jahangir and jesus

THROUGHOUT the discussions of which we have spoken,
the King always showed his deep regard for Chrift
our Lord. He also spoke very ftrongly in favour of
the use of pi&ures, which, amongft the Moors, are
regarded with abhorrence; and on coming from
Lahor, and finding his palaces at Agra very beautifully
decorated and adorned both inside and outside with
many pictures which had already been completed, and
others that were being painted, in a balcony \varanda]
where he sits daily to be seen by the people : l
nearly all these piftures were of a sacred charafter,
for in the middle of the ceiling there was a paint-
ing of Chrift our Lord, very perfeftly finished,
with an aureola, and surrounded by angels; and on
the walls were some small piftures of the Saints,
including John the Bapti&, St. Antony, St. Bernadine
of Sena, and some female Saints. In another part
were some Portuguese figures of large size, also very
beautifully painted. On the outside of the wall,
where is the window at which the King sits when he
shows himself to the people, there had been painted
life-size portraits of some of his favourites; but these
he ordered to be obliterated, and in place of them he
had painted a number of Portuguese figures, very well
arranged, and of huge Mature, so that they could be
seen from all parts of the maidan [for todo o terreird].

There were three figures on each side of the window.
Above those on the right was a representation of
Chrift our Lord with the globe of the world in His
hand, and on the left of our Lady the Virgin,
copied from a painting by St. Luke; and to the right
and left of these were various Saints in a po&ure of
prayer. The window where the King sits, being in
the form of an oriel [charola}, every part of which is
coloured, he had painted on the flanks of the same
wall life-size portraits of his two sons very splendidly
attired. Above one of them is a representation, on
a smaller scale, of our Lord and a Father of the Com-
pany with a book in his hand, and above the other,
of our Lady the Virgin, On the vault of the charola
are pidhires of St. Paul, St. Gregory, and St. Ambrose. 2

It is a great consolation to the Fathers, when they
come here to wait upon the King, to tell their beads
before the pifture of our Lady, and to commend
themselves to Chrift our Lord ; and they give constant
thanks to God that these sacred pictures, which fill
the Moors with astonishment every time they look
upon them, are thus publicly displayed in this infidel
King's chamber, which resembles the balcony [varan Jo]
of a devout Catholic King rather than of a Moor.

In the interior of the palace the walls and the
ceilings of the various halls are adorned with piftures
illuftrating the life of Chrift, scenes from the A&s
of the Apoftles, copied from the Lives of the Apoftles
which the Fathers had given him, and the Stories of
SS. Ana and Susana and many other Saints. All
this the King did of his own accord, without a sug-
ge&ion from anyone. He himself selefted, from his
own collection of piftures, the figures to be painted ;
and he ordered his artifts to consult the Fathers as
to the colours to be used for the coftumes, and to
follow their in&ruftions in every detail.

The King's way of decorating his palace was very
offensive to the Moors, who regard pidhires of all
kinds with such disfavour that they will not tolerate
portraits of their own saints, much less those of the
Christian faith, which they hate so bitterly. As they
deny altogether the passion of our Lord, they greatly
resented a large pifture, a copy of a painting of Chrift
a coluna, which the King had made at this time. It
was his intention that this should serve as a pattern
for a curtain [fano] which he had ordered to be made
of pure silk, and on which were to be woven, as on
arras, the same figure of Chrift a coluna, with the
inscription, worked in a like manner, in Persian
characters. 3 On a wall of one of the halls he had
painted figures of the Pope, the Emperor, King Philip,
and the Duke of Savoy, whose portraits he possessed,
all on their knees adoring the holy cross, which was
in their midft, as in a pidhire which he had.

