Riyaz al-salatin 109.2.1

109.2.1

of a king, and placed on a throne, I was sent into the world by Providence to live and labour, not for myself, but for others; that it is my duty not to think of my own happiness, except so far as it is inseparably connected with the happiness of my people. It is the repose and prosperity of my subjects that it behoves me to consult; nor are these to be sacrificed to anything besides the demands of justice, the maintenance of the royal authority, and the security of the State. This man cannot penetrate into the consequence of the inertness he recommends, and he is ignorant of the evils that attend upon delegated power. It was not without reason that our great Saadi emphatically exclaimed :—' Cease to be kings; Oh, cease to be kings; or determine that your dominions shall be governed only by yourselves....' Alas! we are sufficiently disposed by nature to seek ease and indulgence; we need no such officious counsellors. Our wives too, are sure to assist us in treading the flowery path of rest and luxury." What a noble ideal of kingly duty!, and what a sad falling-off in later Moslem times! pire, at the time of this Revolution, the two brothers leaving the Imperial Capital proceeded to the Dakhin and thence to Odisa (Orissa), and entered there the service of Shuja'u-d-daulah. Adopting a policy of tact and prudence which "is a friend, and like water, takes to every hue," these two brothers got into the good graces of Shuja'u-d-daulah.