Of Ferdoosee. 23 
more to our taste, but, born any where, he 
could not fail to impress on his writings the 
stamp and character of his extraordinary 
powers. These are accordingly acknowledged 
and felt throughout the whole extent of the 
Moohummudan world, and will, 1 doubt 
not, be recognized in Europe, amidst all the 
vices of a Persian taste, with which indeed he 
+s much less tinetured, in my opinion, than 
any Persian poet I ever read.” (11) 
In fine, Ferdoosee, in whatever light we 
contemplate him, was certainly a remarkable 
man; andif genius be estimated, not by the 
absolute height 1o which it rises in the scale 
of excellence, but by the degree which it 
attains by its own unassisted efforts, then 
the genius of Ferdoosee may be thought to 
rival that of some who have produced more 
finished works, amidst more favourable op- 
portunities of approaching towards perfection. 
In the history of Persian literature, at least, 
_ the Shah-nameb, must ever be regarded as a 
(11) Preface, p. 3. to the excellent edition of the Shah-nameh by 
Mr. Lumsden, of which the first yolume only has yet appeared, pub- 
_ jished at Calcutta, in 1811. 
It is with great regret we learn that owing to the heavy expense of 
printing and collating MSS, the further publication of the work is 
abandoned. 
