H I N D O 
having drawn a line of circumvallation, began to carry on 
his approaches; when a fliell, unexpectedly -burlting by 
his fide, wounded him in a dreadful manner, fo that he 
lay in the greateft agonies till the evening, when the news 
was brought him of’ the reduction of the place ; upon 
which he cried out, “Thanks to the Almighty !” and ex¬ 
pired, in the year of the hegira 952, A.D. 1545. He ex- 
haufted fifteen years in a ftate of favage warfare before he 
feized the throne ; upon which he fat for five years, as 
emperor of Hindooftan. 
Shere, though a moll unprincipled wretch, yet left many 
monuments of magnificence and utility behind him. 
From Bengal to the Nilab, which is fifteen hundred cofs, 
he built caravanferas at every flage, and dug a well at 
the end of every cofs; he alfo railed many fuperb mofqnes 
by the fides of the highways, wherein he appointed readers 
of the Koran, and priells. He ordered, that at every 
flage, all travellers, without diftinftion of country or reli¬ 
gion, fhould be entertained, according, to their quality, 
■at the public expence. .He at the:fame time planted rows 
of choice fruit-trees along the roads, to preferve travellers 
from the l'oorching heat of the fun, as well as to gratify 
their tafte. Couriers were placed at proper diftances, as 
well for forwarding quick intelligence to the dillant go¬ 
vernors, as for the advantage of trade and commerce. And 
fu'ch was the public fecurity during his reign, that travel¬ 
lers and merchants, throwing down their goods, went 
without fear to (leep on the highway. He was buried at 
Saffaram, his original ellate, in a magnificent marble mau- 
foieum, which he had built in the middle of a large canal 
of water. This maufoleum flill remains entire ; and the 
artificial lake which furr&unds it is near a mile-in length. 
Before his death, Shere had-directed that his eldeft fon 
Adii fhould affume the imperial dignity; but lie being at 
Rantirnpou.-, and his younger fen Jellal on thefpot, the 
omrahs preferred Jellal to his brother, then at fo great a 
diftance; urging the neceflity of filling the throne as foon 
as poflibie. jellal, therefore, mounted the throne in the 
fortrefs of Callinger, affuming the title of Iflam Shah, 
which, by falfe pronunciation, was turned to that of Se¬ 
lim, by which name he is moll generally known. He loll 
no time in repairing to Agra, to take polfelfion of. his fa- 
• ther’s treafures. He found himfelf furrounded by enemies, 
and was often in danger of affafilnation; from which he 
had feveral hair-breadth efcapes. He was alfo oppreffed 
by a moil formidable, rebellion, which broke out in the 
provinces of Lahore and Moultan. To crufh his adver- 
. faries, he railed a great army, marched to Delhi, and thence 
to Lahore; where, after an obftinate engagement, he 
proved, victorious, and the infurgents retreated tc Cachi- 
inere, and took refuge , in the mountains. But while he 
was refloring order in thefe parts, violent infurrections 
broke out in others; fo. that the peace he fo much co¬ 
veted he was never able to fecure. Thus was he doomed 
to endure the toils and perils of warfare, till, perluaded 
that he could never have peace till he had extirpated the 
rebellious chiefs, he marched in perfon towards the Indus, 
and for the fpace of two years carried on a war with the 
Gickers, who i'upported them. He was feized with a fif- 
tul.a in ano, by which, in the year of the hegira 960, A. D. 
1552, he bled to death, after having reigned nine years. 
When Selim died, his fon Ferofe was at twelve years 
of age raifed to the throne at the fort of Gwalior; but 
he had not reigned three days, before .Mubarick, the 
• fan of Nizam Sour, nephew to Shere, brother of Selim’s 
wife, and Uncle to Ferofe, aflafilnated him. ■ Mubarick 
then affirmed the name of Mohammed Adil, or the jujl ; 
■ and under this unmerited title ufurped the empire. He 
perpetrated this horrid murder with his own hand. The 
• execrable villain’s lifter defended, for fome time, her fon 
from his affault, prefenring her own body to the dagger. 
