168 
KHOSROO PURVIZ AND THE FAIR SHIRENE. 
ing beauty,) and there poured forth his passion in the most 
vehement terms. Resistance seeming vain, the afflicted queen, 
affecting constrained obedience, begged one favour at his hands, 
before she yielded herself to his arms ; to be permitted to look 
once on the remains of his father. Schirouch consented ; and, 
as soon as she beheld the venerated corse, she fulfilled the end 
of her petition, by stabbing herself on its bosom. The deed has 
immortalized her name, which to this day is a proverb in Persia, 
for all that is beautiful and true. Some writers have slandered 
her fame, by insinuating that she was too well pleased with the 
adoration of the renowned artist, Ferhaud; to whose chisel all the 
sculptures in this part of the world are ascribed; and, though 
done at the command of Khosroo, were executed, they say, to gain 
him favour in the eyes of the most lovely model for his skill, the 
peerless Shirene. But, though the love of the artist may very 
naturally be the fact, yet the self-sacrifice on the body of her 
husband, which, (notwithstanding certain tales in poetry,) is gene¬ 
rally believed, may assuredly clear her purity of this aspersion. 
Khosroo Purviz had reigned thirty-eight years at the time of 
his dismal overthrow; and, from his history, it appears that he 
did not want courage in his early years, though by the conduct 
of his latter life, he made the former accounts hard to be credited ; 
and left nothing so much remembered of him, in his country, as 
these stories of his magnificence, with wild legends of his uxorious 
loves, and cruel jealousy of the ill-fated passion of the unfortu¬ 
nate Ferhaud. In short, no object of admiration, natural or 
artificial, can be enquired about in these districts, that is not 
immediately attributed in some way to this king, in honour of 
his adored Shirene. I shall first describe the objects of interest 
