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of God from the Eastern to the Western portions of the Earth, and with the blessing of the miraculous power of all the sultans and with the blessing of the mediation[1] of his late Majesty Meukuta Alam Iskandar (Eseukanda) Muda, and with the blessing of the mediation of Her late Majesty Tajul-alam Sapiatōdin, and with the blessing of the mediation of His late Majesty Alaédin Ahmat Shah, and with the blessing of the mediation of His late Majesty Sultan Alaédin Mahmut Shah, and with the blessing of the mediation of His late Majesty Alaédin Muhamat Shah[2], and with the blessing of the mediation of His late Majesty Sultan Alaédin Jauhar al-Alam Shah, and with the blessing of His late Majesty Alaédin Mansō Shah, on all of whom God have Mercy, Amen!
If it be the will of Allah the Exalted, with the blessing of the miraculous power of him who (now) possesses greatness, dominion, justice and excellence, along with the highest and most distinguished rank, him who is favoured by the Lord whose name is 'your Highest Lord'[3]; to wit, our lord and master His Majesty Sultan Alaédin Muhamat Dawōt Shah, son of the late Sultan Alaédin Mansō Shah Juhan, the Blessed, Allah’s shadow in the world; while His Highness sat upon the throne in Kuta Keumala, His exalted Majesty, the Prince of the world spoke unto the Keureukōn Katibōy Muluk (or Mulut[4], bidding him draw up a document with the thunder-seal[5], to be vouchsafed unto Our ulèëbalang, who is called the Panglima of the Meuseugit Raya of Banda Acheh, the Seat of Peace.
We make known hereby unto all ulèëbalangs, unto the wakis, tandils[6], imeums, katibs, bileuës and all subjects:
- ↑ The Arabic afwāh, properly = "mouths", is used in Achehnese to signify the mediation or beneficent help of some illustrious personages, to which good fortune is often politely attributed in conversation.
- ↑ It is noticeable that the blessing is invoked of the identical sultans whose names appear in the chab sikureuëng. The only additional one is this Muhamat (1824–38). As a rule, only three or four of the names contained in the seals are repeated in documents such as these.
- ↑ Qurān 79 verse 24.
- ↑ As to this imaginary private secretary see above pp. 124–5.
- ↑ Chap halilintar, as the nine fold seal is officially called in Malay.
- ↑ The office of tandil, like so many others, has disappeared from Acheh and its very meaning is now lost; yet it still subsists as an hereditary title of certain chiefs in the highland districts of the West Coast. (This word, the Tamil "tanḍal" is in common use throughout the Malay Peninsula and Straits Settlements in the sense of the headman of a gang of coolies or of the crew of a boat. The original meaning according to Winslow is a collector of moneys, a "bill-collector", but it was also used for the captain of a cargo-boat, in which sense no doubt it first found its way to the Eastern Archipelago. (Translator).
