And, at the conclusion of this affair, the news of this afflicting difficulty and the report of this fire-burning distress arrived;* and their affairs became broken in their hand, and the arrangement of their transactions and of their hopes declined, and their inclination to sorrow and their engrossing agitation, on account of this good friend, took pos­session of their hearts. And they recalled Hisám-Addoulat-Tásh from His Highness of Bukhárá, in order that he might examine into all this wrong and trace out the whole of this affair. And he declined aiding and assisting them,* and adhered to His Highness. And he killed some of the offenders with the sword, and arrested some and made examples of them; but some became dispersed into the distant regions of the world. And the office of Vizír was confirmed to Abú-Al-Hásán. But his disposition was too narrow fully to embrace this office, and, for that reason, he could not fully support that station.

And, in the midst of this affair, Abul-Husain-Sinjúr arrived from Sistán, and came to his place, without permission, and sat down, as a seeker of strife and disturbance, and felt an inclination that, on account of the unfortunate defence of Jurjan, and on account of the defeat which had happened to the army of Bukhárá, there might be some oppor­tunity of disposing of his goods and making his market brisk.* Abúl-Hasán greatly blamed and reproved him, for that attempt, and directed him, by way of counsel and good advice, that he should arise from the plain of Khurasán and should remove into Kohistán, which is in Sistán, until the affairs of those parts should arrive at some final issue, and that the unfortunate events which had taken place, through recent occurrences, should be rectified, and the wind of abundance and the streets of the market should arise to greater esti­mation. And he promised him that, when the sincerity of his obedience, and his constancy in good service, and his ready firmness in devotion to the State should become conspicuous, he should receive various generous gifts, and that there should be an augmentation of his allowances, and an increase of his rank, and an elevation of his step towards the throne, and that the settlement of his allowances should be doubled.

But when Hisám-Addoulát-Tásh went to Bukhárá and Abú-Alí-’bn-Simjúr found the plain of Khurásán empty, he watched an opportunity and arranged with Fáík the means of sending messages, and of writing, and of alliance, and of fraternity, and entreated him to join in opposition to Tásh and with the followers of his standard, and with those who were well pleased with his supe­riority and pledges. And he made the Sultán odious to the family of the nobles, inviting them to ally and unite themselves with him. And he succeeded in his evil request. And it happened to him according to the saying, “The intervening space can meet with its measure.”* For between them an alliance and treaty took place, and a sincere unity was apparent. And he seized the officers who were over the revenues of Khurasán, and took every one of the sacred and secular endowments as revenue, for their own expenditure. And the two proceeded unto the city of Merú and actively exerted themselves in raising the revenue of Khurasán, until Tásh found it necessary, on account of the difficulties to which he was reduced, to endeavour to repel them, and to discover some plan which should be sufficient to put a stop to the injury and the wrong which they were inflicting upon his country and his subjects. Therefore he opened his treasures and distributed his well-pre-served jewels, and the most valuable portions of his wealth and his furniture, amongst the whole of his army, and proceeded from Bukhárá, and attacked the revenue-defrauders. And messengers came and went between them, and laboured at the means of agreement and of putting an end to enmity, and extinguishing the causes of strife. And they threatened them with the ruinous effects of contention, and the unpleasant consequences of enmity and provocation. And they arrived at this conclusion, that Nishapúr should belong to Tásh, and Balkh to Fáík, and Herát to Abú-Ali. And upon this foundation they made peace, and each of them went to his own country. And Abú-Bakr-Khawarazmy says, in his poem of congratulation to Abu-Ali, upon his appointment to the province of Herát (Verse)

