Market- 
place they fet up the Figures of two 
Men of Straw, reprefenting the Murde- 
rers of thefe two Saints, at which they 
let fly their Arrows, and at laft burn 
them to Afhes. They keep alfo another 
Feaft in June^ when they kill abun- 
dance of He-Goats, and afterwards feaft 
upon the Meat: This is faid to be done 
in Commemoration of the Sacrifice of 
Abraham. 
The Great Mogul being abfolute Lord 
over 37 large Provinces and Kingdoms, 
the Perfons and Eftates of all which are 
at his fole difpofal, bciides theimmenfe 
Prefents of his Subjefts ( none of whom 
dare approach his Perfon without them ) 
rauft needs be Mafter of immenfe Trea- 
fures. The King of Fiftapour fent at 
one time 30 Elephants, two whereof 
were girded by Golden Chains, weigh- 
ing 400 Found weight, two others 
with Silver Chains, the reft of Brafs^ 
belides 50a Horfes, the Saddles and 
Bridk"? 
