As soon as Menggu arrived, he took charge. Knowing the people’s grievances, he issued an order, “Those who oppress the people will be dealt with according to the law. Craftsmen, merchants, and shopkeepers, you must each go about your work with your doors open, peaceably attending to your business without fear. Farmers, you must be content with your lands and exert yourselves diligently according to the seasons. I will instruct or punish those who mistreat you.” After this order was issued, the violent became obedient and no one any longer dared violate the laws. Famers in the fields and travelers on the roads felt safe, and people began to enjoy life.

When the ships come to this mooring place, everybody goes ashore with bread, meat, onions, milk and intoxicating drink and betakes himself to a long upright piece of wood that has a face like a man’s and is surrounded by little figures, behind which are long stakes in the ground.

Since our family library had been completely lost in the repeated wars, there was nothing I could read in my leisure after farming. I was therefore forced to shoulder my satchel and walk long distances to borrow books. Because I could rarely get an entire book from one household, this task was rather time-consuming. Moreover, I had to cut firewood and sell it in order to buy paper and writing brushes and do my copying by the light of fires amidst the fields and gardens. For these reasons, I was not introduced to literature at an early age. And because I constantly lacked paper, I would write on both sides of each sheet; as a result, no one could decipher my writing.

Sultan Mahmud was a great monarch. He was the first Muhammadan king who received the title of Sultan from the Khalif. He was born on the night of Thursday, the tenth of Muharram, A.H. 361 (2nd October, 971 CE), in the seventh year after the time of Bilkatigin. A moment before his birth, Amir Subuktigin saw in a dream that a tree sprang up from the fire-place in the midst of his house, and grew so high that it covered the whole world with its shadow. Waking in alarm from his dream, he began to reflect upon the import of it. At that very moment a messenger came, bringing the tidings that the Almighty had given him a son. Subuktigin greatly rejoiced, and said, I name the child Mahmud. On the same night that he was born, an idol temple in India, in the vicinity of Parshawar, on the banks of the Sind, fell down.

We set out with the barbarians, and arrived at Sardica, which is thirteen days for a fast traveller from Constantinople. Halting there we considered it advisable to invite Edecon and the barbarians with him to dinner. The inhabitants of the place sold us sheep and oxen, which we slaughtered, and we prepared a meal. In the course of the feast, as the barbarians lauded Attila and we lauded the Emperor, Bigilas remarked that it was not fair to compare a man and a god, meaning Attila by the man and Theodosius by the god. The Huns grew excited and hot at this remark. But we turned the conversation in another direction, and soothed their wounded feelings; and after dinner, when we separated, Maximin presented Edecon and Orestes with silk garments and Indian gems….

We confess and believe that the holy and ineffable Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is one God by nature, of one substance, of one nature as also of one majesty and power. And we profess that the Father is not begotten, not created, but unbegotten. For He Himself, from whom the Son has received His birth and the Holy Spirit His procession, has His origin from no one. He is therefore the source and origin of the whole Godhead. He Himself is the Father of His own essence, who in an ineffable way has begotten the Son from His ineffable substance. Yet He did not beget something different from what He Himself is: God has begotten God, light has begotten light. From Him, therefore, is “all fatherhood in heaven and on earth” (cf. Eph. 3.15 Vulg.).

During the evil reign of Alexander, the descendants of Darab privately lived in distant lands, wandering with Kurdish shepherds. Papak did not know that Sasan was descended from the family of Darab, son of Darae. One night Papak saw in a dream as though the sun was shining from the head of Sasan and giving light to the whole world.

An enlightened ruler holds up facts and discards all that is without practical value. Therefore he does not pursue righteousness and benevolence, and he does not listen to the words of scholars. These days, whoever does not understand how to govern will invariably say: “Win the hearts of the people.” If winning the hearts of the people is all that one needs in order to govern, a Yi Yin or a Guan Jung would be useless. Listening to the people would be enough. But the wisdom of the people is useless: They have the minds of little infants!

Then truly cometh the blow of destruction upon Untruth;While those of good renown shall be received in the promised abode,The blessed abode of the Good Mind, of Truth, and of the Wise Lord. 11. O ye mortals, mark these commandments,The commandments the Wise Lord has given for happiness and for pain:Long suffering for the doer of Evil, and bliss for the follower of Truth,The illumination of salvation for the Righteous ever after.

For, when these creatures, being without a king, through fear dispersed in all directions, the Lord created a king for the protection of this whole (creation), 4. Taking (for that purpose) eternal particles of Indra, of the Wind, of Yama, of the Sun, of Fire, of Varuna, of the Moon, and of the Lord of wealth (Kubera). 5. Because a king has been formed of particles of those lords of the gods, he therefore surpasses all created beings in lustre; 6. And, like the sun, he burns eyes and hearts; nor can anybody on earth even gaze on him. 7. Through his (supernatural) power he is Fire and Wind, he Sun and Moon, he the Lord of justice (Yama), he Kubera, he Varuna, he great Indra. 8. Even an infant king must not be despised, (from an idea) that he is a (mere) mortal; for he is a great deity in human form.

In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people’s fate. The man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or in peril.

Then my father asked for the tablet of the treaty again, in which there was told how formerly the Storm God took the people of Kurustama, sons of Hatti, and carried them to Egypt and made them Egyptians; and who the Storm God concluded a treaty between the countries of Egypt and Hatti, and how they were continuously friendly with each other. And when they had read aloud the tablet before them, my father then addressed them thus: “Of old, Hattusa and Egypt were friendly with each other, and now this, too, on our behalf, has taken place between them! Thus Hatti and Egypt will continuously be friendly with each other!”