'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.' [‎74] (745/1024)

V
The Hiftory of the Empire
there being not one Governor, nor any one man in the whole Empire,that hath a penny
to enable him to maintain the leaft thing, or that can almoit find any men, if he had
money. A ftrahge manner to make States to fubiift ! There would need no more for
making amend ot the Seditions, than a Brdma of Pegu, who killed the half of the
Kingdom with hunger, and turned it into Forefts, hindring'for fome years the Lands
from being tilled, though yet he hath not fucceeded in his Deiign, and the State have
afterwards been divided, and that even lately dva> the Capital Towm, was upon the
point of being taken by an handful of China Fugitives. Mean time we muft confefs,
that we are not like to fee in our days that total mine and deftrudlion of this Empire
we arc fpeaking of, (if fo be we fee not’tome.thing worfe ) becaufe it hath Neighbors,
that are (b far from being able to undertake any thing againft him, that they are not fo
much as in a condition to relih him, unlefs if be by thofe. fuccours ,of Grangers, which
the remofenefs and jealoufie would make flow, fmall, ahd fufped.
But it might be yet further obje&ed, that it appears not, why fuch States as thefe
might not have good Laws, and why the People in the Provinces might not be enabled
to come and make tfceir Complaints to a Grand Fi/ir, or to the King himfelf. 5 Tis
true, that they are riot altogether deftitufe of good Laws, and that, if thgfe which are
among!! them were pbferved, there would be as good living there, as in "any part of the
World. But what are thofe La ws good for, if they be riot obferved, and if there be
no means to make them to be executed ? Is it not the Grand LT/zr, or the King that
appoints for the People fuch beggarly Tyrants, and that hath no others to fet over
them? Is it not He that fells thofe Governments-? Hath a poor Peafant orTradefman
means to make great Journies, and to come and feek for Juftice in the Capital City, re
mote, perhaps, 150 or 200 Leagues from the place of his Abode ? Will not the Go
vernor caufe him to be made away in his journy ( as it hath often hapned ) or catch
him fooner or later ? And will he not provide his Friends at Court, to fupport him
there, and to reprefent things quite other wife than they are ? In a word, this Governor,
hungry as well as the T imariots and Farthers ( that are all men for drawing Oyl out of
Sand, as the Perfjan fpeaks, and for ruining a World, with their heap of Women-har-
pies, Children and Slaves ) this Governor, I fay, is he not the abfolute Mafter, the
Superintendant of Juftice, the Parliament, the Receiver, and all ?
It may perhaps be added, That the Lands, which'riur Kings hold in Vomaine^ are no
lefs well\ tilled and peopled, than other Land. But there is a great difference between
the having in propriety fome Lands here and there in a great Kingdom (which changes
not the Conftitution of the State and Government ) and the having them all in pro
priety,, which would alter it altogether. And then we in thefe Parts have Laws fo ra-.
tional, which our Kings are willing to be the firft to obferve, and according to which
they will that their particular Lands {hall be governed as thofe of their Subjects are, fo
as to give way, that Addons of Law may be laid againft their own Farmers and Offi- >
cers, To that a Peafant or Tradefman may have means to obtain Juftice, and to find
remedy againft the unjuft violence of thofe that would opprefs him : Whereas in thofe
Parts of I fee almoft not any refuge for thofe poor People i the Cudgel and the
Hammer of the Governor being in a manner the only Law that rules, and decides all
Controverfies there.
Laftly, It may be faid, that ’tis at leaft certain, that in fuch States there is not fuch
a multitude of long-lafting Suits of Law, as in thefe Parts, nor fo many Lawyers of
all forts,'as amongftus. It is in my opinion, very true, that one cannot too much
applaud that old Perftan Saying, Na-bac Kouta Beter-Ez, hacVeraz^ that is, Shortln-
jujiice w better than long Juftice, and that the length of Law-Suits is unfufferable in a ;
State, and that it is the indifpenfable duty of the Sovereign, by all good means, tq en
deavor a remedy againft them. And 5 tis certain, that by taking away this Meum and
t Iuum, the Root would be cut of an infinite number of Law-Procefles, and efpecially
of almoft all thofe that are of importance, and long and perplexed", and confequently
there would not need fo great a number of Magiftrates, which our Sovereigns do em
ploy to adminifter Juftice to their Subje&s, nor that fwarmof men, which fubfift qnly
by that way. But ’tis alfo manifeft, that the Remedy would be an hundred times
vvorfe than the Difeafe,confidering thofe great inconveniences that would follow there
upon, and that in all probability the Magiftrates would become fuch as thofe of the Aft-
atick^ States, who deferve not that Name", for, in a word, our Kings have yet caufe to
glory upon the account of good Magiftracy under them. In thofe Parts, Lome Mer
chants