Part 15 (1/2)
THE WEIGHING OF THE EMPEROR.
What a bustle was there in the thronged bazar as Siddha, in the morning, wandered through the busy rows of shops, on which were spread out in rich abundance everything that could tempt the eye and purse. And what a strange and wonderful mingling of various peoples and races, the different representatives of which jostled against and crossed each other's paths without betraying any surprise, so well accustomed were they to the sight. Here the natives of the land, Hindus of more or less pale complexions, their servants of various bronzed shades; there, too, the proud ruling races--Persians, Arabs, and Tatars, Armenians and Jews from the west, and also sons of the Celestial Kingdom, with their long tails and wide flowered robes; and there men who especially struck Siddha, as he had never before seen their like, men most strangely clad, with pointed, broad-brimmed hats decorated with feathers, short doublets, wide velvet trousers, and high boots, and with long, straight swords hanging from coloured shoulder-belts. They were in company of the spiritual Fathers, one of whom but a short time since, had been admitted to the presence of the Emperor.
Among all this throng many had come to make their own purchases, others only to wander and contemplatingly watch the bustling crowd. Numbers of women, of many nations and cla.s.ses, were also to be seen, some in the costume of the people, simple, but graceful and pleasing; others in coloured and gaudy Persian attire, and some closely veiled, according to the strict Muhammadan law, and showing nothing human excepting a pair of red-slippered feet, and a pair of dark eyes that glittered through round holes in the upper veil that enveloped everything. Some were busied with household purchases, others with the acquisition of useful knick-knacks.
Just as Siddha was about to inquire from some of the pa.s.sers-by who the strange men were, he saw his friend and benefactor Faizi approach, and addressed his question to him.
”They are Franks,” was the answer, ”called Portuguese; they come from far-away countries in the West, for the sake of commerce; and those with them have come to try and convert us to what they say is the only religion which can save souls.”
”And those two,” asked Siddha, ”coming from the other side? do they belong to them? They wear nearly the same clothing, but their companions appear to me fairer, and how red their beards are!”
”They are also Franks,” answered Faizi, ”though not quite the same as the others. They are English, [85] who seek to drive out the Portuguese, but with little success; however, they are well received by our Emperor and our great people.”
A few years later, Faizi would have been able to point out others among these visitors from the West, who, though also included under the name of Franks, yet were quite different. He could have pointed to the robust and somewhat plump figures and good-humoured faces of Hollander and Zeelander, who, under Pieter van der Broeche, [86] came to seek their own fortunes and those of their masters the Directors of the East India Company. For long years they were considered both by English and Portuguese as their most formidable rivals in the markets of Hindustan, and as men who knew how to sustain the fame of the flag of the Netherlands in the Indian waters against the Gijs, or ”Gijsooms” as they mockingly, though not very grammatically, named their arch enemies. But their time was not then come.
As the two Englishmen pa.s.sed by, Siddha looked at them with a curiosity which, though perhaps natural, at first seeing such strangers, yet was far from courteous; but Siddha felt--although he had heard nothing of these people--very little respect for them, and even Faizi seemed to consider them hardly worthy of a glance.
”Cursed proud Moors!” muttered one of these sons of Albion in his own tongue as he pa.s.sed. Had these men, the haughty Indians and half-despised English, been able to cast one single look into the future, and could the former have guessed that the descendants of the latter would one day rule over their people and country, they would certainly have observed them with more attention. With still closer interest would they have gazed, if anyone had told them that these strangers sprang from the same race, and stood nearer to Siddha than many of his friends whose origin was from the Semitic race.
”The visits of all these strangers,” said Faizi, ”do us no harm; on the contrary they give fresh impulse to our trade and various industries; and from them also we have many good painters and other artists. Then we have learnt much from them respecting their own countries. Still they must not attempt to play the master here, which appears to be rather according to their tastes.”
”Then surely we should show them the door,” said Siddha.
”That would soon happen, I can a.s.sure you. But now for another subject. Have you tried my bay that we spoke of the other day?”
”Indeed I have,” answered Siddha, ”and with the greatest pleasure; it is a magnificent animal.” And he broke out with praises of Faizi's horse.
”You are pleased with him, then?” he answered. ”I will send him to your stables; you can keep him if you will; and in the coming campaign he will be of use to you. Your grey is a beautiful horse and well broke, but scarcely strong enough; and the bay is uncommonly so. I ride him but seldom, for I must confess I have become rather lazy and prefer a quieter animal.”
”But,” said Siddha, overcome at such goodness, ”this is indeed a costly present, which I have not deserved. Your bay is a splendid thoroughbred Arab, such as I have never before ridden.”
