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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[ DECEMBER, 1921
and enabled him to see the truth of the fact which they had stated. The king was at this time already becoming suspicious of his wise minister and this charge had a great effect on his mind. One of the matters which made the king suspicious of his minister, was the following. The king always took great care to inquire into the affairs of the soldiers of his army and frequently sent trusted messengers among them with this object, and, without the knowledge of Changiz Khân, would send them bags of gold with strict injunctions that these gifts were to be kept secret. As a consequence, every individual soldier who was in any need freely brought his wants to the notice of the king and profited by his profuse liberalivy. All this could not long be concealed, and Changiz Khân, who also inquired into the affairs of the soldiers, soon discovered it. He, having in view the necessity of protecting the royal treasury from un. necessary and extravagant expeaditure, turned back many who came to court with a view to receiving gifts, and this appeared to the king to be an act of great harshness, for he regard. ed it as abominable that the needy should be turned away from his court. Thus the king's distrust of his minister, fomented by the conspirators, grew day by day, until matters reached such a pitch that Changiz Khân became apprehensive for his life, and, giving up all hope, threw himself on a bed of sickness and put far from him all ambition and all zeal in the royal service. All soon became aware of the change in the king's disposition towards his minister and each formed his opinion on it, all believing that it was the king's unprompted will that Changiz Khan should be disgraced. Changiz Khân's sickness now increased and his limbs swelled and suppurated. The skilful physical Hâkim Muhammad Misri, who was famous for his knowedge of his art and was a trusted and intimate servant of the king, treated the patient and bled him, although his friends in their sympathy would have prevented it. But all was of no avail. The king now, hearing of the condition of Changiz Khân, set out to visit um in the sickness which he himself had caused, but the messenger of death was on the wing and made no delay in his journey, and before the king could reach his minister, Changiz Khân died 301 and his soul hastened to its home.
Changiz Khân was distinguished for wisdom and resourcefulness above all the vazirs of his age. He was brave and highminded and in the short time during which he held the office of vaktl and píshud he raised the power of the Ahmadnagar kingdom to its zenith, added a large kingdom like Berar, with all its forts and fortified posts, to the kingdom, treated with Ibrâhîm Qutb Shah and 'Al 'Adil Shah as inferiors, and had ever before him as an object, the conquest of the kingdom of Bidar; but in the end death disappointed him of the completion of his design. At the same time that Changiz Khân died, Tufal Khân died in the fort of Lohogaph and it was an extraordinary coincidence that the coffins of these two met on the banks of the Parandi as Tufal Khân was being carried for sepulture to Elichpur and Changiz Khan's body was being borne to Ahmadnagar.
After the death of Changiz Khân the office of vakil and pishui was bestowed on the phy. sician as skilful as Plato (Hakim Mubammad Misri) and Sayyid Murtaza was appointed Sar-s-naubat. The royal army then returned to the capital, marching with such speed that they covered a distance of eighteen gáu, that is to say thirty-six leagues, in one stage. The king, on his return to Ahmadnagar bestowed favours on the Sayyids, the Maulavis, the learn. ed men, and the people and inhabitants generally, and now that he had leisure for his designs of conquest, he also paid attention to the wants of the army and to the learned. Maulana Sadr-ud-din Talaqani was at this time admitted to the intimacy of the king and so progres.
dol In the original MS. « blank is left here for the date. Firight ways (it. 271) that Changiz than died in 4.x. 982 (A.D. 1674-76) but does not mention the day or the month.
