Verses:

“There is a certain being called God, which, you know,

Can assuage even the billows of a stormy sea.”

After this affair, poverty took the upper hand of that worthy man. Luckily that a little time after, Aaly-djah-mir-cassem-qhan having seated himself upon the Mesned of the sovereignty of Bengal, and established himself fully in the possession of the three provinces of Bengal, Bahar and Oressa, he was pleased to call me from Radja Ram-naráin’s service into his own, as we shall mention subsequently, and to put it in my power to procure him from that Prince a noble pension, which enabled him to repay his creditors. However, he did not long enjoy that state of afflu­ence; and in a couple of years more, his last hour being come, he was interred in that spot of ground which had been bought by Mir-cassem-qhan, and is close to the monument of Saadet-qhan’s father. Doctor Ab8l-cassem, his disciple and friend, out of regard to his memory, and out of respect to his tomb, built himself a house close to it. It is true he was a Cashmirian indeed;* but yet he proved to be a man of excellent qualifications. So that after having honourably and virtuously lived in that house for a number of years, he departed this life last year, that is, in the 1780-81. year 1193 of the Hedjra, and repaired to the mansions of the Divine forgiveness. He was buried close to his master and teacher, and left behind a character of a good-natured man, equally desirous of serving God, and of obliging his creatures; acquainted with the Arabic, with jurisprudence, with sacred law, and with its explanations and commentaries; and whose main scope after God’s service, was to be useful to men, being himself a man of excellent qualifications. He died suddenly the 18th of Ramazan, as he was breaking his fast in the first part of the night,* and he was universally regretted. May God receive him in the arms of His mercy!

After so many deaths, none remains from amongst those virtuous men of former times, but two persons; and it is for their sakes doubtless that blessings are still showered down upon, earth from heaven; and it is these few who distribute still as much as they can afford, the sealed liquor of knowledge and science to the thirsty creatures of God. The first of these two is the glorious Séyd, that token of the beams of the Divinity, the discoverer of the subtilities and difficulties of the eternal science Séyd-mahmed-aaly, (the cooling waters of whose virtues and learning may God Almighty render perennial for my particular benefit; and as well as that of all the Believers). His father was a native of Iran; but himself was born in Háider-abad, one of the two capitals of Decan, where his father was no sooner arrived than his wife was brought to bed of a son. The father, intent on improving the mind of his child, carried him back to Iran, to have him educated there; and the boy being early initiated in the rudiments of knowledge, took such a liking to learning and to learned men, that in order to push his studies, he attached himself to the complete doctor and excellent teacher, our lord and teacher Mahmed-sadyc-sistani. He got his name inscribed amongst his disciples, and applied himself intensely to the business of sounding all the depths of knowledge, and of unfolding all the subtilities of science; nor did he ever part with that illustrious master, so long as he lived; but continued to increase his acquisitions, until by intense application and gradual labour, he arrived at the utmost height of science; and now he is famed for universality of learning. In the science of theoretical and practi­cal physic especially, he is reputed to have not his equal. With all his merit, and all his knowledge, he was in imitation of all the learned men, his predecessors, fond of retirement, and obscurity, passing his time in perusing the works of ancient masters; nor was he drawn out of his retirement, but by the evils that poured at once upon his country. His master died during the siege of Isfahan; and his father retired to the mansions of Divine mercy. Meanwhile, the country of Iran* becoming a scene of oppres­sion and troubles, and a variety of revolutions succeeding each other, he remembered his native country of India, and resolved to return thither. After his arrival in Bengal, he lived some days at P8raniah; but in a little time he thought proper to quit that country, as Séif-qhan had some abruptness in his character, as well as some profligacy in his morals. Form thence he repaired to Azim-abad, where he met Abdol-aaly-qhan, the poor man’s paternal uncle, who thinking himself honoured by such a guest, received him generously, and undertook to support him with decency. However, as occasions and opportunities to serve him did not offer, and he wished for an independent subsistence, he quitted Azim-abad, and repaired to A8d and Lucknow, where he remained a long time; until he was invited over by Zin-eddin-ahmed-qhan, Governor of Azim-abad, who wrote him pressing letters on that subject. The worthy man, who took those invita­tions to be so many tokens of a return of good fortune, repaired to Azim-abad, where the Governor no sooner heard of his being near, than he sent some persons of note to bring him over; and he received him with the utmost distinction, making him several presents; for he thought it an honour to settle upon him a noble pension, as well as to oblige him in every thing in his power. This state of things lasted until that worthy Prince was murdered by Shimshir-qhan; at which time the Séyd’s house was plundered, and himself reduced again to poverty; but hear­ing that Aaly-verdy-qhan was arrived at Mongher, he, like the Prophets of old, fled from a land of oppression, and took shelter in the Bengal Army, where the Viceroy looking upon his august arrival as something auspicious to himself, and as something that announced success and victory to his arms, received him with distinction, and settled a plentiful pension upon him, which was always regularly paid; nor did he ever abate anything from the kindnesses and attentions shewn him at first. But the Séyd him­self, fired with a desire of seeing the completion of Mussulmanism, and visiting the monument of the Prince of Men, and kissing the venerable threshold of the First of Pontiffs,* (upon whom be grace for ever!) took a journey thither by sea, and having enjoyed the happiness for which he had panted so long, he returned to Bengal where he found the Viceroy dying, and Seradj-ed-döulah disposing of every thing. The new Prince, with a petulance that became his character of ignorance and profligacy, instead of continuing to use with distinction so worthy a man, offered him indignities; he ordered him to quit the apartment where he lived in the palace, and this too without allowing him a moment’s respite. The poor man confounded at the suddenness of the order, was at a loss how to account for it, and how to dispose of himself at so short a notice; when he was succoured by Provi­dence. Hassen-reza-qhan, son to one of Hadji-ahmed’s daughters, hearing of that worthy man’s being turned into the street, ran on foot to the spot; and although not certain himself of his own fate, which his attachment to Nevazish-mahmed-qhan had rendered doubtful, and Seradj-ed-döula’s levity and profligacy, precarious, he engaged the worthy man to take shelter in his own house; and a few days after, he made him present of a dwelling and a spot of ground attaining to his own, where he took up his abode, and where he lives to this day; it is on the water side. It is observable that this nobleman, who was then the flambeau and light of his family, had exposed himself the lion’s jaws by so noble an action. But the Divine Mercy, in return for it, protected him from the tyrant’s resentment in a peculiar manner; else, what he had done was full of danger and peril; for the tyrant heard of it, and Hassen-reza-qhan came to think so himself. Seradj-ed-döulah is now gone. He has disappeared from the face of the earth, after having received a full measure for what he had done; but the memory of this noble action shall illustrate the page of history, and remain recorded for ever.

Verse:

“After two such examples, choose, if thou canst, thine own pattern.

Thanks are due to the Almighty God, that the learned man is still living to this day, (it being the month of Shaaban of the year 1194)* and is spending his time in collating books, con­fronting authorities, explaining the Scriptures, reading lectures upon sciences, and shewing the influence of his learning and virtues over the whole city of M8rsh8d-abad. He is assiduously attended by Hassen-Reza-qhan and his children, by Mahmed-hosséin-qhan, by Doctor-haddy-qhan’s son, and by numbers of the most distinguished persons of the city, who all resort thither to reap the benefit of his vivifying breath. May God continue to stretch the shade of that illustrious Séyd’s person over the heads of his servants and adorers! Amen.