But some one has just reversed the statement and said:—

“The incapables of the world have risen to power,
How then can Destiny be on the look out for a capable man?”

But the first is true, and the second is not a fair statement of facts.

And among the events of that year was the appearance of a comet in the west. And, when Sháh Mançúr took to wearing a long tail to the back of his turban, they dubbed him ‘The Star with a tail’. And through his excessive economy and stinginess in the army expenses, and the pitch that he reached in grasping in season and out of season; people forgot the tyrannies of Rájah Muzaffar Khán and kept heap­ing upon him abundance of abuse:—

“For many bads are worse than bad.”

(P. 241) In this same year news arrived that Sháh Isma'íl, son of Sháh Ṭahmásp, Emperor of Persia,* had been murdered, with the consent of the Amírs, by his own sister Parí Ján Khánam: and Mír Ḥaidar, the riddle writer, found the táríkh of his accession in the word:—“A king* of the face of the earth:” and the táríkh of his death in:—A king below the earth.” And the effect of the comet in that country became manifest, and in 'Iráq the greatest perturbation resulted, while the Turks conquered Tabríz, Shirwán, and Mázandarán. And Sulṭán Muḥammad Khudábandah, son of Sháh Ṭahmásp by another mother, succeeded to the throne, as is related in its proper place. And the period of cursing and reviling the great Companions of the Prophet, which had lasted for 1,000 months in direct opposition to authority, and involved the use of improper language towards the sons of Ummaiya, came to an end;* but the heresy had already travelled from that country to this:—

“Error* came to Hind from the land of 'Iráq,
Know that 'Iráq rhymes with road to Nifáq.”

While the imperial army was encamped at Mohaní the Emperor wrote a firmán to Qutb-ud-din Muḥammad Khán, and Rájah Bagh-van Dás ordering those two commanders to remain at Kokandah. and Qulíj Khán with other Amírs he ordered to accompany the pilgrim-caravan as far as Ídar, which is 40 cosses from Aḥmadábád, and thence to send on a body of troops to convey them as far as Aḥmadábád, while he himself should lay seize to Ídar, and extirpate Naráin Dás the Rájah of that place. So Qulíj Khán in accord­ance with his orders remained at Ídar, and sent on Tímúr Khán Badakhshí with 500 horsemen to escort the caravan to a place of safety. But the Rájah of Ídar, like the Ráná,* after the fashion of robbers kept wandering from mountain to mountain, and from jungle to jungle:—

“What does the Moon, that the Halo does not imitate?”

At this camping-place Shiháb Khán, and Sháh Bidágh Khán with his son 'Abd-ul-Maṭlab (P. 242) and Sháh Fakhr-ud-dín Khán and other zamíndárs of Málwah, came and paid their respects. And the Emperor left Ghází Khán Badakhshí, who had been raised to the rank of Commander of a Thousand, with Sharíf Muḥammad Khán Atgah, and Mujáhid Khán, and Turk Subḥán Qulí, with 3,000 cavalry at the station of Mohaní. And the military commanders 'Abdurraḥmán Beg son of Jaláluddín Beg, and 'Abdurraḥmán son of Mu'ayyad Beg he left with 500 troops in the hill district; but he sent for Quṭbuddín Khán and Rájah Bhagván Dás from Gogan-dah, and having stationed Sháh Fakhruddín and Jaganáth in Udípúr, and Sayyid 'Abdulláh Khán and Rájah Bhagván Dás at the entrance of the defile of Udípúr, the Emperor went himself into the neigh­bourhood of Bánswála and Dungarpúr. At this place Rájah Todar Mal arrived from Bengál, and brought to the Emperor 500 elephants from the spoil of that kingdom, and other valuables.

While at this place he sent Qulíj Khán (whom he had recalled from Ídar, and appointed Áçaf Khán as leader of the army in his stead) together with Kalyán Ráí Baqqál an inhabitant of Cambay to the port of Çúrat to obtain an agreement from the Europeans, so as to set free the ships of Sulṭan Khwájah,* which for want of such an agreement were lying idle.* Afterwards he was to come to Málwah and join the army.

In the month of Ziḥijjah* of this year took place the New Year's day of the 23rd year from the Accession. He celebrated that festival in the castle of Dibálpúr one of the dependencies of Málwah.

