GRIEF OF THE PERSIANS. 
179 
that tlie Grand Vizier turned himself towards the wall, with his hand 
extended before him, and prayed. After the priest had finished, a com¬ 
pany of actors appeared, some dressed as women, who chaunted forth 
their parts from slips of paper, in a sort of recitativo, that was not un¬ 
pleasing even to our ears. In the very tragical parts, most of the 
audience appeared to cry very unaffectedly; and as I sat near the 
Grand Vizier, and to his neighbour the priest, I was witness to many real 
tears that fell from them. In some of these mournful assemblies, it is 
the custom for a priest to go about to each person at the height of his 
grief, with a piece of cotton in his hand, with which he carefully col¬ 
lects the falling tears, and which he then squeezes into a bottle, pre¬ 
serving them with the greatest caution. This practically illustrates 
that passage in the 56th Psalm, 8., Put thou my tears into thy bottle. 
Some Persians believe, that in the agony of death, when all medi¬ 
cines have failed, a drop of tears so collected, put into the mouth of a 
dying man, has been known to revive him; and it is for such use, that 
they are collected. 
On the Rooz Catl, the tenth day, the Ambassador was invited by 
the King to be present at the termination of the ceremonies, in which 
the death of Hossein was to be represented. We set off after break¬ 
fast, and placed ourselves in a small tent, that was pitched for our ac¬ 
commodation, over an arched gateway, which was situated close to the 
room in which His Majesty was to be seated. 
We looked upon the great 7naidan, or square, which is in front of 
the palace, at the entrance of which we perceived a circle of Cajars, or 
people of the King’s own tribe, who were standing barefooted, and 
beating their breasts in cadence to the chaunting of one who stood in 
the centre, and with whom they now and then joined their voices in 
chorus. Smiting the breast (St. Luke, xviii. 13.) is an universal act 
throughout the mourning; and the breast is made bare for that purpose, 
by unbuttoning the top of the shirt. The King in order to show his 
humility, ordered the Cajars, among whom were many of his own re¬ 
lations, to walk about without either shoes or stockings, to superintend 
the order of the different ceremonies about to be performed; and they 
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