Chapter X.

Jellal-ed-deen — Restoration of Religion — His Harem makes the Pilgrimage to Mecca — Marries the Princess of Ghilan — Geography of the Country between Roodbar and the Caspian — Persian Romance — Zohak and Feridoon — Kei Kaoos and Roostem — Ferdoosee*s Description of Mazande- ran — History of the Shah Nameh — Proof of the Antiquity of the Tales contained in it.
The unhallowed rule of Mohammed II. lasted for the long space of thirty-five years, during which time all the practices of Islam were neglected by the Ismai'lites. The mosks were closed, the fast of Ra- mazan neglected, the solemn seasons of prayer despised. But such a state can never last; man must have religion ; it is as essential to him as his food ; i^nd those pseudo-philosophers who have en- deavoured to deprive him of it have only displayed in the attempt their ignorance and foUy. The purifica- tion of the popular faith is the appropriate task of the true philanthropist.
We may often observe the son to exhibit a cha- racter the diametrically opposite of that of his father, either led by nature or struck by the ill e Sects of his father's conduct. This common appearance was now exhibited among the Assassins. Mohammed disre- garded all the observances of the ceremonial law ; his son and successor, Jellal-ed-deen {Glory of Religion) Hassan, distinguished himself, from his early years, by a zeal for the ordinances of Islam. The avowal of his sentiments .caused considerable enmity and suspicion between him and Mohammed; the father feared the son, and the son the father. On the days of public
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audience, at whicH Jellal-ed-deen was expected to ap- pear, tlie old sheikh used the precaution of wearing a shirt of mail under his clothes, and of increasing' the numberof iiis^ards. Hisdeath. which occurred when his son had attained his twenly-fiflh year, is ascribed by several histiirians, though apparently without any suCGcient reason, to poison administered to him by
Tile succession of Jellal-ed-deen was uncnnlusted. He immediately set about placing all thin|rs on the fooling which they liad been on previous to the time of Oh hU Memory be Pmce. The mosks were repaired and reopened; the call to prayer sounded as heretofore from the minarets; and the solemn asfemtilies for worship and instruction were held once more on every Friday, Imams, Koran -readers, preachers, and teachers of all kinds, were invited to Alamool, where they were honourably entertained and richly rewarded. Jellal-ed-deeri wrote to his lieutenants in Ku'^istan and Syria, informing tliem of what he had done, and inviting them to follow hi: e\ample. He also wrote to the khalif, to the power- ful Shah of Khaurism, and to all the princes of Persia, to assure them ofthe purity of his faith. His ambassadors were everywhere received witli honour, atid the khalif and all the princes gave to Jellal-ed- deen, in the leiters which they wrote in reply, the title of prince, which had never been conceded to any of tus predecessors. The imams, nnd the men learnerl in the law, loudly upheld the orthodoxy of the faith of the mountain-chief, on whom they be- stowed the Dame of Nev {New) Musulman. When the people of Casveen, who had always been at enmity with the IsmaVlites, doubted of his orthodoxy, Jellal-ed-deen condesLended to ask of them to send some persons of respectability to Alamoot, that lie jDJglil have an opportunity of comincing them.
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They came, and in their presence he committed to the flames a pile of books which he said were the writing of Hassan Sabah, and contained the secret rules and ordinances of the society. He cursed the memory or Hassan and his successors, and the envoys returned to Casveen, fully convinced of his sincerity. In the second year of his reign Jellal-ed-deen gave a further proof of the purity of his religious faith by permitting, or, perhaps, directing, his harem, that is, his mother, his wife, and a long train of their female attendants, to undertake the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, to worship at the tomb of the Prophet. The sacred banner was, according to custom, borne before the caravan of the pilgrims from Alamoot, and the Tesbeel, or distribution of water to the pilgrims, usual on such occasions*, was performed by the harem of the mountain-prince on such a scale of magnifi- cence and liberality as far eclipsed that of the great Shah of Khaurism, whose caravan reached Bagdad at the same time on its way to Mecca. The khalif Nassir-ladin-IUah even g'ave precedence to the banner of the pilgrims from Alamoot, and this mark of par- tiality drew on him the wrath of the potent prince of Khaurism. Twice did the latter afterwards collect an
♦ "Sehil, ia Arabic *the way/ means generally the road, and the traveller is hence called Ibnres-sebii, the son of the road ; but it more particularly signifies the way of piety and good works, which lead:* to Paradise. Whatever merito- rious work the Moslem undertakes, he does Ft sebil Allahy on the way of God, or for the love of God ; and the most merito- rious which he can undertake is the holy war. or the fight for his faith and his country, on God's way. But since pious women can have no immediate share in the contest, every thing which they can contribute to the nursing of the wounded, and the refreshment of the exhausted, is imputed to them as , equally meritorious as if they had fought themselves. The distribution of water to the exhausted and wounded warriors is the highest female merit in the holy war on God's way.'* — Hammer » Hittory of the AsaaisinSf Wood's translation, p. 144.