The Father loao Aluares, Assistant of Portugal, sent
His Majefty from Rome a pifture of our Lady and the
Adoration of the Magi. It would be difficult to say
how greatly he prized this pifture. As it reached
him direft, without passing through the hands of the
Fathers, he sent for them as soon as he received it,
and having shown it to them in the presence of his
courtiers, asked them to explain its meaning. When


they had done so, he repeated what they had said to
those present, telling the Story of the birth of our
Lord and the Adoration of the Magi juSt as though he
were a preacher in a pulpit, holding up the picture
the while that all might see it. Afterwards he sent it
to the Fathers to be suitably adorned and mounted on
a board \sobre hua tauoa]f that it might not become
damaged by being constantly unrolled. The Fathers
decorated the border which surrounded the pidture
with ornamental designs in black and white, copied
from some of our books and paintings. The King
was delighted with their work, and had his own
portrait inserted in the design, himself choosing the
place for it.

By means of these piftures, and what the Fathers
have told him about them, the King is well versed in
moSt of the mySteries of ChriSt our Lord and our Lady
the Virgin, and openly prides himself on his know-
ledge. One evening when the Fathers were with him,
he took up a picture of the Circumcision of our Lord,
and making a sign to them not to speak, asked some
of his nobles if they knew what it meant; and when
they said that they did not, he explained it to them,
and then asked the Father if what he had said was
correct. On being told that it was, he was greatly
pleased, and said : " I understand these things very
well." In brief, so high is his eSteem for ChriSt and
our Lady, that all the orders and letters which he sends,
whether to Moors, Gentiles, or Christians, though
bearing on the inside the royal signet, are sealed on
the outside with their effigies. For he has an inStru-
ment like a small forceps made of gold, on the points
of which are set two emeralds, square in shape and as
large as the nail of the thumb, on which are engraved
the figures of our Lord and the Virgin, and these are
impressed on the wax with which the letters are
fastened. 6

By these and other signs one cannot but recognise
the sincere devotion of this King to ChriSt and our
Lady, for whom he himself confesses his great love.
And though the fruit the Fathers so earnestly desire
to gather has not yet matured, he daily gives them
new grounds for hoping that the good Jesus and his
moSt holy Mother will look with compassion upon
him, and beStow on him that which he lacks. More-
over, he is a man who, having once formed a resolution,
does not shrink from carrying it out before the whole
world; so that his determination to join our faith
would be a splendid consummation, for it would doubt-
less lead to the establishment of a great Christian
Stronghold in these parts.

But while he has so high a regard for ChriSt and
the holy Virgin, and for all that appertains to the
Christian faith, he is held back by the severe discipline
which our law imposes, and more than aught else
because it forbids a man to take more than one wift,
which is a Stumbling-block not only to the Moors,
but to all the Gentiles of the EaSt; indeed it is, as
they themselves say, on account of this prohibition
that they find our faith so hard to accept. The King,
who often discussed the subject with the Fathers,
mentioned it on one of those evenings when they were

disputing with the Moors. In reply to his remarks,
one of the Fathers said that to overcome the difficulty
of which he spoke, all that a man had to do was to
embrace the law of ChriSt ; for God would thereupon
endow him with such grace that what before seemed
difficult to him would be made easy.

" Sire," interposed one of the Moors, " the Father
speaks thus now; but a short while ago he proved the
contrary with the example of David, who though a
great prophet, and possessing so many wives, never-
theless sinned."

" The sin of David," said the Father, " is an example
of human frailty. Moreover, in David's day, the law
of ChriSt had not been established, and men had not
experienced the great Strength of the divine grace.
But since ChriSt came into the world, and gave us
His holy law, the efficacy of that grace has been proved
by the number of Christian kings, and the millions
of other Christians scattered over the whole world, who
have lived, or are Still living, content with one wife."

"What you say is very well," said the King; " but
allowing that this thing is difficult, and that if it were
not so we should all be ready to embrace your law, I
ask you If a King like me, who has many wives,
should desire to become a Christian, what would you
have him do ?"

" His MajeSty means, Father," interposed a Moorish
Captain, " any king whatsoever."

" I do not mean," His MajeSty said, " such a king
as I am; but one who like myself is a king. What
would you say to him ?"

"The firft thing I should say, Sire," replied the
Father, " would be that out of his many wives he muft
seleft one, and leave the reft."

