Page:History of India Vol 5.djvu/194

 158 MOHAMMAD TAGHLAK AND FIROZ SHAH maid-servants, were forced to remove. The people, who for many years and for generations had been natives and inhabitants of the land, were broken- hearted. Many, from the toils of the long journey, perished on the road, and those who arrived at Deogir (Devagiri) could not endure the pain of exile. In despondency they pined to death. All around Deogir, which is an infidel land, there sprung up graveyards of Mussulmans. The Sultan was bounteous in his liberality and favours to the emigrants, both on their journey and after their arrival; but they were tender and could not endure the exile and suffering. They laid down their heads in that heathen land, and of all the multitudes of emigrants, few only survived to return to their home. Thus this city, the envy of the cities of the inhabited world, was reduced to ruin. The Sultan brought learned men and gentlemen, tradesmen and landholders, into the city from certain towns in his territory and made them reside there; but this importation of stran- gers did not populate the city; many of them died there, and more returned to their native homes. These changes and alterations were a cause of great injury to the country. The third project also did great harm to the coun- try. It increased the daring and arrogance of the dis- affected in Hindustan and augmented the pride and prosperity of all the Hindus. This was the issue of copper money. Mohammad Taghlak, in his lofty am- bition, had conceived it to be his task to subdue the