36 
THE MODERN LITERARY HISTORY OF HINDUSTAN. 
[§ 106. 
fire. * * * Among the silly lies—they border on absurdities—which 
during this year (A.D. 1588) were spread over the country was the 
rumour that Bir’bal, the accursed, was still alive, though in reality 
he had then for some time been burning in the seventh hell. The 
Hindus, by whom his Majesty is surrounded, saw how sad and 
sorry he was for Blr’bal’s loss, and invented the story that Bir’bal 
had been seen in the hills of Hagar’kot walking about with Jogls 
and Sannyasls. His Majesty believed the rumour, thinking that 
Bir’bal was ashamed to come to court on account of the defeat 
which he had suffered at the hands of the Yusufzals ; and it was, 
besides, quite probable that he should have been seen with Jogls, 
inasmuch as he had never cared for the world. An AhadI was 
therefore sent to Nagar’kot to inquire into the truth of the rumour, 
when it was proved that the whole story was an absurdity. Soon 
after his Majesty received a report that Bir’bal had been seen at 
Kalin jar (which was the jaglr of this dog), and the Collector of the 
district stated that a barber had recognised him by certain marks 
on his body, which the man had distinctly seen when one day Bir’bal 
got him to rub his body with oil. From that time, however, Bir’bal 
had concealed himself. His Majesty then ordered the barber to come 
to court, and the Hindu Krorl (Collector) got hold of some poor 
innocent traveller, charged him with murder, and kept him in 
concealment, giving out that he was Bir’bal. The Krorl could of 
course send no barber to court. He therefore killed the poor traveller 
to avoid detection, and reported that it was Bir’bal in reality, but that 
he had since died. His Majesty went actually through a second 
mourning, but he ordered the Krorl and several others to come to 
court. They were for some time tortured as a punishment for not 
having informed his Majesty before, and the Krorl had, moreover, to 
pay a heavy fine.’ 
Bir’bal founded the town of Ak’bdr'pur and dwelt there, and in 
the Nar’naul quarter of that town his descendants still exist. 
Ho complete work by Bir’bal has come down to us, but numerous 
verses and bon-mots attributed to him are still in every Hindu’s mouth. 
An anonymous work, entitled the Bir’bdr-nama, can be bought 
for a few pice in any Bihar bazar. It is a collection of facetious tales, 
of which the heroes are Ak’bar and Bir’bal, and in which the latter 
always gets the better by some witty or indecent retort. It is, in fact, 
the Indian Joe Miller’s Jest Book. Some of the stories are the 
common property of all nations. 
