130 H. HOSTEN ON 



Ignatio de Lazzari, MDCIJII, pp. 362-363, summarizes the Annual Letter of Goa 

 for 1619. " The faith was propagated most in a certain Province of Mogor, where 

 Mrize Zulcarnen, a native of Armenia and a Christian from his birth, ruled since 

 1619 l with the title of Governor. Greatly in favour with the King, and therefore 

 very powerful, he promoted largely our religion. He built a church in his Province, 

 where the faithful would assemble and acquit themselves of the observances of their 

 religion. The number of the poor having greatly increased, he took some two hun- 

 dred of them into his palace and supported them with great generosity. This ex- 

 ample of his faith and charity drew many away from the impious persuasion of 

 Mahomet, and the unhappy thraldom of idolatry ; hence, he obtained the name of 

 ( Father of the Christians of Mogor.' Extending still further the bounds of his 

 great charity, and in order to keep up the care of our Redeemer's Sepulchre in 

 Jerusalem/ he sent thither from the remote banks of the Ganges rich presents and a 

 goodly sum of money for the maintenance of the Religious entrusted with the cus- 

 tody of the Holy Places. He wished to have a Sodality established under the patron- 

 age of the Mother of God, and he was the first to have himself enrolled and to pro- 

 fess his allegiance to the great Queen. When the exercises of the Friday scourging 

 was introduced, he distributed himself the chords to the Congregation, and to induce 

 them to chastise the unruly senses for their rebellion against reason he would fore- 

 stall them in taking the discipline. Every day he assisted with great reverence at 

 the Sacrifice of the Mass, beseeching the Lord of all things to keep and augment his 

 Christian flock. So lively and unfaltering was his faith that, when human means 

 failed to avert from his consort the dangers of parturition , he had recourse to helps 

 divine. Full of trust in a crucifix containing sacred relics which he wore round his 

 neck, he took it off, placed it round the neck of the lady, and presently con quel 

 legame scoltisi i nodosi nodi dell' utero, she was happily delivered of a lovely boy. 

 The pious Armenian considered himself beholden to God for this heavenly favour, 

 and in token of his gratitude to the Eternal Monarch he restored all his prisoners to 

 liberty. But, lest clemency should get the better of justice, he paid their creditors 

 from his own purse, leaving criminal cases to be judged in another Court." 



There is an allusion to the Mirza in the Tuzuk-i-Jahangirl or Memoirs of 

 Jahangir a : " Zu-1-Qarnain obtained leave to proceed to the faujdarship of Sambhar. 

 He is the son of Iskandar, the Armenian, and his father had the good fortune to be 

 in the service of 'Arsh-ashyani (Akbar), who gave him in marriage the daughter of 

 'Abdu 1-Hayy, 4 the Armenian, who was in the service in the royal harem. By her he 

 had two sons. One was Zu-1-Qarnain, who was intelligent and fond of work, and to 

 him, during my reign, the chief diwans had entrusted the charge of the government 

 salt works at Sambhar, a duty which he performed efficiently. He was now ap- 



1 This date, which is not ill the published Jesuit letters, must be Lualdi's glose. 



* The Annual of 1620 quoted above does not mention the Holy Sepulchre; Lualdi is, however, correct in his glose. 

 3 Cf. A. Rogers and H. Beveridge, The Tuzuk-i-Jahangivl . . . . , London, 1914, II. 194. 



* " He is mentioned in some MSS. of the Akbarnama. Vol. Ill, as taking part in the religious discussions." 

 Cf. op. cit., II. 194;;. 



