“Wealth never remains in the hand of the free,
Nor patience in the heart of a lover, nor water in a sieve.”

Although the author was never with him on any serious battle­fields, still I was his companion in many jungle-warfares, and com­fortless journeys. And I observed in him a resolution and a courage, such as perhaps those renowned heroes, who have left their names emblazoned on the pages of history, may have possessed; and not to mention his immense physical strength (P. 225) and prowess—they might have boasted of the same courage as that lion-like warrior. And in the day of battle the Fátiḥah* which he read was to this effect: “Either martyrdom or victory.”* And whenever people told him that he ought to put victory before martyrdom, he used to say: “My desire is rather to see the glorious departed, than the lords who remain alive.” And such was his liberality, that if by any possible supposition the treasures of the world and the Sultanate of the whole face of the earth could have become accessible to him, and have been delivered over to him, the very first day he would have become a bankrupt. And this quit'ah became true in his day:—

“He did right in not making both worlds* manifest,
The peerless Lord, dispenser of justice, without equal or compare:
Else in a moment of liberality he would have given away both,
And the Creature would have nothing left to hope for from the High God.”

And sometimes it would so happen that he would purchase forty or fifty horses, Arabs, and of mixed breed, and Turkish, at the price at which the dealer first offered them, and would say “You and God know that:—

‘A true merchant never demands too much.’”

And afterwards at some social gathering would give them all away to his friends, and then apologize for so doing. The very first time that the writer became acquainted with him, at the time when the army of Garha-Katangah was being got ready at Ágrah, he pre­sented me with an Arab horse, which he had bought for 500 rupees, and in accordance with:—

“The king of Hormúz never saw me, and without a word from me
He conferred on me a hundred favours;
The king of Yazd saw me, and I lauded him,
But he did not give me anything.”

What can one do?

“Speak of a person, as you find him.”

(P. 226). When he removed his baggage from this transitory world, he was in debt to the amount of a lac and a half of rupees, and more; but, on account of the numerous good offices which he had during his lifetime performed for his creditors, they of their own free will and pleasure tore up his bonds, and went away per­fectly satisfied, with prayers for the pardon, acceptance, peace, and eternal happiness of his soul upon their lips. And they did not on account of his liabilities bring any lawsuit or litigation against his children (such as is the usual bequest of deceased debtors):—

“There are Muḥammads and Muḥammads:
The live one killed me, and the dead one revived me.”*

In a word how can I, when there is such uninimity of opinion on the subject, find the ability to eulogize such numerous virtues as his. But since I spent in his service the best of this life, which is the flower of youth, and not the mere dregs of life, which is the time of the worthlessness of old age and bewilderment, and since through his kind patronage I have got on so exceedingly well, and am become one of the renowned of the age, and a man of mark in the world, and have obtained the blessing (in so far as it is possible) of contributing to the comfort of the servants of the Lord of earth and heaven, therefore, in gratitude to God for his many favours and goodnesses towards me, have I composed this memorial section, in commemoration of some of his good qualities, though it be but one of a thousand, but a few out of many:—

“It is not that I confer any honour on Muḥammad by men­tioning him,
But rather my words that are honoured by mentioning Mu­#x1E25;ammad.”

And trusting in the truth of the saying ‘To commemorate the righteous brings down mercy from God,’ I hope on account of this commemoration of his virtues to become a recipient of the all-embracing mercy of God:—

Repeat to us the mention of Na'mán,* verily the mention of him
Is like musk, which diffuses its odour as often as thou agitatest it.

So that it may come to pass in accordance with that old time which I spent with him, that my resurrection may also be with him; as has been intended, and involved in futurity: “And this is not difficult with God.”*

And in this year the Emperor, on account of the beauty of my voice, which was comparable with the sweet voice, and ravishing tones (P. 227) of a parrot, made me the Reader of the Prayers on Wednes­day evenings, and entered me among the seven Imáms.* And the duty of summoning the congregation on that day and night he com­mitted to Khwájah Doulat Názir Ghaif Shadíd (a eunuch, neither man, nor woman,) and appointed him a stipend on the condition that he should be present at the five hours of prayer.*

At this time Khwájah Amín-ud-dín Muḥammad (known as Khwájah Amíná) passed from the world, and the abundant wealth which he left behand came into the royal treasury.

On the 17th of the month Zí-Qadah* of this year, the Emperor's journey to Ajmír took place, and at one of the stages he, according to his usual custom on such occasions, went on foot on a pilgrimage to the Sacred Sepulchre. On the 9th of this month the Sun entered Aries:—

“The Workman, the Sun, when he begins anew his work,
His entrance into Aries makes glorious the rising Morn.”

This was the commencement of the twenty-second year from the accession. At this time news arrived, that after the death of Mun'im Khán, Khán Khánán, the Amírs being unable any longer to withstand the attacks of Dáúd, had retired on Ḥájípúr and Patnah from Gaur and Tánḍah, and that Khán Jahán, because his army was still at Láhor, was advancing but slowly. Accordingly the Emperor wrote a farmán, and entrusted it to Turk Subhán Qulí to bear to Khán Jahán, ordering him to hasten up as quickly as possible. And Subhán Qulí performed his mission, covering a distance of nearly a thousand cosses in twenty-two days. At the same time news came to Ágrah, that Khán Jahán, on arriving at Garhi, had fought an obstinate battle with the Afgháns of Dáúd, and had defeated them, and was still advancing.