harge of the demented people who
have become insane in the towns through the great heat in the summer,
and they chain each of them in iron chains until their reason becomes
restored to them in the winter-time. Whilst they abide there, they are
provided with food from the house of the Caliph, and when their reason
is restored they are dismissed and each one of them goes to his house
and his home. Money is given to those that have stayed in the hospices
on their return to their homes. Every month the officers of the Caliph
inquire and investigate whether they have regained their reason, in
which case they are discharged. All this the Caliph does out of
charity to those that come to the city of Bagdad, whether they be sick
or insane. The Caliph is a righteous man, and all his actions are for
good.

[p.60]

In Bagdad there are about 40,000 Jews[127], and they dwell in
security, prosperity and honour under the great Caliph, and amongst
them are great sages, the heads of Academies engaged in the study of
the law. In this city there are ten Academies. At the head of the
great Academy is the chief rabbi R. Samuel, the son of Eli. He is the
head of the Academy Gaon Jacob. He is a Levite, and traces his
pedigree back to Moses our teacher. The head of the second Academy is
R. Hanania his brother, warden of the Levites; R. Daniel is the head
of the third Academy; R. Elazar the scholar is the head of the fourth
Academy; and R. Elazar, the son of Zemach, is the head of the order,
and his pedigree reaches to Samuel the prophet, the Korahite. He and
his brethren know how to chant the melodies as did the singers at the
time when the Temple was standing. He is head of the fifth Academy. R.
Hisdai, the glory of the scholars, is head of the sixth Academy. R.
Haggai is head of the seventh Academy. R. Ezra is the head of the
eighth Academy. R. Abraham, who is called Abu Tahir, is the head of
the ninth Academy. R. Zakkai, the son of Bostanai the Nasi, is the
head of the Sium[128].

[p.61]

These are the ten Batlanim[129], and they do not engage in any other
work than communal administration; and all the days of the week they
judge the Jews their countrymen, except on the second day of the week,
when they all appear before the chief rabbi Samuel, the head of the
Yeshiba Gaon (Jacob), who in conjunction with the other Batlanim
judges all those that appear before him. And at the head of them all
is Daniel the son of Hisdai, who is styled "