In the beginning of his reign he was morose and ill-natured. When he ascended the throne he convoked his subjects, and said: ‘Take care to pay your taxes regularly to my officers, if you wish to escape my wrath.’ To these words the people replied shouting: ‘May God grant thee favour, and make thy subjects obedient to thee, because these two things will be very necessary during thy reign.’ Understanding from this utterance what feelings prevailed in the assembly, he continued: ‘As before this time the civil and military government of the realm was in the hands of another, some persons have suffered by my severity, which, however, I have now changed to leniency, because, having become the sole ruler of the kingdom, love for all my subjects animates my breast.’ At these words all the people prostrated themselves to the ground, unwilling to rise until requested to do so; and from that time he governed with much justice.
His liberality is said to have been so extraordinary that in his sight gold, rubies, and stones were of the same value. In his horoscope building was predicted, wherefore he never looked at a ruin without causing it to be rebuilt. It is related that Hormuz had married the daughter of the King of Kâbul, but this lady constantly refused to have any familiar intercourse with Hormuz, who became so vexed that he sent a messenger to his wazir with the question: ‘What is to be done to a person constantly disobeying the sovereign?’ The wazir happening to be absent from the house, his son sent the reply: ‘Such a person ought to be punished with death.’ A short time afterwards Hormuz again made amorous proposals to his queen, which she again repelled, therefore he killed her. Repentance, however, overtook him, which he kept secret for a time, but one day asked the above question from his wazir, and received the answer: ‘Any person disobeying the behests of a righteous king ought to suffer capital punishment, except a woman, a child, a drunken man, and a fool.’ The king again asked: ‘What is the punishment of him who causes the blood of an innocent person to be shed?’ The wazir replied: ‘Death!’ Accordingly the king ordered the son of the wazir to be hanged on a gibbet, and commanded the people to report what the latter would say on beholding the sight. When the wazir arrived at the spot, he exclaimed: ‘What am I to say concerning a man with whom I am unable to contend either in this world or in the next? Not in this because he is my king, and not in the next because the right is on his side.’ These words having been reported to the king, he consoled the wazir, and ordered his son to be taken down from the gibbet and decently buried. According to the statement of the author of the ‘Meadows of Gold,’* this king reigned seven years and five months. His epithet was ‘Mountaineer.’