History of India . rajas were in revolt; the Sikhs wererising in the Panjab, and the Jats near Agra; and theEnglish had ventured on boldreprisals, which were to leadto far-reaching consequencesin another half-century. Nor was it only amongnon-Moslem peoples that thespirit of insurrection wasalive. These, no doubt, hadbeen excited by the religiousintolerance of the late em-peror; but the Moslems them-selves were scarcely ia bet-ter order. The fatal systemof rewarding services or con-ciliating jealousies by large . n 1 -I IT A 81KH QUOIT - TUBBAN. grants OI territory nad pro- wUh knives and tige
History of India . rajas were in revolt; the Sikhs wererising in the Panjab, and the Jats near Agra; and theEnglish had ventured on boldreprisals, which were to leadto far-reaching consequencesin another half-century. Nor was it only amongnon-Moslem peoples that thespirit of insurrection wasalive. These, no doubt, hadbeen excited by the religiousintolerance of the late em-peror; but the Moslems them-selves were scarcely ia bet-ter order. The fatal systemof rewarding services or con-ciliating jealousies by large . n 1 -I IT A 81KH QUOIT - TUBBAN. grants OI territory nad pro- wUh knives and tiger claws, the special Sikh weapons. dueed a kmd of baronage fully as dangerous and subversive of central authority as anycorresponding class in feudal Europe. The provincialmansabdars had become petty kings, and were farmore interested in coercing their neighbours than insupporting their emperor against his many foes. Norcould Bahadur rely upon his troops as Babar andAkbar had trusted them. The toleration of Akbars. 176 THE PALL OF THE MOGHXJL EMPIRE policy and the luxurious splendour of Sliah Jahanscourt had bred both indifference and effeminacy inwhat had once been an army of hardy had proved the Capua of Babars veterans, andthe enervating climate had relaxed their thews andsoftened their training, while drink had become thecurse not only of the imperial house, many of whomdied of it, but also of the nobles and the whole Sir William Hunter has said, The heroic soldiersof the early empire and their not less heroic wives hadgiven place to a vicious and delicate breed of ancestors of Aurangzib, who swooped down onIndia from the north, were ruddy men in boots: thecourtiers among whom Aurangzib grew up were palepersons in petticoats. Babar, the founder of the em-pire, had swum every river which he met with dur-ing thirty years of campaigning; the luxurious noblesaround the youthful Aurangzib wore skirts made of in-numerable folds of the fine
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