44 That would not be an easy matter," said the King.
44 But supposing he is left with only one wife, what, I
ask you, is he to do if she is blind ?"

"Let him not marry the one who is blind; but
choose another."

" But suppose she becomes blind after marriage!"

4C That presents no difficulty; for blindness does not
prevent the aft of marriage."

44 That is true enough," said the King, " but the
heart would not be drawn to her."

44 And suppose," said one of the Moors, 44 that after
marriage she becomes a leper!"

44 Then," replied the Father, " it would be necessary
to have patience."

44 Oh, that would be impossible!" said the King.

44 It would be possible, Sire, with the aid of God's
grace, which makes all things easy."

44 1 do not doubt," the King said, " that to you, who
have been accuftomed from childhood to abstain from
women, it would be easy; but those who are not like
you what are they to do?"

44 Sire, even with cuftom such things are not without
difficulty; and amongft Chriftians, too, sins are com-
mitted. But for this, the law of Chrift our Lord
provides the remedy of penitence."

41 And what penitence," asked the King, 44 is re-
quired of those who sin against the law of chaftity ?"

This gave the Father the opportunity of discoursing

on the doftrines of penitence and grace, and the means
which Christians use to overcome the temptations of
the flesh. The Moors, being a carnal-minded race,
disputed with him at great length, but the Father
answered them in such a manner that though they
did not admit defeat, they were convinced and put to
shame by his words.

AmongSt the Christians who are here, many things
have been done in the service, and to the great glory,
of our Lord. This is what befell a young Cafre
Christian who was in the King's service, and who, by
His Majesty's orders, lived in the house of an Abexim
[Abyssinian] Moor, who was one of the royal favourites.
One day the Moor sent for him and tried to make
him abandon his faith, and pay homage to Mafamede.
But the young man said he was a Christian, and that
he would never do such a thing. The Moor firSt
tempted him with soft words and fair promises, and
then, finding these unavailing, sought to overcome
him by blows, which were administered with such
fierceness that the Cafre's cabaia was rent in pieces.
He then attempted to seize the String of beads which
he saw about his vidtim's neck; but the latter gripped
them so tightly with his hands that he was unable to
succeed. He next ordered fire to be brought, saying
that he would burn the beads on his neck. " Do not
make too sure," said the Cafre; "you shall burn me
before you burn these," and when the Moor threatened
to throw him on the fire, which had already been
kindled, he answered : u You may do with me what
you will; but I will never become a Moor." All who

were landing by marvelled at his constancy, while his
sufferings excited so much compassion that a water-
carrier, indignant at what he saw, threw the water he
was carrying on the fire and extinguished it. As the
young man Slill showed no signs of yielding, the
Moor put iron chains on him, and shut him up in
his house like a prisoner.

When this came to the ears of the Fathers, one of
them went Straightway to the house. On entering the
courtyard he encountered a Gentile who had witnessed
all that had taken place, and who, on seeing the Father,
exclaimed : " How bravely your Cafre bore himself,
and what blows he endured in defence of his law 1
I swear that if they had done as much, or even less,
to any Moor or Gentile, they could have made him
submit to anything. What courage, what constancy
he showed 1" The Father then spoke to the Moor,
with the result that the latter handed over to him his
prisoner, who was in so weak and exhausted a Slate
that he had great difficulty in walking to the Father's
house. His tattered cabala, and the marks of the
Stripes on his flesh, gave him comeliness in the sight
of God, and in the eyes of the Fathers, who envied
him not a little his triumph. One of them went at
once to the palace to give an account of the affair to
the King. At the entrance, he encountered the Moor,
who, guessing the purpose that had brought him
thither, begged his forgiveness, making a thousand
excuses and apologies for his behaviour, and vowing
that he would never do such a thing again. He
pleaded so hard, while other nobles came up and

