After This, He Was Weighed Against Gold,
Jewels, And Precious Stones, As I Was Told, For I Saw None, As These
Were All In Bags, And Might Only Have Been Pebbles.
Then against cloth
of gold, silk stuffs, cotton goods, spices, and all sort of commodities;
but I had to
Believe all as reported, as these were all in packages.
Lastly, against meal, butter, and corn, all of which is said to be
distributed to the Banians, with all the rest of the stuff, but I saw
all carefully carried away, and nothing distributed. The silver only is
reserved for the poor, and serves for the ensuing year, as it is the
king's custom at night frequently to call for some of these before him,
to whom, with great familiarity and humility, he distributes some of
this money with his own hands.
While the king was sitting in the scale, he looked upon me and smiled,
but spoke not, as my interpreter could not be admitted. After he was
weighed, he ascended the throne, and had basins of nuts, almonds, and
spices of all sorts, artificially made of thin silver, which he threw
about, and for which his great men scrambled prostrate on their bellies.
I thought it not decent for me to do so, which seeing, he reached one
basin almost full, and poured the contents into my cloak. The nobles
were so bold as to put in their hands to help themselves, and so thick,
that they had soon left me none, if I had not pocketed up a remainder.
Till I had myself been present, I was told that he scattered gold on
this occasion, but found it to be only silver, and so thin, that all I
had at first, being thousands of small pieces, had not weighed sixty
rupees, of which I saved to the amount of twenty rupees, yet a good
dishful, which I keep to shew the ostentation of this display of
liberality; for, by my proportion, I think all he cast away could not
exceed the value of an hundred pounds.
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