Lieut. -Colonel Brwgs on the Life and JVritings ofFerishta. '361 



which is capable of containing nearly ten thousand persons. Here we see 

 the mausoleums of kings, equal in magnificence to palaces ; the dome of the 

 largest of which exceeds that of St. Paul's, and is inferior only to that of St. 

 Petei-'s at Rome; but amidst these numerous monuments of the dead, 

 which are still standing, and excite the wonder and admiration of every 

 modern traveller, we find none raised to Ferishta. As there is no mention 

 made of him after the year 1C12, when he must, according to our computa- 

 tion, have attained his forty-second year ; and as he has not left behind him 

 any of those works which he had it in contemplation to finish, we may con- 

 clude he died about that time. The court of Ibrahim Adil Shah II. was then 

 removing to Nowrus ; a city which the king intended to build within three 

 miles of Bijapur ; but which he abandoned after residing there some 

 vears, and returned to his former capital. It seems to me probable, there- 

 fore, that during these changes of the royal abode our author must have 

 died ; and was perhaps buried in the new but now dilapidated city. 



This is the only way in which I can account for our not being able to 

 find even a stone to mark the spot where his mortal remains were interred ; 

 but his countrymen may truly apply to him the lines which Milton wrote 

 on our own immortal Shakspeare : — 



What needs Ferishta, for his honor'd bones, 

 The labour of an age in piled stones ; 

 Or that his hallowed relics should be laid 

 Under a starry-pointing pyramid. 

 Great son of memory, great heir of fame, 

 What needst thou such weak relic of thy name ; 

 Who, in our wonder and astonishment. 

 Hast built thyself this live-long monument ; 

 And so sepulchred, in such pomp doth lie, 

 That kings for such a tomb might wish to die. 



