42 H I N D O 
prepared for direct hoftilities; and the death of Nizam 
Shah, king of the Deccan Proper, happening about this 
period, afforded a favourable opportunity for commencing 
them. The fultan difpatched cn this expedition the brave 
Khan Khanna, at the head of an army more formidable 
for its (kill than its numbers, intending very fhortly to 
follow himfelf, with the whole force of his empire. On 
their arrival at Burhampour, the capital of Candeifh, they 
were joined by the forces of Ali Khan, the governor; yet, 
though thus confiderably reinforced, the wary general was 
not in hafte to precipitate his troops into aClion. The 
death of Nizam had not involved his kingdom in that 
confufion which had been expeCted; and the kings of 
Vifiapour and Golconda, confidering it as a common 
caufe, had contributed their proportion of troops ; and at 
the head of their united forces, amounting to forty thou- 
fand horfe, their valiant general Soheil advanced to give 
battle to the invading Moguls, who fcarcely amounted to 
half that number. This great difparity by no means dif- 
mayed Khan Khanna, who charged the enemy with incon¬ 
ceivable fury, and maintained the bloody conflict for four- 
and-twenty hours ; when, after the daughter of their ge¬ 
neral and half his army, the reft fled from the field of 
battle. This fignai luccefs did not however fecure the 
conqueft of the fouthern provinces. Armies after armies 
were lent into the field on both fides, each of which had 
alternately the victory. In one of thefe expeditions, ful¬ 
tan Morad, the fecond fori of Akbar, indulging in licen- 
tioufnefs and intoxication, fell a prey to thofe unpardon-, 
able vices, to the great grief of his father, who had dif¬ 
patched ttye valiant and learned Abul Fazil, author of 
the Akbar Nama, the prince’s former tutor, to reclaim 
and regulate the diforders in his army. On his deceafe, 
Abul Fazil fucceeded to the fupreme command, and acted 
with vigour againit the enemy. 
At length Akbar himlelf, in 1598, departed from his 
capital, and led an innumerable army into the Deccan. A 
few miles north of Burhampour lay Haffera, the ftrongeft 
fortrefs in that part of India. The fultan, who was now 
joined by Abul Fazil with the troops under his command, 
in vain inverted that fortrefs with an army of two hun¬ 
dred thoufand men, and pointed againft it the whole force 
of his ordnance. Bahadur, the rajah who governed it, 
defied their utmoft efforts ; but what would not yield to 
the arms, was foon conquered by the gold, of Akbar j he 
fent fuch prefents, accompanied with luch flattering offers 
of preferment, that the rajah was induced not only to fur- 
render the fortrefs, but to enter with all his dependents 
into the fervice of Akbar. He had no fooner, however, 
accompiifhed the object which delighted his heart, than 
a dark* cloud overwhelmed the profpecl that appeared lo 
fplendid, and involved the declining life of this great 
prince in the deepeft gloom of aomeltic affliction. Pre¬ 
vious to his departure from Agra, his fon Selim had been 
fent into the province of Agimere, to curb the infolence 
of rajah Ranna ; but the young prince, finding himfelf at 
the head of a potent army, took advantage of the abfence 
of his father, marched back to Agra,- feized the treafures, 
and declared himfelf fultan. The caftle of Agra was too 
ftrong, and the governor too faithful, to lubmit; but in a 
fliort fpace many cities lefs ftrongly fortified, and many 
governors lefs faithful, yielded to his authority. The 
news of this foul revolt overwhelmed the unhappy mo¬ 
narch with the moft poignant anguifh; but he was fen- 
fible that not a moment Ihould be loft; and therefore, 
leaving his third fon, Shah Daniel, to profecute the con¬ 
queft of the Deccan, aided by Abul Fazil and Khan 
Khanna, he let off without delay for the capital. Willing, 
if poffible, to reclaim his rebellious fon by gentle methods, 
on his arrival at Agra he fent letters full of kiridnefs, and 
fraught with promifes of forgivenefs, if he would lay down 
his arms; but Selim, flulhed with fuccefs, and polfelfed 
of the ftrong fortrefs of Allahabad, bade defiance to 
the melfenger. Indignant at this,, grofs difobedience of 
the refraCtory prince, Akbar directed his. venerable and 
O S T A N. 
brave chief, Abul Fazil, to'go and bring his rebellious 
fon to reafon. But that faithful minifter, on the road to 
Agra, was waylaid and flain by order of Selim. The in¬ 
telligence of bis death filled Akbar with the deepeft af¬ 
fliction, having long experienced the wifdom and fidelity 
of Abul Fazil in the adminiftration of his government; 
befides that this learned omrah was editing the events of 
his life and reign. 
