102 H. D. Maclagan—Jesuit Missions to the Emperor Akbar. [No. 1, 
houses. But scarcely had he done so when the Governor issued orders, 
depriving him again of their possession and Father Xavier had to be 
applied to once more. This time a regular firmdn was obtained and 
what was more the Prince himself was the ‘ porvanazi’ of it!: the 
‘Governor had now no excuse for evasion and ordered the houses to be 
given up ‘within an hour,’ thus bringing to an end an episode which had 
been a cause of great vexation to the Fathers. 
Meantime in other respects, things had been going ill enough. At 
one time the Governor had threatened to exterminate the Christians 
in Lahor and the community was in such fear that ‘some twenty three 
Armenian merchants fled with haste escaping through different gates.’ 
Pinheiro adds: ‘as it seems they have no mind to be martyrs, may 
God make them good confessors. I met three or four of them but they 
would not be seen speaking to me as they did not wish to be known 
as Christians—God help them.’ As regards himself he writes :— 
‘I confess to Your Reverence that death was always before my eyes and 
I prepared myself for it as well as I could: but the happy hour so desired 
by me never arrived. The Lord did not deem me worthy of such high bliss: 
may his infinite mercy put me in the power of some one who does not fear 
the Emperor, for it was this that made the tyrant desist from the attempt 
which he had such good wish to accomplish. Your Reverence should have 
seen the surprise of the people as I came and went through the streets, one 
saying to the other: “Does not the Governor intend to kill the Father ? 
how comes it that he goes backwards and forwards with the same security 
as before ?’’’ 
When one of the Governor’s sons protested with him for not killing 
the Father, Qulij Khan drew him a little aside and said: ‘Leave the 
forsaken wretch alone; no one who is a Musalman at heart will ever 
embrace his religion,’ ‘continuing,’ says Pinheiro, ‘in a lower voice.. 
“He has the Emperor’s permission who is an unbelieving Cafar [ Kafir] 
like himself.” ’ 
The Hindis, however, still agitated for repressive measures. In 
order to secure their claims on the Church (which had not then been 
yet safeguarded by the firman) they invited the Governour to a 
banquet in an adjoining house and gave him a present of 9,000 rupees 
‘7z.e., 9 horses,? several other things and 2,000 rupees in money.’ Pinheiro 
felt safe enough about the church buildings, but he received warnings: 
from the friendly Kotwal that there were designs on foot for seizing 
the women and children of the Christian community and he took 
1 Se. parwanchi. The porvanazi according to Pinheiro is ‘he who gives the 
order for a firman.’ 
2 Qulij Khan was famous for his love of horses. Blochm., Azn I. 340. 