In vain did fne weep and implore for his life ; the monfter’s 
heart was hardened againft-pity. He tore the,youthful 
prince from a mother’s embrace; and, in her prefence, 
fevered Lis head from his body i 
O S T A N. 3() 
The infamous Mohammed, having always given him- 
TelF up to debauch, had neglected-even the common ac- 
complifhments of reading and writing. Fie hated m’en of 
learning, and affociated with people of lew-birth; one of 
whom was Himu, a perfon of gigantic body, but of a de¬ 
praved mind, and defperate undaunted fpirit, who became 
entrufted with,all the weight of the adminiftfation. Mo¬ 
hammed himfelf delighted in’ nothing but pleafurable 
amufements; and, when he rode abroad, he uled to head 
arrows with gold, and fho.ot them among the multitude. 
This unheard-of extravagance begat him the nickname 
of Adili, which in the Indian language Signifies -literally 
the blind , and metaphorically the foolijh. 
When Himu became inVefted with the whole executive 
power of the empire, his pride and infolence exceeded all 
bounds. This naturally made all the Patau chiefs hie 
enemies, and brought on infurredtions of various kinds; 
until Secunder, fon of Fefmalii, governor of Canouge, 
being irritated, attempted to deftroy both him and Mo¬ 
hammed ; in which rencounter he W'as-killed by-Ibrahim, 
the fultan’s brother-in-law and coufin. 
The ungrateful. Mohammed, now becoming jealous of 
the popularity of his deliverer Ibrahim, gave private 
orders to aflaffmate him; but. his wife, the king’s lifter, 
knowing his defign, informed her hulband of it. 'He fied 
from Chunar to his father, Ghazi, governor of Biana, 
and was purfued by Ilah Neazi, who coming- up with 
him, an engagement eni'ued, in which Ifah was defeated. 
Ibrahim now raifed a great army, and poffefied himfelf of 
Delhi, where he mounted the throne, affumed the enfigns 
of royalty, marched to Agra, and reduced the circumja¬ 
cent provinces. Mohammed marched from Chunar to 
fupprefs this ufurpation ; but on the way he received ah 
embaffy from Ibrahim, promifing that if he would fend 
Huffein and other chiefs, with affurances of forgivenek, 
he would fiibmit. The king was weak enough to comply 
with his requeft. The omrahs went; and Ibrahimby 
prefents, promiles, and courteous behaviour, loon drew 
them over to his own intereft. Mohammed, find ing'h im¬ 
pel f in no condition to oppofe fo ftrong a confederacy, fied 
to Jionpour, and contented himfelf with the eaftern pro¬ 
vinces. Ibrahim immediately affumed the title of fultaa, 
in the year of the hegira 961, A. D. 1552. 
, .Ibrahim, hoWever,-had no fooner mounted the throne, 
than another competitor ftarted up in the province of 
the Panjab. This was Ahmed, a nephew of Shere, and 
brother-in-law to Mohammed, the expelled king. Ahmed, 
having attached to his intereft Hybut and other chiefs, 
affumed the title of Secunder Shah; and, marching with 
twelve thoufand horfe towards Agra, encamped within 
four miles of that city. Ibrahim, with feventy thoufand 
horfe, came out to give him battle. At this fight the 
heart of Secunder melted within him ; and he made over¬ 
tures of peace. The only condition he aiked was'the go¬ 
vernment of the PanjaH. But Ibrahim, in' the pride of 
fuperiorityy would grant him no terms; and therefore 
both armies drevy up and engaged. Secunder himfelf, to 
prevent all fufpicion, committed the enfigns and trap¬ 
pings of royalty to one of his omrahs ; and with a choice 
body of horfe he took poll in a wood, where he could 
not be difeoyered. Ibrahim, upon the firft charge, broke 
through the lines of Secunder; his troops quitted their 
ranks, and, elated with victory, were intent upon nothing 
but plunder, when Secunder, rufhing out fuddenly upon 
them, ftruck a panic into the whole army; they-imme¬ 
diately took to flight, and were purfued by thole whom 
they had before fo eafiiy difeomfited.. Ibrahim, terrified 
and alarmed for his own fafety, abandoned his capital, 
■ and retreated to Simbol. Secunder took poffelfion both 
of Agra and Delhi; but he had no fooner feized' the 
throne, than he received intelligence that the rightful 
heir, fuitan .Hum'aioon, was advancing with a numerous 
army to puniih the ulurpefs of his throne and dominions. 
Humaioon had been treated at the court of the king of 
Perfia, as became the dignity of an emperor and king; 
z. and. 
