172 chapter 4
Kınalızade’s, with whom he had long discussions while both were serving in
Damascus);46 instead, it was a deliberate decision (T2:115/254):
Every learned and cultured person ... is aware that the peculiar ways
of this wisdom-filled book ... differ from the character of other serious
books, among other things, inasmuch as their stories and the exempli-
fications, which include subjects related to the life stories of bygone
generations, are based on [historical] reports and therefore, they clearly
contain the possibilities of truthfulness and lie whereas the stories in this
book are the exact portraits of the people of [our] time and its anecdotes
which have been related to serve as counsels and warnings are the true
descriptions of the behavior of the great and mighty.The most striking feature of Ali’s extraordinary work is the degree to which it
deals with very specific problems, proposing equally specific measures. The
above exposition of his ideas does not do justice to the extent and detail of his
advice on numerous issues, from the division of administrative units in the
provinces to the debasement of coinage, and from the quality of the scribes
of the field marshal (serdar) to the situation of the salaried garrisons of the
fortresses. As has been seen, in this Ali follows a fashion current in his age, but
does so in a more detailed way than average. Of course, much of Ali’s advice
clearly has to do with his own personal grievances, such as when he complains
of the honor shown to strangers at the expense of commited servants to the
sultan (such as himself ). His repeated attacks on the kuls, the sultan’s slaves,
are a good example. On the one hand, in more than one way Ali’s attack targets
the janissaries, whom he regards as unmanly and corrupt, while he praises the
chivalry and valor of the free sipahis. This attack goes so far as to deny the
legitimacy of the devşirme, an insitution going back to the first sultans and
considered one of the foundations of Ottoman power (Τ2:30/148):
In particular, the service assigned to them [of collecting boys for janissar-
ies] is itself at variance with the Divine Law. It was only adopted in the
past out of need as a means to increase the number of Muslims.On the other hand, Ali is engaged in a struggle against unilinear promotion of
palace recruits to administrative posts. For instance, at the end of his autobiog-
raphy in the fourth chapter, he wonders whether it is just and wise for a sultan
46 Fleischer 1986a, 43. Ali refers to Kınalızâde in various parts of his work (e.g. Ali – Çerçi
2000, 2:58, 128–30).