144 H. HOSTEN ON 



Mirza and began tormenting several persons to know where his treasures were. Fr. 

 de Castro received in three times fifty lashes. After the fourth or fifth blow he had 

 fallen senseless to the ground. That night the Mirza was taken to the palace, and 

 the four Fathers were the next day conducted to prison. On March 13th, they were 

 released together with the Mirza, when the latter promised he would pay the sum they 

 wanted : 400,000 scudi. By and by, they wanted more, and both the Mirza's and 

 the Fathers' house and garden were searched. Nothing being found, the police 

 left the Fathers alone that night. The Mirza had paid 3 lakhs of scudi already, but 

 had to pay still one lakh. From a rich man he was now reduced to poverty; but 

 the Fathers hoped the King would sooner or later reinstate him. 



On October 8th, 1633, Fr. J. de Castro wrote from Agra to Fr. Nuno Mascarenhas, 

 the Assistant of Portugal, that the Mirza had to pay 8 lakhs of rupees, or about 

 400,000 cruzados. To help him as much as they could, they had given back to 

 him the golden chalice which he had presented to the Church in the days of his 

 opulence. 



Peter Mundy, a servant of the B. I. Co., who held office at Surat and Agra, and 

 had been sent on a commercial mission to Patna in 1632, was not far wrong when 

 he remarked on March nth, 1633, while at Mozabad, on his way from Agra to 

 Surat via Ajmer: "Seven Course Northward lyes Sambar [Sambhar], the Jaggueere 

 (jagir) of Mirza Zilkurne [Zu'lkarnain, Alexander] of 1000 horse pay, each horse 25 

 rupees per moneth, whoe is now putt out [from his governorship in Bengal] and made 

 Tagguere [taghir, dismissed], himselfe, wife, Children and servants in prison, because 

 the King is informed hee hath store of money and demaunds of him 60 lack, haveing 

 sent Pioneers [investigators] to search and digg his howse. Before I came away 

 [from Agra] hee offers 5 lack, which will not bee accepted, soe remains still prisoner. 

 Hee is a Christian and the Cheifest in all India, formerly in favour." 1 



We saw that the persecution against Mirza Zu-1-Qarnain and the Jesuit Fathers 

 of Agra began with an order from Shah Jahan to the effect that they were to remove 

 the bells from the steeple of their Church. Hence, we can scarcely accept as accurate 

 the reason assigned for Shah Jahan's action by Ta vernier (1666) in a passage where 

 Zu-1-Qarnain is evidently mentioned, though not by name. It would have been to 

 Zu-1-Qarnain the very climax of calamity, had he been unwillingly the cause of Shah 

 Jahan's action against the Fathers. 



After remarking that Shah Jahan had allowed some Christian paintings to remain 

 near Akbar's tomb at Sikandra, Ta vernier proceeds : " But he had not the same indul- 

 gence for them [the Fathers] in another matter, for on going one day to see a sick 



Armenian, named Cotgia 2 ,whom he much loved, and whom he had honoured with 



splendid appointments, and the Jesuits, who had their house close to that of the 

 Armenian, happening to ring their bell just then, the noise proved displeasing to the 

 King, and, as he thought it might inconvenience the sick man, in a rage he commanded 



1 Note communicated by Sir Richard Carnac Temple. Cf. his Travels of Peter Mundy, vol. II. 240-241. 



2 Khoja or Khwaja was a common title of honour among merchants and others. There is a hiatus here in the original. 

 Probably Tavernier did not recollect the name. 



