Chap II. M o G u L 
Cellars to be made under his Palace, in one of which he 
kept his Gold, and in the other his Silver, call into fuch 
large Ingots, as could not be eafily removed or imbezeled ; 
and One great Pleafure of his Life was to vifit thefe Recep- 
tacles of his Riches, and delight his Eyes with gazing upon 
them. This fingle Vice of Covetoufnefs abforbed and fwal- 
lowed up all the reft of his Defires, infomuch that though 
in the firft Years of his Reign he had particularly piqued 
himfelf upon doing drift Juftice to his Subjefts, yet now 
he gave them up to be plundered by all tjie Governors of 
Provinces, and other great Omrahs \ and when he found 
they were grown exceffiveiy rich by fuch Practices, he 
turned the Edge of his Refentment fuddenly upon them ; 
and, under a Colour of punifhing their Oppreffions, put 
them to death, and feized their Effefts. 
His three Sons he fent to govern the molt diftant Pro- 
vinces of his Empire, and kept only the eldeft Sultan 
Dara , to fhare with him the Cares of Government, and 
to be the nearer that Throne which he was one Day to 
poflefs. Sultan Sujah was made Viceroy of Bengal ; his 
youngeft Son Morad , was eftablifhed in Guzerat 
and Orangzebe was Viceroy of Decan *, all of them were 
obliged to pay their Tribute exaftly; and for their Subfift- 
ance in a manner that became their Rank, were com- 
pelled to have Recourfe to the fame unjuft Meafures which 
other Governors praftifed. It was this, and the earn eft 
Defire of obtaining Poffeffion of the Diamond-Mines, that 
put the laft-mentioned Prince upon attacking the King of 
Golconda , a very unjuft War in itfelf, but fo remarkable 
for the Iffue of it, and for the Confequences attending it, 
that it is neceffary we fhould enter into a more particular 
Account of it. It took Rife therefore in the following 
Manner *, Mirza Mula , a Perfon who came into India in 
the Service of a Merchant, entering afterwards into that 
of the Mogul, was advanced, by degrees, to the moft 
confiderable Commands in the Army ; but, finding him- 
felf flighted by Sultan Dara , he went over to the King 
of Golconda , who gave him a Poft in the Treafury, and 
the Direction of the Trade of his Country j in which Em- 
ployment Mirza Mula having amaffed together confidera- 
ble Sums, he endeavoured to diftinguifh himfelf at Court 
by a magnificent Equipage, and the Curiofities he pur- 
chafed and prefented to his Majefty and the Royal Fa- 
mily ; and amongft the reft the King’s Mother, the Dow- 
ager Queen, who was fo fmitten with the Gallantry of the 
Perfian , that fhe denied him no Favours ; which the King 
having an Intimation of, without taking any farther No- 
tice of her -Majefty *s irregular Paffion, fent Mirza Mula 
out of the Way, to the Government of Carnate , in which 
were the famous Diamond-Mines. Here he took Care to 
lay by the moft curious Stones for his own Ufe ; and one 
among the reft he happened on, fo large and fine, that it 
was not to be matched in the Indies , either for its Size 
or Luftre, which he afterwards prefented to Aurengzebe. 
Mirza Mula was not contented with what he found in the 
Mines, but he forced the People under his Power to bring 
in their Gold and Jewels, under Pretence of the Necei- 
fities of the Government. Tie plundered the very Tem- 
ples, and pulled off the precious Stones with which the 
Images were adorned j of which the King of Golconda be- 
ing informed, determined to call Mirza Mula to a fevere 
Account for his Rapine and Extortions ; but the good 
old Queen let her Favourite know the Dangers that 
threatened him : Whereupon Mirza Mula immediately 
difpatched a Courier to Aurengzebe , whole Government 
lay contiguous to Golconda , to let him know, that if he 
would march with his Army into that Kingdom, he would 
join him with a Body of Troops from Carnate , and that 
his Intereft was fo confiderable in the Palace itfelf, that he 
might depend upon an eafy Conqueft ^ and to convince 
him of the Advantage of the Enterprize, made him a 
Prefent of the large Diamond above-mentioned w . 
