And in the year nine hundred and seventy-seven (977), when the news of the taking of Chítor and Rintambhor became spread abroad on all sides (P. 120) and in all directions, and Rám Chand the ruler of Bhat'h found that his fortresses could no longer hold out, and that they were short of water, he began to consider seriously what would be the result of continued opposition, and before matters came to such a pitch that he would be obliged to capitulate, sent the key of the fortress of Kálinjar with valuable presents to Court. This fortress he had bought for a considerable sum of money from Bijlí Khán, the reputed son of Bahádur Khán Sarwání. The Em­peror committed this fortress to the charge of Majnún Khán Qáqshál, who had a jágír in that neighbourhood. He also sent a conciliatory farmán to Rájah Rám Chand, and gave him the pargan-na of Arail (which is near to Jhosí, and Piyág known as Ilhábás) together with its dependencies as jágír.

On the seventeenth of the month Rabí'ulawwal* of this year, when seven hours of the day had passed, the auspicious birth of the Im­perial Prince Sulṭán Salím took place at the abode of Shaikh Islem Chishtí at Fatḥpúr:—

“You would say that a star had come to the earth,
That Joseph had come a second time to the world.
On the crown of his head through wisdom
There shone a star of eminence.”

The Emperor set out with all expedition from Ágrah, and in the excess of his joy ordered all prisoners to be released, and for seven days held high festival. The poets presented him with congratula­tory qaçídahs. Of that number was Khwájah Ḥusain Marwí, who recited a qaçídah, of which each first hemistich contains the date of the Emperor's accession, and each second hemistich the date of happy birth of the Imperial Prince, the refuge of the world. He received two lacs of tankahs in money. The Qaçídah is as follows:—

Praise to God for the pomp and glory of our king!
(P. 121) A pure pearl from the ocean of justice is come to the shore:
A bird from the nest of pomp and bounty has alighted:
A star from the pinnacle of glory and beauty is manifested:
A rose of this sort they have not shown on the ground of the garden.
A tulip of this sort has not opened in the tulip-bed.
The nurse of the spring-cloud, through the tenderness of excellence,
Made the grass the companion of the rose, the pearl that of the jewel.*
The Sun* said: ‘It is right that for that Piece-of-moon
It should make an ear-ring of Zohrah for the adorning of beauty:
5
The coming of a son adds to the adornment of a king, perhaps
The incomparable Lúlú* would add to the adornment of the royal Pearl.
All hearts were glad that again from the heaven of justice and equity
The world once more revived, through the Sun of the days of spring.
That new-moon of the mansion of power and bounty and pomp came down,
And that shoot of the desire of the soul of the king bore fruit.
The king of the realm of fidelity, the Sultan of the palace of purity,
The taper of the assembly of the heart-broken, the desire of the heart of the hopeful,
The noble the perfect Muhammad Akbar, Lord of conjunction,
The renowned king, seeking and attaining his desire,
10
The perfectly capable sage, the most just of the kings of the world,
Noble, loftiest, a sage without a rival in the world.
From his speech the meaning of the ecstatic state is understood:
(P. 122) And from his perfection the building of religion and of the world is firm.
Shadow of God's bounty is he, worthy of crown and seal,
A religion-protesting king is he, noble pivot of the world.
At times from onslaught of fury he takes pardon on his tongue,
At times with the tongue of the spear he says to the enemy, Flee!
Know that the fourth heaven is the censer in his assembly,
Know that Arcturus is the spearman of his cavalcade.
15
Whenever his victorious cavalcade passes, the whole world
Cries out “Happiness” on the right hand, “Wealth” on the left.
O the power of the pen, which like running water
Goes over black and white day and night!
O thou like the work of the Eternal, thou Sun of kingdom and religion,
Thou who glorifiest the step of eminence, Shadow of God.
O prince of the lofty standard, wise of heart, and Saturn-throned,
O prince of lofty centre, just-one of exalted family.
Lord of the wealth of the world, king of sea and land,
To thy friends thou art kind, mindful of the generous.
20
King of the dawn of justice and truth, moon of the evening of pomp and dignity,
Quick as lightning in decision, strong as mountain to bear burdens.
O mine of justice and bounty, fountain of grace and liberality,
Precious and beauteous, nourisher of religion, and chaste.
Protector of the religion of the Prophet, O eraser of marks of evil.
(P. 123) Prince of the lofty standard, a mine of bounty, and mountain of weight.
Illumination of the mansion of existence, pearl of the sea of bounty,
From the desire of the pinnacle of hearts a falcon hunting lives.
At thy bounty how can a single drop remain before the cloud for shame,
Compared with thy nature “Bounty” is not applicable to the spring-cloud.
25
O King I have brought a string of precious pearls,
A present which is become precious, seek it out and listen.
None has a present better than this, if any have one at all,
If any have any, tell him “Come”, anything he has tell him “Bring”.
Each verse of the poem of Marwí, it is sufficient if it be without mistake,*
Whichever [verse] you try you will find the purpose twice:
The first half gives the year of the king's Accession,
From the second bring out the Birth of the Light of the Eye of the world.*
That the reckoning of the days and months and year may last,
And that that number may be illustrious on account of the year and month and day:
30
When our king comes to an end, may our prince endure
Days without number, and years without count.”

