THE TOMB. 
501 
sent open scroll in the Saracenic taste. It is composed, of a nar¬ 
row sort of border, thickly ornamented with flowers and other 
involvements; and interwoven with this intricate line of work, there 
are certainly Arabic characters, which I do not doubt forms the 
inscription that has been read Mader-i-Sulieman. It would have 
been useless for me to attempt copying it, in the little time allowed 
me ; the letters being so confused amongst the ornaments ; and 
the female sentinels without, from their fear of surprise, making 
an incessant clamour for my egress. The lines which contain 
this inscription border, extend along the whole of that side of the 
wall, taking, near the middle of it, a form thus: .. j 
the breadth between the lines is not more than ' 
two inches and a half. Some future traveller, I hope may be 
allowed to copy it, whose * intimate knowledge of the language 
would facilitate the achievement; it being a task of skill, as 
well as patience, to disentangle Arabic characters from the 
labyrinth of their ornaments. 
Not a scratch of any other kind, save the cruel dents 
from the hammers of the barbarians, interrupted the even 
polish of the three remaining sides. The roof is flat, and 
nearly black ; so are all the sides of the chamber, excepting 
that which faces the door ; and that, with the floor, is perfectly 
white. Man has done all towards the mutilation of this monu¬ 
ment ; which, from the simplicity of its form, and the solidity 
of its fabric, seemed calculated to withstand the accidents of 
nature, till the last shock, when her existence would be no 
more. 
The learned world are indebted to Mr. Morier for the first 
supposition that the ruins scattered over the vale of Mourg-aub, 
are those of Pasargadas ; for the unanswerable arguments which 
