Page image — the source of record
Machine transcription
8
the highest price. Corruption was rampant in all Government departments; both high and low were given to bribes. Life was not safe and robbers infested the roads even in broad daylight.
Perhaps the Shah was the only person who was not aware of what was happening in the country. Buried in the pleasures of harem, the cries of the oppressed could hardly reach his ears.
Such was the state of affairs, when Mir Vais Khan arrived at the Persian capital as a state prisoner. The shrewd Afghan, after studying the situation minutely, made up his mind to utilize it in achieving his national aim. His first object was to come into touch with the party which was opposed to Gurgin. Soon he learnt that the king's steward and Fateh Ali Khan, the Grand Vazier, were at the head of this faction. Mir Vais Khan had little difficulty in making common cause with them. He also made use of the money which his Afghan friends had placed at his disposal in bribing the courtiers and winning them over to his side.
After these necessary steps, he approached the King with the help of his friends. He justified
Roughly two thirds of characters agree with a modern printed edition of the same text. Much of the disagreement is editorial, not misreading. Treat the transcription as a finding aid and read the page image before quoting. How this was measured.