1896.] E. D. Maclagan— Jeswit Missions to the Hmperor Akbar. 93 
as he wishes to hear us speak and praises us highly for it. This is a favour 
only granted to certain chiefs and others whom he wishes to honour. We 
remain nearly all night in conversation with him, relating many things of 
Christ Our Lord, and His Saints. Onone of these occasions I gave him a 
book in Persian, containing sayings of some of our philosophers and many 
curious things, which he had asked me for. He and his chiefs enjoy it very 
much and it is in great request.l 
When I returned from my visit to the Prince we commenced the 
building of our church,? and the first stone was laid with great solemnity. 
Many Muhammadans were present, and were greatly edified by the cere- 
monies which Christians use on these occasions. These works are not so 
expensive here as in other places, being made of bricks, lead, and a great 
part of clay, which is made of a certain kind of earth. The chapel will be 
well finished, though perfect workmanship may be wanting. It will soon 
be finished, please God. It is badly needed as the Christians are very 
crowded in our present small Chapel.’ 
There were, however, troubles in store and the Father now launches 
out into a long account of a malicious slander circulated by a dis- 
contented Portuguese to the effect that ‘we had killed so and so, and 
so and so, that we were spies and traitors to the Emperor whose salt 
we ate, that we stole whatever we could lay hands on, and other things 
much worse: non erat malum in civitate which was not our doing, 
especially mine.’ The little congregation and more particularly the 
Armenian part of it began to look with suspicion on the Fathers: but 
the most interesting phase of the business to us is the fact that ‘an 
Kuglish heretic, here, also took part in the affair, stirring up the Portu- 
guese to say many things and then repeating them to us and inciting 
us to complain to the Hmperor.’? The Fathers were in great doubt as 
1 Possibly the incomplete ‘Atna-i-Haqq-numa. See p. 111 below. 
2 The new Church was apparently completed in Jahangir’s reign and a College 
was added which was built ‘in litterae Z specimen’ (Botelho in Marsd. MSS. 98538, 
Brit. Mus). The Church according to one story was pulled down to appease a 
Muhammadan tumult and the Jesuits then built a less sumptuous one inside their 
College (ib.) According to Tavernier, an Armenian friend of Shah Jahan’s who 
lived near the Church objected to the bell ringing when he was ill, so Shah Jahan 
had the bell removed and hung round the neck of his elephant: but as it was 
somewhat heavy it was ultimately taken off and deposited with the Kotwal (Tav. 
ed. 1676, II. 70). Bernier says the tower as well as the greater part of the Church 
was pulled down by Shah Jahan (Amst. ed. 1728, II. 80). According to Fanthome 
(Rem. of Agra, 1895, p. 30) the Church was added to in the Highteenth century by 
Sumri and Filose and is substantially the same as the present Chapel. Col. Kincaid 
in the Asiatic Quarterly for Jan. 1887 says, ‘the building now occupied by the 
Catholic Mission Press is said to have been the first Christian Church [at Agra] 
and according to family tradition was founded by the Lady Juliana.’ (cf. p. 53 above). 
3 The English heretic was John Mildenall of whom Orme in his ‘ History of the 
Establishment of the English Trade at Surat, p. 341, gives the following account : 