This was the niccft agreeable Meffage that Aurengzebe 
could have received $ for he did not doubt, that if he was 
Empire. 643 
once pofifeflfed of the Riches of Golconda , he fholdd bid 
fair for the Empire of Indofian § he marched therefore* 
without Delay, and joined the treacherous Mirza Mula 
with his Army. The King of Golconda hereupon retired, 
in the utmoft Confternation, from his Capital of Bagnagur*, 
and fhut himfelf up in the Fortrefs of Golconda , which 
ftands about three Miles from it. The Confederates plun- 
dered Bagnagur , and afterwards invefted the Fortrefs, of 
which Aurengzebe fent Advice to the Emperor. Sultan 
Dara was alarmed at the Progrefs of Aurengzebe 5 Arms* 
and reprefented to the Shah Jehan , that if his Brother was 
once Mafter of the Diamond-Mines, his next Attempt 
would be infallibly againft the Crown ; wheupon Orders 
were immediately difpatched to Aurengzebe to defift from 
the Enterprize, and retire to his Government of Decan * 
As Things were not yet ripe for the Execution of his great 
Defign, Aurengzebe obeyed the Orders of the Court, and 
concluded a Treaty with the King of Golconda ; the prin- 
cipal Articles whereof were, that the Mogul fhould be re- 
imburfed his Charges in the War ; that the King’s Daugh- 
ter fhould be given in Marriage to the Prince Mohammed , 
Aurengzebe ’s eldeft Son, who fhould fucceed to the Crown 
of Golcanda , after the Demife of his Majefty, and that 
Mirza Mula and his Family fhould be at Liberty to re- 
tire, with their Effefts, out of the Kingdom. Thus was 
Golconda delivered from the Danger that threatened it at 
this Time. But Aurengzebe had fuch a Tafte of the 
Riches that Country afforded, that he fully determined to 
make it a Province of the Empire, if ever he fucceeded 
to the Crown. 
Aurengzebe , finding his Friend Mirza wanted neither 
Courage nor Conduft, and that he had a confirmed Aver- 
fion to his Brother, the Sultan Dara , and above all, that he 
was Villain enough to execute whatever he fhould com- 
mand, without Remorfe, looked upon him as a proper In- 
ftrument to promote the ambitious Defigns he had in 
View ; he took him therefore into his moft intimate Con- 
fidence, and made him General of the Forces againft the 
Kingdom of Vifiapour , while he himfelf fpent his Time 
in amufing the People with extraordinary Shews of De- 
-votion, moft exaft Juftice, and uncommon Benevolence to 
the Poor, which rendered him exceeding popular. In the 
mean time the Emperor Shah Jehan was taken danger- 
oufly ill, and it was reported in Dehly , and even in the 
remoteft Provinces of the Empire, that he was dead ; 
whereupon the three youngeft Sultans, his Sons, began 
to make Preparations in their refpedlive Provinces to pufh 
for the Empire. Sultan Sujah , or Chuia , Viceroy of 
Bengal , was the firft that appeared in Arms, diredting his 
March toward Dehly with an Army of forty thoufand 
Horfe. When he firft fet forward, it is laid, he laid his 
Pland on his Cymeter, crying out, “ Now for a Throne, 
<c or for a Grave.” He gave out, upon the March, that 
Sultan Dara had poifoned tire Emperor, and that he was 
going to revenge his Father’s Death : But Shah Jehan re- 
covering from his Indilpofition, wrote his Son Word with 
his own Hand, that he was now perfectly in Health, and 
that his Brother Dara had not contributed to his late 111- 
nefs, and therefore he would do well to return to his Go- 
vernment of Bengal , and repair the Over-fight his Excels 
of Zeal had induced him to commit, by a more exadl 
Obedience for the future. But Sultan Sujah receiving 
other Letters from his Friends at the fame Time, aflfuring 
him that it was not likely that his Father fhould recover, 
and that his Fortune depended on his appearing immedi- 
ately before Dehly^ the Sultan thought fit to continue his 
March. Shah Jehan threupon removed his Court to Agra , 
being a Place of much greater Strengh. Dara followed 
his Father’s Court*, but detached his Son S oilman Chacu^ 
and with him Rajah JaJing, and Dhil-Khan y two experi- 
enced Generals, and a gallant Army, to oppofe Sultan 
Sujan , whofe Forces, in all refpefts, were eafily defeated, 
and the Sultan himfelf, with lbme Difficulty, efcaped to 
Bengal , where he endeavoured to recruit his Army. 
w The Kingdom of Golconda is a maritime Country, on the Eaft-Coaft of the Peninfula of India, on this Side the Ganges . Aurengzebe would 
never be eafy, after he had obtained this large Diamond, till he was likewife poffeffed of the Country, which, as we fhall fee hereafter, he annexed, 
notwithftanding this Peace, to the Mogul Empire, under the Name of .the Province of Byderebad, which is only another Name for the Capital of 
this Country, called in the Text by its oid Name Bagnagur ; and that this Country was very well worth acquiring, appears from the annual Reve- 
nue which it produces to the Great Mogul, of 3,?ii,ooo Pounds. 
The 
