missionaries who were honorably received at Akbar's court and who were
invited to take up their residence in the imperial palace. The evening
assemblies in the 'Ibâdat Khâna' in Fathpur Sikrî at once gave the
shrewd Jesuits who were schooled in dialectics, an opportunity to
distinguish themselves before the Emperor who himself presided over
this Religious Parliament in which Christians, Jews, Mohammedans,
Brahmans, Buddhists and Parsees debated with each other. Abul Fazl
speaks with enthusiasm in the _Akbarnâme_ of the wisdom and zealous
faith of Father Aquaviva, the leader of this Jesuit mission, and
relates how he offered to walk into a fiery furnace with a New
Testament in his hand if the Mullahs would do the same with the Koran
in their hand, but that the Mohammedan priests withdrew in terror
before this test by fire. It is noteworthy in this connection that the
Jesuits at Akbar's court received a warning from their superiors not
to risk such rash experiments which might be induced by the devil with
the view of bringing shame upon Christianity.[38] The superiors were
apparently well informed with regard to the intentions of the devil.

[Footnote 38: J.T. Wheeler, IV, I, 165, note, 47; M. Elphinstone, 523,
note 8; G.B. Malleson, 162.]

In conversation with the Jesuits Akbar proved to be favorably inclined
towards many of the Christian doctrines and met his guests half way in
every manner possible. They had permission to erect a hospital and a
chapel and to establish Christian worship in the latter for the
benefit of the Portuguese in that vicinity. Akbar himself occasionally
took part in this service kneeling with bared head, which, however,
did not hinder him from joining also in the Mohammedan ritual or even
the Brahman religious practices of the Rajput women in his harem. He
had his second son Murâd instructed by the Jesuits in the Portuguese