Jan-nisar Khan, deputy governor of Haidarabad, acting for Ruhullah Khan, petitioned the Emperor thus, “Although this hereditary servant was appointed deputy governor at the request of the chief paymaster, Ruhullah Khan, yet the latter has become a cause of trouble to me without any reason, and wishes to remove me from the deputyship. As the Khan's mind, in the manner of a serpent (mar), is always bent on doing harm, I hope that your Majesty will summon this slave to the Presence, so that he may be delivered from these perplexities caused by the worst of men.”

Above the word mar the Emperor wrote the letter he, making it himar (=ass), and also “The poor man, whose name has been corrected by adding the letter he has no power to do harm [like an ass]. But what remedy is there for a bad nature?”

The contents of the Emperor's writing,—“The deputy [governor]-ship has been conferred at his recommenda­tion. What power has he to dismiss? It is [like] that saying, ‘A thief is chained at the words of a peasant, but not released at his request.’ If he complains [against you], then, Whosoever dug a pit for his brother will certainly himself fall into it. That is, I shall remove him from the post of paymaster of tankha.”

Text.—MS. N. 4b 4—5a 3, and then 4b 1—4.

Notes.—Ruhullah Khan I., Mir Bakhshi, was appointed subah­dar of Haidarabad soon after the annexation of the kingdom, 1687. (M. U. ii. 313). But he was evidently removed from the post shortly afterwards. Jan-nisar Khan (Khwajah Abul Mukarram, M. U. i. 537), was never deputy governor of Haida-rabad, but was appointed diwan of Bijapur in Feb., 1690 (M. A. 328, 335). Ruhullah Khan had been appointed subahdar of Bijapur in Sept., 1686, (M.A. 282). There was a Jan-sipar Khan (Mir Bahadur-dil, 3rd son of Mukhtar Khan Sabzawari) who served as governor of Haidarabad for many years after its conquest with great success and credit (M.U. i. 536). Probably the scene of the episode was Bijapur. where Jan-nisar Khan served under Ruhullah Khan.