whole administration of the empire was long influenced by him. He had the clofeft friendship and connection with Monauim Khan, who, by his intereft, was appointed vizier." The following is the account given of the behaviour and conduct of Jehaundaur Shaw, after he became Emperor. "BE it known to thofe of enlight ened understandings, and to the acquainted with the ufages of the world, that if, in the relation of the affairs of my liege and hereditary ord, the emperor Moiz ad Dien Jehaundaur Shaw, fome obfervations and expreffions fhould efcape my pen, contrary to refpect, and the examples of the hiftoriographers of princes, they will not proceed from difaffection or a prejudiced mind. I know they are improper from the pen of a fervant, and God forgive me! but by them I mean no difaffection to his perfon, or difrefpect to the family of Timur; no vent of my own fpleen; no view to flatter a fucceffor, by difparaging his rival, nor malicious abufe for the neglect or difappointment I may have fuffered during this reign. I fwear by God, and God is a facred witneffer of oaths, that I loved him as my fovereign; but, as it was incumbent on me to record the actions of the reigning prince, good or bad, wife or foolish, in public and private, if they were, without one exception, all unworthy, what can I fay, as a faithful writer? 6 Let it be remembered, that I was nourished for fifty years under the benignant fhadow of the great and glorious emperor Aulumgeer. How fad the alteration I now beheld! Of this man, this wretched idiot, oppofite to him in every quality, fucceeding to the very fame empire, fitting on the very fame throne, and the actions he did, what can I fay, or in what terms paint the difgraces they fuffered by his acceffion ?-I had beheld upon the throne an emperor. Warmth of expreffion operates in advice: the friends to the *Imaums, from the ardor of their loyalty to the houfe of Ali, heightened their ftyle, and reprefented with all the eloquence of zeal (for which they have been ever praised by good men) that the oppreffed might draw the fword against a worthlefs tyrant. But I only mean a warning to the family of Timur; for the head of which, let his character be what it may, if I hesitate to facrifice my life, may I be numbered with traitors, and abhorred by my friends! When Jehaundaur Shaw, by the intrigues and fupport of the ameer al amra Zoolfeccar Khan, had triumphed over his three brothers, and afcended the throne of empire without the fear or dread of a competitor, all the cuftoms of time were changed. He was in himfelf a weak man, effeminately careful of his perfon, fond of eafe, indolent, and totally ignorant of the arts of government. He had alfo blemishes and low vices unworthy of royalty, and unknown among his illuftrious *The two chief Imaums were the fons of Ali, by the daughter of Mahummud, and were put to death by the caliph Maweeah, one by poison, and the other in battle, with all their children except one, from whom defcended the other ten Imaums, and the race of Syeds, fo highly refpected among the Mhummedans, ancestors. He made the vaft empire of Hindoftan an offering to the foolish whims of a public courtezan, which tortured the minds of worthy fubjects loyal to his family. The relations, friends and minions of the miftrefs, ufurped abfolute authority in the ftate; and high offices, great titles, and unreasonable grants from the Imperial domains, were showered profufely on beggarly musicians. * Two corores of rupees annually were fettled for the houfhold expences of the miftrefs only, exclufive of her cloaths and jewels. The emperor frequently rode with her in a chariot through the markets, where they purchased, agreeable to whim, fometimes jewels, gold, filks, and fine linen; at others, greens, fruits, and the most trifling articles. A woman named *About two millions fterling. + Zohera, keeper of a green-ftall, one of Lal Koor's particular friends, was promoted to a high rank, with a fuitable jaghire, and her relations exalted to the emperor's favour, which they used to promote the interefts of the courtiers, for large bribes: nor did the nobility decline their patronage, but forgetting their honour, and facrificing decency to the prefent advantage, eagerly flocked to pay adoration to the royal idols, whofe gates were more crowded with equipages in general than thofe of the Imperial palace, fo that to pafs through the street where they refided, was a matter of difficulty, by reafon of the throng. To do them juftice, many of them had generous minds, and performed various good actions in the use of their influence at court. The ridi The celebrated Nizam al Mulluk, who at this time lived a very retired life at Dhely, was one day paffing in a pallekee, with only a few attendants, when, in a narrow ftreet, he was met by Zohera, who was riding on an elephant, with a great train of fervants. The nizam endeavoured to get out of the way; but, notwithstanding this, Zohera's fervants were infolent to his attendants, and, as the paffed by, the exclaimed, "Are you the fon of the blind man?" This enraged the nizam, who commanded his people to pull her from her elephant; which they