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army to make war on the successor of th.e Prophet. With the fiist, conKifitinif of nearly 300,000 men, he miirched against Bagdad, and had reached Hamadan and Iloluan, when a violent snow-storm o^g«d him to retire. He had collected his forces a second time, when the hordes of Chinghis Khan burst into his dominions. His son and successor resumed his plans, and reached Hamadan, when again a snow-storm e lo avert destruction from the City of Peace. As the power of the Mongol conqueror was now great and formidable, the prudent prince of Alamoot sent in secret ambassadors to assure him of his sub- nissiou, and to tender his homage.
Jelkl-ed-deen took a more active part in the po- litics of his neighbours than his predecessors had done. He formed an alliance with the Atabeg Mozaffer-ed- deen (Cavsiiig the Religion to be victorious), the go- vernor of Azerbeijan, against the governor of Irak, who was their common enemy. Ileevenvlsited the Atabeg at his r^ideuce, where he was received with the utmost magnificence, and each day the Atabeg sent 1,000 dinars for the expenses of tiis table. The two princes sent to the khalif for aid; their request was granted; and they marched against, defeated, and slew the governor of Irak, and appointed another in hia place. After an absence of eighteen months Jellal-ed-deeu returned to Alamoot, having in the mean time, by his prudent conduct, greatly augmented the fame of his orthodoxy. He now ventured to aspire to a connexion with one of the ancient princely houses of the country, and asked in marriage the daughter of Ry Kaoos, the prince of Ghilan. The latter having expressed his readiness to give his con- sent, provided that of the khalif could be obtained, envoys were despatched to Bagdad, who speedily re turned with the approbation of NaMir-ladin-IUah, and . the jii-iacesB of Ghilan was sent to Alamoot.
THE ASSASSINS. 135
The mention of Ghilan aod of Ky Kaoos presents an opportunity, which we are not willing to let pass, of diversifying our narrative by an excursion into the regions oi Persian geography and romance, which may cast a gleam of the sunshine of poetry over the concluding portion of our history of the dark and secret deeds of the Ismailites.
The mountain range named Demavend, on the south side of which Roodbar, the territory of the Is- mailites, lies, is thel northern termination of the pro- vince of Irak Ajemee, or Persian Irak. Beyond it stretches to the Caspian Sea a fertile region, partly hilly, partly plain*. This country is divided into five districts, which were in those times distinct from and independent of each other. At the foot of the moun- tains lay Taberistan and Dilem, the former to the east, the latter to the west. Dilem is celebrated as having been the native country of the family of Buyah, which, rising from the humblest station, exer- cised under the khalifs, and with the title of Ameer- al-Omra (^Prince of the Princes)^ a power nearly regal over Persia during a century and a halff. North of Dilem lay Ghilan, and north of Taberistan Mazenderan, the ancient Hyrcania. In the midst of
* This par( of Persia also acquires interest from the circum- stance of Russia being believed to be looking forward to ob- taining it, one day or other, by conquest or cession.
t Azed-ud-dowlah, one of the most celebrated of these princes, had a dyke constructed across the river Kur, in the plain of Murdasht, near the ruins of Persepolis, to confine the water, and permit of its being distributed over the country. It was called the Bund- Ameer (^Prince's Dyke), and travellers ignorant of the Persian language have given this name to the river itself. We must not, therefore, be surprised to find in *' Lalla Rookh" a lady singing,
" There's a bower of roses by Bendameer's stream f* and asking,
Calm and stilly beyond doubt^ is the Bendameer.
136 SECRIDT SOCIETIES.
these four provinces lay Ruyan and Rostemdar, re- markable for having been governed for a space of 800 years by one family of princes, while dynasty after dynasty rose and fell in the neighbouring states. In these provinces the names of the royal lines recal to our mind the ancient history, both true and fabu- lous, of Irin (Persia), as we tind it iii the poem of Ferdoosee, the Homer of that country. The family of Kawpara, which governed Buyati and Rostemdar, aflected to derive their lineage from the celebrated blacksmith Gavah, who raised his apron as the standard of revolt against the Assyrian tyrant Zohak^ and the family of JJavend, which ruled for nearly seven centuries, with but two interruptions, over Mazenderan and Taberistan, were descended from the elder brother of Noosheerwan the Just, the most celebrated monarch of the house of Sassan.
