the _Sh_ah from his horse, but was
promptly seized by the attendants of his Majesty and put to death on the
spot. The whole body of Babis was unjustly held responsible for the deed,
and frightful massacres ensued. Eighty of them were forthwith put to death
in Tihran with the most revolting tortures. Many others were seized and
put into prisons, among them being Baha'u'llah. He afterwards wrote:--

By the righteousness of God! We were in no wise connected with
that evil deed, and Our innocence was indisputably established by
the tribunals. Nevertheless, they apprehended Us, and from
Niyavaran, which was then the residence of His Majesty, conducted
Us, on foot and in chains, with bared head and bare feet, to the
dungeon of Tihran. A brutal man, accompanying Us on horseback,
snatched off Our hat, whilst We were being hurried along by a
troop of executioners and officials. We were consigned for four
months to a place foul beyond comparison. As to the dungeon in
which this Wronged One and other similarly wronged were confined,
a dark and narrow pit were preferable. Upon Our arrival We were
first conducted along a pitch-black corridor, from whence We
descended three steep flights of stairs to the place of
confinement assigned to Us. The dungeon was wrapped in thick
darkness, and Our fellow-prisoners numbered nearly a hundred and
fifty souls: thieves, assassins and highwaymen. Though crowded, it
had no other outlet than the passage by which We entered. No pen
can depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome
smell. Most of these men had neither clothes nor bedding to lie
on. God alone knoweth what befell Us in that most foul-smelling
and gloomy place!

Day and night, while confined in that dungeon, We meditated upon
the deeds, the condition, and the conduct of the Babis, wondering
what could have led a people so high-minded, so noble, and of such
intelligence, to perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous act
against the person of His Majesty. This Wronged One, thereupon,
decided to arise, after His release from prison, and undertake,
with the utmost vigor, the task of regenerating this people.

On night, in a dream these exalted words were heard on every side:
"Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by Thy
Pen. Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee, neithe