lebrated _Taous_, or Peacock; and was, in short,
the pearl of the shell of beauty, the marrow of the spine of perfection.
She had a face like the full moon, eyes of the circumference of the
chief tent-pitcher's forefinger and thumb, a waist that he could
span, and a form tall and majestic as the full-grown cypress. And they
moreover assured me, that the Shah's anger against me would very easily
cede to a present of a few tomauns.

Here again my anathemas against the dervish broke forth; 'and but for
him,' said I, 'I might have appeared not empty-handed.' However, I was
delighted to hear that my case was not so desperate as I had imagined;
and, seated on the carpet of hope, smoking the pipe of expectation,
I determined to await my fate with that comfortable feeling of
predestination which has been so wisely dispensed by the holy Prophet
for the peace and quiet of all true believers.

The King of Kings arrived the next day, and alighted at his tents, which
were pitched without the town. I will not waste the reader's time in
describing all the ceremonies of his reception, which, by his desire,
were curtailed as much as possible, inasmuch as his object in visiting
the tomb of Fatimeh was not to reap worldly distinctions, but to humble
himself before God and men, in the hope of obtaining better and higher
reward.

His policy has always been to keep in good odour with the priesthood
of his country; for he knew that their influence, which is considerable
over the minds of the people, was the only bar between him and unlimited
power. He therefore courted Mirza Abdul Cossim, the mushtehed of Kom,
by paying him a visit on foot, and by permitting him to be seated before
him, an honour seldom conferred on one of the laity. He also went
about the town on foot, during the whole time of his stay there, giving
largely to the poor, and particularly consecrating rich and valuable
gifts at the shrine of the saint. The king himself, and all those who
composed his train, thought it proper to suit their looks to the fashion
of the place; and I was delighted to find that I was not singular in
my woe-smitten face and my mortified gait. I recollected to have heard,
when I was about the court, that the Shah, in point of fact, was a Sufi
at heart, although very rigid in the outward practices of religion; and
it was refreshing to me to perceive, among the great officers in his
train, one of the secretaries of state, a notorious sinner of that
p