And Fáík and Bektuzún took their coursers and went down to meet Saif-Addoulat, and instead of obstinacy drew the veil over the head of confu­sion, and carried depression of mind and weakness of heart upon the loins of repentance, because they thought that that was a sea beyond the measure of their swimming, and that that was a burden beyond their power and strength. And from that reflec­tion perplexity obtained the mastery, and fear and terror became conquerors, and all the world became blocked up, no means of departing from place to place, no means of seeking flight, and no way of providing assistance (Verse)

And they began to understand that to wrestle with a torrent is to risk one’s life, and to butt against a mountain is to give one’s head to the winds, and that to strike a blow upon a bodkin* is to expose the hand to destruction. In this help­less condition they sent messengers, and requested delay, and with the most perfect humility offered proposals of peace.

And Saif-Addoulat although he was well ac­quainted with the corruption of their hearts, and the depravity of their conduct, and although he well knew the depth of their baseness and treachery, yet in order to quiet all dispute, and establish an excuse (for his own conduct), to remove all appear­ance of suspicion, and to redeem himself from the stigma of rebellion, and the imputation of obstruc­tion and enmity, regarded their petition with favour, and returned a favourable answer to their application, and consented to depart. He accord­ingly marched, and when his heavy furniture and baggage was on the route the low followers and mob of their camp began to lay the hand of violence and enmity upon the rear of his army, and they plundered some portion of his baggage. And the regular troops of Saif-Addoulat, with their excess of strength and augmented majesty, made a charge; and they (thus) put their foot upon the serpent’s tail and threw themselves into the way of destruc­tion. And when Saif-Addoulat witnessed them thus falling into the ruin of error, and precipitating themselves into the den of fate, and beheld their overpowering greediness and false covetousness in the plundering and rapine of their followers, and that the chiefs and officers did nothing to repress the folly of their low followers, or the oscitancy of their mob, he began to understand that their limbs were in his power, and that their stillness and silence* would become examples of the saying, “The fool becomes determined when misfortune compels him.” He accordingly ordered that a company of his troops should surround these mob-followers and put them all to death (Verse)

And the army formed itself, and arguments of steel ran throughout the battle field, and well-ordered ranks faced the enemy (Verse)

And with them the two brothers Nasr and Ismaïl, and their uncle Begrajak, stood in their centre, and there is a place in the verses of Abu-Farash which contains a description of their con­dition (Verse)

And the disaffected commonalty, on account of the advance of his standards and the onward pressure of his flags, beheld terrific sights like those of the day of judgment, and their affairs were abundantly supplied with vexation and repentance, and they began to blame each other for these reprehensible acts, and for having undertaken so shameful an affair. And being in the intricate narrowness of this difficulty they could not discover the egress of good advice, and being thus without remedy they came out from the city in gaudy cloaks, and splendid coats, and new festival dresses, and the insignia of holiday making, for they had a great opinion of their troops collected from the provinces of Khurasán and Máwarannahr. Horse and foot then assembling, drew up in rank on the front of Saif-Addoulat, and they took their stand opposite his army, and on both sides the hand embraced the sword and a great slaughter ensued (Verse)

And the punishment of these vile infidels and of these traitors to the fidelity due to their master came upon them, and at one charge the army of Saif-Addoulat broke through them, and they took the road of flight, and if night had not come as a veil over their affairs, and as a fresh resource to them, all would have been involved in the rope of destruction, and cast down the precipice of sudden ruin (Verse)

And Abdul-Malik-Ibn-Núh and Fáík halted after that defeat at Bukhárá, and Bektuzún came to Nishapúr, and Abul-Kasim-Simjur went to Kohistán, and the star of the happiness of Saif-Addoulat arrived at the zenith of glory, and the height of his dignity, and the perfection of his good fortune exceeded that of the pinnacle of the skies; and the kingdom of Khurasán and the inheritance of the royalty of the family of Sámán became pre­pared and concocted for him, and his rivals and opponents became dispersed and torn to tatters in the various provinces and asylums of the world (Verse)

And after this event he marched towards Tús, lest Bektuzún and Simjur should unite together, and lest from their union some new injury should arise, and that confusion might not be produced; and Bektuzún through fear of this proceeding went on towards Jurjan, and the Sultán sent Arslán-Jadhib after him, in order that he might go upon his track, like the shooting stars after the foot-marks of evil spirits, and expel him from the regions of Khurasán. And he betook himself to this service; but the Sultán had included Tús in his computations, and therefore with most of his army left him for Tús, and went on his way, in order that he might inspect the revenue collectors, and renew fidelity in those districts.

