Volume 3 — CHAPTER X. (continued 2)

The warlike requisites and arms of the soldiers are by no means to be neglected. Further, the expenses must always be less than the revenues: this last is of the most essential concern, for it is said: Whoever spends more than he receives is a blockhead; he who equals his expense and income is to be accounted neither wise nor stupid; but he lays no foundation of any establishment; he is always subject to service, expecting favor, and dependant upon promises. A commander is 132 bound to be true in his words, particularly with the functionaries of government. Let him constantly practise shooting with arrows and guns, and exercise the soldiers in arms; but not be passionately devoted to hunting, although he may sometimes indulge in it for the training of troops, and the recreation of the mind, which is indispensable in this world of dependencies. He is never permitted to take corn from the class of the Rayas, with the intention to hoard it up for selling it at a high price. Let him attend to the beating of the kettle-drum at the rising of that luminary which bestows light upon the world; and at midnight, which is properly the beginning of sunrise, and during the progress of the great majestic light from station to station, let him order small and great guns to be fired, so that all men be called up to offer thanks to God.

Somebody ought to be placed at the gate of the court, for bringing all petitions before the high presence of the King. If there be no Kútwál,[105] he ought, observing well the parts and rules of it, to apply himself to the performance of this office, and not on account of considering it rustic (low) business, say to himself: “How can I do the business of a Kútwál?” but from piety acknowledging the greatness of God, he ought to submit to this charge.

133 To explain clearly its duties, the first of all is, that the Kútwál of every city, town, and village write down, with the agreement of the people, their houses and buildings; as well as register in a book the inhabitants of every part of a place from house to house, and, having taken security from house to house, grant them free intercourse with each other; having determined the divisions in each of them, a head man of the division is to be appointed, so that the good and bad men may be under his superintendence; he must also appoint spies, by whose means every occurrence by night and day, the arrivals and departures in each quarter, are to be recorded. He ought to establish that, whenever a theft is committed, fire breaks out, or any other mishap takes place, at the very moment succor be given by the neighbors, and likewise all householders tender their services: if they be absent without necessity, they are to be held guilty. Nobody can undertake a journey without giving information of it to his neighbor, the head man of the division, or the recorder of news. No man of bad character is to be received in any quarter of the place, and all those who have not given security, are to be kept separate from the other inhabitants in the great public house, to which a head man and a recorder of news are to be attached. The Kútwal ought to be perpetually informed of the income and expense of 134 every individual, for the sake of survey and precaution, and fix his attention on it: for, any body whose income is small and expense great, cannot certainly be without guilt. It is incumbent on him to follow an indication, and never to be remiss in attention to persons of good birth and right intentions. This inquiry is to be understood as a measure of order, and not as the means of rapine and oppression. Further, the Kútwal’s business is to establish in the bazar, “market,” brokers of all sorts, after having taken security from them, that he may receive notice of whatever is bought and sold. He ought to declare that whoever buys or sells anything without notice, is subject to a fine. The names of the buyer and seller are to be entered into a daily register, and nothing is to be bought or sold without the consent of the head man of the division. Moreover, the Kútwál must appoint guards for watching at night in every quarter, every street, and in the whole district of the town, and endeavor that in the quarters, bazars, and streets no stranger be found; he must apply to the search and pursuit of thieves and pickpockets, and other delinquents, and leave no trace of them. Whatever is purloined or plundered he must bring forth, together with the pilferers, and if not, by returning the equivalent, he must make good the damages. It is his duty to ascertain the property of strangers and deceased persons, in 135 order that, if there be heirs, he may remit it to them, and if not, deliver it to the Amín, “superintendant,” and write an explanation thereof to the Royal court, so that at any time when the true proprietor is discovered, he may be put in possession of it. In this transaction too, he ought to manifest his right principles and his good origin, so as, perhaps, to come up to what is customary in the country of Rúm. The Kútwal is further bound to endeavor that there be no trace of wine-drinking to be found, and to reprehend, with the concurrence of the judge, the buyer and seller, the abettor and perpetrator thereof; so that the people may take an example from it; nevertheless, if any body, of high character for prudence for the sake of relaxation of mind, makes use of wine as a medicine, no opposition is to be made to his usage.

The Kútwal must be sollicitous for the cheapness of provisions, and not allow rich men to buy and to hoard a large quantity to sell it dear afterwards. Let him take care of providing the requisites for the Náúroz, “new year,” this is a great festival, the beginning of which is the time when the great world-illuming luminary enters the sign of Aries, at the commencement of the month Farvardin (March). Another feast is on the 19th of the said month, which is the day of the most glorious sun. Other feasts are as follows: the 3rd of Ardíbihest (April); 136 the 6th of Khórdád (May); the 10th of Abán (October); the 9th of Azar (November), in the month of Dáí (December) are three festivals, viz. on the 8th, the 15th, and the 23rd; besides, the 2nd of Bahman (January), and the 15th of Isfendármend (February). The known festivals are to be celebrated according to regulations; and the nights of the Náú-róz and Sherif, “glorious,” are to be illuminated by torches, in the manner of the night Bharát, in the 8th Arabian month, called Shâabán, “consecrated to the memory of forefathers;” and in the first night which is followed by the morning of a festival, the kettle-drum is to be beaten, which is also to be done on an elephant’s back on all festivals. A woman ought never, without necessity, to appear on horseback. The Kútwál is enjoined to separate the fords of rivers for bathing from those for fetching water, and to assign particular fords to women.

The emperor inhabiting the seventh heaven, Akbar, wrote a book of advice for the King Ahás Safaví, and this was also penned by Shaikh Abu ’l Fazil. Some precepts from this book are as follows: The high personages of the people, who are the depositors of the divine secrets, are to be considered with eyes of benign admiration, and kept with zeal in our conciliated hearts. Acknowledging that the bounty of the incomprehensible God embraces all religions, 137 let us entirely devote ourselves to the culture of flowers in the rose garden of the perpetual spring of peace, and unceasingly attend to the Nas eb ul âyín, “establishment of the thing itself,” as to the study of promoting one’s happiness; as the Almighty God, opening the door of his bounty to the different religions[106] in their various means of salvation, maintains them; so, in imitation of him, it is incumbent on the powerful Kings, who are the shades of divine providence, never to desist from this rule, because the Creator of the universe confided to them this vast population for the sake of directing the state of the apparent world, and of watching over all mankind, not without preserving the good name of exalted families.

In Multan, we saw the Shah Salám ulla; he was a man unmarried, attached to the unity of God, and to sanctity; having retired from the world, he said: “I was often in the society of Jelál eddin Akbar; I heard him frequently say: ‘Had I possessed before the knowledge which I now have, I would never, for my sake, have taken a wife; for to me the elder matrons are mothers, women of my age sisters, and the younger ones daughters.’” One of my friends heard this speech, which has just been attributed to the blessed emperor, from the 138 mouth of the Nawáb Abu ’l Hassen, surnamed Lashker Khán Mashhedí. Shah Salam ulla related also that he heard the lord khalífah of God say, weeping: “Would to God my body were the greatest of all, that the inhabitants of the world might take their food from it, and not hurt any other living being.” A proof of the extensive views of this celebrated King was, that he employed in his service men of all nations—Firangis, Jews, Iráníans, and Turáníans; because, if they were all of one nation, they would be disposed to rebellion, as it was the case with the Usbéks, and the Kazel báshan, who dethroned their sultan; but the King Abás, son of sultan Khodabendah Safaví, who succeeded him, reduced the Kurjís to order. He also paid no attention to the wealth of heritage, but without showing partiality to lineage or religion, he promoted the skilled in science and laws.