a forgotten empire-vijayanagar-第4章

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nty…four。＇12＇　There　are　tales　of　him　which　do　indeed　seem　most　marvellous　of　the　things　that　he　did；　as；　for　instance；　how　he　made　ready　an　army　because　one　day　in　the　morning；　while　standing　dressing　at　a　window　which　was　closed；　a　ray　of　the　sun　came　into　his　eyes；　and　he　cried　out　that　he　would　not　rest　until　he　had　killed　or　vanquished　whomsoever　had　dared　to　enter　his　apartments　while　he　was　dressing。　All　his　nobles　could　not　dissuade　him　from　his　purpose；　even　though　they　told　him　it　was　the　sun　that　had　done　it；　a　thing　without　which　they　could　not　live；　that　it　was　a　celestial　thing　and　was　located　in　the　sky；　and　that　he　could　never　do　any　harm　to　it。　With　all　this　he　made　his　forces　ready；　saying　that　he　must　go　in　search　of　his　enemy；　and　as　he　was　going　along　with　large　forces　raised　in　the　country　through　which　he　began　his　march　so　much　dust　arose　that　it　obscured　the　sun。　When　he　lost　sight　of　it　he　made　fresh　inquiries　as　to　what　the　thing　was；　and　the　captains　told　him　that　there　was　now　no　reason　for　him　to　wait；　and　that　he　might　return　home　since　he　had　put　to　flight　him　whom　he　had　come　to　seek。　Content　with　this；　the　king　returned　by　the　road　that　he　had　taken　in　his　search　for　the　sun；　saying　that　since　his　enemy　had　fled　he　was　satisfied。

〃Other　extravagances　are　told　of　him　which　make　him　out　a　great　lord；　as；　for　instance；　that　being　in　the　Charamaodel　country　he　was　told　that　certain　leagues　distant　in　the　sea　there　was　a　very　great　island；　and　its　land　was　gold；　and　the　stones　of　its　houses　and　those　which　were　produced　in　the　ground　were　rubies　and　diamonds：　in　which　island　there　was　a　pagoda；　whither　came　the　angels　from　heaven　to　play　music　and　dance。　Being　covetous　of　being　the　lord　of　this　land；　he　determined　to　go　there；　but　not　in　ships　because　he　had　not　enough　for　so　many　people；　so　he　began　to　cart　a　great　quantity　of　stones　and　earth　and　to　throw　it　into　the　sea　in　order　to　fill　it　up；　so　that　he　might　reach　the　island；　and　putting　this　in　hand　with　great　labour　he　did　so　much　that　he　crossed　over　to　the　island　of　Ceyllao；　which　is　twelve　or　fifteen　leagues　off＇13＇；　This　causeway　that　he　made　was；　it　is　said；　in　course　of　time　eaten　away　by　the　sea；　and　its　remains　now　cause　the　shoals　of　Chillao。　Melliquiniby；＇14＇　his　captain…general；　seeing　how　much　labour　was　being　spent　in　a　thing　so　impossible；　made　ready　two　ships　in　a　port　of　Charamaodell　which　he　loaded　with　much　gold　and　precious　stones；　and　forged　some　despatches　as　of　an　embassy　sent　in　the　name　of　the　king　of　the　island；　in　which　he　professed　his　obedience　and　sent　presents；　and　after　this　the　king　did　not　proceed　any　further　with　his　causeway。

〃In　memory　of　this　work　he　made　a　very　large　pagoda；　which　is　still　there；　it　is　a　great　place　of　pilgrimage。

〃There　are　two　thousand　of　these　and　similar　stories　with　which　I　hope　at　some　time　to　trouble　your　honour；　and　with　other　better　ones；　if　God　gives　me　life。　I　kiss　your　honour's　hand。〃＇15＇

To　conclusively　establish　the　fact　that　this　account　can　only　refer　to　Muhammad　Taghlaq　of　Delhi；　who　reigned　from　1325　to　1351；　it　is　necessary　that　we　should　look　into　the　known　character　of　that　monarch　and　the　events　of　his　reign。

