der which a swiftly succeeding and still greater Revelation was to
proclaim and establish. The tributes paid the noble army of the heroes,
saints and martyrs of that Primitive Age, by friend and foe alike, from
Baha'u'llah Himself down to the most disinterested observers in distant
lands, and from the moment of its birth until the present day, bear
imperishable witness to the glory of the deeds that immortalize that Age.

"The whole world," is Baha'u'llah's matchless testimony in the
Kitab-i-Iqan, "marveled at the manner of their sacrifice.... The mind is
bewildered at their deeds, and the soul marveleth at their fortitude and
bodily endurance.... Hath any age witnessed such momentous happenings?"
And again: "Hath the world, since the days of Adam, witnessed such tumult,
such violent commotion?... Methinks, patience was revealed only by virtue
of their fortitude, and faithfulness itself was begotten only by their
deeds." "Through the blood which they shed," He, in a prayer, referring
more specifically to the martyrs of the Faith, has significantly affirmed,
"the earth hath been impregnated with the wondrous revelations of Thy
might and the gem-like signs of Thy glorious sovereignty. Ere-long shall
she tell out her tidings, when the set time is come."

To whom else could these significant words of Muhammad, the Apostle of
God, quoted by Quddus while addressing his companions in the Fort of
_Sh_ay_kh_ Tabarsi, apply if not to those heroes of God who, with their
life-blood, ushered in the Promised Day? "O how I long to behold the
countenance of My brethren, my brethren who will appear at the end of the
world! Blessed are We, blessed are they; greater is their blessedness than
ours." Who else could be meant by this tradition, called Hadi_th_-i-Jabir,
recorded in the Kafi, and authenticated by Baha'u'llah in the
Kitab-i-Iqan, which, in indubitable language, sets forth the signs of the
appearance of the promised Qa'im? "His saints shall be abased in His time,
and their heads shall be exchanged as presents, even as the heads of the
Turk and the Daylamite are exchanged as presents; they shall be slain and
burned, and shall be afraid, fearful and dismayed; the earth shall be dyed
with their blood, and lamentation and wailing shall prevail amongst their
women; these are My saints indeed."

"Tales of magnificent heroism," is the written testimony of Lord Curzon of
Kedleston, "illumine the blood-stained pages of Babi history.... Th