This regpion is the classic land of Persia. Wheji, as their romantic history relates, Jemsheed, the third monarch of Iran after Cayamars, the first who ruled over men, had long reigned in happiness and prospe- rity, his head was lifted up with pride, and God withdrew from him his favour. His dominions were invaded by Zohak, the prince of the TauKces (Assy- rians or Arabs); his subjects fell away from him, and, ailer lurking for a hundred years in secret places, he fell into the hands of the victor, who cut him asunder with a saw. A child was born of the race of Jem- sheed, named Feridoon, whom, aa soon as he came to the light (in the village of Wereghi, in Taberislau), his mother Faranuk gave to a herdsman to rear, and his nourishment was the milk of a female buffalo, whose name was Pocirmayeh. Zohak meantime had a dreiim, in which he beheld two warriors, who led up to him a third, armed with a club which termi- nated in the head of a cow. The warrior struck him II tlie head with his club, and took him aud chained
THE ASSASSINS. 137
him in the cavern of a mountain. He awoke with a loud cry, and called all the priests, and astrologers, and wise men, to interpret his dream. They feared to speak. At last they told him of the birth and nurture of Feridoon, who was destined to overcome him. Zohak fell speechless from his throne at the intelligence. On recovering, he sent persons in all directions to search for and put to death the fatal child ; but the maternal anxiety of Faranuk was on the watch, and she removed the young Feridoon to the celebrated mountain Elburz, where she committed him to the care of a pious anchorite. Zohak, after a long search, discovered the place where Feridoon had been first placed by his mother, and in his rage he killed the beautiful and innocent cow Poormayeh.
Zohak is represented as a most execrable tyrant. Acting under the counsel of the Devil, he had mur- dered his own father to get his throne. His infernal adviser afterwards assumed the form of a young man, and became his cook. He prepared for him all manner of curious and high-seasoned dishes; for hitherto the food of mankind had been rude and plain. As a reward, he only asked permission to kiss the shoulders of the king. Zohak readily granted this apparently moderate request ; but from the spots where the Devil impressed his lips grew forth two black snakes. In vain every art was employed to remove them, in vain they were cut away, they grew again like plants. The physicians were in perplexity. At length the Devil himself came in the shape of a physician, and said that the only mode of keeping them quiet was to feed them with human brains. H is object, we are told, was gradually in this way to destroy the whole race of man.
The design of the Devil seemed likely to be ac- complished. Each day two human beings were slain, and the serpents f
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two of the tyrant's cooks diwi mixed with thai of a
and, ol' the two men who were given to be killed eat'b day, they always secretly let go one, and those who were thus deliyeied became the progenilora of the Koords who dwell io the mountains west of ^ those iinlbrtimale persons who were tondemned to be food for the ser|ients was the son of a blacksmith named Gavah. The afflicted father went boldly before the tyrant, and remonstrated with him on the injustice of his conduct. Zohak heard him with patience and released his sod. He also made him bearer of a letter addressed to all the pro- vinces of the empire, vaunting his goodness, and calling on all to support him against the youthful pretender to his throne. But Gavah, instead of exe- cuting the mandate, tore the tyrant's Fetter, and, raising his leathern apron on ^a lance by way of standard, called on all the inhabitants of Ir^n to arise and take arms in support of Feridoon, the right- All heir to the throne of Jemsheed.
Meantime Peridoon, who had attained the age of twice eight years, came down from Elburx, and, going lo his mother, besought her to tell him from whom he derived his birth. Faranuk related to him his whole history, when the young hero, in great emotion, vowed to attack the tyrant, iind avenge on him the death of his father ; but his mother sought, by representing the great power of Zohak, to divert him from his purpose, and exhorted him to abandon all su things of this life. But a numerous army, led by Gavah in search of the true heir lo the throne, now came in sight. Feridoon, joyfully advancing to meet them, adorned with gold and precious stones the leathern banner, placed upon it the orb of the moon, and, naming it Diiefsh-e-Gavauee (^Gavait'a Apron),
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■elected it for the baticier of the empire of IrSn, Each succeetiinf; prince, we are told, at his acces- sion, added jewels to it, and Direfeh-e-Gavanee blazed in the front of battle like a sun. Feridoon, then calling for smiths, drew for them in the sand the form of a club, with a cow's head at the end of it.
