94 E. D. Maclagan — Jesuit Missions to the Emperor Akbar. [No. 1, 
to the action which they should take. At first they were for laying the 
matter before Akbar, but they failed to obtain access to him, having to 
wait for hours while he disported himself in his Mahal. Then on re- 
considering the matter they decided to do nothing: ‘but the aforesaid 
Englishman seeing that he was losing this great opportunity of making 
mischief, went about aggravating matters and insinuating that we 
dared not appear before the Emperor, but the truth should be brought 
to light.’ It seems however that the discontented Portuguese, having 
-on the eve of the feast of St, John! sent a most intemperate letter-to 
the Fathers, suddenly repented and next morning came and threw 
‘himself at their feet beseeching them by the wounds of Jesus to pardon 
his false calumnies. Whereupon the Fathers were again of half a mind 
to tell the Emperor the whole story and— 
‘Many incited us to do so especially the Englishman and his partners 
who pretended great zeal for our honour, but God made it clear that 
* Latebat anguis i herba,’ for if we had taken the matter before the Emperor 
it would have bred some coldness and disaffection towards us among the 
Portuguese even if they did not believe the slanders, or would at least have 
thrown discredit on those who whether truly or falsely had said such 
things of their priests. The Hnglishman and others had determined to 
take this occasion of presenting a petition to the Emperor that he would 
allow their people to come into his ports and give them what they asked for, 
without having anything to do with the Portuguese, so that the whole 
thing was a diabolical plot, and when we refused to appeal to the Emperor, 
the Englishman was very disappointed at losing the opportunity, for he and 
his partners, who were most forward in persuading and assisting us to 
appeal to the Emperor, were now obliged to seek other means of furthering 
their ends. Did not the mercy of the Lord appear in thisP Fecit hac tenta- 
tione tantum proventum, discovering a thousand things against us and 
“He was bred a merchant and was employed whilst the establishment of the 
Company was under adjustment, to bear a letter from Queen Elizabeth to the Mogul, 
Achar, requesting the freedom of trade in his dominions. He left Aleppo in July 
1600, but did not arrive at Agra until the year 1603, where he was much thwarted 
by the friars ; but after a residence of three years obtained a phirmaund, Acbar 
being dead, from Jehangire, with which he returned as he came through Persia, and 
_was at Cashin in October 1606 ...... The rest of his story is very obscure. He 
returned to Persia, if not before, in 1610, with some commission, in which two 
Others, young men, were joined; whom it is said he poisoned in order to embezzle 
the effects committed to their common charge, with which he repaired to Agra, 
where he turned Roman Catholic, and died himself of poison, leaving all he 
possessed to a Frenchman, whose daughter he intended to marry.’ Mildenall’s own 
account of the business (which is too long to quote) will be found in his letter of 
1606 at pp. 114—116 of Vol. 1. of Purchas’ Pilgrimes. 
1 Jerome says: ‘1t was the eve of St. John and our children and the Christians 
were jumping the fires.’ Beltam Fires—on June 28rd—at Agra! 
