mously their
respect and allegiance. Lohurasp repeatedly said to him:--

"What has been done was Fate's decree,
Man cannot strive with destiny.
To be unfeeling once was mine,
At length to be a sovereign thine."

Thus spoke the king, and kissed the crown,
And gave it to his valiant son.

Soon afterwards he relinquished all authority in the empire, assumed the
coarse habit of a recluse, retired to a celebrated place of pilgrimage,
near Balkh. There, in a solitary cell, he devoted the remainder of his
life to prayer and the worship of God. The period of Lohurasp's
government lasted one hundred and twenty years.

GUSHTASP, AND THE FAITH OF ZERDUSHT

I've said preceding sovereigns worshipped God,
By whom their crowns were given to protect
The people from oppressors; Him they served,
Acknowledging His goodness--for to Him,
The pure, unchangeable, the Holy One!
They owed their greatness and their earthly power.
But after times produced idolatry,
And Pagan faith, and then His name was lost
In adoration of created things.

Gushtasp had by his wife Kitabun, the daughter of the king of Rum, two
sons named Isfendiyar and Bashutan, who were remarkable for their piety
and devotion to the Almighty. Being the great king, all the minor
sovereigns paid him tribute, excepting Arjasp, the ruler of Chin and
Ma-chin, whose army consisted of Diws, and Peris, and men; for
considering him of superior importance, he sent him yearly the usual
tributary present. In those days lived Zerdusht, the Guber, who was
highly accomplished in the knowledge of divine things; and having waited
upon Gushtasp, the king became greatly pleased with his learning and
piety, and took him into his confidence. The philosopher explained to
him the doctrines of the fire-worshippers, and by his art he reared a
tree before the house of Gushtasp, beautiful in its foliage and
branches, and whoever ate of the leaves of that tree became learned and
accomplished in the mysteries of the future world, and those who ate of
the fruit thereof became perfect in wisdom and holiness.

In consequence of the illness of Lohurasp, who was nearly at the point
of death, Zerdusht went to Balkh for the purpose of administering relief
to him, and he happily succeeded in restoring him to health. On his
return he was received with additional favor by Gushtasp, who
immediately afterwards became his disciple. Zerdusht then told him that
he was the pro