History of India . ubtless bought up by the courtiersof Delhi with the same enthusiasm as was shown bythe ladies of Moscow for Coimt Tolstois boots. Henot only knew the Koran by heart, but copied it twiceover in his fine calligraphy, and sent the manuscripts,richly adorned, as gifts to Mekka and Medina. Ex-cept the pilgrimage, which he dared not risk lest heshould come back to find an occupied throne, he leftnothing undone of the whole duty of the Moslem. Aurangzib, it must be remembered, might have castthe precepts of Mohammed to the winds and stiU kept—nay, strengthened—his hold of the scept
History of India . ubtless bought up by the courtiersof Delhi with the same enthusiasm as was shown bythe ladies of Moscow for Coimt Tolstois boots. Henot only knew the Koran by heart, but copied it twiceover in his fine calligraphy, and sent the manuscripts,richly adorned, as gifts to Mekka and Medina. Ex-cept the pilgrimage, which he dared not risk lest heshould come back to find an occupied throne, he leftnothing undone of the whole duty of the Moslem. Aurangzib, it must be remembered, might have castthe precepts of Mohammed to the winds and stiU kept—nay, strengthened—his hold of the sceptre of Hin-dustan. After the general slaughter of his rivals, his ATJRANGZIBS ASCETIC TEMPEEAMENT 123 seat on tlie Peacock Throne was as secure as ever hadbeen Shah Jahans or Jahangirs. They held their powerin spite of flagrant violations of the law of Islam; theyabandoned themselves to voluptuous ease, to Wein,Weib, und GTesang, and still their empire held to-gether; even Akbar, model of Indian sovereigns, owed. CAP HAEEBS Am) TUBBAN^ PITTEBS. much of his success to his open disregard of the Mo-hammedan religion. The empire had been governedby men of the world, and their government had beengood. There was nothing but his own conscience toprevent Aurangzib from adopting the eclectic philoso-phy of Akbar, the luxurious profligacy of Jahangir, 124 AUEANGZIB THE PUEITAN EMPEKOE. or the splendid ease of Shah Jahan. The Hindus wouldhave preferred anything to a Mohanunedan bigot. TheRajput princes only wanted to be let alone. The Dec-can would never have troubled Hindustan if Hindustanhad not invaded it. Probably any other Moghul princewould have followed in the steps of the kings his fore-
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