“I said, ‘I'll ever in thy service be,

Intrigues of Majdu'l-Mulk Not come like larch and go like willow tree’:
He who despairs is bold and sharp of tongue;
Cause me not, Friend, thus desperate to be!”

By traducing the Ṣáḥib-Díwán to Abáqá, he finally induced that monarch to associate him in the government with his rival, and this dual control gave rise to endless friction and recriminations. On one occasion he sent another quatrain to the Ṣáḥib-Díwán as follows:

<text in Arabic script omitted>

“Into the Ocean of thy grief I'll dive,
And either drown, or pearls to gather strive;
'Tis hard to fight with thee, yet fight I will,
And die red-throated, or red-cheeked survive.”*

To this the Ṣáḥib-Díwán sent the following answer:

<text in Arabic script omitted>

“Since to the King complaints thou canst not bear
Much anguish to consume shall be thy share.
Through this design on which thou hast embarked
Thy face and neck alike shall crimson wear.”

Ultimately Majdu'l-Mulk succeeded in arousing Abáqá's suspicions against the Ṣáḥib-Díwán's brother, 'Alá'u'l-Mulk Disgrace and punishment of 'Aṭá Malik-iJuwayní 'Aṭá Malik-i-Juwayní, who was arrested, paraded through the streets of Baghdád, tortured, and forced to pay large sums of money which he was alleged to have misappropriated. Matters might have gone yet worse with him had not Abáqá's sudden death on April 1, 1282, put an end to his persecution and Release of 'Aṭá Malik and death of Majdu'l-Mulk brought about his release from prison, while soon afterwards his enemy Majdu'l-Mulk fell a victim to the popular fury, and was torn in pieces by the mob, his dismembered limbs being publicly exhibited in the chief cities of Persia. On this well-merited punishment of the old and inveterate foe of his family 'Aṭá Malik-i-Juwayní composed the following quatrain:

<text in Arabic script omitted>

“For some brief days thy guile did mischief wreak;
Position, wealth and increase thou didst seek:
Now every limb of thine a land hath ta'en:
Thou'st over-run the kingdom in a week!”

'Aṭá Malik, however, did not long survive his foe, for he too Death of 'Aṭá Malik-i-Juwayní in A.D. 1283 died in the spring of 1283.

In one curious particular connected with Abáqá's death all the historians agree. He had, in the usual Mongol fashion, been drinking deeply with his favourites and boon-companions. Feeling uneasy, he had Death of Abáqá withdrawn from them for a moment into the palace garden when he suddenly cried out that a large black bird was threatening him, and ordered some of his servants to shoot it with arrows. The servants hastened to him in answer to his call, but no bird was to be seen, and while they were still searching for it, Abáqá fell down in a swoon from which he never awoke.*

A few other events of Abáqá's reign merit a brief mention. The Assassins, in spite of all they had suffered at Renewed activity of Assassins the hands of the Mongols, so far recovered themselves as to attempt the life of 'Aṭá Malik-i-Juwayní in 670/1271-2, while four years later, in 674/1275-6, they actually succeeded, under the leadership of the son of their last Grand Master Ruknu'd-Dín Khursháh, in regaining possession of Alamút, though they Internecine wars of Mongol princes were shortly afterwards subdued and destroyed by Abáqá. Internecine wars between various Mongol princes began to be prevalent in Abáqá's reign, as, for instance, that between Yúshmút and Nogáy at Aq-sú in 663/1264-5, the year of Abáqá's accession, and that between Abáqá and Nikúdar the son of Chaghatáy in 667/1268-9. Further turmoil was caused by the repeated raids of the Nikúdarís, and by the revolt of Revolt of Buráq Buráq in Khurásán. The defeat of the latter by Abáqá's troops was due almost entirely to the valour of Subutáy, in allusion to which a contemporary poet says:

<text in Arabic script omitted>

“'Gainst the army of thy love not one could stand save only I,
As against Buráq of all Abáqá's captains Subutáy.”