174 
LIVES OF THE MOGHUL EMPERORS. 
and palaces were numerous ; whilst its gardens, tanks, 
and baths were of the most costly and luxurious de- 
scription. 
Upon the plains which surround this once beautiful 
metropolis, the conqueror halted to enjoy alike the 
satisfactions of conquest and the sweets of repose. 
Whilst here, he indulged in a very favourite pleasure, 
as may be gathered from his own statement. After 
he had visited the tombs, palaces, and all that was 
worth seeing in the imperial city, he says, “I re- 
turned into the camp and went on board a boat, where 
we drank arak an enjoyment, it must be confessed, 
little becoming either the dignity or the taste of a con- 
queror, much less that of a king. A propensity to 
drinking was Baber’s besetting sin, and by it his con- 
stitution was eventually so broken, that this unhappy 
indulgence no doubt finally cost him his life. He 
sowed in folly and reaped a bitter penalty. 
Mohammed Mirza having secured the fort of Delhi, 
Baber ordered the public treasury, into which the 
principal wealth of the capital was first amassed, to 
be sealed with the royal signet, and placed over it a 
strong guard to prevent pillage. He then proceeded 
towards Agra, halting on the banks of the Jumna, 
in sight of Toglokabad. This once distinguished place 
stood to the south of Delhi, between the Cuttub Minar 
and the river. The remains of massy fortifications 
sufficiently attest its former greatness ; but it is now 
nothing more than an area of splendid ruins, and en- 
tirely deserted. It was built by Feroze Toghluk, in 
the year 1354, and suffered greatly during the Turki 
dynasty established by Baber and continued under his 
