The enlightened* gatherers of experience, and the illuminated souls of those who walk with circumspection, do not accept truths in advance of evidence, and do not hasten on to beliefs with poverty in arguments. Every great man, who at the time of increase of realm and power keeps the rose-garden of his heart fresh and ver­dant by the irrigating waters of justice, and who regards his pros­perity as material for supplication to God and gives to his thoughts and actions the adornment of auspiciousness, and who regards him­self as a trustee appointed by God, and watches over soldier and subject, and who applies the balm of soothing speech and kindness to the distressed and broken, shall assuredly have his wishes accom­plished without having to entreat the help of sellers of service and will execute easily difficult enterprises. These things are apparent in the early career of the world's lord, and this noble record tells somewhat of them. The ruin of the Mīrzā is a fresh instance of this, and will be recognized as such by the awakened and fortunate.

When some disaffection arose in India, and the fire of discord attacked part of it, the villains of that country and the foolish ones of Afghanistan* bewildered that misguided young man and led him to indulge in vain thoughts. He sent some soldiers and stirred up strife. Retribution followed, and he ought to have awaked from his somnolence, and have felt ashamed and have endeavoured to remedy his backslidings. On the contrary, he hastened to make war.

When he crossed the Indus, the officers of that quarter obeyed the royal command and gathered together at Lahore and prepared to defend the fort. M. Yūsuf* K. put down his foot to defend Rohtās and no one joined the evil-thoughted one. Far less did any of the enlightened ones. He read the writing of failure on the soldiers,* and he did not see any of the peasantry inclined towards him. Hopelessness from time to time augmented his anguish. He ³⁴⁵ pleased himself with the lies of foolish talkers, and spent his days in idle fancies. He brayed the wind in a mortar, and sifted water with a sieve! At last he came to besiege Lahore. By untimely efforts he laboured to open the knot of his own destruction! Though the retreat of the imperialists rejoiced him for a time, yet he had heard much of the deeds of those lovers of honour and foes of life. Their not fighting at this time encouraged his hopes. He trembled at the courage and activity of the world's lord, but was supported by not hearing of his advance.

When the moment chosen by heaven arrived, H.M. turned his sun towards the Panjab. Joy circulated in the brain of the age…

The world's lord marched on tranquilly, hunting by the way. Though he advanced from stage to stage, no report came of his (M. Ḥakīm's) having fled. No dust of apprehension clouded his soul. The evil-minded rejoiced from thinking that he (M. Hakīm) intended to fight, while the auspicious and acute were glad from the thought that he would be defeated. With his pearl-laden tongue he (Akbar) said, “Something tells me that his standing his ground comes from his not believing that the royal standards are approach­ing. Idle talkers have impressed a different opinion on him. Prob­ably when we reach Sirhind, we shall hear of his flight.” What that knower of the secrets of destiny had said, came to pass. On the same* day that the standards left the capital the Mīrzā stirred up the dust of strife near Lahore and spent twenty* days in melan­choly joy in that garden of Mahdī Qāsim K., and shot arrows at an imaginary target. S'aīd K., Rajah Bhagwant Dās, Kuar Mān Singh, Saiyid Hāmid K. (Bokhārī), Muḥammad Zamān and other fief-holders of the Panjab strengthened the fort somewhat and prepared for war. As the order was, not to engage, they abode in the bat­teries and from prudence they restrained the beturbaned (i.e. the ³⁴⁶ learned) foolish talkers of the city from making confusion. By the help of God they prevented the gates from being opened.* Several times did Sher Khwāja, Nād 'Alī, Qorbān 'Alī and Mīr Sikandar make attacks from the side of the besiegers, but they received* buffets from God's hand. The Mīrzā became from time to time more distressed on account of the non-advancement of the work, and showed dissatisfaction with his prating companions. Suddenly his brain was worsened by the sound of the approach of the Shāhinshāh. He quickly turned to fly. He crossed the Rāvī one kos above Mahdī Qāsim K.'s garden and hastened off in confusion to Kabul. On that night he halted for a while in the neighbourhood of Shāham 'Alī, and then crossed the Cenāb near Jalālābād.* Many of his companions lost their lives in that crossing. Near Bhera he crossed the Bihat, and many also perished in its waves. He crossed the Indus by the way of Khīp* and returned to his own country. When H.M. heard of this, his royal clemency was put in motion and an order was issued that the army should refrain from pursuit lest in the rush of waters the Mīrzā's boat should be sunk, and his condition pass beyond the power of remedies. “If that unfortunate one does not understand matters, and does not acquire enlightenment, why shall we, who have such glory of wisdom, erase his existence. Possibly he may in time gain sense, and the highway of vision may be manifested to him. Moreover in the balance of appreciation a brother is weightier than a son (because the former cannot be replaced).

On the 24th (Isfandarmaẕ?) the army encamped at Sirhind and H.M. rested in the delightful gardens* of that city.

One of the occurrences was the revival of the laws of adminis tration. Inasmuch as the far-seeing prince from time to time gives a new foundation to prudence, and regards the improvement of the world as the worship of God, on this occasion a pleasant thought occurred to him. An order was issued that the jāgīrdārs shiqdārs, and dāroghās of the empire should reduce to writing the numbers and the occupations of the inhabitants, village by village, and should classify* them. They were not to allow any one to live with­out some trade or occupation, and they were to look narrowly into ³⁴⁷ the income and expenditure of men—who are composed of the good and the bad—so that in a short space of time the outwardly good, but inwardly bad, might be discovered, and the false, gold-incrusted coin might be brought to the place of weighment. By this enlightened order there was a market-day of graciousness, and the wide territory of India received a great calm. On the 28th he crossed the Sutlej at Macīwāra by a noble bridge. In that neighbourhood the Panjab officers did homage. Each was exalted by special favours. Thanksgivings were offered up for the successful results.