did, with rudeness. She complained to the miftrefs, who prevailed on the weak Jeliaundaur to take notice of it, and command Zoolfeccar Khan to punish the nizam. The nizam had fufpected this to happen, and had informed the minister of the affair. When Jehaundaur Shaw fpoke to him, he was answered, that, to punish the nizam for having corrected an infolent upfart, would enrage all the nobility, who would confider the honour of the order as hurt by any affront to the nizam. Jehaundaur, upon this, did not enforce his commands. Upon Jehaundaur Shaw's promoting one of his miftrefs's relations, a mufician, to a high rank, Zoolfeccar Khan, ameer al amra, out of fneer, demanded of the new-made lord, as a fee for putting his feal of office to the patent, one thousand fmall tabors. The mufician complained to Lall Koor, his patronefs, of the indignity offered him; and fhe told the emperor, infifting that he should reprimand the ameer al amra. Jehaundaur Shaw accordingly reproached the minifter, who ironically replied, that, as mufic was the beft recommendation with his majefty for promotion, he had asked the tabors to deliver out to perfons of family, that they might, by practifing upon them, qualify themselves for high office, and fucceed as well as their inferiors, the muficians. Jehaundaur Shaw felt the force of the fatire, and, being afraid of his minifter, withdrew the patent. culous culous jaunts of the emperor and his mistress at laft grew to fuch a pitch, that on a certain night, after fpending the day in debauchery, and vifiting different gardens near the city, in company with Zohera the herb-woman, they retired to the houfe of one of her acquaintance who fold fpirits, with which they all became intoxicated. After rewarding the woman with a large fum, and the grant of a village, they returned in a drunken plight to the palace, and all three fell asleep on the road. On their arrival, Lall Koor was taken out by her women; but the emperor remained fleeping in the chariot, and the driver, who had shared in the jollity of his royal mafter, without examining the machine, carried it to the ftables. The officers of the palace, after waiting till near morning for his arrival, on finding that the miftrefs had entered her apartments without the emperor, were alarmed for his fafety, and fent to her to enquire concerning his fituation. She defired them immediately to examine the coach, where they found the wretched prince fast afleep in the arms of Zohera, at the distance of nearly two miles from the palace. This fcandalous event afforded matter of offence to all good fubjects, but of mirth and laughter to the weak Jehaundaur and his abandoned favourites. He after this ftill more exposed his vices to the public, often, as he paffed through the freets, feizing the wives and daughters of the lower tradefmen. Once a week, according to the vulgar fuperftition, he bathed with Lall Koor, concealed only by a single cloth, in the foun tain of the * Lamp of Dhely, in hopes that this ceremony would promote pregnancy. Happy was the day in which he was bathed in his own blood! The miftrefs had the infolence to abufe the princess + Zebe al Niffa, daughter of the emperor Aulumgeer, and aunt to Jehaundaur Shaw, with expreffions to vile as were unbecoming the meaneft perfon. This princefs had neglected to pay compliments to her, which the received from other ladies of rank, and Lall Koor, enraged at this, teazed the emperor to reprove his aunt, and oblige her to fhew attention towards her; but all was vain. However, he fo far complied with her unreasonable entreaties, that he left off vifiting the princess, and declined going to an entertainment fhe had prepared for him, without inviting Lall Koor. How fhall I relate all his follies? The above-mentioned are fufficient to fhew the fad changes of affairs, public and private. His other indecencies are too unworthy of record to relate." History and Character of Lord Digby, by the Earl of Clarendon, from the Supplement to the third Volume of his State Papers. [The following History and Account of fo remarkable a Character as the Lord Digby, and written by the Earl of Clarendon, is of fo very interefting a nature, as to make it impoffible for us, notwithstanding its length, to abridge or curtail any part of it, without depriving our * A celebrated fakeer fo entitled. † Anglicè, Ornament of the lex. Reader Reader of a proportionable quantity of Knowledge and Amusement.] H E was of a very extraordinary compofition by nature, and if he had not from thence had fome infirmities very prevalent over him, the advantages he had in his education must have rendered him a perfon of rare perfection; and in truth, a perfon of rare parts he was. He was born in Spain, in the early growth of his father's greatnefs, who failed for many years with a full gale of fuccefs, till he was grown to a great height both in title and fortune. In which time his fon received all the benefits of all forts, which a liberal support, and a well ordered education could bring to him; and though he made a journey or two into his own country, yet his whole breeding upon the matter was in Spain, till he was thirteen