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and when they had made it he named it Gawpeigor {Cow- face), in honour of his nurse. Taking leave of his mother, he marches against the tyrant; an angel comes from heaven to aid the rightful cause ; Zohak is deserted by his troops ; he falls into the hands of t'eridoon, who, by the direction of the angel, imprisons him in a cavern of the mountain Demavend. Feridoon, on ascending the throne of his forefathers, governed with such mildness, firm- ness, and justice, that his name is to the present day in Persia significative of the ideal of a perfect mo- narch*.
Mazenderan is not less celebrated in Persian ro- mance than the region at the foot of Demavend. It was the scene of the dangers of the light-minded Kej Kaoos (supposed to be the Cyaxares of the Greeks), and of the marvellous adventures called the Seven Fables or Stages of the Hero Roostem, the Hercules of Persia, who came to his aid. When Kej Kaoos mounted the throne of Ir&n, he exulted in his wealth and in his power. A deev {Demon) y desirous of luring him to his destruction, assumed the guise of a wandering minstrel, and, coming to his court, sought to be permitted to sing before the padisha {Emperor). His request was acceded to, — ^his theme was the praises of Mazenderan, and he sang to this effect : —
*' Mazenderan deserves that the shah should think on it ; the rose blooms evermore in its gardens, its hills are arrayed with tulips and jessamines, mild is the air, the earth is bright of hue, neither cold nor heat oppresses the lovely land, spring abides there
* Four lines, quoted by Sir J. Malcolm from the Gulistan of Saadi, may be thus iitercilly rendered in the measure of the original : —
The blest Feridoon an angel was not ;
Of musk or of amber he formed was not ;
By justice and mercy good ends gained he ;
)3e just and merciful, thou 'It a Feridoon be.
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evermore, the nightingale sings without ceasing in the gardens, and the deer bound joyously through the woods. The earth is never weary of pouring forth fruits, the air is evermore filled with fragrance, like unto rose-water are the streams, the tulip glows unceasingly on the meads, pure are the rivers, and their banks are smiling: ever mayest thou behold the falcon at the chase. All its districts are adorned with abundance of food, beyond measure are the treasures which are there piled up, the flowers bend in worship before the throne, and around it stand the men of renown richly girded with gold. Who dwelleth not there knoweth no pleasure, as joy and luxuriant pastime are to him unkno^vn."
Kej Kaoos was beguiled by the tempter, and,^ eager to get possession of so rich a land, he led a large army into it. The Shah of Mazenderan was aided by a potent demon or enchanter named the Deev Seffeed (JVhite Deer), who, by his magic arts, cast a profound darkness over the Iranian monarch and Ms host, in which they would have all been destroyed but for the timely arrival of Roostem, who, after surmounting all the impediments that magic could throw in his way, slew the Deev Seffeed, and delivered his sovereign.
Kej Kaoos, we are afterwards told by the poet, formed the insane project of ascending to heaven, which he attempted in the following manner. A stage was constructed on whkth a throne was set for the monarch ; four javelins were placed at the cor- ners, with pieces of goat's flesh on them, and four hungry eagles were tied at the bottom, who, by their efforts to reach the meat, raised the stage alofl into the air ; but when the strength of the birds was ex- hausted the whole fell with the royal aeronaut in the desert, where he was found by Roostem and the other chiefs.
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The history of the Shah-na'iieli {King-book),
wbich these 1e(i;end!i ure conlaitied, is one of the mo
curiouB in literature. The tanatiuism of the Arabs,
who oonc[uered I'ersia, raged with indisuri minate fury
against the literaUire, as well as the religion, of ttiat
country; and when, iu the time ofAl-Mansoor and
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his successors Haroon-er-Rasheed and Al-Mamoon, the Arabs themselves began to devote their attention to literature and science, it was the science of Greece and the poetry of their native language that they cultivated. The Persian literature meantime lan- guished in obscurity, and the traditional, heroic, and legendary tales of the nation were fading fast from memory, when a governor of a province, zealous, as it would appear, for the honour of the Persian nation, made a collection of them, and formed from them a continuous narrative in prose. The book thus formed was called the Bostan-n&meh {Garden-book). It was in great repute in the northern part of Persia, where, at a distance from the court of the khalifs, the Per- sian manners, language, and nationality were better ^ preserved; and when thejVurkish family of the Sa- ntente founded mji empire in that part of Persia, sultan Mansoor I.y of that race^ gave orders to a poet named Dake^kto to turn the Bastan-nameh into Persian vcthf .^' Tb^poet undertook the task, but he had qil made mo^ than a thcusand verses when he perisl^ by assas^ation. There being no one sup- posed capable of cohtinuipg Uswork, it was suspended till twejDi^ years afterwaros, when the celebrated MahmodQ of Ghizni,tlMf conqueror of India, meeting with the Binrtan-nameh. gave portions of it to three of the most renowAM||^ts of the time to versify. The palm of excellences^ adjudged to Anseri, who versitied the tale of Sohrab slain by his own father Roostem, one of the most pathetic and affecting narratives in any language. The sultan made him Prince of the Poets, and directed him to versify the entire work ; but, diffident of his powers, Anseri shrank from the task, and having some time after- wards met a poet of Toos in Khorasan, named Isaac, the son of Sheriff-Shah, surnamed Ferdoosee
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{Paradiscd*), either from his father's employment as a gardener, or irom the beauty of his verses, he introduced him to the sultan, who gladly committed the task to him. Ferdoosee laboured with enthusiasm in the celebration of the ancient glories of his coun- try ; and in the space of thirty or, as some assert, of only eight years, he brought the poem to within two thousand lines of its termination, which lines were added by another poet after his death.
