Section II (f. 64b).
The Houses of Washmgír and Buwayh.

Abú Isḥaq Ibráhím b. Hilál aṣ-Ṣábí’s great history of the Buwayhid Dynasty entitled Kitábu`t-Táj is praised. He and the Ṣáḥib Isma'íl b. 'Abbád are intended in the saying “More eloquent than the two Ṣáds” (<Arabic>). How Mu`ayyidu`d-Dawla, the brother and viceroy of 'Aḍudu`d-Dawla Fanákhusraw b. Ruknu`dDawla Ḥasan b. Buwayh came with the Ṣáḥib to Ṭabaristán, conquered its fortresses, and drove out its ruler Qábús, who for eighteen years after lived in exile at Níshápúr, will be described in another volume. Praise of 'Aḍudu`d-Dawla, and of his noble encouragement of all branches of learning and letters, which were better represented in his time than in any other. The author states that he had heard his father say that, being curious to know the reason of this, he enquired of Khusraw Sháh, the Magian astrologer of Sháh Ghází Rustam b. 'Alí, who said that it was because his reign fell in the beginning of the cycle of Mercury. Amongst the most notable of these man of learning were Abu 'Alí Fáris, the Grammarian and lexicographer, who wrote the Íḍáh-i-'Aḍudí and the medical work entitled Kámilu`ṣ-Ṣaná'at; Abu'l-Faḍl (f. 65a) b. al-'Amíd and his son Abu`l-Fatḥ; the Ṣáḥib himself; Abu`l-Qásim 'Abdu`l-'Azíz b. Yúsuf; aṣ-Ṣábí Abú Isḥaq Ibráhím; the poets Ibn Nubáta as-Sa'dí, Abu'ṭ-Ṭayyib al-Mutanabbí, Abú Bakr al-Khwárazmí, and Ustád 'Alí aṭṬabarí. Of these it is related by the last but one that his patron was in the habit of asking his poets to extemporize verses on any object which happened to be placed before him. On one occasion this happened to be rice-pudding (<Arabic>): he invited the poets to extemporize on it, but, before they could do so, himself described it in the follow­ing verses:

<Arabic>

For 42 years 'Aḍudu`d-Dawla resided at Baghdad, whence he practically exercised sovereign sway over the Ḥijáz, Yaman, Egypt, Syria, the two 'Iráqs, Ṭabaristán and all the districts of Farshwádgar. Verses addressed to 'Aḍudu`d-Dawla by Bakhtiyár Mu'izzu`d-Dawla:

<Arabic>

Anecdotes of 'Aḍudu`d-Dawla related in the Siyaru`l-Mulúk (i. e. Siyásat-náma) of the Nidhámu`l-Mulk al-Ḥasan b. Isḥaq, including that of the money entrusted by a poor man to a fraudulent judge. — Verses on him by the Ṣáḥib:

<Arabic>

Núḥ b. Manṣúr “the king of Bukhárá” (the Sámánid) sent presents to him by al-'Utbí when the latter went on the Pilgrimage, amongst which were included 500 robes embroi­dered with Núḥ’s name. 'Aḍudu`d-Dawla was incensed at this, and, turning to 'Utbí, said:

<Arabic>