The compiler of this Compendium had on account of a severe sickness remained at Basáwar.* He now asked leave to proceed to the camp by way of Bánswálah. At Hindún* Sayyid 'Abd-ulláh Khán consented, but representing that road was blocked up and full of difficulties, he caused me to return and brought me to Bajaunah. And after some days on account of my anxiety to per­form my duty as one of the Imperial Imáms, I went in company with Razawí Khán by way of Gwályár and Sárangpúr (P. 243), and Ujayn, and on the 12th of Ziḥijjah paid my respects to the Emperor in the confines of Dibálpúr belonging to Málwah. Then I presented to the Emperor a valuable pocket-Qur'án, and a note-book of mar­vellous and rare sermons by Ḥáfiz Muḥammad Amín, a preacher of Qandahár, such a sweet-voiced preacher as whom had never been seen by any one in this generation. This Qur'án and note book had been carried off by some thieves from a certain halting-place a cos distant from Basáwar, and Sayyid 'Abdulláh Khán had gone in pursuit and had handed over the things to me. When I brought them into his presence, the Emperor evinced great pleasure, and calling Ḥafiz Muḥammad Amín he said to him in joke: “They have brought me a pocket-Qur'án from somewhere or other, I make it a present to you.” Ḥafiz recognizing it, was extremely delighted, and making profuse and boundless bows and prostrations by way of thanks, said: Your Majesty the very same day said to Sayyid 'Abdulláh Khán, “If God will, you will find it, it can't be really lost.” When the Emperor enquired of the author the circumstances of its discovery, I replied: “A company of labourers, who in some of the villages of Basáwar are occupied in digging wells and tanks &c., and who under pretext of this occupation do a little in highway robbery had stolen these articles. But one of them, having had a difference with his companion brought word to Sayyid 'Abdulláh Khán, so that he was able to seize them all, and so they confessed the thefts they had committed.” Then the Emperor said to Ḥáfiz: “If God will, the rest of the articles will also be found, so be of good cheer!” To this he replied: “I have attained my wish in the recovery of my Qur'án and note-book, which I received as an inheritance from my father and grandfather, and I cannot compose sermons myself. For the other things I don't care much.” And eventually (P. 244) on the return from that journey those articles were all found among the things taken from the countrymen, as the Emperor had said would be the case, and Sayyid 'Abdulláh Khán brought them into the Imperial presence at Fatḥpúr. While at Dibálpúr I was reinstated in my office of Imám, and Khwájah Daulat Názir had to keep me up to the mark, and in the old way one day and night out of the seven used to make me mount the pulpit, and the proverb became fulfilled: “Little Aḥmad will not go to school, so they carry him”:—

“Either thou goest, or otherwise they will carry thee, there is
no choice”.

And on account of anxiety for the affairs of that kingdom, the Emperor remained some days at Díbálpúr. And some of the great Amírs, such as Shahib-ud-dín Aḥmad Khán he sent, with the jágír­dár s of Málwah, against Rájah 'Alí Khán in the direction of Asír and Burhánpúr, to subdue that district. And Sháhbáz Khán, Bakh-shí , was to see to the branding of the horses and the mustering of that army. At that station Rájah Todar Mall, together with I'timád Khán of Gujrát, was appointed to look into revenues of the country of Gujrát, and into the stores of that kingdom.

At this time news came of the defeat of Rájah Naráín Dás, and the taking of Ídar. The particulars are as follows: When Qulíj Khán, through the efforts of 'Alí Murád Uzbek, who had been sent to fetch him, had left Ídar and returned to Court, and Áçaf Khán* had been appointed to the command, the Rájah of Ídar, who had become an outcast and wanderer, had with the assistance of Ráná Kíká and other zamíndárs collected an army and advanced to within 10 cosses of the station of Ídar, intending to make a night attack. Then Áçaf Khán and Mírzá Muḥammad Muqím and Tímúr Ba-dakhshí, and Mír Abu-l-ghays Bokhárí, and Mír Muḥammad Ma'çúm Bakrí, &c. agreed that it would be the best plan (P. 245), leaving about 500 horse to guard the station, themselves to make a night attack on the enemy, and so anticipate him in his plans. Accord­ingly just at daybreak on the 4th of Ziḥijjah, in the year nine hundred and eighty-four (984), when they had proceeded 7 cosses, Rájah Naráín Dás met them coming in the opposite direction armed cap à pie, and immediately attacked them, and arrows and swords and javelins began flying in the air. And Mírzá Muḥammad Muqím, who was in the van in advance of every one, in drinking the draught of martyrdom still showed his superiority. Defeat fell on the infidels, and they fled to a man and skulked like foxes in their holes. When the dispatch of Áçaf Khán arrived, a firmán of commendation was issued to the officers of that army.

In this year Mír Sayyid Muḥammad Mír'adal, who had been appointed to the government of Bhakkar, sent Sayyid Abu-l-Fazl and his other sons against Sabwí (?), and then reduced that fortress in a short space of time. And Mír Sayyid Abul Qásim son of Mír Sayyid Çafálí (who is one of the most important personages of Bhakkar and had come to do homage at Court) was raised to the rank of a body-guardsman. And this line gives the date:—