The Shah-nameh is, beyond comparison, the finest poem of the Mohammedan east. It consists of 60,000 rhymed couplets, and embraces the history of Persia, from the beginning of the world to the period of its conquest by the Arabs. The verses move on with spirit and rapidity, resembling more the flow of our lyrical, than that of oui^mmon heroic, linesf. C
Ferdoosee wrote his po«dsi/4n th^jiearly part eleventh century from a book: ^^Wch had Ifeen in existence a long time before, for he^ways calls it an old book, , No proof therefore iM|ee not invent the tales which com^jWtlJLhefl and they have every appearance *||I'* having vffk the ancient traditionary l^^nds of tbi Persian nation. But we are able to ffiiw that these legepds were popular in Persia nearly six owhiries l^flApluB time ; and it was chiefly with a ^Sw to estaUMning this
* Paradise, we are to recollea|^VnroTd of Persian origin, adopted by the Greeks, from wnokn we have received it. A Paradise was a place planted with trees, a park, garden, or pleasure-ground, as we may term it.
t Hammer has, in his "Belles Lettres of Persia" (^Schone Redekumt Persians), and in the '* Mines de 1* Orient," trans- lated a considerable portion of the Shah-nameh in the measure of the orig;inal. MM. Campion and Atkinson have rendered a part of it into English heroic verse. Gorreshas epitomised it, as far as to the death uf Roostem, in German prose, under the title of " Das Heldenbuch von Iran." An epitome of the poem in English prose^ by Mr, Atkinson, has also lately appeared.
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curious point that we related the tale of Zohak and Feridoon.
Mosea of Choren, the Armenian historian, who wrote about the year 440, thus addresses the person to wliom his work is dedicated. " How should the vain and empty fables about Dyrasp Asty^es gain any portion of thy favour, or why shouldest thou impose on us the fatigue of elucidating the absunl, tusteless, senseless legends of the Persians about him ? to wit, of his first injurious benefit of the demoniac powers which were subject to him, and how he could not deceive him who was deception and falsehood itself. Then, of the kiss on the shoulders, whence the dragons came, and how thenceforward the growth of vice destroyed mankind by the pampering ' of the belly, until at last a certain Khodones bound hiaL^||^th chains of brass, and brought him to the mountain which is called Demavend ; how Byraspeg tiien dragged to a hill Rhodones, when he fell asleep on the way. but thi.'i last, awaking out of his sleep, brought him to a cavern of the mountain, where he chained him fast, and set an image opposite to lum, so that, (erritied by it, and held by the chains, he might never more escape to destroy the world.''
Here ftahave evidently the whole story of Zohak and Peridoon current in Persia in the lifth century ; and any one who has reflected on the nature of tra- dition must be well aware that it must have existed there for centuries before. The very names are nearly the same. Taking the first syllable from Feridoon, it becomes nearly Rodon, and Biyraspi Aidahaki (the words of tlie Armenian tcKt) signify the dragon Byrasp: Zohak is e violently nearly the same with the last word. This fable could hardly have been invented in the lime of the Sassanian dynasty, who had not then been more than two cen- turies on the thi-onc, mucl) less during the period of
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the dominioti of the Parthian Arsacides, who were adverse to everything Persian. We are therefore carried hack to the times of the Kejanians, the Achae- menides of the Greeks ; and it is by no means im- possible that the tale of Zohak and Feridoon was known even to the host which Xerxes led to the sub- jugation of Greece.
