Whoever shall, out of a disordered intellect, enter upon such a no-thoroughfare (berāh), abandons his* own interest—let alone sincerity and loyalty—and shows a disregard for his own reputation, which substantially consists in guarding his master's sovereignty. Assuredly, there is no need for me to say that in this crisis his blood was spilt and that his honour was spilt. The fate of this lover of his life became a warning to the wise. I need not mention magnanimity in connection with this matter. Why should I search for that rare and priceless jewel in dust-bins? I'm not so inexperienced! But this I can say; it has been proved by a succession of utterances by sages, and is abundantly clear, that a runaway receives more wounds than the brave man who endures the stress of battle, and that lovers of their lives and fliers from death are trampled upon by the forces of destruction sooner than those who covet death and are intrepid in fight. If a man will exercise a little moderation, and not show depression in time of adversity, or intoxication in time of prosperity, he will never see an evil day. A number of the reckoners up of regis­ters of deeds think that Tardī Beg Khān's coming to such disgrace is a kind of expiation for the disloyalty which he showed towards H.M. Jahānbānī Jinnat Āshiyānī in the beginning of the journey to Persia. Go to, could this be an expiation for disloyalty? And can a disgrace such as this be placed in the balance of justice as a counterpoise to the shameful act? Because he saw the Lord of the Age, who had been brought for the perfecting of the visible and invisible, in the disguise of boyhood, and did not pay regard to him, and wanted to show off his own greatness, the world-adorning God inflicted such punishment on this self-approver. Alas! Alas! What short-sightedness this was! Or rather the stewards of fate increased the arrogance and intoxication of Hemū in order to show the majesty of the Shāhinshāh, so that that self-conceited self-worshipper appeared great in the eyes of the short-sighted, of whom the world is full. Afterwards he was seized and cast down to the ground of overthrowal so that his disgrace might become collyrium to the eyes of the short-sighted, and that by drawing somewhat nigh to the glory of the Lord of the Age, they might be more careful to obey his commands, which compose the arrangements of the visible and invisible.

In fine, Hemū, who was seeing his own large army thrown into confusion and scattered, regarded this strange event (Tardī Beg's flight) as a trick of his enemy, and did not pursue Tardī Beg Khān, but proudly drew up his forces on the very field of battle. The rank-breaking heroes who had followed the fugitives were amazed when they returned, and hastened off in the same direction as Tardī Beg Khān. After this Hemū entered Delhi and increased his arrogance, so that his intoxication became madness.

When this unnatural occurrence was made known to the sublime Court, H.M. the Shāhinshāh in the strength of his far-seeing wisdom was not affected by it, and issued orders to the embroiderers of honour's carpet and the battle-field-adorners, that they should set forth in a propitious hour and chastise that arrogant blockhead. He lighted up the face of royal majesty with the colouring of submission and surrender to the Divine will, and cast the shadow of favour on the management of the affairs of world-government. As his mind was not satisfied about the matter of Sikandar, he left a force under the charge of Khīzr Khwāja Khān, who belonged to the race of the rulers of Moghulistān, and who having been oxalted by an alliance,* with the sublime family, was highly honoured among the Amīrs, to put order into the distracted affairs of the Punjab and to quell the dis­turbances caused by Sikandar. He then addressed himself to the overthrowal of Hemū.

As the festival of the 'Īd Qūrbān was near at hand, the prepara­tions for holding it were made, and in an auspicious hour on the day of Bahman 2 Ābān, Divine month, corresponding to Thursday 10, Ẕī-l-ḥajja, which was the 'Īd Qūrbān, there was an assemblage in the 'Īdgāh, and after the rites of the feast had been performed, H.M. took up his quarters there. An order (firmān) was addressed to Tardī Beg Khān, and the other officers, directing them to keep up their hearts and to stand firm. The gist of it was that they should not despair on account of an occurrence which, in accordance with the Divine decree, had emerged into light from the chamber of secrecy; that the Divine Artificer of wonders uses a variety of colours; and that they should, as a matter of extreme caution, assemble at the town of Thānesar and there await the arrival of the imperial army. Next day he moved from there under the guidance of Divine wisdom and on Ābān the 10th of Ābān, the Divine month, corresponding to Friday the 18th Ẕīḥajja encamped at Sahrind. The defeated officers and 'Alī Qulī Khān Shaibānī had come to the neighbourhood of Sihrind before the receipt of the imperial orders, and after paying their homage were favourably dealt with.

One of the occurrences of this time was Bairām Khān's putting Tardī Beg Khān to death. The account of this affair is as follows: Bairām Khān recognised Tardī Beg Khān as his rival and was always apprehensive of him. Tardī Beg too regarded himself as leader of the army and was lying in wait for an opportunity to overthrow Bairām Khān. Each, too regarded points of bigotry as of the essence of religion, and made them additional reasons for watching for oppor­tunities to ruin one another. In spite of such mutual antagonism, the origin of which was want of understanding and envy, they from motives of feigning and deception stood in the relation of tūqān* to one another, and tūqān means in Turkī brother (hamzād). Bairām Khān thought that this occasion, when Tardī Beg Khān was defeated and ashamed, was opportune, and so renewed his friendship and affection and brought him to his house through the exertions of Maulānā Pīr Muḥammad Khān. Alleging a purpose of* purification (ahārat), he left him in his pavilion and went out, and his myrmidons entered and put Tardī Beg to death.* Khwāja Sulān Ālī* and the Mīr Munshī,* who were suspected of treachery and privity, were imprisoned along with Khanjar Beg* who was nearly related to Tardī Beg. H.M. the Shāhinshāh from policy and wisdom had ostensibly withdrawn him­self from the management of affairs and was engaged in hunting. Or his motive was to screen himself for a time from the evil thoughts of the short-sighted, and to observe the degrees of good service, and the stages of fidelity in men, and to fix them in his acute mind, and that the stratagems of the evil-minded might become clear to his heart without the intervention of others. On the very day that this thing occurred he, according to his usual custom, was enjoying the pastime of hawking in the pleasant plains of Sihrind.

When he heard the facts he, out of his plenitude of wisdom, expressed no astonishment. He left the retribution to God, and uncomplainingly contemplated the decrees of Providence. When he returned in the evening from the hunting-ground, the Khān-Khānān sent Maulānā Pīr Muḥammad Shirwānī to him and represented that “the cause of his presumption was solely his devotion to the throne. Tardī Beg Khān had knowingly and treacherously elected in this battle the ignominy of flight. His insincerity and hypocrisy were known to all, for from first to last he had behaved badly. If such offences were passed over, the enterprises which H.M. had in view would not be accomplished. He was much ashamed of his presump­tion in not taking permission. The cause of this daring was that H.M. was a mine of kindness, and a fountain of benevolence. Cer­tainly he would not have agreed to his (Tardī Beg) being killed. Under these circumstances if an order forbidding the deed had come from H.M., it would have been presumptuous beyond all bounds to act in opposition to it, while to obey the order, would have caused disorder in the country, and sedition in the army. He hoped that he would approve of him with the glance of pardon so that other evil-doers might take warning.” The lord of the world, visible and invisible, graciously received Bairām Khān's messenger and accepted the excuses of the Khān-Khanān. He soothed him by marks of favour and confidence, and addressed himself to the extirpation of contention.