تحفة النظار في غرايب الامصار وعجايب الاسفار 13.29: ذكر عطاء ثان أمر لي به وتوقفه مدة

13.29.1

وكنت يوما بالمشور بعد أيام من توليتي القضاء والاحسان الي وأنا قاعد تحت شجرة هنالك، وإلى جانبي مولانا ناصر الدين الترمذي العالم الواعظ فأتى بعض الحجاب فدعا مولانا ناصر الدين فدخل إلى السلطان فخلع عليه وأعطاه مصحفا مكللا بالجوهر.

One day, some days after my appointment to the qāḍī-ship and the favour shown to me, I was at the mashwar, sitting under a tree there, and beside me was Mawlānā Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Tirmidhī, the learned preacher. One of the chamberlains came and called Mawlānā Nāṣir al-Dīn, and he went in to the sultan, who bestowed a robe of honour on him and gave him a copy of the Qurʾān studded with jewels.

13.29.2

ثم أتاني بعض الحجاب فقال: أعطني شيئا وآخذ خط خرد باثنى عشر الفا أمر لك بها خوند عالم، فلم أصدقه وظننته يريد الحيلة علي، وهو مجد في كلامه، فقال بعض الأصحاب أنا أعطيه، فأعطاه دينارين أو ثلاثة وجاء بخط خرد، ومعناه الخط الأصغر مكتوبا بتعريف الحاجب، ومعناه: أمر خوند عالم أن يعطى من الخزانة الموفورة كذا لفلان بتبليغ فلان أي بتعريفه، ويكتب المبلغ اسمه ثم يكتب على تلك البراءة ثلاثة من الأمراء وهم الخان الأعظم قطلوخان معلم السلطان، والخريطة دار، وهو صاحب خريطة الكاغد والاقلام، والأمير نكبية الدوادار صاحب الدواة، فإذا كتب كل واحد منهم خطه يذهب بالبراءة إلى ديوان الوزارة فينسخها كتاب الديوان عندهم ثم تثبت في ديوان الأشراف، ثم تثبت في ديوان النظر ثم تكتب البروانة، وهي الحكم من الوزير للخازن بالعطاء، ثم يثبتها الخازن في ديوانه، ويكتب تلخيصا في كل يوم بمبلغ ما أمر به السلطان ذلك اليوم من المال ويعرضه عليه، فمن أراد التعجيل بعطائه أمر بتعجيله ومن أراد التوقيف وقف له، ولاكن لا بد من عطاء ذلك، ولو طالت المدة فقد توقفت هذه الاثنا عشر ألفا ستة أشهر، ثم أخذتها مع غيرها حسبما يأتي.

Then one of the chamberlains came to me and said: 'Give me something and I will get the khaṭṭ-i khurd for twelve thousand that Khwand ʿĀlam has ordered for you.' I did not believe him and thought he meant to trick me, though he was in earnest. One of my companions said: 'I will give it to him,' and gave him two or three dinars, and he brought the khaṭṭ-i khurd, meaning 'the smaller writ', written on the authority of the chamberlain, its meaning being: 'Khwand ʿĀlam has ordered that so much be given from the abundant treasury to so-and-so through the conveyance of so-and-so,' that is, on his authority; and the conveyor writes his name. Then three of the amīrs sign that warrant: the Great Khān Quṭlūkhān, the sultan's teacher; the kharīṭa-dār, who is keeper of the bag of paper and pens; and the amīr Nakbiya the dawādār, keeper of the inkstand. When each of them has written his signature, the warrant is taken to the office of the vizierate, where the clerks of the office copy it; then it is registered in the office of the ishrāf, then registered in the office of the naẓar; then the barwāna is written, which is the order from the vizier to the treasurer for payment. Then the treasurer registers it in his office and writes each day a summary of the amount of money the sultan has ordered that day and presents it to him; whoever's payment he wishes to hasten he orders it hastened, and whoever's he wishes to hold back is held back. But payment must be made in the end, however long it takes: these twelve thousand were held back for six months, and then I took them along with other sums, as will be related.

13.29.3

وعادتهم إذا أمر السلطان باحسان لحد يحط منه العشر، فمن أمر له مثلا بمائة ألف أعطى تسعين ألفا أو بعشرة آلاف أعطى تسعة آلاف!

Their custom is that when the sultan orders a gift for someone, a tenth is deducted from it: whoever is ordered, for example, a hundred thousand is given ninety thousand, or ten thousand, is given nine thousand!

A few days after this he made me a present of twelve thousand dinars. In a short time, however, I found myself involved in great debts, amounting to about fifty-five thousand dinars, according to the computation of India, which with them amounts to five thousand five hundred tankas; but which, according to the computation of the west, will amount to thirteen thousand dinars. The reason of this debt was, the great expenses incurred in waiting on the Emperor, during his journies to repress the revolt of the Ain El Mulk (p. 147). About this time, I composed a panegyric in praise of the Emperor, which I wrote in Arabic, and read to him. He translated it for himself, and was wonderfully pleased with it : for the Indians are fond of Arabic poetry, and are very desirous of (being memorialized in) it. I then informed him of the debt I had incurred ; which he ordered to be discharged from his own treasury, and said : Take care, in future, not to exceed the extent of your income. May God reward him.