And that Shaikh of nations, Shaikh Ya'qúb Çírfí of Kashmír com­posed a qaçídah of the same kind. But what was the good! Another person carried off the reward. And some one else made the follow­ing mnenosynon: “The royal pearl of the sea of Akbar”* and another:—

“From the rising of good-fortune a prosperous king appeared.”*

On Friday the 12th of the month Sha'bán* the Emperor set out to pay a vow of thanks for the rising of (P. 124) this star of prosperity, and went on foot from Ágra to Ajmír, travelling six or seven cosses each day. After fulfilling the rites of the pilgrimage he returned, and in the blessed month of Ramzán* he encamped outside Dihlí, and spent some days in visiting the tombs of the saints of God, and then crossing the river Jumna he returned to the metropolis hunting as he went.

In this year the Emperor had Mírzá Muqím of Içfahán together with a certain person named Mír Ya'qúb of Kashmír put to death on the charge of being Shí'ahs. The facts are as follows. This Mírzá Muqím had been several times to Lak'hnou to pay his respects to Ḥusain Khán, and the Khán (who is now deceased) had received him with kindness and favour, on account of the great respect he had for the Sayyids, and had made him administrator of his govern­ment. Afterwards the brothers and relatives of the Khán impressed upon him the idea, that this Mirzá was a violent and zealous Shí'ah, and utterly alienated his feelings from the Mírzá, who now went to do homage to the Emperor and was favourably received and appointed Wakíl at the court of Ḥusain Khán governor of Kashmír. At that time a number of zealous Shí'ahs had in their bigotry wounded Qází Ḥabíb, who was a zealous Sunní. It happened that the said Qází was still living when Ḥusain Khán of Kashmír on the decision of the Muftís ordered the assassin to be put to death. Mírzá Muqím, on his own responsibility, handed over the Muftís on the charge of “Why did they issue a mandate for the execution of that person, though he might be deserving of punishment?” to a certain person, who was a violent and furious bigot, and he put to death three or four of them. Now when Mírzá Muqím and Mír Ya'qúb, the wakíl of Ḥusain Khán, brought the daughter of Ḥusain Khán to Court as a sort of present, this story was represented to the Em­peror, and these two persons upon the decision of Shaikh 'Abdunnabí and other Ulamás, who were his family, were brought to the just punishment of their wicked deeds in the plain of (P. 125) Fatḥpúr. And a portion of this story has been inserted in the history of Kash-mír of which the author of these pages has written an epitome.