Nuniz　states　that　his　〃Togao　Mamede〃　conquered　Gujarat；　was　at　war　with　Bengal；　and　had　trouble　with　the　Turkomans　on　the　borders　of　Sheik　Ismail；　I。E。　Persia。＇16＇　To　take　these　in　reverse　order。　Early　in　the　reign　of　Muhammad　Taghlaq　vast　hordes　of　Moghuls　invaded　the　Panjab　and　advanced　almost　unopposed　to　Delhi；　where　the　king　bought　them　off　by　payment　of　immense　sums　of　money。　Next　as　to　Bengal。　Prior　to　his　reign　that　province　had　been　subdued；　had　given　trouble；　and　had　again　been　reduced。　In　his　reign　it　was　crushed　under　the　iron　hand　of　a　viceroy　from　Delhi；　Ghiyas…ud…din　Bahadur　〃Bura；〃　who　before　long　attempted　to　render　himself　independent。　He　styled　himself　Bahadur　Shah；　and　issued　his　own　coinage。　In　1327　（A。H。　728）　the　legends　on　his　coins　acknowledge　the　overlordship　of　Delhi；　but　two　years　later　they　describe　him　as　independent　king　of　Bengal。＇17＇　In　1333　Muhammad　issued　his　own　coinage　for　Bengal　and　proceeded　against　the　rebel。　He　defeated　him；　captured　him；　flayed　him　alive；　and　causing　his　skin　to　be　stuffed　with　straw　ordered　it　to　be　paraded　through　the　provinces　of　the　empire　as　a　warning　to　ambitious　governors。　With　reference　to　Gujarat；　Nuniz　has　been　led　into　a　slight　error。　Muhammad　Taghlaq　certainly　did　go　there；　but　only　in　1347。　What　he　did　do　was　to　conquer　the　Dakhan。　Firishtah　mentions　among　his　conquests　Dvarasamudra；　Malabar；　Anegundi　（under　the　name　〃Kampila；〃　for　a　reason　that　will　presently　be　explained）；　Warangal；　&c；　and　these　places　〃were　as　effectually　incorporated　with　his　empire　as　the　villages　in　the　vicinity　of　Delhi。〃＇18＇　He　also　held　Gujarat　firmly。　If；　therefore；　we　venture　to　correct　Nuniz　in　this　respect；　and　say　that　〃Togao　Mamede〃　made　war　on　the　〃Dakhan〃　instead　of　on　〃Gujarat；〃　and　then　advanced　against　Anegundi　（wrongly　called　〃Vijayanagar；〃　which　place　was　not　as　yet　founded）　we　shall　probably　be　not　far　from　the　truth。　The　history　of　〃Togao　Mamede〃　so　far　is　the　history　of　Muhammad　Taghlaq。

Then　as　to　the　extraordinary　stories　told　of　him。　True　or　not；　they　apply　to　that　sovereign。　Muhammad　is　described　by　contemporary　writers　as　having　been　one　of　the　wonders　of　the　age。　He　was　very　liberal；　especially　to　those　learned　in　the　arts。　He　established　hospitals　for　the　sick　and　alm…houses　for　widows　and　orphans。　He　was　the　most　eloquent　and　accomplished　prince　of　his　time。　He　was　skilled　in　many　sciences；　such　as　physic；　logic；　astronomy；　and　mathematics。　He　studied　the　philosophies　and　metaphysics　of　Greece；　and　was　very　strict　in　religious　observances。

〃But；〃　continues　Firishtah；　from　whom　the　above　summary　is　taken；　〃with　all　these　admirable　qualities　he　was　wholly　devoid　of　mercy　or　consideration　for　his　people。　The　punishments　he　inflicted　were　not　only　rigid　and　cruel；　but　frequently　unjust。　So　little　did　he　hesitate　to　spill　the　blood　of　God's　creatures　that　when　anything　occurred　which　excited　him　to　proceed　to　that　horrid　extremity；　one　might　have　supposed　his　object　was　to　exterminate　the　human　species　altogether。　No　single　week　passed　without　his　having　put　to　death　one　or　more　of　the　learned　and　holy　men　who　surrounded　him；　or　some　of　the　secretaries　who　attended　him。〃

The　slightest　opposition　to　his　will　drove　him　into　almost　insane　fury；　and　in　these　fits　he　allowed　his　natural　ferocity　full　play。　His　whole　life　was　spent　in　visionary　schemes　pursued　by　means　equally　irrational。　He　began　by　distributing　enormous　sums　of　money　amongst　his　nobles；　spending；　so　it　is　said；　in　one　day　as　much　as　＇pound　sterling＇500；000。　He　bought　off　the　invading　Moghuls　by　immense　payments　instead　of　repelling　them　by　force　of　arms。　Shortly　after　this　he　raised　a　huge　army　for　the　conquest　of　Persia；　his　cavalry；　according　to　Firishtah；　numbering　370；000　men。　But　nothing　came　of　it　except　that　the　troops；　not　receiving　their　pay；　dispersed　and　pillaged　the　country。　Then　he　decided　to　try　and　conquer　China　and　sent　100；000　men　into　the　Himalayas；　where　almost　all　of　them　miserably　perished；　and　when　the　survivors　returned　in　despair　the　king　put　them　all　to　death。　He　tried　to　introduce　a　depreciated　currency　into　his　territories　as　a　means　to　wealth；　issuing　copper　tokens　for　gold；　which　resulted　in　entire　loss　of　credit　and　a　standstill　of　trade。　This　failing　to　fill　the　treasury　he　next　destroyed　agriculture　by　intolerable　exactions；　the　husbandmen　abandoned　their　fields　and　took　to　robbery　as　a　trade；　and　whole　tracts　became　depopulated；　the　survivors　living　in　the　utmost　starvation　and　misery　and　being　despoiled　of　all　that　they　possessed。　Muhammad　exterminated　whole　tribes　as　if　they　had　been　vermin。　Incensed　at　the　refusal　of　the　inhabitants　of　a　certain　harassed　tract　to　pay　the　inordinate　demands　of　his　subordinates；　he　ordered　out　his　army　as　if　for　a　hunt；　surrounded　an　extensive　tract　of　country；　closed　the　circle　towards　the　centre；　and　slaughtered　every　living　soul　found　therein。　This　amusement　was　repeated　more　than　once；　and　on　a　subsequent　occasion　he　ordered　a　general　massacre　of　a