Later Mughals v2.c13.s22.25

v2.c13.s22.25

‡ With the disappearance of the Sayyid brothers the story attains a sort of dramatic completeness, and I decide to suspend at this point my contributions on the history of the Later Mughals. There is reason to believe that a completion of my original intention is beyond my remaining strength. I planned on too large a scale, and it is hardly likely now that I shall be able to do much more. The reign of Bahadur Shah (1707-1712) is ready to be faired out for the press; and the first draft for the years 1721 to 1738 is written. I hope soon to undertake the narrative of 1739, including the invasion of Nadir Shah. It remains to be seen whether I shall be able to continue the story for the years which follow Nadir Shah's departure. But I have read and translated and made notes for another twenty years ending about 1759 or 1760. The preliminary work for the period 1759-1803 has not been begun. In any case I hope that my published studies on the period, although covering only part of the ground, may prove of some use; that, at the least, they may relieve some more fortunate successor of much drudgery, of a nature commonly thought to be arid, and repellent to many minds. May my reward be, as an Oxford historian phrases it, that "some Gibbon of the future may throw me a word of thanks in a footnote." (20th October, 1907).