“Another defect is that, when the religion of one prophet has been adopted, and when his rule has been followed in the knowledge and worship of God, after a certain time another prophet arises, who prescribes another religion to the people. Hence they become perplexed, and know not whether the former prophet was a liar, or whether they ought to conclude that in each period mankind is to alter the law according to circumstances. But the knowledge of truth admits no contradiction; yet there exists a great number of contradictions in the four sacred books:[65] hence it appears that, in the first times, the true God has not made himself known, and that the first creed with respect to him had been wrong; thus, in the second book, something else is said, and in like manner in the third and in the fourth. “In the sequel it became evident to wise men, that emancipation is to be obtained only by the knowledge of truth conformably with the precepts of the perfect prophet, the perfect lord of fame, _Akbar_, ‘the Wise;’ the practices enjoined by him are: renouncing and abandoning the world; refraining from lust, sensuality, entertainment, slaughter of what possesses life; and from appropriating to one’s self the riches of other men; abstaining from women, deceit, false accusation, oppression, intimidation, foolishness, and giving (to others) opprobrious titles. The endeavors for the recompense of the other world, and the forms of the true religion may be comprised in ten virtues, namely: 1. liberality and beneficence; 2. forbearance from bad actions and repulsion of anger with mildness; 3. abstinence from worldly desires; 4. care of freedom from the bonds of the worldly existence and violence, as well as accumulating precious stores for the future real and perpetual world; 5. piety, wisdom, and devotion, with frequent meditations on the consequences of actions; 6. strength of dexterous prudence in the desire of sublime actions; 7. soft voice, gentle words, and pleasing speeches for every body; 8. good society with brothers, so that their will may have the precedence to our own; 9. a perfect alienation from the creatures, and a perfect attachment to the supreme Being; 10. purification of the soul by the yearning after God the all-just, and the union with the merciful Lord, in such a manner that, as long as the soul dwells in the body, it may think itself one with him and long to join him, until the hour of separation from the body arrives. The best men are those who content themselves with the least food, and who sequestrate themselves from this perishable world, and abstain from the enjoyments of eating, drinking, dress, and marriage. The vilest of the people are those who think it right to indulge the desire of generation, the passion for wine, and banquetting with eagerness, as if it were something divine. As the mode which the perfect prophet and apostle, Akbar the Wise, has prescribed to his followers, is difficult, certainly the demons excite