And because he beheld a determined disposi­tion in his son, and remarked the evidences of ambition in his understanding and imagination, he sent him to one of the fortresses of Karmán. Here he was imprisoned for some time. And in this castle were several of the family of his father’s Court: they cast an eye upon the imprisoned Prince, and pitied his condition. Therefore they tied their veils together and let him down from the top of the castle. And when the army became aware of the escape of the Prince they all assembled and joined him, and during all the days of his father they wearied him with measures (and propositions) of trouble. And Abú-Alí sent a message to the chiefs of the army and notables of the people, and desired to know the cause of their hatred and ground of their fierceness, and em­ployed gentle and friendly words. But he received no healing reply and saw no result, except the necessity of propitiating His Highness.* For all released him from governing, and absolutely required that he should separate himself from the country and towns of Karmán, and divest himself of all desire for those regions. And when he saw the vehemence and obstinacy of these forces he perceived that there was no remedy, but in gentle­ness and in quitting his lordly tone. Therefore he collected the property and moveables which he had, and took the road to Bukhárá; and he sent his son, ’bn-Mahdí, and Barmash, the Chamberlain, to the other son, in order that, by the aid of their perfect intellect, they might expedite his affairs. And when Abú-Alí arrived at Bukhárá he used the utmost endeavour, by seeking and visiting, to obtain splendour and distinction for his rank, and was a constant attendant at the presence of the King, until, in the month Shaivál and the year 356 (?) he was committed to the grave. And his son Alísa obtained possession of the kingdom of Karmán; and his affairs met with perfect success, and his authority was consolidated and advanced. His brother Sulimán was settled at Jarján, for the viceroyalty of that place had been committed to him. He stirred up his son ’bn-Mahdi-Alísa to attack him, and said that he ought to lay hands upon him before his disjointed affairs were fully put in order, and his condition settled. Alísa then summoned his brother from Jírján, under pretext of consulting him upon some weighty business. He however sought to hold back, by means of false excuses and deceitful words. And Alísa became grieved at this refusal, and conceived a suspicion of him. He therefore attacked and defeated him, and seized all his property and baggage, heavy and light, and Sulimán went to Bukhárá. But the history of Alísa turned out eventually according to the saying, “The ass seeking two horns, lost his two ears.” The explication of which proverb is this, when he arrived on the frontiers of the country of Fars, a detachment of the army of Azduddouláh went to offer service to him. He caressed them greatly, and gave them dresses of honour. But then several of this body fled, and came into the ser­vice of Azduddoulah. For this cause Alisa became suspicious of the fidelity of the remainder, and made them all an example. Then most of his army went into the service of Azduddoulah, who abundantly honoured them. And the army witnessing the dis­ruption of these two bodies became alienated from Alísa and hated him, and at one stroke a thousand men of the chiefs of Dilem severed themselves from his troops, and attached themselves to His Highness, Azdaddoulah, in the province of Istakhar. After this company after company attached themselves to him, until the whole of the people of the army were dissevered. And he, with his slaves and body guard, went to Washar, and twisting to­gether his light and heavy baggage, went to Bukhárá. Upon this Azduddoulah was soon at Washar, and succeeded to the kingdom of Karmán. He removed Gorangirín-Hassan to become his vicegerent and lieutenant of that place, and betook himself to the direction of Fars. As for Alísa when he arrived at the confines of Kohistán, he left all his baggage at Hawín, and in the hope of succour went to Bukhárá. His exalted rank and honoured dignity was highly regarded in the royal presence, and favoured in the Court, and he was specially admitted into familiar intercourse and society with the King. But on a certain day, during a social meeting, when the course of wine had seized the reins of self-command from his hand, he introduced a freedom of speech beyond that which his rank authorized, and uttered the follow­ing expressions: “If I had known that the disposi­tion of the house of Sámán shrank from aiding the grieved, and succouring the anxious, and that my hope of obtaining the prospect of encouragement, and an asylum from their Highnesses, would have been disappointed and belied, I would have sought refuge in some other direction, and requested sup­port from some other quarter.” The harshness of these words moved the King, and they seized him, and sent him to Khwárism. And Abú-Alí-’bn-Simjúr sending to Hawin, took possession of all his baggage, light and heavy, and all his bedding, coloured clothes, and changes of raiment.

This loss constituted bitter intelligence to Alísa, at Khwárism, and he could not patiently endure that measure of affliction. And in his extreme anguish and disgust lifted up his finger and tore out the pupils of his eyes, and by this, in the issue, he laid down his life. As to the sons and followers of Alísa, they afterwards chanted the pages of misery, and none of them saw Kirmán except in his sleep. Kirmán then was fully settled upon Azduddoulah, until he went to the home of mercy, and Bíha-Addoulah inherited the kingdom. These regions were adorned by his justice and equity. And when the Sultán seized Sistán, and the duty of neighbourhood and contiguity of dominion was observed between them, he openly declared and uttered an assertion of his noble attachment and eager affection towards the Sultán, and sent to him gifts and presents, worthy of his exalted mind and illustrious descent. And the Sultán reciprocally commanded that double kindnesses should be ren­dered to him, so that the source of mutual hospi­tality, and the fabric of friendship, was settled between them. And the senators of the two empires, by means of their compositions, exerted themselves to interweave as the motives for constancy, the bonds and claims of neighbourhood, and to nail the foundations of affection by the nails of alliance and affinity, so that unity and intimacy resulted between these two sovereigns, and the advantages of their union, and the fruits of their alliance, extended to the people of Islám, and to the whole world.