ed to have entirely taken possession of the Armenian sanctuary,
and to have dispossessed the caliph of his place and authority; for they
had taken up their abode in his very rooms, whilst the poor priests were
skulking about with humble and downcast looks, as if fearful and ashamed
of being the lawful inhabitants of their own possessions. The favourite
horses of both the Persian chiefs were picketed close to the very walls
of the church, more care being taken of their comforts than of the
convenience of the Armenians.

My reader is already acquainted with the person and character of the
chief executioner; and, before I proceed further, I must also make him
acquainted with the serdar. A man of a more sinister aspect was never
seen. His eyes, which, in the common expression of his countenance, were
like opaque bits of glass, glared terribly whenever he became animated,
and almost started out of their old shrivelled sockets; and when this
happened, it was always remarked that a corresponding smile broke out
upon his mouth, which made the Shah's poet say, that Hassan Khan's face
was like _Agri dagh_, the mountain near which he lived. When clouded at
the top, and the sun shone in the plain, a storm was sure to ensue.
Time had worn two deep wrinkles down his cheeks, which were not hid by
a scanty beard, notwithstanding all the pains he took to make it thick;
and the same enemy having despoiled him of all his teeth save one, which
projected from his mouth, had produced deep cavities, that made the
shaggy hairs, thinly spread over them, look like burnt stubble on the
slopes of a valley. Altogether, it was difficult to say whether the goat
or the tiger was most predominant; but this is most certain, that never
was the human form so nearly allied to that of the brute as in this
instance. His character corresponded to his looks; for no law, human or
divine, ever stood in the way of his sensuality; and when his passions
were roused, he put no bounds to his violence and cruelty. But with all
this, he had several qualities, which attached his followers to him. He
was liberal and enterprising. He had much quickness and penetration, and
acted so politically towards the Shah and his government, that he was
always treated with the greatest confidence and consideration. He lived
in princely magnificence; was remarkable for his hospitality, and making
no mystery of his irregularity as a Mussulman, was frank and open in
his demeanour, affabl