1698. LETTER CXVI.

Sincere and devoted servant, there is no need for the secretary to write the letter ‘ain’,* on his application. This ‘ain’ of disease* should not be used in a petition. The letter ‘mim’ representing ‘mūatebar’ (i.e., confidential) used by Ináyat Alláh Khàn* will be sufficient (on the appli­cation). According to my opinion, the words ‘according to my order’ are also superfluous in royal mandates.

It is well known that the first origin of tyranny in the world was small; (but) as each man came into the world one after another, he added to it, so that (in the end) it reached such an extremity. You should inform Abráhim Khán*,

who does not decide the cases of the ‘Cázis’ and of other people of Cáshmere, that he has been degraded from his post. (Verse) “A stone is (a sort of) retaliation on an aperture in a fortified wall (i.e., when a stone is thrown from outside at an aperture, there is no wrong in a stone being thrown outside from within the aperture, i.e., tit for tat)”.

God be praised that Chanchi has been taken and that the accursed Rámá has fled away*. It was not very diffi­cult to capture him; but on account of the negligence of (my) old officers (like Zūl Fikár Khán) he has fled away. For a time the shop (or market) of my officers, fit for dul­ness, became active (i.e., my officers who were generally dull became active for a time with a view to catch hold of Rámá). These officers should be told to eat the world before they are eaten up by the world (i.e., to enjoy the world before they die—said ironically).