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Rh Moghul princes endured; he had, of course, a taster, and Ovington says that his physician had to "lead the way, take pill for pill, dose for dose," that the emperor might see their operation upon the body of the doctor before he ventured himself. His father had done the like before him. Like him, Aurangzib was served by a large staff of official reporters, who sent regular letters to keep the Great Moghul informed of all that went on in the most distant as well as the nearest districts. He treated his sons as he treated his nobles; imprisoned his eldest for life, and kept his second, son in captivity for six years upon a mere suspicion of disloyalty. He had good reason to know the danger of a son's rebellion, but this general habit of distrust was fatal to his popularity. Good Moslems have often extolled his virtues; but the mass of his courtiers and officers lived in dread of arousing his suspicion, and, while they feared, resented his distrustful scrutiny. Aurangzib was universally respected, but he was never loved.

Simple of life and ascetic as he was by disposition, Aurangzib could not altogether do away with the pomp and ceremony of a court which had attained the pinnacle of splendour under his magnificent father. In private life it was possible to observe the rigid rules and practise the privations of a saint, but in public the emperor must conform to the precedents set by his royal ancestors from the days of Akbar, and hold his state with all the imposing majesty which had been so dear to Shah Jahan. A Great Moghul without gor-