by
his father to succeed him on the throne of Jelhi. Having, as we have
already seen, disposed of his other three sons in the furthest corners
of India, the old king thought he was safe. But one of those sons,
Aurungzeb, was a man of restless ambition. Not content with his
appointed province of the Deccan, Aurungzeb pretended to the imperial
crown itself. In 1657 Shah Jehan fell sick, and Aurungzeb, attended by
a large army, which included a contingent under Emir Jemla's command,
hastened toward Delhi. The aged emperor, dreading the filial solicitude
which arrayed itself in so formidable a manner, sent orders to his son
to return to his province. Aurungzeb not only did not return, but
persuaded another brother to come up from his province, likewise
attended by an army, and together they marched upon their father's
capital. The course of Asiatic intrigue is too complicated and subtle
for any but the merest antiquary to track it. Suffice it to say that
after much lying and many protestations of obedience,