In the mean while, Shah Daniel ancj, Khan Khanna: 
advanced to Ahmednagur, the capital of the Deccan Pro¬ 
per j which, after along and heroic refiltance made by 
the Hindoos, the Moguls had the good fortune to fubdue. 
Confiderable treafures were the reward of the victors; and 
no fooner had they triumphantly returned to Burhampour, 
than ainbafladors arrived from the kings of Vifiapour and 
Golconda, with prefents of great magnificence, and letters 
of fubmiffion couched in the moft humble and refpeCtful 
terms. Thus was the lcheme of Akbar for the reduction 
of the Deccan in part completed; and, however doubtful, 
might be the fincerity of the propofed fubmiffions of the 
kings of Vifiapour and Golconda, ftill a moll: extenfive 
territory was added to his empire, and a vaft annual tri¬ 
bute to its revenue. 
Happy in the contemplation of this and other fplendid. 
events which marked his reign, Akbar wanted nothing to 
fubftantiate his felicity, but the return of his eldeft l'on*to 
a fenfe of his duty. Convinced that nothing but force 
could reclaim him, and determined to exert that force, he 
was on the point of letting out on an expedition for that 
purpofe, when he received the melancholy tidings of his 
third Ion Shah Daniel’s death, at Burhampour, who, in¬ 
volved in the fame deftruCtive habits that had proved fatal 
to his brother, alfo fell a victim of intemperance. By this 
afflicting wound, which funk deep in the bread of Akbar, 
the refentment of a father was at once difarmed ; and he 
again lent letters, which, though couched in terms of fe- 
vere rebuke, yet held forth the paternal bleliing to an 
only-lurviving fon, the prop of his houfe, and the heir of 
his empire. The warm remonftrances of a wife and aged 
omrah, who accompanied the e mb a fly, at length wrought 
upon the rugged foul of Selim ; and he haftened to Agra, 
and threw himfelf at the feet of the injured parent. Ak¬ 
bar at firft, overcome with rage on the reflection of his 
part bafenefs, -not only loaded him with bitter inveCtive, 
but ftruck him with great violence ; when the repentant 
youth, drawing his fword, offered to plunge it into his 
own bofom, contaminated by filial ingratitude and foul re¬ 
bellion. This undifguifed contrition and perturbation of 
mind melted into tears the relenting king; he forgave 
him, he embraced him, and reftored him to favour. But 
the clofe of the reign of the mighty Akbar was rapidly ap¬ 
proaching 5 and in a way which, though blocking to refieCr. 
upon, neverthelefs evinces the juft retribution of offended 
heaven. The fultan having covertly invited a diftin- 
guilhed and powerful omrah of his court, who had given 
him offence, to partake of a fumptuous entertainment, he 
there propofed to take him off by poifon. But, as Provi¬ 
dence would have it, the pcifon was adminiftered to the 
king, and the omrah efcaped with his life. The violence 
of the poifon relifted all the powers of medicine ; and the 
fultan expired on the 13th of OClober, 1605, in the fixty- 
third year of his age, and the fiftieth of his reign. By 
fome writers a veil is drawn over this enormity, which 
eclipfes and obfcures his nobler aCtions ; but we fear the 
truth lies in the ftatement above given. 
Akbar may certainly be ranked in fame with the great- 
eft legiflators and heroes of antiquity. His perfonal va¬ 
lour and prefence of mind were on all trying occafiohs par¬ 
ticularly manifeft. When hunting near Narvik a great 
royal tigrefs; with five whelps, took the road before him. 
Akbar advanced upon the animal, while his retinue flood 
trembling with fear and aftonilhment for the event. The 
fultan, meditating his blow, fpurred on his horfe towards 
the tigrefs, whofe eyes darted fire ; and with one ftroke 
of his fabre cut her acrofs the loins, and ftretched her dead 
at 
