Note 79 — Feast of the Second New Year.

The passage is obscure and the text is corrupt. Erskine’s translation is: “His manners towards the soldiers is frank and gallant, but not according to the rules of discipline, especially towards those who have been or are in the wars with him. He is much flattered by his servants, which gives him a light appearance.” Evidently Erskine read udzī or nāz instead of bāz as in the text, and the MSS. support his reading. I think, however, that nāz kas͟hīdan means ‘to jest.’ Instead of the tā bamāndand of text the MSS. have yā namāyand, the meaning being those soldiers who have served him well, or are doing so. We learn from Blochmann, p. 378, that S͟hāh Beg was “a frank Turk.” ↑