im H. HOSTEN ON 



entirely and solely to Mirsa Zulcarnem, whom the Society adopted as one of its 

 brethren, it behoves us to dwell awhile in just praise of him. This man, I mean Mirza 

 Zulcarnem, was as noble in birth as illustrious by his deeds and renowned for his 

 Christian piety. An Amir (Umbraus) in dignity, he was a Numa in peace, an Alex- 

 ander in war, a Caesar in both, brave in warfare, meek in peace, upright in his 

 conduct, a model of valour, a pattern of gentleness, a champion of religion ; the 

 Mogors honoured him for his greatness, the world for his renown, and religion for his 

 virtue. The Mogor Kings owe him a thousand victories, a thousand nobles thank 

 him for his benefits, while the Society of Jesus owes him great affection. For the 

 Mogul he was a strenuous leader, for the faith a powerful champion, for the Society a 

 faithful friend and brother. Through him warlike courage flourished, the Christian 

 religion increased, and the Society had cause to rejoice. This is the man who, al- 

 though sprinkled with holy water in his cradle, became the delight of King Janguir 

 for his foreign beauty, so that the King himself, a thing that is rare among the 

 Mogors, had the boy at his own table. He, at the age of twelve, saw the King's 

 affection turned into wrath and endured many and severe stripes because he obstin- 

 ately refused to abjure the Roman faith, so much so that Father Francisco Morando 

 called him a glorious martyr of Christ. As a young man he possessed a very subtle 

 wit and wrote verses in his mother-tongue with such elegance that the King was 

 greatly delighted thereby. In rewarding singers he was so liberal that he frequently 

 gave them as recompense a horse or an elephant. He was wholly of a noble nature, 

 ready to forgive injuries and yielding to the wishes of others. He was offered by the 

 King the highest honours and a million a year, 1 if he would abjure the true religion. 

 But he preferred to be afflicted with the people of God and to live less rich, so that he 

 might win the wealth of heaven and become a partaker and heir of everlasting life. 

 He it was who turned back upon their author the poisoned darts aimed against the 

 Society by an ecclesiastic high in honour, and delivered the Mogor Missionaries from 

 grievous punishment. It is he, lastly, who freed Father Henry Busi (Buseum) from 

 undeserved bonds, and with Christian freedom addressing the King, offered his head 

 to the sword, if the sentence on the Father were to be carried into effect. 



"He married Helena, a distinguished lady, and had three sons by her, Mirsa 

 [Mirza] Observam [John Baptist], Mirsa Eres [Irij, Irich, Gaspar], Mirsa Daniel 

 [Danyal, Michael], and he might have seen them all advanced to high honour 

 during his lifetime, to the dignity of Mancebedars and Umbraos, if they had embraced 

 the law of Mahomet. This the King firmly promised him." z 



1 " The L,atin has ad millionem anniti reditus, which may be read to mean a koti (crore) a year (really 10,000,000), 

 which at that time, as a monetary expression, meant Rs. 2,500 in cash. See Stein, Kalhana's Rdjatarangini (tr.) II. 323, 

 and elsewhere in Note H thereto." [R. C. T.]. — Whatever may have been at times in India the meaning of a koti of rupees, 

 our latinist had in view " a million of annual revenue." A million of what ? It matters little : we understand that the 

 S lakhs a year which passed through the Mirza's hands (1649-51), 2 or 3 lakhs of which were his balance of profits, repre- 

 sented a million in European parlance, and 8 lakhs seem to have been offered him as the price of apostacy. Cf. supra, 

 p. 162. [H. H.] 



* I published the I<atin text of the passage and part of the translation in J.A.S.B., 1910, pp. 459-460. The rest of 

 the translation, minus a few slight changes, is from Sir R. C. Temple's The Travels of Peter Mundy, II. 381-332. 



I am partly responsible for some errata in Sir R. C Temple's Appendix E (ibid., II. 374-381). Mirza Zu-1-Oarnain was 



