angir. It is a very
favourite book with the bigoted Muhammadans who disliked the
innovations of Akbar, and it continued to be more and more prized as
those innovations gradually gave way to the revival of persecution
for thought's sake.

It is perhaps unnecessary to give a record of the other learned men
who contributed by their abilities, their industry, and their
learning to the literary glory of the reign of Akbar. The immortal
Ain contains a complete list of them, great and small. But, as
concerning the encouragement given to arts and letters by the
sovereign himself, it is fitting to add a few words. It would seem
that Akbar paid great attention to the storing in his library of
works obtained from outside his dominions, as well as of those Hindu
originals and their translations which he was always either
collecting or having rendered into Persian. Of this library the
author of the Ain relates that it was divided into several parts.
'Some of the books are kept within, some without the Harem. {170}
Each part of the library is subdivided, according to the value of the
books and the estimation in which the sciences are held of which the
books treat. Prose books, poetical works, Hindi, Persian, Greek,
Kashmirian, Arabic, are all separately placed. In this order they are
also inspected. Experienced people bring them daily, and read them
before his Majesty, who hears every book from the beginning to the
end. At whatever page the readers daily stop, his Majesty makes with
his own pen a mark, according to the number of the pages; and rewards
the readers with presents of cash, either in gold or silver,
according to the number of leaves read out by them. Among books of
renown there are few which are not read in his Majesty's assembly
hall; and there are no historical facts of past ages, or curiosities
of science, or interesting points of philosophy, with which his
Majesty, a leader of impartial sages, is unacquainted.' Then follows
a long list of books specially affected by the sovereign, some of
which have been referred to in preceding pages.

I have, I think, stated enough to show the influence exercised by
literary men and literature on the history of this reign. The
influence, especially of the two learned brothers, Faizi and
Abulfazl, dominated as long as they lived. That of Abulfazl survived
him, for the lessons he had taught only served to confirm the natural
disposition of his master. The principles which the broth