It is well known to those versed in oriental history that, when the founder of the house of Sassan mounted the throne of Persia in the year 226, he determined to bring back everything, as far as was possible, to its state in the time of the Kejanians, from whom he affected to be descended, and that his successors trod in his footsteps. But, as Persia had been for five centuries and a half under the dominion of the Greeks and Parthians, there was probably no authen- tic record of the ancient state of things remgpdng. Recourse was therefore had to the traditional tales of the country ; and, as the legend of Zohak and Feridoon was, as we have seen, one of the most remarkable of these tales, it was at once adcfiid as a genuine portion of the national history, and a banner formed to rq>resent the Apron of Gavah, which was, as the poet describes it, ad additional jewels by each nKHiarch of the louse of Sassan at his accession. This hypothesis will very simply explain the circumstance of this banner being unnoticed by the Greek vmters, while it is an un- doubted fact that it was captured by the Arabs at the battle of Kadiseah, which broke the power of Persia, — a circumstance which has perplexed Sir John Malcolm.
We will finally observe that the historian just alluded to, as well as some others, thinks that the darkness cast by the magic art of the White Deev over Ky Kaoos and his army in Mazanderan coin- cides with the eclipse of the sun predicted by Thales,
,
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and which, according to Herodotus, parted the armies of the Medians and the Lydians when engaged in conflict. Little stress is however, we apprehend, to be laid on such coincidences. Tradition does not usually retain 'the memory of facts of this nature, though fiction is apt enough to invent them. The only circumstances which we have observed in the early part of the Shah-nameh agreeing with Grecian history, are some relating to the youthful days of Kei Khoosroo, which are very like what Herodotus relates of Cyrus.
We now return to the history of the Assassins.
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ClIAPTErt X.
DeathofJrf!aI-cJ-aeen— Character of AU-eJ-dcen, hi* suc- ceMor— The Sheikh Jemal-ud-decn— The Arttonomer Na- sir-ed-deen— TheViiLr Sh.^™f-al-Moolk— Death of Ala-ed- deen — Succession of Kukii-ed-deeii,the last Sheik h-al'Jebal.
The reign of Jellal-ed-deen, which, unfortunately for ihe society, laated but twelve years, was unstained by blood ; and we see no reason to doubt the judg- ment of the oriental historians, who consider his faith ID Islam OS being sincere and pure. It was probably his virtue that caused his death, for his life, it Was suBpected, was termioated by poison administered by his own kindred. Hia son A!a-ed-deen* iEminence of Religioii), who succeeded hira, was but nine years old ; but as, according to the maxims of the Isma^ea, the visible representative of the imam was, to a cer- tain extent, exempted from the ordinary imperfections of humanity, and his commands were to be regarded as those of him whose authority he bore, the young Ala-cd-deen was obeyed as implicitly as any of hiw predecessors. At his mandate the blood was shed of all among his relatives who were suspected of having participated in the murder of his father.
Ala-ed-deen proved to be a weal;, inefficient ruler. Hia delight wasin the breeding and tending of sheep, and he spent his days in the cotes among the herds- men, while the affairs of the society were allowed to run into disorder. All the restraints imposed by his father were removed, and every one was left to do
• This is the nsmc whidi, in tli« furni of AIn.hliii, is so tumiVtat h> ui fiom Ihe slory of thu Woaderfiil LLim|i.
TBB ASSASSINS. 149
what was right in his own eyes. The weakness of this prince's intellect is ascribed to his having, in the fiflh year of his reign, had himself most copiously bled without the knowledge of his physician, the consequence of which was an extreme degree of debili^ and a deep melancholy, which never after- wards left him. From that time no one could venture to offer him advice respecting either his health or the state of the affeira of the society, without being re- warded for it by the rack op by instant death. Every- thing was therefore kept concealed from him, aad he had neither friend nor adviser.
Yet Ala-ed'deen was not without some estimable qualities. He had a respect and esteem for learning and learned men. For the sheikh Jemul-ed-deen Ghili, who dwelt at Casveen, he testiiied on all occa- eious the utmost reverence, and sent him annually 500 dinars to defray the expenses of his household. When the people of Casveen reproached the learned sheikh with living on the boun^ of the Impious, he made answer, " The imams pronounce it luwfu! to execute the Ismailites, and to confiscate their goods ; how much more lawful is it for a man to make use of their property and their money when they give them voluntarily!" Ala-ed-deen, who probably heard of the reproaches directed against his friend, sent to assure the people of Casveen that it was solely on account of the sheikh that he spared them, or else he would put the earth of Casveen into bags, hang the bags al^out the necks of the inhabitants, and bring them to Alamoot. The following instance of his respect for the sheikh is also related. A mes- senger coming with a letter lo him from the sheikh was so imprudent as to deliver it tohim when he was drunk, Ala-ed-deen ordered him to have a hundred blows of the baslinade, at the same time crying out " O foolish and thoughtless man, to give me
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a letter from the sheikh at the time when I was
dniTik 1 Thou ehouMest have waited till 1 was come out of the bath, and was come to my senses."
