e ye to attain unto Him Who is the Source of
all causes, and follow not every infidel and doubter.'"

It should not be forgotten that, apart from these specific Tablets in
which the kings of the earth are severally and collectively addressed,
Baha'u'llah has revealed other Tablets--the Lawh-i-Ra'is being an
outstanding example--and interspersed the mass of His voluminous writings
with unnumbered passages, in which direct addresses, as well as
references, have been made to ministers, governments, and their accredited
representatives. I am not concerned, however, with such addresses and
references, which, vital as they are, cannot be regarded as being endowed
with that peculiar pregnancy which direct and specific messages, voiced by
the Manifestation of God and directed to the world's Chief Magistrates in
His day, must possess.

Dear friends! Enough has been said to portray the tribulations which, for
so long a time, overwhelmed the Founders of so preeminent a Revelation,
and which the world has so disastrously ignored. Sufficient attention has
also been directed to the Messages addressed to those sovereign rulers
who, either in the exercise of their unconditioned authority, have
deliberately provoked these sufferings, or could have, in the plenitude of
their power, arisen to mitigate their effect or deflect their tragic
course. Let us now consider the consequences that have ensued. The
reaction of these monarchs was, as already stated, varied and unmistakable
and, as the march of events has gradually unfolded, disastrous in its
consequences. One of the most outstanding amongst these sovereigns treated
the Divine Summons with gross disrespect, dismissing it with a curt and
insolent reply, written by one of his ministers. Another laid violent hold
on the bearer of the Message, tortured, branded, and brutally slew him.
Others preferred to maintain a contemptuous silence. All failed completely
in their duty to arise and extend their assistance. Two of them, in
particular, prompted by the dual impulse of fear and anger, tightened
their grip on the Cause they had jointly resolved to uproot. The one
condemned his Divine Prisoner to yet another banishment, to "the most
unsightly of cities in appearance, the most detestable in climate, and the
foulest in water," whilst the other, powerless to lay hands on the Prime
Mover of a hated Faith, subjected its adherents under his sway to abject
and savage cruelties. The recital of Baha'u