And Bektuzún seized the opportunity of the absence of the Sultán, and returned to Nishapúr, and began to advance the pretensions of Abdul-Malik to royalty, not recognizing the truth, that when the supporting columns of a kingdom have become decayed by the changeful hand of time, and when its foundations have become destroyed by reason of the lapse of many ages, no vain exertion and no fruitless endeavour can restore it; and that when the natural conformation differs from the usual symmetry it is impossible to restore it perma­nently to the common figure. And the result of all these proceedings was this, that the Sultán was compelled to endure renewed trouble and reiterated annoyance, lest they should by one blow gain head and preserve it. And he went out by the way of Abiward, and the army of the Sultán went on his track, so that he turned towards the road through the desert in the direction of Merú, and desired to fix himself in that city, and to entrench himself in that fortification; but the people of Merú having made opposition he plundered the city, and pro­ceeded from the desert of Amil to Bukhárá, and when the plain of Khurasán was free from Bektu­zún* and his followers, the Sultán sent Arslan-Jadhib unto Kohistan, that he might expel Abul-Kasim-Simjúr from those coasts, and might break down his expectation of restoration and prosperity whilst the cup was at his lips. Arslan then pro­ceeded to Kohistan, and gave him battle, and de­feating him expelled him unto the coasts of Tús; and the Sultán conferred the generalship of the army upon his brother Nasr-Ibn-Nasír-Addín, and sent him to Nishapúr, and proceeded to Balkh, and made Balkh his capital, and there took his seat upon the royal throne. And in this journey he went one day with certain of his guards on a hunting expedition to the frontiers of Meruward, and the Amír Ismaïl and Noshtagin-Káj, who was one of the nobles of Nasír-Addin, was in atten­dance, and the Sultán happened to look round and saw Noshtagin holding his hand ready upon his sword, and looking out for a signal and intimation from the Amír Ismaïl, and the Sultán by that action of Noshtagin discovered the treachery of the Amír Ismaïl, and perceived the hint he gave by a glance and the winking of his eye. However he (the Amír Ismaïl) had spread the carpet of hesitation upon that consultation, and the evidences of his doubt were manifest.

And the Sultán, when he returned, put Nosh­tagin to death and summoned his brother before him, and began to search into the particulars of the affair. And the Amír Ismaïl began craftily to extenuate the deceit of that traitor, and the vile mysteriousness of that deceiver. In consequence of this much discussion and conversation took place between them, and the Sultán perceived that it would conduce to the preservation of the State and to the peace of the times to deposit Ismaïl with certain of the nobles of the Court in some place where he could be kept safely and be well guarded, knowing that two swords cannot be contained in one sheath, and that dissensions arise from the concurrence of two kings even upon one sheet of paper,* and that if there are two rams in one flock they will begin to butt at one-another. And the Sultán, at the time when the Amír Ismaïl had been removed from the castle of Ghazna, had, at an entertainment, entered upon free conversation with him, and had entered upon a gradual enquiry into his most hidden thoughts, and asked of him thus,— “If the accident of victory and the fortunate opportunity which has happened to me had hap­pened to thee, and I had become a prisoner in thy hands, what course wouldest thou have pursued with me? and in what way wouldest thou have thought to have acted towards me?” The Amír Ismaïl, through the extreme mildness of his heart and equity of his disposition, replied, “I had this intention respecting you, to send you to some mountain-castle and to settle upon you whatever you might wish or desire with respect to your fur­niture, your attendants, your wives, and all the conveniences and comforts of life; and if you felt any inclination, or wish, or desire for anything whatever I should have freely granted it to you.” The Sultán, therefore, took the same measures with regard to him, and acted towards him according to the judgment of his own intention, and committed him to the care of the governor of Jurjan, and gave order that he should be guarded, but liberally provided with all comforts, and settled and com­manded that all the means of enjoyment should be supplied to him, in the measure of his own will. And truly the Sultán was a man of perfect generosity and amiable disposition, with which virtues his royal garment was adorned and the robe of his intentions wonderfully embroidered; and he never alienated his brother from that place in his affec­tions which was due to the feelings of kindred and of fraternal connection. And, moreover, in his treatment of individuals who were obviously guilty of great crimes and treachery, and who, in opposing him and acting contumaciously against him had been foremost, and had rendered themselves liable to pay the penalty of offences and shameful crimes, he, in the time of power and opportunity, would slacken the fire of anger and indignation with the water of mildness and forgiveness, and would over­look and receive excuses, and pass over errors and offences; and, if ever he took any strong proceed­ings in the way of punishing offenders, he pro­ceeded according to that blessed proverb, that a wise king ought to act with such prudence that, in a state of anger, he should inflict injury upon a man in such a way as that, in a state of good humour, he may be able to repair the wrong; for, in the destroying of anything, let Him only be active who is almighty to create, since it is impos­sible to make reparation when the spirit is over­powered and life destroyed, and destruction will not be formed again (Verse)