And Hisam-Addoulat-Tash came to Merú, and, at the time of his setting out from Bukhara, had dismissed Mazni from the office of Vizir, and had given his appointment to his own Chamber­lain, Abd-Arrakman-Farsi, because that Mazní well knew the secret plans of Abú-Ali and Fáík, and because that it was notorious that his oil-bottle, i. e., of connivance, was poured upon their affairs and that his delay, during the stirring of their rebellion, was conspicuous. When, however, he arrived at Merú his chamberlain declined the office of Vizír, and that office was committed to Abd-Allah-Ibn-Azíz. He was well known and remarkable for his opposition to the family of Utbi, and had continually expressed a vehement eagerness in attacking, in annoying, counteracting and detesting them. And, as soon as the office of Vizír devolved upon him, he removed Tásh from the charge and Generalship of the army, and gave an order for the appointment and settlement of that dignity upon Abú-Alí-Husain-Simjúr. And since it was evident that the recent weakness and decay, and languor that had taken place in the freshness and vigour of the State was wholly the result of the weak counsels and erroneous system of the Vizérs, and since any rectification of this evil was not to be imagined possible, except by a change and alteration in this system, he therefore sent to Tásh, from His Highness, a royal order, and annulled the right of having his name mentioned in the public prayers, which had been given to that prince by the chiefs and generals of the Army, and ordained that his surnames should be of the same amount as they had been in the time of Amir-Hájibí, and commanded that he should remove from the governor’s place, and depart from the midst of Khurasán, and proceed with his wives and children, and should make his calculation and diminish his province within these two limits, and should exhibit the contentment he formerly exhibited, with his wealth, and emoluments, and titles. And when this royal order reached Tásh he became aware that his ill-wishers had found the means of attacking him, and that the plots of his enemies had arrived at the mark, and that they wished to build the foundation of implacability and to lay the foundation stone, in order that, in the course of time, their hatred might become effectual and that they might cut short the regard which existed between him and the author of his fortune, and might contrive some method of making His Excellency his enemy, so that his former service and his previous duty might become annulled and disregarded. He therefore summoned the chiefs of the army and the officers of the forces, and said, “You well know my usual conduct with respect to my zealous service, my upright intentions, my single-heartedness, my good counsel, and my acknowledgment of the duty which I owe, for the benefits received from His Majesty, and that, for the purpose of establishing the Government and settling his kingdom, I, during the period of my command and trust over you, have displayed myself as one established upon the rules of kindness, and that I have never complained of the fulfilment of my duty, for the advantage of the places belonging to my district, both in strength­ening them and advancing their prosperity, and I have employed all my thoughts in endeavouring to secure the best result, and I have extended to all the protection of kindness and of favour, in assisting and benefiting them. Now, under present circumstances, when the opinion of His Majesty has become changed with regard to me, and he hath been pleased to confer my employment upon another, there is nothing remaining for me except obedience and submission, therefore every one of you is entirely at liberty to make your own choice with regard to your own affairs. Every one of you who may prefer to continue associated with me will be honoured and generously treated, and his condition will be specially distinguished by good maintenance, rank, protection, and liberty and freedom, as to times and places; and if any of you wish to separate from me he will meet with no opposition or hindrance, on my part.” Upon this all requested a month’s leave of absence, in order that they might consult with their followers, and give a reply to him with their eyes open, with collected minds, and in the way of duty. And, at another meeting, the result was this (Verse)

(Verse)

And all agreed upon the following opinion (namely) We can have no choice except to remain associated with and attached unto thee, and we cannot dispense with the obligation of passing both our prosperous and unprosperous days, our cold and warm fortune, in thy society and in thy friendship (Verse)

And at last they wrote unto His Highness and reminded him of the unshaken duty and the well-managed arrangements of Hisam-Addoulat, and supplicated him that he should protect him, who was the connecting link of friendship and the confluent fountain of their affairs, from being con­founded and distressed, and that he should take care that their face should preserve its ornament and protection, by means of the dignity of his pas­torate and the good consequences of his content-giving rule, and that he should make no change or alteration in his rank and office. Abdulláh-Ibn-Azíz gave no answer, except noisy and quarrel­some words, and a perpetual repetition of asperity and reproach, and deluded them with deceit, pre­tences, and false promises, like the Siráb which the thirsty traveller accounts to be water, until, when he comes to it, he finds it nothing. And they were aware of his double-dealing and false­hood, and they paid no regard to his letters and his exhortations, and they became more zealously inclined to surround and obey Tásh (Verse)