50 H. Beveridge —Observations on General Maclagaris paper. [No. 1, 
passages in tlie Akbarnama, Bib. Ind. ed., Vol. Ill, pp. 272, 73, cor¬ 
responding to III. 142 of the Cawnpore edition. But though Akbar’s 
alleged dislike to the Muhammadan religion and partiality for Hinduism 
are there mentioned, nothing is said about the assertions being refuted 
by the Christians. The second misstatement is more serious. Mr. 
"Etehatsek says: “ The only passage in the whole Akbarnama in which a 
temporary inclination of Akbar towards Christianity has been alluded 
to is as follows 
“ He conversed for some time on the religions information he had obtained 
from Christian priests, but it appeared after a short while, that their arguments 
had made no great impression upon his mind, so that he troubled himself no more 
with contemplations about asceticism, the allurements of poverty, and the despic¬ 
ableness of a worldly life.” 
Now, it would indeed be extraordinary if Abul Fazl had represented 
his master as ceasing to be interested in contemplations about asceticism, 
etc., for he is continually saying the reverse. He is never weary of 
referring to Akbar’s love for a detached and solitary life, and of de¬ 
scribing him as keeping the lamp of privacy burning, though apparently 
engrossed in worldly business or pleasure. In the Memorabilia collected 
at the end of the Ain we find Akbar saying: “Discourses on philosophy 
have such a charm for me that they distract me from all else, and I 
forcibly restrain myself from listening to them, lest the necessary 
duties of the hour should be neglected ” (Jarrett’s translation). It is 
incredible, too, that any one who aspired to found a new religion would 
think, or speak, lightly of asceticism. But in fact Abul Fazl has no 
such passage as Mr. Rehatsek has ascribed to him. The reference he 
gives is to the Lucknow ed. III. 208. This corresponds to III. 128 of 
the Cawnpore ed. and to III, 243, 44 of the Bib. Ind. ed. But the 
passage does not refer to Akbar at all ! It is a description of one 
‘Abdul Baqi Turkestan! who had been to Mecca and had picked up 
some religious notions from Christian philosophers (Ahbar-i-Nasara). 
“ For a time,” says Abul Fazl, “ his fluency gained him credit, but it soon 
appeared that he had not exercised a seeing eye, and had not penetrated 
to the holy temple of religious observances (or asceticism, riyazat). He 
became convinced of his incapacity and of the waste that he had made 
of his life, and started his studies anew.” Probably this means that 
‘Abdul Baqi, who is described as being a man of good disposition and 
as acquainted with philosophy, became one of Akbar’s disciples, for we 
learn from the AiD that he became a Sadr or chief minister of religion. 
The chapter on Akbar’s “ Ijtihad ” describes the declaration of 
faith made by the Ulama, but does not give a copy of it. This, however, 
may be seen in Badayuni, Lowe’s translation, p. 279, and also in the 
