THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 135 
judged largely by the results attained; and there were 
obvious inducements to practise towards the peasants the 
severity which characterised the general administration of 
the time. Excessive severity would indeed defeat itself, 
because it would drive the peasants off the land, as we shall 
see later on; but we may reasonably infer that the peasants 
in Reserved areas were ordinarily kept under strict discipline. 
The basis of the revenue-Demand was now higher than 
ander Akbar: his standard of one-third of the produce had 
become the minimum, while more could be claimed, up to 
2 maximum of one-half (H. 6, 16). Within these limits the 
local officials were apparently allowed some discretion; 
but, seeing that their primary duty was to increase the 
revenue, we may infer that the actual Demand worked out 
nearer the maximum than the minimum. In practice, 
however, the arithmetical side of assessment was less promi- 
nent than in Akbar’s time, because the methods had been 
changed. 
The methods in force are described clearly in the preamble 
»f the first farman. In some villages where the peasants 
were poor, Sharing was practised, at rates adapted to the 
local conditions, ‘one-half, one-third, two-fifths, or more, 
or less”; but Group-assessment was the regular rule. At 
the beginning of the year the assessor (Amin) fixed the total 
sum to be paid by a village, or apparently on occasion by 
an entire pargana, on a consideration of the available data, 
including recent assessments, and the area to be cultivated 
in that year; the village could refuse the assessment offered 
by the Amin, in which case the revenue was taken from it 
by either Measurement or Sharing, apparently at the dis- 
cretion of the local officials; but, in the circumstances of 
the period, we may reasonably infer that refusal was the 
exception. 
The Demand on the individual peasants was thus ordi- 
narily left to be fixed by the headmen: and, as usual, we 
find that, in the official view, “the burden of the strong” 
tended to fall on the weak. The provincial Diwan was 
therefore instructed (R. 6) to examine the distribution 
itafrig) of the Demand in every village which he had oc- 
casion to visit. and to rectify any unfairness on the part of