A nobleman of the court of the Mughal emperor, Iradat Khan (c.1649 1716) experienced the rule of Aurangzeb (1618 1707) and observed at first hand the decline of the Mughal empire. This English translation of his memoirs was first published in 1786 by Jonathan Scott (1754 1829), a captain of the East India Company. He translated Khan's memoirs in order to educate the British about India's history and inform them about the Mughal empire. In these memoirs Khan relates anecdotes of his encounters with Aurangzeb and recounts the events following the emperor's death, including the rule of his son...