The celebrated astronomer Nasir-ed-deen (.Victory of Religion) had also gained the consideration of Ala-ed-deen, who was anxious to enjoy the pleasure of his society. But the philosopber, who resided at Bokhara, testified litde incUnatbn to accept of the favour intended him. Ala~ed-deen therefore sent orders to the Dai-al-Kebir of Kuhistan to convey the uucourteous sage to Alamoot. As Nasir-ed-deen was one day recreating himself in the gardens about Bokhara, he found himself suddenly surrounded by some men, who, showing him a horse, directed hinv to mount, telling him he had nothing to fear if he conducted himself quietly. It was in vain that he argued and remonstrated ; he was far on tlie road to Kuhistan, which was 600 miles distant, before his iriends knew he was gone. The governor made every apology for what he had been obliged to do. The philosopher was sent on to Alamoot to be the companion of Ala-ed-deen, and it was while he was there that he wrote his great work called the Morals of Nasir CAkhtaalc-Nasiree)*
It was during the administration of Ala-ed-deen that the following event, so strongly illustrative of the modes of procedure of the Assassins, took place. The sultan Je]lal-ed-deen,the last ruler of Khanrisra, so well known for his heroic resistance to Chingis
- Malcolm's History of Peraia, nol. i. In the clever work called "TiaitB and Stories of tha Itinh Fuasantiy," which is the best [lictuie eyei given o( Che language, manuera, and mudexoClhinkingofthat class, there is an amusing account (and an undoiibteilly trae one) gf the " Abduction of Mat KaTanagh." one of that cucioiis onler of men called in that country hedge-schoolmasteiD, which, as indicative uCa passion for knuwledKC,majba placed in companson with thia anecdote of Ala-ed-deen.
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Khan, had appointed the emir Arkhan governor of Nishaboor, which bordered closely on the iBmailite lerritory of Kuhistan. Arkhan beins; obliged to atteud the sultan, the deputy whom he left in his stead made several destructive incursions into Ka- liistan, and laid waste the Istnailile districts of Teem and K^n. The Ismailites sent to demand satisfac- tbn, but the only reply made to their complainbj and menaces by the deputy-governor waa one of those symbolical proceedings so common in the east. He came to receive the Isma'ilite envoy with lus girdle stuck full of daggers, which he flung on the ground before him, to signify either his disregard for the daggers of the society, or to intimate that he could play at that game as well as they. The Ismailitea were not, however, persons to be provoked with impunity, and shortly atlerwards three Fedavees were despatched to Kunja, where Arkhan was residing at the court of the sultan. They watched till the emir came without the walls of the town, and then fell upon aud murdered him. They then hastened to the house of Sheref-'al-Moolk (Nobleness of the Realm), the vizir, and penetrated into his divan. Fortunately he was at that time engaged with the sultan, and they missed him ; but they wounded severely one of his servants, and then, sallying forth, paraded the Blreeis, proclaiming aloud that they were Assassins. They did uot however escape the penalty of their temerity, for the people assembled and stoned them to death.
An envoy of the Ismailites, named Bedi' {Fidl Moon of Ri^ligioii) Ahmed, was meantime on his way to the court of the sultan. He stopped short on hearing what had occurred, and sent to the vizir to know whether he should go on or return. iSheref- al-Moolk, who ieared to irrilale the Assassins, directed him to coiitiime his journey, and, when he was
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arrived, showed him every mark of honour. The object of Beiir-ed-deen's mission was lo oblain Katis- iiielion for the ravages commilled on Ihe Ismailite territory and the cession of the fortress of Damaghan. The. yi7,ir promised the former demand without a moment's hesitation, and he made as little dilRculty with regard to the second. An instrument was drawn out assigning to the Ismaililes the fortress which they craved, on condition of their remitting annually to the royal treasury the sum of 30,000 pieces of golil.