years of age; fo that that language might very well be called his own, and no Spaniard spoke it more naturally than he did ever after. When by the all-difpofing power of the Duke of Buckingham, his father was not only removed from court, but committed to the Tower, he was fent with a petition to the houfe of commons on his father's behalf, which he delivered at the bar, with a short fpeech of his own; which being delivered with confidence, by a youth very young, of delicate features, and a very graceful perfon, made a good impreffion on that body, and caufed him to be looked upon as a young man of great expectation; but the fame cloud of prejudice and disfavour still covering his father, though he had his liberty, the whole family retired into the country. His father grew rich, and was efteemed as a very wife man, who had failed very profperoufly, and made a great voyage whilft the wind was with him, and when it raged against him in terrible ftorms and tempefts preferved himself unhurt, and refted in greater fecurity than his enemies; and, it may be, his reputation and efteem was the greater for having no favourable afpect from the court. In this calm the young gentleman was fent to the univerfity of Oxford, being excellently prepared by his youthful studies for that approach; and from thence, after fome years spent with notable fuccefs in all kind of learning, he went into France, in the language whereof he was well versed, and had been carefully inftructed; and, after fome time spent there, in a condition liberally fupported for any virtuous improvement of himfelf, but not for riot or impertinence, he returned again to his country, and his father's houfe, the most accomplished perfon that that nation, or it may be, that any other at that time could prefent to the world, to which the beauty, comelinefs, and gracefulness of his perfon gave no fmall luftre. It was no fmall advantage to him, that the misfortune of his father (though fuch benefits are feldom grateful to thofe who most enjoy the fruit of them) made his retreat and refidence in the country absolutely neceffary, for he had several temptations and inclinations in his nature, which, if he had lived in court, would have brought him fooner into many difficulties which he was afterwards perplexed with, when he was better able to ftruggle with them; and there being no footing for him there, neceffity made it his choice to live in the country in his father's houfe; in which he enjoyed, enjoyed, befides the benefit of his father's information, a very liberal conversation with men of the best quality and parts (who frequently reforted thither, as to a houfe where they found very good reception) and leifure enough to intend his books, in which he took wonderful delight, and made fo great progrefs, that he was a stranger to no part of learning, and very fubtle in the most curious parts of philofophy, and excellently verfed in the Latin and, Greek fathers, and those controverfies in which their authority is applied by all the parties who contend. And in this time he writ a difcourfe to his coufin Sir Kenelm Digby against the catholic religion, which he would never afterwards take upon him to answer, when he grew to have a better opinion of it, or a worfe of his own, than he was then thought to have; and left this exercife might make him be thought too grave and ferious for his age, he made it manifeft that he was excellently verfed in all polite learning, and in all the poets, Greek and Latin, so that when a man produced a ferious difcourfe of his of religion, or the abftrufer part of philofophy, he found commonly in the fame company fomebody, who likewife produced a copy of verfes in Latin, or English, or fome facetious difcourfe by letter or otherwife, upon the reading fome book, or lighter argument, writ by the fame pen. And in this bleffed retreat he lived, his great abilities being communicated abroad folicitously enough, and his infirmities unknown, but to very few, and as carefully concealed by them; nor was he heard of at court till a too loud, and a furious purfuit of an amour, within the very tars of Whitehall, made him be taken notice of, and for which (af- When the diforders of Scotland obliged the king to call a parliament, he was, by the univerfal election of the populous county where he lived, chofen to ferve as one of their knights, where his perfon, and his parts, and the fame and reputation he had, made him quickly taken notice of; and the converfation he chofe and wedded himself to, amongst thofe who were refolved to find fault with every thing that was amifs, and not to be content with any ordinary application of remedies, made it eafily forefeen what counfels he meant to follow; but that flage allowed fo fhort a time for action, that no poffible conclufions could be made. But a few months after, when the difcontents of men were grown higher, and the reverence to the government much impaired, he being then returned again by the fame people to ferve in the fame place, it was quickly difcerned that he meant to make himself as confiderable as he could. If any thing was spoken against the government more bluntly and rude ly, |