pleaded for him, knowing that it would go hard with
him if the affair came to the knowledge of the King,
that the Father could not help yielding to their en-
treaties. He refrained from speaking to the King,
and earned thereby the lading gratitude of the Moor.
An Armenian belonging to a certain village had
caused the death of a little Gentile girl. The father
of the girl took him before the officers of juftice and
charged him with murder, and as soon as he had been
put in prison, went his way. While he was in prison,
a Moorish Captain came to see him, and sent others
many times to him, promising him, in the King's
name, his life and many rewards and favours, if he
would abandon the Christian faith and accept the law
of Mafamede. But this good Christian paid no heed
to their allurements and remained true to his faith.
At length he, and four others who were prisoners with
him, were sentenced by the King himself to have their
right hands cut off. The Merinho Mor sent for him,
and he too promised to obtain his pardon if he would
become a Moor. But then was fulfilled the promise
of the Saviour of the world to those who, for His sake,
are arraigned before the tribunes of princes and kings,
" Dabo vobis os, &? sapientta, ifa"; for by no means
could the Merinho Mor persuade him. When the
hand of this brave soldier of ChriSt was placed on the
block, and the executioner was ready to sever it at a
blow, the Caciz even then offered to save him if he
would accept his law. But the Armenian answered
him angrily, and turning to the executioner, said:
" Do your office. My choice is made: though I lose


my life, I will not give up the faith which I profess."
Seeing that he was wafting his time, the Caciz ordered
the sentence to be carried out; and the Armenian's
right hand, and the right hands of the four others, were
cut off, after which they were taken back to prison.

As the Fathers were not allowed to enter the prison
themselves, they sent one of their servants to minister
to the brave Armenian. Such was the inhumanity of
the Moors, that they showed no kind of pity for these
mutilated viftims of the law. No surgeon was called
to ftanch the blood which was flowing from their
veins, and two of them bled to death. The Armenian
was carefully tended by the servant of the Fathers,
who made him plunge his arm in boiling oil, which
ftopped the flow of blood, after which he dressed it
as well as he could. A day or two later, Father
Xauier with great difficulty obtained his release from
prison, and took him to his house where he was well
looked after. The Father paid a surgeon to attend
him, and provided sustenance for his wife and children
as well as a house for them to live in; for when the
Armenian was sent to prison, his property was con-
fiscated by the State. But at this time he received
news that his brother had died at Chaul in the house
of the Santa Misericordia, 6 and had left him five
thousand larins* (a larin is worth four teflons of Por-
tugal), with which sum he was able to repair his
fortunes. Thus, by the death of his brother, our
Lord recompensed him for rejecting pardon, freedom,
and worldly honours, for His sake.

Another case was that of a Frenchman, a man of

many parts, who held an important ppSt in the gun-
foundry. Some years previously he had been cap-
tured by the Turcs in the Mediterranean Sea, not far
from Marseilles, and had been taken to Argel [Algiers],
where he was forced to become a Moor. Subse-
quently, while serving in the galleys of Argel, he was
made a prisoner by the Christians and was confined
in the convent of St. Francisco of Valenca, in Aragao.
From here he contrived to escape; and after traversing
Spain, Italy, Egypt, Ethiopia, and parts of India,
found his way with his wife and children to Labor
and Agra, and the King took him into his service and
made him a Captain of two hundred horse. He was
very fond of telling the Moors about the Christians,
and especially about the miracles of our Lady of
Monseratte. 8 He spoke with such affeftion of the
Christian faith that the Moors, amongSt whom he
had acquired considerable influence, were greatly im-
pressed by his words. At Agra he fell sick; and as
he had already become acquainted with Father Xauier,
he sent for him and told him that he was a Christian,
and that he had never found any satisfaction in the
law of Mafamede. The Father exhorted him to make
a general confession, telling him how this should be
done, at the same time giving him a book in which
he might Study the Christian doctrines. He spent
several days miniStering to the spiritual needs of his
patient, who was thus brought back to the holy
Mother Church. He received the sacraments with
devotion and tears of penitence, and passed from this
life with every hope of salvation.


http://archive.org/stream/jahangirandtheje035085mbp/jahangirandtheje035085mbp_djvu.txt

What kind of a lisp is that?