When this affair was arranged the sultan set out for Azerbeijan, and the Ismailite ambassador re- mained the guest of the lizir. One day, after a splendid banquet, when the wine, which they had been drinking in violation of the taw, had mounted into their heads, the ambassador told the vizir, by way of confidence, that there were several Ismaililes among the pages, grooms, guards, and other persons who were immediately about the sultan. Tlie vizir, dismayed, and at the Kametime curious to know who these dangerous attendants were, besought the am- bass^or lo point them out to him, giving him his napkin as a pledge that nothing evil should happen to them. Instantly, at a sign from the envoy, live of the persons who were attendants of the chamber stepped forth, avowing theraselvea to be concealed Assassins. " On such a day, and at such an hour,'' said one of them, an Indian, to the vizir, " I might .have slain thee without being seen or punished ; and, if I did not do so, it was only because I bad no orders from my superiors." The vizir, timid by nature, and rendered still more so by the effdcls of the wine, stripped himself to his shirt, and, sitting down before the fivrf Assassins, conjured them by their lives to spare him, protesting that he was as devotedly the slave of the sheikh Ala-ed-deen as of the sultan Jellal-ed-deea.
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As soon Qs the sultnn heard of the i: CDwarilice of his tizir, he sent a messenger to him ivith the heenest reproaches, and an order to burn alive the five Ismai'lites without nn instant's delay. The vizir, though lolh, was obliged to comply, and, in violation of his promise, Ihe five chamberlains were casl on the flaming pyre, where they died exulting at being found worthy lo suffer in the service of the great Sheikh-al-Jebal. The master of Ihe pages was also put to death for having admilled Ismailites among them. The sultan Ihen set out for Irak, leaving ihc vizir in Azerbeijan. While he was there an envoy arrived from Alamoot, who, on being ad- milted to nn audience, thus spake, " Thnu hast given five Ismailites to the flames; to redeem thy head, pay 10,000 pieces of gold for each of these untbrtu- nate men." The vizir heaped honours on the envoy, and directed his secretary to draw out a deed in the usual forma, by which he bound himself to pay the Ismailites the annual sum of 10,000 pieces of gold, besides jjaying for tliem the 30,000 which weut to the treasury of the sultan. Sheref-al-Moolk was then assured that he had nothing to apprehend.
The preceding very characteristic anecdote rests on good authority, for it is related by Aboo-'l-Fetah ^issavec, the vizir's secretary, in his life of sultan JellaJ-ed-deen.
Tlie astronomer Nasir-ed-deen was not the only involuntary captive of Alamoot. Ala-ed-deen sent cnce to Farsistan to the utaheg Mozaffer-ed-deen, to request that he would send him an able physician. Requests from Alamoot were not lightly to be dis- regarded, and the atabeg despatched the imam fieha- ed-deen, one of the most renowned physicians of the lime, to the mountains of Jebal. The skill of the imam proved of great benefit to the prince, but when tlie physician appUed for leave to return to his family
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he found that he was destined to pass the remainder of his days in Alainoot, unless he should outlive his pal lent.
The imam's release, however, was more speedy than he expCL'ted. Ala-ed-deen, who had s children, had nominated the eldestof them, Rukn-ed' deen ^Support of Religion), '^bile he was yet a child, to be his successor. As Rukn-ed-deen grew up the people began ta hold him in equal respect with his lather, and to consider hiR commands as equally binding on them. Ala-edKleen took offence, and declared that he would give the succession to another of his children ; but, as this directly contravened one of the Ismajlile maxims, namely, that the first nomi- nation was always the true one, it was Uttle heeded, Rukn-cd-deen, in apprehension for his life, whicti iiis lather threatened, retired to a strong castle to wait there the time when he should be called to the suc- cession. Meantime the tyranny and caprice of Ala- ed-deen had given many of the principal persons about him cause to be apprehensive for their lives, and they resolved to anticipate him. There was a man at Alamoot named Hassan, a native of Mazen- deran, who, though no Ismai'lite, was of a vile and profligate character. He was the object of the doat- ing attachment of Ala-ed-deen, and consequently had free and constant access to him. Him they fixed upon as their agent, and they found no difhculty in gaining him. Ala-ed-deen, whose fondness for breed- ing and tending sheep had never diminished, had huilt for himself a wooden house close by his sheep- cotes, whither he was wont to retire, and where he indulged himself in all the excesses in which he dehghted. Hassan of Mazenderan seized the mo- ment when Ala-ed-deen was lying drunk in this house, and shut him through the neck with an arrow, Jtukn-ed-dcen, who is said to have been engaged in
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the conspiracy, assuming the part of the avenger of blood, the murderer and all his family were put to death, and their bodies committed to the flames ; but this act of seeming justice did not free Rukn-ed-deen from suspicion, and the bitter reproaches of his mother were poured forth on him as a parricide.
The termination of the power of the Ismailites was now at hand. Rukn-ed-deen had hardly ascended the throne of his murdered father when he learned that an enemy was approaching against whom all attempts at resistance would be vain.
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