328 
CEREMONIES OF THE COURT. 
liant, and piercing ; a beard black as jet, and of a length which 
fell below his chest, over a large portion of the effulgent belt 
which held his diamond-hilted dagger. This extraordinary am¬ 
plitude of beard, appears to have been a badge of Persian 
royalty, from the earliest times ; for we find it attached to the 
heads of the sovereigns, in all the ancient sculptured remains 
throughout the empire. 
In the midst of this solemn stillness, while all eyes were fixed 
on the bright object before them, which sat, indeed, as radiant 
and immoveable as the image of Mithrus itself, a sort of volley 
of words, bursting at one impulse from the mouths of the 
moullahs and astrologers, made me start, and interrupted my 
gaze. This strange outcry, was a kind of heraldic enumeration 
of the Great King’s titles, dominions, and glorious acts ; with 
an appropriate panegyric on his courage, liberality, and extended 
power. When this was ended, with all heads bowing to the 
ground, and the air ceased to vibrate with the sounds, there was a 
pause for about half a minute, and then His Majesty spoke. The 
effect was even more startling than the sudden bursting forth of 
the moullahs ; for this was like a voice from the tombs, so deep, 
so hollow, and at the same time so penetratingly loud. Having 
thus addressed his people, he looked towards Captain Willock 
the British Charge d’Affaires, with whom I stood; and then we 
moved forward to the front of the throne. The same awful 
voice, though in a lowered tone, spoke to him, and honoured 
me with a gracious welcome to his dominions. After His Ma¬ 
jesty had put a few questions to me, and received my answers, 
we fell back into our places ; and were instantly served with 
bowls of a most delicious sherbet, which very grateful refreshment 
was followed by an attendant presenting to us a large silver 
tray; on which lay a heap of small coin called a shy, of the 
