Godolphin Mitford

Godolphin Mitford was born at Madras on 16 April, 1844, and was very eccentric and of a peculiar character. After he converted to Islam and adopted the name Mizra Moorad Ali Beg, he met the Founders on 20 January 1881. He became associated to the Masters (probably as a chela in probation), but failed. He wrote a famous article entitled "The Elixir of Life", published in The Theosophist on March and April 1882. Towards the end of his life he attempted to killed H. P. Blavatsky. He died insane in 1884.

In his Old Diary Leaves, Col. Olcott wrote:

Mr. Mirza Murad Ali Beg, came to us on 20th January, for the first time. He was of European birth, a scion of the old Hampshire family of the Mitfords, which has produced several noted writers, including Mary Russell Mitford, authoress of Our Village and other works. This young man's grandfather had come out to India with some Frenchmen, and served under Tippoo Sultan. When that cruel and sensual chieftain was killed, Mr. Mitford took service with the East India Company. His son was born at Madras, and among other eccentricities turned Mussulman, and, when we met him, was in the military employ of the Maharajah of Bhavnagar as "Chief Cavalry Officer"—practically a sinecure. His had been a wild, adventurous life, more full of misery than the opposite. He bad dabbled in Black Magic, among other things, and told me that all the sufferings he had passed through within the preceding few years were directly traceable to the malign persecutions of certain evil powers which he had summoned to help him get into his power a virtuous lady whom he coveted. He had sat, under the instructions of a Muslim black magician guru, in a closed room, for forty days, with his gaze fixed upon a black spot on the wall, in which he was told to imagine the face of his intended victim, and repeating, some hundred thousand times, a prescribed mantram, in half Arabic, half Sanskrit. He was to continue this until he should actually see the lady's face as if alive; and when her lips moved as if to speak, she would have been completely fascinated and would come to him of her own accord. All this happened as foretold, his nefarious object was gained, the woman ruined, and he himself fell under the power of the bad spirits whom he had not the moral strength to dominate after having accepted their compulsory service. Certainly he was a distressful person to be with. Nervous, excitable, fixed on nothing, the slave of his caprices, seeing the higher possibilities of man's nature, yet unable to reach them, he came to us as to a refuge, and shortly after took up his residence in our house for a few weeks. A strange-looking creature for an Englishman he was. His dress was that of a Muslim throughout, save that he had his long light-brown hair tied up in a Grecian knot behind his head, like a woman. His complexion was fair and his eyes light blue. In my Diary I say that he looked, more like an actor made up for a part than anything else. The writing of the Elixir of Life occurred some time later, but I may as well tell the story while he is under my mind's eye.
From the time that he came to us he seemed to be engaged in a strong mental and moral conflict within himself. He complained of being dragged hither and thither, first by good, then by bad influences. He had a fine mind, and had done a good deal of reading; he wanted to join our Society, but, as I had no confidence in his moral stamina, I refused him. H. P. B., however, offering to become responsible for him, I relented and let her take him in. He repaid her nicely, some months later, by snatching a sword from a sepoy at Wadhwan station, and trying to kill her, crying out that she and her Mahatmas were all devils! In short, he went mad.

The Readers Guide to The Mahatma Letters to A. P. Sinnett publishes:

Midford, Godolphin, born in Madras, scion of the English family of that name; author of a long article appearing in the March and April 1882 issues of The Theosophist under the pseudonym of Moorad Aly Beg - also referred to as Mizra Murad Ali Beg - entitled "Elixir of Life." This article is mentioned several times in the Letters. There are indications that he was inspired to write much of it. However, he was a strange character, who took up Eastern ways of dress and dabbled in black magic until his health was ruined. He came to the Headquarters of the TS at one time and HSO tried to help him with mesmeric healing, but in the end he could not be helped and died insane in 1884 or 1885. See ML index under Moorad Ali Beg; LBS, pp. 161, 165; HPB IV: 241; HPB VII: 350; ODL 2: 289.

Mirza Murad Ali Beg

In 1899 Rudyard Kipling publishes the story "To Be Filed for Reference" in his book Indian Tales, in which the name "Mirza Murad Ali Beg" is mentioned as follows:

"This," he said, "is my work—the Book of McIntosh Jellaludin, showing what he saw and how he lived, and what befell him and others; being also an account of the life and sins and death of Mother Maturin. What Mirza Murad Ali Beg's book is to all other books on native life, will my work be to Mirza Murad Ali Beg's!"

This, as will be conceded by any one who knows Mirza Murad Ali Beg's book, was a sweeping statement. The papers did not look specially valuable; but McIntosh handled them as if they were currency-notes.

English poet T.S. Eliot (September 26, 1888 – January 4, 1965) wrote a deprecatory self-portrait in a poem entitled "Lines for Cuscuscaraway and Mirza Murad Ali Beg". It is said that the two characters alluded to were Eliot's cats.

Further reading

• The "Elixir of Life" by G--M--, FTS.