مسالك الابصار في ممالك الامصار 2.55

2.55

من ذوي الذوق اللطيف، يجرى على هؤلاء كلهم ديوانه، وتدر عليهم مواهبه، ومتى بلغه أن أحدا من ملاهيه غنى لأحد، قتله، وساءلته عما لهؤلاء من الأرزاق، فقال: لا أعلم من أرزاق هؤلاء إلا ما للندماء، فإن لبعضهم قريتين، ولبعضهم قرية، ولكل واحد منهم من أربعين ألف تنكة إلى ثلاثين ألف تنكة إلى عشرين ألف تنكة، على مقاديرهم من الخلع والكساوى والافتقادات .

At the Court of this prince there are 1,200 physicians, 10,000 falconers, who ride on horseback, and carry the birds trained for hawking, 300 beaters to go in front and put up the game, 3,000 dealers, who sell the articles required for hawking, 500 table companions, 1,200 musicians, not including the mamluk musicians to the number of 1,000, who are more especially charged with the teaching of music, and 1,000 poets skilled in one of three languages, Arabic, Persian, or Indian. All these are men of fine taste, who are included in the establishment of the Court, and receive magnificent presents. If the Sultan hears that one of his musicians has sung before any other person, he has him put to death. I asked my informant what pay these various officers received, but he did not know; he could only inform me that the table companions of the prince held some of them one, and some of them two towns; and that each of them, according to his rank, received 40,000, 30,000, or 20,000 tankas, without taking into account dresses, robes of honour, and other presents. According to Shaikh Mubarak, the Sultan gives two audiences daily, in the morning and in the evening, and a repast is then served, at which 20,000 men are present, khans, maliks, amirs, isfah-salars, and the principal officers. At his private meals, that is, at his dinner and supper, the Sultan receives learned lawyers to the number of 200, who eat with him and converse upon learned matters.