"It is the king's duty to inquire into the condition of his peasantry and army...
and to know more or less how things are.  If he does not do this,
he is at fault and people will charge him with negligence, laziness and tyranny...."
Nizām al-Mulk (1018–1092 CE), Siyāsat-nāmeh (The Book of Government)
Translated by Hubert Darke