911 AH. JUNE 4th 1505 to MAY 24th 1506 AD. 281
gathered in 'All-sher Beg's presence and there have gone into their raptures and ecstacies. Kamalu'd-dln will have been better-born than most of them ; his promotion will have been due to his good birth, since he had no other merit to speak of.1 A production of his exists, under the name Majalisu'l-'ushslidq (Assemblies of lovers), the authorship of which he ascribes (in its preface) to SI. Husain Mirza.2 It is mostly a lie and a tasteless lie. He has written such irreverent things in it that some of them cast doubt upon his orthodoxy ; for example, he represents the Prophets, Peace be on them, and Saints as subject to earthly passion, and gives to each a minion and a mistress. Another and singularly absurd thing is that, although in his preface he says, " This is SI. Husain Mirza's own written word and literary composition," he, never-the-less, enters, in the body of the book, " All by the sub-signed author ", at the head of odes and verses well-known to be his own. It was his flattery gave Zu'n-nun Argkun the title Lion of God.
(*'. His wazirs.)
One was Majdu'd-dln Muhammad, son of Khwaja Plr Ahmad of Khwaf, the one man (yak-qalam) of Shahrukh Mirza's Finance-office.3 In SI. Husain Mirza's Finance-office there was not at first proper order or method ; waste and extravagance resulted ; the peasant did not prosper, and the soldier was not satisfied. Once while Majdu'd-dln Muhammad was still parwanchi* and styled Mirak (Little Mir), it became a matter of importance to the Mirza to have some money ; when he asked the Finance-officials for it, they said none had been collected and that there was none. Majdu'd-dln Muhammad must have heard this and have smiled, for the Mirza asked him why he smiled ; privacy was made and he told Mirza what was in his mind.
1 He was of high birth on both sides, of religious houses of Tabas and Nishapur (D.S. pp. 161, 163).
* In agreement with its preface, Dr. Rieu entered the book as written by SI. Husain Mirza ; in his Addenda, however, he quotes Babur as the authority for its being by Gazur-gahi; Khwand-amir's authority can be added to Babur's (H. S. 340 ; Pers. Cat. pp. 351. 1085).
3 Diwdn. The>Wa7.ir is a sort of Minister ol Finance ; the Diwan is the office of revenue receipts and issues (Erskine).
4 a secretary who writes out ijyal orders (H.S. iii, 244).
