While not a traveling missionary himself, Fr. Pierre du Jarric, a Jesuit of the 16th and 17th centuries, compiled a three-volume compendium of the travels of his order. This present work consists of the first eight chapters of book four of the six-book history. Isolated because of its particular focus on the missions to the court of Akbar, the ruler of the Mughal Empire in India, these chapters have become a snapshot of Jesuit missionary work in the East. Beginning with a rendition of the reign of Akbar the Great, du Jarric recounts the three missions to his court and the several notable events that accompanied the efforts of the Jesuits. The third mission is narrated in considerable detail, with accounts of notable conversions and bravery in the face of persecution. The final episode recounted is the death of Akbar the Great, told with a sense of remorse that the missionaries were not permitted to see the emperor during his dying moments. This readable and informative history by a man who wished to be a missionary is compelling not only for its depth of feeling, but also for the landscape of India that it provides.

Pierre du Jarric (1566-1617) was a French priest of the Jesuit order. Although he was never able to travel as a missionary he compiled the tales of Jesuit missions throughout the world. He was a professor of philosophy and theology at Bordeaux.