Storia do Mogor 63.5.6

63.5.6

Persians are famed for favouring their own nation in the Mogul Empire, and the larger number of the nobles are Persians. But in addition to this, the wazir was indebted in some small way to this vendor of salt, and desired to favour him on this occasion, so that he might share his (the wazir's) own good fortune. Others told the king that this so-called Qasim Khan had been a seller of salt in Persia, and Jahangir asked the wazir why he had uttered such encomiums of a man who sold salt. The wazir replied : 'I let your majesty fully understand that he sold salt in Persia, for I said that even the king ate the salt of his house, for he held a farm of all the salt in that kingdom.' For this reason Jahangir styled him Cassam Can Namaquin (Qasim Khan Namakin, from namak, 'salt') — that is to say, 'distributor of salt,' and his title of nobility was left with him. I dwelt seven years in his house in the city of Lahor. It had been given me by the governor to live in, he (Qasim Khan) being then dead. It was one of Jahangir's laws that the crown was heir to the wealth and houses of his servants when they died, also to those of his vassals who had no sons.