As a remedy against these evils, Chosroes appointed a single paymaster-general, and insisted on his carefully inspecting and reviewing each body of troops before he allowed it to draw its pay.  Each man was to appear before him fully equipped and to show his proficiency with his weapon or weapons; horse soldiers were to bring their horses, and to exhibit their mastery over the animals by putting them through their paces, mounting and dismounting, and performing the other usual exercises.  If any clumsiness were noted, or any deficiency in the equipment, the pay was to be withheld until the defect observed had been made good.  Special care was to be taken that no one drew the pay of a class superior to that whereto he really belonged—­of an archer, for instance, when he was in truth a common soldier, or of a trooper when he served not in the horse, but in the foot.

A curious anecdote is related in connection with these military reforms.  When Babek, the new paymaster, was about to hold his first review, he issued an order that all persons belonging to the army then present in the capital should appear before him on a certain day.  The troops came; but Babek dismissed them on the ground that a certain person whose presence was indispensable had not made his appearance.  Another day was appointed, with the same result, except that Babek on this occasion plainly intimated that it was the king whom he expected to attend.  Upon this Chosroes, when a third summons was issued, took care to be present, and came fully equipped, as he thought, for battle.  But the critical eye of the reviewing officer detected an omission, which he refused to overlook—­the king had neglected to bring with him two extra bow-strings.  Chosroes was required to go back to his palace and remedy the defect, after which he was allowed to pass muster, and then summoned to receive his pay.  Babek affected to consider seriously what the pay of the commander-in-chief ought to be, and decided that it ought to exceed that of any other person in the army.  He then, in the sight of all, presented the king with four thousand and one dirhems, which Chosroes received and carried home.  Thus two important principles were thought to be established—­that no defect of equipment whatsoever should be overlooked in any officer, however high his rank, and that none should draw from the treasury a larger amount of pay than 4,000 dirhems (L112. of our money).

The encouragement of agriculture was an essential element in the system of Zoroaster; and Chosroes, in devoting his attention to it, was at once performing a religious duty and increasing the resources of the state.  It was his earnest desire to bring into cultivation all the soil which was capable of it; and with this object he not only issued edicts commanding the reclamation of waste lands, but advanced from the treasury the price of the necessary seed-corn, implements, and beasts to all poor persons willing to carry out