The passing of the great star that illumines the world into the constellation of Aries took place on the night of Saturday, the 14th Zī-l-ḥijja, in Hijra 1017 (21st March, 1609), and New Year's Day that made brilliant the world began with good auspices and rejoicing. On Friday, the 5th Muḥarram, in the year 1018, Ḥakīm ‘Alī died. He was an unrivalled physician; he had derived much profit from Arabic sciences. He had written a commentary on the Canon (of Avicenna) in the time of my revered father. He had greater diligence than understanding, just as his appearance was better than his disposition, and his acquirements better than his talents; on the whole he was bad-hearted, and of an evil spirit. On the 20th Ṣafar I dignified Mīrzā Barkhūrdār with the title of Khān ‘Ālam. They brought from the neighbourhood of Fatḥpūr a watermelon, greater than any I had ever seen. I ordered them to weigh it, and it came to 33 seers. On Monday, the 19th Rabī‘u-l-awwal, the feast of my annual lunar weighing was arranged in the palace of my revered mother; a part of the money was divided among the women who had assembled there on that day.
As it had been evident that in order to carry on the
affairs of the State in the Subah of the Deccan it was
necessary to send one of the princes there, it came into
my mind to send my son Parwīz there. I ordered them
to send his equipments and fix the hour for his departure.
I summoned to Court Mahābat Khān, who had been
nominated to the command of the army against the rebel
Rānā to arrange certain matters at headquarters, and
appointed in his place ‘Abdu-llah Khān, whom I exalted
with the title of Fīrūz-jang. I sent ‘Abdu-r-Razzāq
bakhshī to carry an order to all the mansabdars of that
army not to depart from the orders of the aforesaid
Khān, and to pay every heed to his thanks and blame.
On the 4th Jumādā-l-awwal one of the goatherds, who
are a particular tribe, brought before me a gelded goat
that had teats like a female, and gave every day sufficient
milk to take with a cup of coffee.*
As milk is one of
the favours of Allah, and the source which nourishes
many animals, I looked on this strange affair as an omen
for good. On the 6th of the same month, having given
him the rank of 2,000 personal and 1,500 horse, I sent
Khurram, son of Khān A‘am, to the government of the
province of Sorath, which is known as Jūnagaḍh (in
Kaṭhiyawāḍ). I honoured*
Ḥakīm Ṣadrā with the title of
Masīḥu-z-zamān, and gave him the rank. of 500 personal
and 30 horse. On the 16th a jewelled waist-sword was
sent to Rāja Mān Singh. On the 22nd, having handed
over 2,000,000 rupees for the expenses of the army of
the Deccan, which had been ordered for Parwīz, to a
separate treasurer, 500,000 rupees more were given for
the private expenses of Parwīz. On the 25th, Wednesday,
Jahāndār (his son), who previously to this had been
appointed, together with Qubu-d-dīn Khān Koka, to
Bengal, came and waited on me. In reality it became
known to me that he was a born devotee.*
As my
mind was taken up with the preparations for the Deccan,
on the 1st Jumādā-l-ākhir I nominated the Amīru-l-