172 
AUDIENCE OF THE KING. 
expressed the high esteem he entertained for our nation. The Am¬ 
bassador seized this opportunity to extol the conduct of the King’s En¬ 
voy during his stay in England, to which His Majesty seemed to listen 
with pleasure; and then ordered Mirza Abul Hassan Khan to be called, 
who soon after appeared, and stood below with his shoes off, by the 
side of a basin of water. He then said to him aloud, “ Aferin, aferin, 
“ well done, well done, Abul Hassan, you have made my face white in 
“ a foreign country, and I will make yours white in this. You are one 
“ of the noblest of the families in my kingdom, and with' the help 
of God, I will raise you to the dignities of your ancestors;” at which 
words the Mirza knelt down and actually touched the earth with his 
forehead. 
Sometime, after this, the Ambassador had his public audience, when 
we saw the King in great splendour. He was decked in all his jewels, 
with his crown on his head, his baztibends, or armlets, on his arms, seated 
on his throne. We approached him bowing after our own manner, but 
the Persians bowed as David did to Saul, who stooped with his face to the 
earthy and bowed himself (1 Samuel, xxiv. 8.); that is, not touching the 
earth with the face, but bowing with their bodies at right angles, the 
hands placed on the knees, and the legs somewhat asunder. It is only 
on remarkable occasions, such as that above mentioned of Mirza Abul 
Hassan Khan, that the prostration of the Rouee Zemeen, the face to the 
earth, is made, which must be the falling upon the face to the earth 
and worshippings as Joshua did. (Joshua, v. 14.) Stated distances were 
