royal confidence, and was employed in many important CHAP. IV. transactions, in both the political and revenue departments. In the offices which he filled when so promoted, he is accused of bringing numbers to misery, while he pretended to be acting only from zeal for his master's service, though in truth he was busy all the while enriching himself from the property of the oppressed, and by his misdeeds was whetting the axe against his master and himself. His pains and assiduity as a spy and an informer, a set of men too dangerously encouraged by those in power, is said to have gained him the favour of the late king, Selím Shah, by whom, among other offices of trust, he was raised to that of Superintendent of Bazars*, which includes an extensive exercise of police duties. When Sultan Muhammed Shah Adeli usurped the throne, being altogether ignorant of business, Hímú, who, from his office, had frequent access to him, by his address and insinuation, and by relieving him from the drudgery of business, contrived to become so useful, and to gain so complete an ascendency over the king's mind, that he was soon elevated to the highest rank, became Prime Minister, and the whole duties of government gradually devolved upon him, Adeli, in reality, retaining only the name of king. Hímú placed and displaced officers, gave and resumed jágírs at pleasure, with absolute power. He got possession of the royal elephants, as well as of the treasures which had been accumulated by the last two kings, and he freely expended what they had collected. In this way, it is affirmed, he gained for himself a number of low and sordid adherents, who looked up to and worshipped him as their only hope and reliance. He bore for some time the title of Basant Rái, and afterwards assumed that of Raja, vainly decking himself with the lofty title of Raja Vikramájít. *Sheikhji-Bazár, Tar. Bed. BOOK VI. In all this, there is certainly much prejudice and misA. D. 1554. representation; for even Abulfazl is forced to give unwilling testimony, that in the Cabinet he directed affairs of state and the business of the country with singular success; and that though his frame was so feeble that he could not ride on horseback, and even in the field was forced to be carried about in a litter or on an elephant, yet such was his spirit that he maintained stout contests with the enemies of his King, and, by his determined courage, was victorious in many battles, and achieved exploits worthy of the highest reputation. The truth is, that he was a man who had raised himself from a low rank by great and commanding talents; who was eminent both as a statesman and a general; and who sustained the throne of a worthless prince in difficult times, hated and envied by the nobles as a man of nothing, and detested by the Musulmans of all parties as an infidel and a Pagan, who stood in their way on the road to power. To add to these misfortunes, he has been harshly treated by the writers of the opposite party, the only historians of the times, for what, in his situation, was a merit, his having long been the prop of the Afghán dynasty, and the most formidable enemy of the line of Taimur. In person, as we have said, he is represented as having been of mean deportment, hardfavoured, and of low stature. He never wore a sword, and was unable to ride on horseback. Yet, with all his disadvantages, such were his good fortune and valour that he gained two and twenty battles for the King, whose cause he espoused against the various Afghán pretenders to the throne, and secured a complete ascendency over them all, establishing, with every class of men, the highest reputation for courage and conduct in the field and ability in the Cabinet.* Compare Akbernáma, f. 92. ; f. 184.; Tar. Bedáuni, f. 171.; Kholáset ul Tow. f. 284. This last Perhaps the choice of a Hindu Minister, however CHAP. IV, odious to the Afgháns, was a measure of sound policy in a dissipated and depraved prince like Adeli. From the aspect of the times, it is clear that such a monarch could not have raised any great Afghán noble to the power enjoyed by Hímú, without exposing himself to the risk of being dethroned by his own servant. Nothing of the kind was to be apprehended from a humble and almost despised Pagan, whose consequence depended altogether on that of his patron.