1896.] EH. D. Maclagan—Jesuit Missions to the Emperor Akbar. iil 
(ba’ittifaq-i-in banda) and the book was completed in A.D. 1602, the 
47th year of theholy Reign. Of the Dastan Professor Blochmann 
(Proc., A. S..B., May 1870 p. 146) says: ‘The Persian of J. Xavier’s work is 
easy and flowing. There are very few passages, if any, that sound out- 
landish.’ The British Museum possesses two MSS. of this work. One of 
these (Add. 16878 foll 74 of the Yule Collection) is an imperfect Nasta‘liq, 
copy written apparently in India in the 18th century: the other (Harl. 
5455 fol. 215) is a complete copy in plain Nasta‘liq, written apparently in 
India and dated Ramzan A. H. 1027 (A.D. 1618). 
The work was edited with a translation and Latin notes at Leyden 
in 1739 by the Professor Louis de Dieu, a Protestant, under the title 
revo wlivfs Historia Christi Persice conscripta simulque multis modis conta- 
minata a P. Hieronymo Xavier Soc. Jesu, Latine reddita et animadversioni- 
bus notata a Ludovico de Dieu.” Mr. Beveridge remarks: De Dieu was a 
man of worth and learning, and the Jesuit Alegambe admits that his trans- 
lation of Xavier’s Persian is a good one, though he says he has added 
heretical notes which ought tobe burnt. There is a notice of De Dieu in 
Bayle’s Dictionary. He is very bitter in his remarks on Xavier and his 
object in making the translation and publishing the work appears to have 
been to show how the Jesuits adulterated the pure milk of the Word. But 
still all must feel gratefulto him for having been the means of preserving a 
knowledge of Xavier’s curious work.’ . 
(ii) ‘ Dastan-i-San Pedro’ or Life of St. Peter. This work was also 
edited by De Dieu in 1739 with a Latin Translation and notes: the running 
title being ‘ Historia S. Petri sed contaminata. The work itself does not 
mention its author, but there seems no doubt that it is Xavier’s. ! 
(iii) The Atna-i-Haqq Numa or Truth-reflective Mirror : completed in 
1609. Dr. Rieu thus describes the British Museum MS. (Hrll. 5478) which 
is written partly in Nasta‘liq, and partly in Shikasta-amez, and dated 
Jumada I, the sixth year of the reign (probably that of Jahangir= A.H. 1019. 
A.D. 1620) :— It is stated in the heading that the author Padre Geronimo 
Xavier, a member of the Society of Jesus came from Goa to Lahore where 
he was presented at Court, A.D. 1596.2 In the preface which follows, the 
author states that he had enjoyed, twelve years previously, the privilege of 
kissing the Imperial threshold, and that he now dedicated this work to 
Jahangir as a slight return for past favours, and a humble offering on the 
occasion of his accession. The work is written in the form of a dialogue3 
between the Padre and a philosopher or free thinker (Hakim) whom he 
purports to have met at Court, while in some parts, a Mulla intervenes as a 
third interlocutor. It is divided into 5 books (Bab) sub-divided into Chap- 
ters (Fasl), a full table of which is given at the end of the preface, foll. 
145-18a. The five books are as follows: 1. Necessity of a divine law. 
fol. 18a. 2. What Christianity teaches regarding God, and proofs of its 
1 See Prof. Blochm., Proc. A. S. B., May 1870, p. 145. 
2 Really 1595. 
3 See above p. 82. 
