ABSTRACT
WE have told, in the fourth book of this History, how the King of Mogor, named Achebar, having determined to conquer the kingdoms of the Decan, and others in India further to the south, set out from the city of Lahor, and having marched with his army to Agra, proceeded thence to the Decan. During this expedition, Father Hierosme Xauier, and his companion Benoist de Goes, kept themselves constantly by the King’s side, in order to maintain him in the good affection he appeared to have for the Christian faith, and the Fathers of the Company. That his time might not be spent idly, Father Xauier wrote a book to which he gave the title, The Fountain of Life, in which, by many forcible arguments, he established the truth of the Christian faith, and refuted the doctrines of the infidel sects, and particularly of those who follow Mahomet. This book he dedicated to the King, whom he introduced into it in the character of a philosopher in search of the truth. Having completed it, the Father set himself to translate it into Persian, being assisted by certain persons learned in that language, though he himself had made such progress therein, that the Persians themselves confessed that they had learnt from him many new phrases and figures of speech. 2
The King continued his southward march with an army, horse and foot, of a hundred thousand men, and more than a thousand war-elephants. The mountains of Gaté 3 were crossed by passes so rough and difficult that it sometimes took a whole day to cover a distance equal to the range of an arquebus; for they had, it seems, to cut their way through the rock. One of the great captains, 4 who had been sent in advance with fifty thousand men, captured by force the chief stronghold of King Melique, 5 after which the Great Mogor had little difficulty in making himself master of his other forts, It was thought that he would now march forward to the conquest of Idalcan 6 ; but, unwilling to leave any fortress of the enemy in his rear, he proceeded towards the city of Breampur, 7 which, as we shall narrate later, he found deserted.
