342 Lieut. -Colonel Briggs on the Life and Writings ofFerishta. 



year A.D. 1582 ; and sliortly after, his father Gholam AW heing appointed 

 private tutor to the prince Miran Hussein, Ferishta and the prince were 

 brought up together as schoolfellows. Tiie tutor's son grew in great favour 

 with the king ; and on the deatli of the father he received a commission in 

 the royal guard. It is in this capacity we first become acquainted with 

 him, in his public character; and as the narrative of the event which led to 

 his patron's death, and his own departure from Ahmudnuggur, is extremely 

 interesting, I shall give tlie account of the revolution that took place nearly 

 in his own words. 



Murteza Nizam Shah, the king of whom I am about to speak, was com- 

 monly called Diwana, or the madman ; and tlie historian offers so many 

 proofs of his title to tiiat appellation, that we cannot doubt its justice. 

 After giving several instances of his insanity, Ferislita states, " the king 

 now took it into his head that his son wished to dethrone him, and he in 

 consequence resolved to put the prince to death ; but tiie minister Sula- 

 but Khan always contrived to screen him." At length the king, defeated 

 in all his attempts, removed tlie minister from his office, caused him to be 

 imprisoned, and appointed another. Not long after this, tlie king went into 

 his son's apartment while asleep, locked the door, and set fire to the ciiam- 

 ber. The prince contrived to escape out of the window, and fled to 

 Dowlutabad. Mirza Kiian, the new minister, perceiving the distracted 

 state of the king's mind, only waited for some pretence to raise troops and 

 dethrone him. He in consequence wrote to Ibrahim Adil Shah, the king 

 of Bijapur, and urged him to march an army to the frontier. This object 

 being attained, tiie minister proceeded to oppose the mock invasion ; but 

 halted at Ranury, a town within a few miles of the capital. Ferishta 

 observes, " The king, surprised that the army did not move forward, sent 

 me to inquire the cause. As the minister knew iny attachment to the king, 

 and concluded that if I discovered his designs 1 should make them known, 

 he bribed the court favourite, Futteh Shah, to obtain the recal of the army. 

 I was in the camp when Futteh Shah arrived, and as the minister saw 

 that I penetrated his design, he gave orders to prevent my return. Having, 

 however, obtained intimation of his intention to detain me, I made my 

 escape during the niglit. On my arrival in the city, I related what I had 

 seen and heard to Futteh Shall, who pretended not to believe me. I re- 

 marked that I had no interest or hatred to gratify, which might induce 

 me to accuse the minister falsely ; and that the truth of my account would 



