174 H. HOSTEN ON 



On August 15, 1596, Feast of the Assumption of our Lady, a Christian in 

 Akbar's service asked and obtained some precious cloths to adorn the chapel of the 

 Fathers with. Probably he was the same "honourable" Christian (Sikandar, senior?) 

 who related to the Fathers, as having assisted at the scene, that, when one of the 

 King's "worshippers" (Darsani is the word used by the Missionaries) called him 

 ' Isa (Jesus), son of Mary, the King forbade him to do so again. 1 



<l Last year [1595], before the whole people, the King had a reliquary of Our 

 Lady attached with a gold chain round his neck, 2 and he gave it to a small boy, a 

 Christian [Zu-1-Qarnain], the son of an Armenian Christian, whom he had about his 

 neck, and kissing it with his lips and eyes he gave it [to the boy] to kiss and put it 

 on his eyes and finally he hung it on his breast and gave it him. This, while at the 

 window, coram omni populo (before the whole people)." 3 



The Fathers' house was so close to the quarters of the King's seraglio that the 

 Fathers abstained from sleeping on the terrace. Now, " at the end of this summer 

 (verao), which really was very hot [1596], a boy who is always going with the King began 

 to come to school. The King treats him like his son, and there are not wanting who 

 say that he is (but this is known to God) ; at any rate, he does not deal more fami- 

 liarly with his grandson [Khurram, later Shah Jahan], the son of the Prince [Salim]." 

 The boy found the Fathers' house so hot that he wondered how they could sleep in it, 

 and he must have spoken about it to the King, for the King came to call out to the 

 Fathers that he was very sorry he had not thought of it, and he ordered directly a boat 

 specially arranged for sleeping on the river to be attached in front of their house. 

 After that the Fathers had the coolest sleeping accommodation to be found in Lahore. 4 

 In the light of our later documents we have no difficulty in recognising Sikandar 

 (senior) in the Armenian, and in the small boy his son Mirza Zu-1-Qarnain. 



Eight years later (1604), Father Jerome Xavier brings upon the scene Akbar, the 

 Queen, Sikandar, his sons Mirza Zu-1-Qarnain and Mirza Iskandarus, and his wife, 

 Bibi Juliana's sister. These were the circumstances : — 



A Portuguese and an Englishman (John Mildnall, no doubt) circulated a malicious 

 slander against the Fathers. It was to the effect that "we had killed so and so, and so 

 and so, that we were spies and traitors to the Emperor whose salt we ate, that we stole 

 whatever we could lay hands on, and other things much worse: non erat malum in civir- 

 tate (there was no evil in the city) which was not our doing, especially mine." The 

 Fathers were in great doubt as to what action they should take. " Finally, one day, 

 while at the palace, I was taken aside by a prominent Armenian (hu Armenio prin- 

 cipal), whom the King favours greatly and to whose two sons, whom he keeps near him, 

 he shows much affection. ' Father,' he told me, ' such a one says this and that of 

 you. The Christians, all of us, have decided not to enter your Church any more and 

 not to send to it our wives and children (filhos), until you show that what that man says 

 is false. For, how can we otherwise trust to you our wives and children ? Believe me, 

 your reputation is lost before the other children of the captains, and therefore before 



1 Letter of Fr. Jer. Xavier (Lahore, 8 Sept., 1596), fol. 252 y. 2 Perhaps the one of 1580. Cf. J.A.S.B., 1896, p. 50. 

 3 Letter of 8 Sept. 1596, fol. 252 v. * Ibid., fol. 253 r. 



