1. Buzurjmihr, the celebrated Prime Minister of Núshír­wán “the Just”, concerning whom Firdawsí relates many anecdotes, as how he read the writing after he had become blind. On the conquest of Persia by the Arabs, and the fall of the Sásánian dynasty, he fled to Ṭabaristán. When asked, “Why did the kingdom of the House of Sásán fall when it contained such a man as thee?” he replied:

<Arabic>

“Because they sought the help of small men in great mat­ters, and so affairs came to what they did.” One day they said to him “Come, let us discuss Fate and Predestination.” He answered, “What have I to do with such a discussion? I behold an external appearance whence I deduce the underlying reality: I- see fools prosperous and wise men in want, and I know that the ordering of results is not in man’s hands.” A number of similar wise sayings of his are reported, including the following: “Man is troubled at the waning of his wealth, but not at the waning of his life.”

2. The Ispahbad Marzubán b. Rustam b. Shirwín Parím (<Arabic>), who wrote the book called Marzubán-náma, which our author prefers to that of Kalíla and Dimna*, and also a Díwán of poetry in the Ṭabarí dialect, known as the Níkí-náma. In the same dialect Ibráhím Mu'íní says: