chrest.wilck.255

… to come down to us … your coming down … without delay come down to us with the complement, as aforesaid, of the public gold taxes and extraordinary taxes and the remaining imposts required from your administrative district, not delaying anything at all of them. For God knows that you shall never depart again from us if there is even one single penny in arrear from you ‒be sure of that! For we are very anxious (?) that your work should be more energetic and trustworthy than it is; for indeed the Amīr al-Mu’minīn will not tolerate that on any pretext there should be delay in paying any of the complement of the taxes required as aforesaid from your district, and if you had had any proper sense you would not have required many letters from us on this account. Collect, therefore, completely whatsoever is due from you, and come down quickly, bringing with you the men from your district whom we named to you in our previous letters, and also a register of places giving the male population in each, with the poll-tax to which they are liable and the amount of each man's holding in land and the services he has rendered with instructions and without, and in fact do not let us find that you have omitted anything at all in our commands regarding this matter, nor give any ground of complaint or cause of displeasure whatsoever against yourself; for we intend by God's command to recompense the man whose conduct is good and to wipe out the unjust and unscrupulous wastrel. Therefore do not require another letter from us on this matter after the present one, lest retribution overtake you which will destroy your life and estate. Therefore, as we have often said, exert yourself zealously to come down to us without delay and to bring down whatever there is in your district of the public gold taxes and the various other imposts, performing without neglect also the instructions given you in our present and former letters; for indeed we desire nothing except that you should come down to us quickly with the taxes required from your district without deficit. Written the 15th Thoth, 8th indiction.