'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎66] (737/1024)

the Hiftory of
difperfed up and down in the feveral Provinces. And in the Cavalry that is about his
Peifon let us hrft take notice of the Omrabsi then, of the Manfebdars> next, of the
Roufindars i laft of all, of ( the fimple Horfemen. From thence let us proceed to the
Infantry in which wc (hall contider the Mufquetiers, and all thole men on loot that at
tend the Ordnance, where fomething will occur to be faid of their Artillery.
It is not to be thought, that the Omrabs or Lords of the Mogol s Court are Sons of
great Families, as in France i All the Lands of that Empire being the A%>fs Propriety,
it follows, that there are neither Dutchies, nor Marquifats, nor any Family rich in
Land, and fubfifiing of its own Income and Patrimony. And often enough they are
no t fo much as OmraVs Sons, becaufe the King being Heir of all their Eftates, it i s
confcquent that the Houfes cannot fubfift long in their greatnefs *, on the contrary, they
often fall, and that on a fudden, infomuch that the Sons, or at leaif the Grandfons of
a potent Qwivtzb are frequently, after the death of their Father, reduced, in a manner,
' to Beggary, and oblig’d to lilt themfelves under fome Omrah for fimpie Horfemen. Tis
true, that ordinarily the Uogol leaves fome fmall Pen lion to the Widow, and oftenal-
fo to the Children > or, if the Father liveth too long, he may by particular favour ad
vance them fooner, efpecially if they be proper men, white of Face, having as yet not
too much of the Indian Complexion and temper, and fo palling, yet for true Mogols :
Though this advancement by favour do always proceed in a flow pace* it being almoft
a general cuftom, that a man muft pafs from fmall Pays and fmall Places,to great ones.
Thefe Omrabs then are commonly but Adventurers and Strangers of all forts of Nations,
fuch asl have fakh which draw one another to this Court’, men of a mean defeent,
fome of them flaves i moft of them without inftrudion, which the Mogol thus raifeth
to Dignities as he thinks good, and degrades them again, as he pleafeth.
Amongft thefe Omrabs, fome are Hazary, ethers Don Hazary, others Penge, Heck,
and Deb Hazary, and even ( fuch was the King’s eldeft Son ) Dovazdeb Hazary, that
is to fay, Lord of a thoufand Horfe, of twothoufand, five thoufand, feven, ten, and
twelve thoufand s their Pay being lefsor more in proportion to the number of Horfes i
I fay, of Horfes, becaufe they are not paid in refped of the Horfemen, but of the Horfe,
the Omrabs having power to entertain Horfemen of two Horfes a man, to be the better
able to ferve in the hot Countries, where ’tis a common faying, 7bat tbe Horfiman that
hath but one Horfe, if more than half a Footman. Yet we mutt not think, that they are
oblig’d to entertain, or that the King effedfively pays fo many Horfe , as thefe great
names of Dovazdeb ox Hecbt Hazary do impart, that is, 12000, or 8000 Horfe. Thefe
are fpecious Names, to amufe and attrad Strangers i the King determines the number of
Horfes in adual fervice, which they are bound to entertain, pays them according to this
number j and befides that, he pays them a certain number which they are not bound
to entertain i and this is that which ordinarily makes the principal part of their Pen-
lions *, not to fpeak of what they finger out of the Pay of every Horfe man, and of the
number of the Horfes i Which certainly amounts to very confiderable Penfions’, efpe
cially if they can obtain good Jab-ghirs, that is, good Lands for their Penfion. for I
faw, that the Lord, under whom I was, that was a Penge-bazary, or one of five thou
fand Horfe, and who was only obliged to entertain five hundred in effed, had, after all
his Cavalry was paid, remaining for his Penfion near Five thoufand Crowns a month i
though he was Nagdy, that is, paid in Mony drawn out of the Treafury, as all thofe
are, that have mot Lands. Yet notwithftanding aH thefe great Penfions, I fee none
but very few that are rich, but many that are uneafie and indebted : Not that they are
ruin’d by keeping too plentiful Tables, as elfewhere great Lords frequently are i but
that which exhaufteth them, are the great Prefents which they are oblig’d to make to
the King at certain Feftivals of the year, every one after the rate of his Pay next, the
vaft Expences they muft be at for entertainin^their Wives, Servants, Camels, and ma
ny Horfes of great value, which they keep iq their particular Stables.
The number of the Omrabs, as well of thofe, that are in the Field in the Provinces
and Armies, as of thofe that are at the Court, is very great. I never could precifely
learn it v nor is it determined: But I have never feen lefs of them at Court,than twen
ty five or thirty, that are thus Penfionaries according to a greater or Jefler number of
Horfes to be entertain’d by them, from 12000 downward to 1000. Thefe are the
Omrabs, that arrive to the Governments and principal Offices of the Court and Armies^
that are, as they fpeak, the Pillars of the Empire, and that keep up tfie fplendor of
the Court * never going abroad, but richly deck’d , fometimes riding on Elephants,