”When I offer my friends anything it ought to be worth having,” said Faizi. ”Now I want to tell you of something else: about a meeting that took place yesterday evening at the palace, and at which I wish you had been present. In spite of state troubles that again overwhelm the Emperor, he found both time and inclination to hold one of his philosophical and theological gatherings, for which, just now, there is an opportunity, as the Christian missionaries from Goa are again here. Yesterday a number of Ulamas and Mullahs were a.s.sembled in one of the great halls of the palace. Among them naturally Abdul Kadir appeared; then there were the Jesuits, a Jew, and a Pa.r.s.ee, and your former tutor Kulluka, who has returned here, and whom doubtless you have already greeted; my brother Abu-l Fazl was also present, and I also had that honour, and took for my part in the course of the discussion your ancient atheistical philosophy of nature. Akbar himself inclined a little my way, while Kulluka defended the orthodox Brahmanical Vedanta, [87] and Abu-l Fazl the ordinary human ground. Kulluka detected him now and then in Buddhistic heresies, but let them pa.s.s, saying there was no Buddhist present to defend his creed. You know there are some here, but none fit to take part in these discussions. The Emperor scarcely took any part in what went on, but only listened; and perhaps the most remarkable part of these discourses was their conclusion. Nothing could be better ordered or more courteous than the beginning; our Mullahs, calm and grave, saying but little; nothing could be more gentle than the Padres, piping as sweetly as bird-catchers; the Jew, a follower of Maimonides, [88] was the same, but very silent, and not quite at his ease; the Pa.r.s.ee was poetical and not always very intelligible; and as for us, we every now and then threw in some problem or argument, gathered from the philosophers of old days, or that we had learnt from the Arabs or Persians, and which did not appear to be quite to the tastes of the disputants. By degrees they began to grow warm, and from arguments proceeded to a.s.sertions, and from a.s.sertions to hard words, especially between the Muhammadans and Jesuits, though on the whole we were not spared; and in the end there was shouting, cursing, and noise, in spite of the presence of the Emperor, enough to deafen us. In all this the Mullahs were foremost, who, as you understand, consider themselves as the most injured. Akbar sat watching this foolish scene, not without secret satisfaction, and glanced every now and then at me with a smile; but at last it became too much for him, and he saw that in his presence it was not fitting such a spectacle should continue. 'Faizi,' said he, signing to me, 'have the door opened to these people, as they no longer know how to conduct themselves. I gave them the fullest opportunity for defending their various religious theories against each other, in order that I might decide who had the best grounds for his opinions; and what have they done? Each has endeavoured to outdo his neighbour in shouting and cursing; nothing else. Let there be an end of it.' 'Sire,' I answered, 'we had better send them all away; if two only should remain, there will be no end to the strife.' Akbar laughed, but rising from the seat where he had calmly remained all through the storm, he said, in his powerful voice, which at once enforced silence on all around, 'We thank you, gentlemen, for the pleasant evening we have pa.s.sed, due to your kindness and interesting discussions. We hope for another such interview before long, but the present one is closed,' and with a sign of his hand he dismissed them. The greater part withdrew, grumbling. Oh, Siddha, how foolish men are thus to curse and hate each other for the sake of abstract problems, of which they know nothing, and which, even if they did, would not advance them one single step in the practice of what honour and duty enjoin!”
”I quite agree with you; and to follow the two last are often hard enough,” answered Siddha, with a sigh, knowing far more of the difficulties of which he spoke than the other suspected.
”But now tell me,” said Faizi, ”how it comes that you are here; I thought that you, with your men, were already on your way to join the camp.”
”We had started,” said Siddha, ”but received counter-orders on the road. We are to remain some days longer at Agra, to my great pleasure, as it gives me the opportunity of being present at the great festival of to-day, which celebrates the Emperor's birthday, of which I have heard so much.”
That there was another reason for rejoicing at a longer delay in Agra, Siddha did not think it necessary to add.
”That reminds me,” said Faizi, ”it is time to go to the palace before the durbar. The Emperor receives, as you know, the foreign amba.s.sadors to-day. Come with me, and you can take your place among the officers of your rank.”
Although Siddha had been more than once present at a durbar, yet as with Faizi he entered the great throne-hall, where the Emperor had already taken his place, the impression made upon him was almost as great as on the first occasion. He looked with admiration at the splendid white marble columns and walls inlaid with beautiful mosaics, delicate arches, with silk and velvet curtains falling in rich folds. He was much struck by the great a.s.sembly, which was larger and more splendid than any he had yet seen. At one end of the hall, lit by a softened light from above, was the Great Mughal, seated on a throne sparkling with precious stones; on both sides, standing in long ranks, were the Umara, [89] the ministers, generals, and n.o.bles of high rank, and then amba.s.sadors from neighbouring countries in their various costumes, among them the two Jesuits; and at the end the lesser officials and officers, amongst whom Siddha, according to his rank, had taken his place.
The chief part of the ceremony was the exchange of presents. The amba.s.sadors and others approached the Emperor in their turn. On reaching the throne they raised their right hands to their foreheads and bowed their heads before the Emperor, then placed their presents, consisting chiefly of costly objects of art, by the side of the step on which the throne was raised, and in their turn they received presents on behalf of the Emperor. Aquaviva also drew near the Mughal, bearing a splendidly bound Latin Bible, which, according to custom, he was about to lay down; but Akbar, rising from his throne, advanced a step or two, and took the book from the hands of the missionary. ”We thank you, worthy Father,” he said, ”for this kindly thought, and trust that what we have to offer will not be less welcome to you,” and taking from the hands of a Brahman standing by his side a voluminous and beautifully ornamented ma.n.u.script, he presented it to the Jesuit, saying, ”This is a copy of the 'Atharva-Veda,' [90] one of the most ancient of our holy books of India; it is accompanied by a Persian translation.”