On the third night, the King's nephew as usual came, and having whipped the husband severely, turned him into the street. The poor man hastened to the King, but the captain of the guards refused him admittance, saying that his Majesty was in the seraglio. The man immediately vociferated loudly, so that the porter, fearing the court might be disturbed, and the noise reach the King, was under the necessity of conducting him to the officers of the bed-chamber, who imme­diately acquainted Mahmood.

The King instantly arose, and wrapping himself in a loose cloak, followed the man to his house. He found his nephew and the man's wife sleeping together in one bed, with a candle standing on the carpet near them. Mahmood, extinguishing the candle, drew his sword, and severed his nephew's head from his body. Then command­ing the man to bring a light, he called for water, and having taken a deep draught, he told him he might now go and sleep with safety, if he could trust his own wife.

The poor man fell at the King's feet in gra­titude, but begged him to say, why he put out the candle, and afterwards called so eagerly for water to drink? The King replied, he put out the candle that pity might not arrest his hand in the execution of his duty, for that he tenderly loved the youth; and, moreover, said, he had made a vow to God, when he first heard the complaint, that he would neither eat nor drink till he had brought the criminal to justice, which was the cause of his intense thirst. Let it not be concealed from my learned readers, that although we have many well authenticated stories of the inflexible justice of some virtuous monarchs, we have no other instance of this nature. God only knows the hearts of his people.

According to the Hubeeb-oos-Seer, the first per­son who exercised the office of vizier at the court of Mahmood was Abool Abass Fuzeel, the son of Ahmud Isferahy. He was originally the secretary of Fâïk, one of the nobles of the house of Samany; but after the fall of Fâïk, Abool Abass entered the service of Subooktugeen, and eventually became his vizier, an office which he continued to hold under his son Mahmood. As Abool Abass Fuzeel was more a man of business than of learning, and was ignorant of the Arabic language, he in­troduced, for the first time, the practice of writing public papers in Persian; but when Khwaja Ahmud, the son of Hussun Mymundy, became minister, he reverted to the Arabic language for all permanent official documents. Abool Abass Fuzeel was remarkable for his address in the management of public affairs, and for his extra­ordinary faculty for conciliation. Thus eliciting the zeal, and securing the fidelity, of all with whom he had to deal. He was, however, removed from the vizarut about two years after the succession of Mahmood. Some historians affirm, that he dis­pleased his master by contumaciously withholding from him an object in the family of Abool Abass on whom Mahmood had fixed his affection. It is stated that he was imprisoned, and that he eventually died under the rack, to which he was subjected in order to discover his wealth. He was succeeded by Khwaja Ahmud, the son of Hussun Mymundy, the foster-brother and school-fellow of his sovereign. His father Hussun, during the reign of Subooktugeen, was the collector of the revenues of Boost; but in consequence of having been con­victed of extortion and fraud to a large amount, he was hanged by order of Subooktugeen; so that the general notion which prevails, that Hussun Mymun-dy was the vizier of Sooltan Mahmood, is errone­ous. Khwaja Ahmud, his son, was as celebrated for writing a beautiful hand as for his talents or his learning. He first held the office of chief secretary, and rose by degrees till he attained the office of Moostowfy-ool-Moomalik, “controller “of revenues and paymaster-general of the army.” He was subsequently sent to occupy Khorassan, and to govern it; and on the removal of Abool Abass Fuzeel succeeded to the office of vizier, and held it uninterruptedly for eighteen years. He was then disgraced, owing to the intrigues of Altoon Tash, the commander-in-chief, and Ameer Ally Cheshawundy, and confined for thirteen years on the frontier of Kashmeer, in a hill-fort called Kalunjur. He was, however, afterwards released, and ob­tained the vizarut in the reign of Sooltan Musaood, and died a natural death in the year 424, A.D. 1033. Khwaja Ahmud Mymundy was suc­ceeded by Ahmud Hoossein, the son of Michael, who had been a confidential officer about his sovereign's person from his youth, and was much distinguished for his talents. He was, however, eventually put to death at Bulkh, by Musaood, on the plea of his having received and worn a dress presented to him by the Caliph of Egypt, on the occasion of his going on a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The learned men who lived at the court of Mahmood were principally these: the poet Oozery Razy, a native of Rye in Persia. On one occasion he received a present of 14,000 dirms from Mah-mood for a short panegyric. Assudy Toosy, a na­tive of the province of Khorassan, also a poet of great fame, whom the Sooltan often entreated to undertake the Shah Nama, but he excused himself on account of his age. His best works are sup­posed to be lost. He was the master of Firdowsy, who afterwards composed the Shah Nama. When Firdowsy left Ghizny and went to Toos, on finding himself too weak to finish his poem, owing to the state of his health, he applied to his old master Assudy; telling him that he was now at the point of death, and that his only regret for leaving this vain world was that his poem was yet incomplete. The old man, weeping, replied, that though he had excused himself to the King from having any hand in that performance, yet for the affection he bore to Firdowsy, he would undertake to go on with it. The dying poet replied, that he was well assured no other man of the age had the genius to accomplish it, but at the same time he was afraid years and infirmities would prevent his performing his promise. The old man, warmed with friend­ship, made the attempt, and composed that part of the poem between the Arabian conquest of the western Persia to the end, consisting of 4000 couplets.

Munoo-chéhr, a noble of Bulkh, was also famous for his poetry and wit. The philosopher Oonsury was deemed the greatest genius in that age; for besides being one of the best poets, he was at the same time profound in science, and skilled in all the learned languages. Four hundred poets and learned men, besides the students of the university of Ghizny, acknowledged him for their master. He was appointed by the King to superintend literature; and no work could be brought before Mahmood without being previously submitted for his approbation.

Among the works of Oonsury is an heroic poem on the actions of Mahmood. The King having one night in a debauch cut off the long tresses of his favourite mistress, was much concerned in the morning for what he had done. He sat, he rose, he walked by turns, and his attendants were alarmed to approach him. The philosopher Oonsury accosted him with some extempore lines, which so pleased the King that he ordered his mouth to be thrice filled with jewels. Calling then for wine, he sat with the poet and washed down his grief. Oonsury died A. H. 431.

Asjuddy of Murv is a powerful poet, and one of the scholars of Oonsury. He evinces in his works much genius; but they are scarce, and the greatest part of them is lost. Furokhy was also a pupil of Oonsury. He was a descendant of the royal race of Seestan, but reduced by fortune so low, that he was obliged to hire himself to a farmer for the yearly wages of 200 kylies * of grain, and 100 dirms. Being desirous of mar­rying a lady of his own family and a distant re­lative, he could not afford it, without an increase of his wages, which he requested his master to give him. The farmer told him he certainly de­served a great deal more, but that his means would not admit it. Furokhy in this state of dependence waited on the Sooltan's nephew, Abool Moozuffur, with a poem, for which he was honoured with a handsome reward, besides a horse and a dress. After this he was introduced by the same prince to the King, who settled a pension on him, which enabled him to ride with a retinue of twenty well mounted servants.

Dukeeky flourished also in this reign: he com­menced the Shah Nama, but only lived to complete a thousand couplets.