Samples of Translated Texts 489
above the sword. That happens because the sword aims to destroy, whereas the
pen aims to produce ... The rule of the sword devastates a country, whereas the
rule of the pen causes prosperity ... Besides, a lot of people are appropriate to be
recruited in the military, but good scribes are very rare. If there is a good scribe
in the administration, all other servants can easily be found ... Secondly, nişancıs
are always busy with drawing the noble signature and they always pray for the
permanency of the state ... Thirdly, all the servants of the Porte receive their
salaries from the royal treasury, causing expenditure; whereas nişancıs collect
revenues from outside, and every year they realize a revenue five to six million
aspers. Fourthly, mischief-makers usually depend on Sultanic orders to exploit
the tax-paying subjects. If the nişancı is careful and cautious, he foresees any
undesirable results of a Sultanic order and he prevents it ... Justice is the cause
of long life and good reputation in this world; it will be rewarded in the other
world as well ... Therefore, it is obvious that the post of the nişancı is the most
important rank in the administration.9 Lütfi Pasha (See Chapter 3)
From Âsafnâme (“The book of Asaf ”):11
[On the measures concerning the peasants (reaya)]. It is required that the peas-
ants provide men for the irregular cavalry, the paid substitutes (ellici), and the
raiding forces. True, in the past, Tatars were also obedient to the Ottoman thresh-
old, but they are a rebellious class and cannot be trusted with a campaign ...
The registers of the peasants: it is a law (kanun) that these are kept in the impe-
rial council, and that they are drawn up every thirty years, deleting the dead
and the sick. But the peasants should not be allowed to wear sumptuous clothes
and ride horses like the sipahis. (The vizier) must compare (the new) with the
old registers so that peasants are not fewer in number than in the old registers;
peasants may have had children, who [have not been registered and thus] will
not be included to the peasant class. It is a law that more peasants should be
recorded in comparison to the [older] register. And if a peasant leaves where he
is (in an attempt) to escape oppression and, God forbid, goes somewhere else,
then the judge of his new place must send him back to his old place, so that the
lands do not become empty of peasants and ruined. Oarsmen are for the fleet:
every four households should send a strong and young oarsman, who will be
paid ten aspers a day from the treasury, for as many months as he serves. And if a11 Akgündüz 1990–1996, 4:275–276 (certain phrases do not exist in all MSS).