* disaf Ibráhím The timely vigour of Hímú succeeded in quelling the Spread of rebellion of Táj Khan Keráni; "but," says the historian, fection. "rebellion had roused herself from her deep slumber, and the line of firm and well-compacted policy of Shir Shah, and of the steady and stern command of Selím Shah was snapped, so that every where things fell into disorder." Adeli was at once hated and despised. The governors of provinces were powerful, and possessed armies entirely under their controul. The suspicious temper of Adeli hastened the crisis. Having conceived Revolt of doubts of the fidelity of Ibráhím Khan Súr his cousin, Khan in the son of Gházi Khan Súr, an uncle of Shír Shah, he Biúna had resolved to arrest him. Ibráhím's wife, a sister of the King's, having got intimation of this intention, communicated it to her husband, who, in consequence, fled in disguise from Chunár to his father Gházi Khan, the governor of Biána and Hindáun. Adeli despatched Isa Khan Niázi in pursuit to chastise him. They met near Kalpi; an action took place, in which Ibráhím had the advantage, and defeated Isa Khan. He now openly threw off his allegiance; and collecting an army in his father's government was soon able to march towards He takes Delhi, of which he took possession, ascended the throne, Agra, and does him justice. See also Ferishta, zám-ed-dín Ahmed, and could hardly vol. ii. who, as usual, follows Ni- have a better guide in general. Tar, Niz. f. 224. Delhi and BOOK VI. and assumed the title and all the ensigns of royalty. A. D. 1554. Pursuing his success, he next marched towards Agra, assumes the which also he reduced, as well as many of the adjoining districts.* sovereignty. Distracted On receiving the news of this alarming revolt in the very centre of his dominions, which threatened to deprive him of his most important provinces and of the kingdom itself, Adeli, instead of following the Keránis to complete their ruin, hastily began his march from Chunár towards Agra. When he reached the Jamna, he was met by an envoy from Ibráhím, craving forgiveness, and offering to submit once more to the King, provided his Majesty would send to his camp Rái Hasan Khan Jilwáni, Behár Khan Sirwáni, who now held the title of Azím Humáyun, and some other chiefs of distinction, at once to receive his submission, and guaran tee his safety. Adeli gladly agreed to this request, in which he saw an end of the contest. But the deputed nobles, whether they were from the first in concert with Ibráhím, or whether they were gained over only after reaching his camp and conferring with him, in the end joined the rebel, who stood much higher than the King in the general estimation. Adeli, thus betrayed, finding himself unable to meet his antagonist in the field, retreated, first to Panna, and then to Chunár, abandoning, for the present, Agra and the neighbouring provinces of Hindustan to his rival, who assumed the style of Sultan Ibráhím Súr. The events that rapidly followed compelled Adeli to confine his attention for some time to the task of retaining Behár and the provinces to the east of the Ganges, where he appears to have firmly esta blished his authority.† But the misfortunes of Adeli were not confined to state of the the successful rebellion of Ibráhím. Disaffection and revolt had spread into all the more distant provinces. Empire. *Tab. Akb. f. 185.; Tar. Bed. ff. 172, 173. † Tab. Akb. ff. 172, 173.; Akbernáma, f. 92. Three other viceroys, the governor of the Penjáb, the CHAP. IV. governor of Malwa, and the governor of Bengal, all at the same time aspired to independent power; so that, at this crisis, the dominions of Shír Shah, by the feuds among his family, were divided among five Afghán kings; Adeli possessed Behár, Juánpúr and great part of the country east of the Ganges; Sultan Ibráhím Súr held Delhi, Agra, the Doáb and the provinces west of the Jamna, as low down as Kalpi; Ahmed Khan Súr, who assumed the title of Sultan Sekander Shah, enjoyed the Penjáb; Shujaa, generally called Sazáwal Khan, the kingdom of Malwa, and Sultan Muhammed Shah Súr, the kingdom of Bengal; for which he had probably even already a competitor in Táj Khan Keráni. Revolt of Ahmed the Penjáb. A. H. 962. The first of these princes who now marched to invade the dominions of his neighbours, was Ahmed Khan Súr*, also a cousin of Shír Shah, and who, like Ibráhím, had married a sister of Adeli. He had for A. D. 1555. some time enjoyed the government of the Penjáb, and now, in the utterly disorganised state of the Afghán monarchy, resolved, like other members of the Súr family, to set up for himself, and not content with the possession of his own province, aspired to the throne of Delhi. Having conciliated the different nobles who possessed influence in the Penjáb, and especially Tátár Khan Kási, Haibat Khan and Nasib Khan Taghúchi, who had been Selím Shah's chief officers in that province, all of whom regarded Adeli with contempt and disgust, he assumed the title of Sekander Shah †, and at the head of ten or twelve thousand well-appointed horse and a large attendance of less regular followers, marched towards Delhi and Agra. His cousin, Sultan Ibráhím Súr, who was now in possession of all the pro According to the Kholáset ul Towáríkh, f. 286, he was brother's son to Shír Shah, and Ferishta calls him his nephew. But the Tar. Niz. f. 225; the Tar. Bed., and the Ni sábnáma, f. 117, more correctly + Sultan Sekander, Khol. ul To- |