A literary history of Persia

THE TRIAL OF AFSHiN 335flies ' (meaning the Moors) l are but few in numbers ;*whileas for these sons of devils' (meaning the Turks), ' it needs buta shortwhile to exhaust their arrows, after which the cavalrywill surround them in a single charge and destroy them all,and religion will return to what it ever was in the days of thePersians.' " 2To this Afshfn replied," This man brings againsthisbrother and my brother charges which do not affect me.And even had I written this letter to him, that I mightincline him to myself, and that he might regard my approachwith equanimity, there would be nothing objectionabletherein ;for since I helped the Caliph with my hands,I had the better right to help him by my wits, that Imight take his enemy unawares and bring him before him,that I might thereby be honoured in my master's eyes even as'Abdu'llah b. Tahir thus won honour."Some further details of the trial are given, especially Afshfn'sattempt to defend himself for his neglect to undergo the rite ofcircumcision ("wherein," said Ibn AW Du'dd, "is the wholeof Islam and of legal purity "),on the ground that he fearedharm to his health from the operation. His excuses werescouted : was it possible that a soldier, constantly exposed tolance-thrust and sword-blow, should be afraid of this ? Afshmsaw that he was doomed, and, in the bitterness of his heart,exclaimed to Ibn AW Du'ad, "O Abu 'Abdi'llah, thouraisest up thy hood (taylasdn} with thy hand,and dost notsuffer it to fall on thy shoulder until thou hast slain therebya multitude." 3" It hath become apparent to you," said1Literally, "are eaters of a head," meaning, "they are few ;one headsatisfying their stomachs." See Lane's Arabic Lexicon, Bk. i,Part i, p. 73.3 It seems quite clear from all this that Afshin, though from Transoxiana,was not, as has been sometimes alleged, a Turk, but whollyPersian in feeling and sympathy.3Meaning that he was what we should call " a hanging judge." Thefaylasdn, says Lane in his Lexicon (Bk. i,Part 5, p. 1867, s.v.), "seems tohave resembled our academic hood, of which it was perhaps the original."It was worn by men of learning, doctors of Theology, Law, Medicine, andthe like.