Page:A history of the military transactions of the British nation in Indostan, Volume 1.djvu/28

20 once performed the ceremony of sitting in public on the throne of Delhi, to intitle him to be ranked in the list of the emperors of Indostan.

BY that dependance to the great men of the kingdom to which their contests for the crown had reduced the descendants of Aurengzebe, the emperors elected, although reverenced as despotic by the multitude, ascended the throne in bonds, and were in reality nothing more than the slaves of their ministers.

STILL the blood of Tamerlane continued to be held in too great veneration throughout the empire, to permit any others than his descendants to entertain hopes of ascending the throne with impunity. Those who stood nearest to the throne, in virtue of their offices and power, were therefore contented to rule the empire as they pleased, by shewing to the people a pompous sovereign, who in reality commanded nothing but the women of his seraglio. FURRUKSIR was the first of the Great Moguls, whose father had not been emperor, and we shall soon see more examples of this oblique succession. The same lords who had raised, deposed him as a measure necessary to their own security. Not content with confining him, they put out his eyes; but even this degree of imbecillity and wretchedness did not appease their fears or satisfy their resentments. They murdered him on the 16th of February 1719, aggravating the deed with every indignity and insult. THESE deposers of Furruksir placed on the throne his cousin german Raffeih al Dirjat son of Raffeih al Shan, one of the brothers from whom the emperor Jehander Schah won the crown. Raffeih al Dirjat was taken out of the castle in which those of the royal family who are not murdered are suffered to live. This change of his fortunes was not more extraordinary than it was of short duration;