CHAPITRE II - Intrigues of king.

King does not still content himself with his wives; he ( it ? ) also has quirks, even for married women.

King and Ministers never go to the subjects; these always have eyes fixed to them to imitate them. As a consequence, they have to make publicly no act which can be censored. A poet even wrote:

« King who has in heart well of his ( her ? ) people, respect all the women of the others.

« King who triumphs over six enemies of the man conquers all the earth ( ground ? ) (six major sins of India; the greed is unknown Oriental; and the laziness consists for them in him ( her;it ? ) _ignorance spiritual _). »

When king sees fit to spread ( to push aside ? ) this scruple, he has to act of one of the following manners [ 45 ].

[ Note (45): the Indian casuists always have, to exempt from any scruple in love, a peremptory reason for them: the necessity of not dying from love.]

In certain times, the women of cities and villages visit the wives of the harem, and cross ( spend ? ) the night in their apartments to converse and to amuse, then go away in the morning.

A lady of the service of king, who was bound in advance with the beautiful which king wishes, undertakes him ( it ? ) in the morning, as she is going to go away, to visit with her, in detail, the palace. In one in leaves, she ( it ? ) uses ( employs ? ) all the resources of her ( its ? ) spirit to persuade her ( it ? ) to answer the desires of king. If she ( it ? ) tries ( feels ? ) a refusal, she ( it ? ) lets see any displeasure, always shows itself very courteous, him made accepting presents deserving of king, accompanies him ( it ? ) for a certain distance of the palace and dismisses her ( it ? ) in very affectionate terms.

The person whom wishes king can also come to the harem at invitation of one of the wives of king, who will have got acquainted through the husband or through one of the following ones of the women of the harem. The accomplice of king will arise then, who will act as he ( it ? ) is said above.

Either the first wife of king, under excuse to be taught by her some talent, mandera to the palace the desired woman.

Or if the husband of this woman has something to dread of king or Minister, she ( it ? ) will decide on her ( it ? ), by means of an intermediary, to come to the palace to seek her ( its ? ) protection. Things will take place then as in the previous cases.

We shall also act, if the husband of the woman is in the need or the oppression; either if he ( it ? ) seeks something or strives thanks to the prince, or wants to rise, either if he ( it ? ) is held aside by the members of his ( its ? ) caste, or if it is a spy in the service of king.

If the person wished by king lives with a man who is not her husband, king makes her ( it ? ) stop ( arrest ? ), her ( it ? ) made to declare slave for misbehavior and the place to the harem.

If the desired woman is regular, the ambassador of king, in his instigation, denounces ( cancels ? ) the husband; then we make imprison the woman, as being the wife of an enemy of king; then, we admit her ( it ? ) to the harem.

( These two processes do without comments, the last one especially).

King never has to go to a subject for a loving intrigue, several kings paid of their life this carelessness.

Certain local manners favor the courtship royal.

To Andras, king exercises the right of the Lord;

To Vatsagoulmas, the women of the Ministers serve king at night;

Vaïdarbhas which have beautiful women, sends them, by love for their prince, to pass one month to the harem;

To Aparatakas, those who had beautiful women gave them in present to the Ministers of king;

Finally, in the country of Sourashtras, the women of the city and the campaign enter the harem for the pleasure of king, either individually, or by groups.