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22 considered to be a sign of the displeasure of the Almighty. In this year, 1864, a violent storm took place during the holy days at Tehran. Before the fierce volume of dust and wind tent after tent went down, inflicting death and injury on those within, and destroying a countless amount of property. So dire a calamity must have followed a special offence, and the priests and holy men were not long in finding out the reason of this display of the wrath of heaven. There is among the priesthood of Tehran a moollah whose remarkable gifts entitle him to be numbered among the sons of thunder. He was the favourite divine of the capital, and his brethren were sufficiently jealous of his acquirements and of his popularity. He was admitted to preach in the anderoons, and was supposed to be a man altogether immaculate. It came to be known, 'however, that, like the rigidly virtuous Cato, he was not insensible to the charms of wine, and his enemies took care that he should be one day publicly discovered in a state of drunkenness. He was brought before the chief priest to receive a sentence, which was proportioned rather to the scandal that had been created than to the rarity of his offence. He was condemned to a cruel and degrading death ; a penalty which, however, on the eve of the days of the festival, was remitted by the Shah, who is a lover of the highest attribute of kings. His Majesty furthermore commanded the eloquent moollah to preach on one of the days of Mohurrem, which day was followed by the occurrence of the storm that swept away the royal Tazeah, and thus the other priests had no difficulty in divining the cause of the hurricane.

Ere the royal tent had fallen, a last effort was made