* This meaning for vigárdó -vars is chiefly based upon the use of vigárd in AV. XXXIV, 5, for a woman's hair being ‘ combed.’ These invaders of Irán from the east, at the end of the first millennium of the religion, are mentioned in Byt. II, 22, 24, 38 ; IH, 1, 6, 13. They are called * Turkish demons’ in $ 47.
* The Byzantine Christians.
* Zoroastrianism, Muhammadanism, Christianity, and either Judaism or Idolatry.
Chapter Viii, I~7. 95
gether for the upper rank; the coming of one
working with the sacred beings to the inferior, the
transient, and the captive of the period; and the
dispersion and downfall of dependent and public
men in their time.
4. The disappearance of a disposition for wisdom
from the foreigners zz the countrits of Irán, which
is an indication of shame a/ the truth of the religion,
and 27 the praise, peace, liberality, and other good-
ness whose provision Zas lodgement in a disposition
for wisdom. 5. Also the abundance of the decisions
of apostasy, the falsehood, deceit, slander, quarrel-
someness, fraudulence, ingratitude, discord, stingi-
ness, and other vileness whose real connection is
a disposition to devour, neglecting heedfulness for
the archangels of fire, water, and worldly exzstence'.
6. The oppressiveness of infidelity aud idol-worship,
the scarcity of freedom, the extreme predominance
of avarice in the individuals (tanó) of mankind, the
plenitude of different opinions about witchcraft, and
the much inclination of many for paralyzing the
religion of the sacred beings.
7. The annihilation of the sovereignty of man-
kind one over the other, the desolation of localities
and settlements by severe actual distress, and the
evil foreign potentates who are, one after the other,
scattering the valiant; the destruction among cattle
and the defilement of the spirit of enjoyment, owing
to the lodgement of lamentation and weeping zz the
countries of Iran, the clamour of the demon-wor-
shipper in the country, avd the unobtainable stature,
non-existent strength, blighted destiny, and short
1 Ashavahistó, Kházdad, and Spendarmad.
96 DÍNKARD, BOOK VII.
life of mankind. 8. Also the abundance of ordi-
nances (Ayinó)! of various descriptions, the approval
of the apostate among tyrants and the non-approval
of the Zoti? who is well-disposed and wise, the
coming of the Zoti to want, 4z all the other adver-
sity, disruption, and running astray which ave over-
powering even in districts and localities of the
countries of Irán.
9. The maintenance of no ritual (zpandih) of
the religion of the sacred beings; the weakness,
suffering, and evil habits of those of the good re-
ligion; the lamentation and recantation (kh üstükih)
of the upholders of the religion; and the wickedness
and extermination of good works in most of the
countries of Iran. 10, Also much other misery in
these two centuries is recounted in the Avesta, which
passed away with them and is also now so visible
therein, and manifestly occurs in them.
11. This, too, is a statement (nisang-1) as to
them, wrc revelation mentions thus: “That is the
age mingled with iron (that is, from every side they
perceive z¢ zs of iron) in which they bring forth into
life him who is a sturdy praying apostate. 12. This
is their sturdiness, that their approval is unobservant
of both doctrines (4inak5); and this is their pray-
ing, that whenever 7 zs possible for them they shall
cause misery to others; a/so when an old man
publicly advances into a crowd (galakó) of youths,
owing to the evil times in which that man who is
learned is born, they are unfriendly zo îm (that is,
they are no friends ofthe high-priests of the priestly
assembly) r3. They are freely speaking (that is,
————————EM gga
* Or it may be hênô, ‘ squadrons,’ * The chief officiating priest in religious ceremonies,
Chapter Viii, 8-16. 97
they utter phrases smoothly), they are wicked and
are fully maliciously talking, so that they shall make
the statements of priests and high-priests useless ;
they also tear asunder the spiritual lordship and
priestly authority, and shall bring the ruler and
priestly authority into evil behaviour as vicious, but
they bring together those who are singular. 14. Any-
thing they say is always mischief (agih), and that
district which had a judge they cast into the smiting
precinct, into hell; it is misery without any inter-
mission they shall inflict therein, till they attain unto
damnation (darvandih) through the recitation they
persevere in, d0¢ he who is the evil progeny dis-
seminated by the apostate and he who is the
villainous wolf full of disaster and full of depravity.’
15. ‘Here below they fight, the friend with him
who is a friend, they also defraud (zivénd) him of
his own work (that is, whenever z¢ zs possible for
them, they shall seize upon his property), and they
give it to him from whom they obtain prosperity in
return; if not, they seek him who is acting as a con-
federate (nishin-gün), and they make that other
one defraud the poor man (so that they shall seize
upon his property); they also cheat him when he
shall make complaint. 16. I s£2// not again produce
such for thee, no friend here for him who is a friend,
no brother for him who is a brother, no son for
him who is a father, nor yet a father for him who is
a son; admonished, ġuź not convinced, they become
the abode of the will of the place, so that they
subsist in every single place where it is necessary
for them Zə be, in each that is necessary for them
they march on together, and on the way they
reflect upon the path of blessedness and the
98 DÍNKARD, BOOK VII. SENE co ee
manifold learning they utter owing to knowledge of me.
17. ‘These three, our increase, learning, and
reward, we fully understand through the ascendancy
of him who is ignoble, and through the downfall of
him who is noble azd superior to him of little
thorough instruction who, in every thing, will be at
the foot of the tyrant. 18. Thinking of a priest ove
becomes spiritual, thinking of a tyrant one becomes
a Kavig?; a demon in. disposition is an incipient
demon, a Kavig zz disposition is himself attracted
towards a youth.’
19. Then, when character and wisdom recede
from the countries of Irán (that is, they depart), so
that destitution and also winter, produced by demons
who are worshipping the demon, rush together from
the vicinity of disaster (vóighn) on to the countries
of Irán, where even rain becomes scanty and pesti-
lence is secretly advancing and deceiving, so that
deaths become numerous; thus even Ze of perverted
wisdom, who is wicked, and the apostate also, who
is unrighteous, rush together in companionship.
20. As what oze says they a// exclaim thus: * Con-
sume and destroy, O ruler! for z¢ is to be consumed
and destroyed by thee; destroy even the fre,
consume even as food those who are the protection
of the association enforcing e/zgzous obedience, and
those leading on the poor wan of the righteous
dispensation by their guidance. 2r. So that they
shall make him thoroughly detached and smite him;
1 So far, this statement ($$ 11-16) seems to be ascribed to Aüharmazd ; but what follows ($$ 17, 18, 20) appears to represent the sentiments of some Iránians of those later times.
? See Chap. II, 9 n.
Chapter Viii, 17-26. 99
likewise wisdom is the wealth they bring him, az it
is when property is being carried off by them, zat
the wisdom conveyed by them arises.
22. 'And in that age, O righteous oze of the
Spitamas! the coming of my desire is not purely for
thee, nor is a thorough belief of the departure of life,
so that the bringing and conducting of a speaker of
promises (mitragóv) is not necessary; those of the
perfect apostate injure this discourse of thine, the
Avesta and Zand, so that they shall make 7/
thoroughly weak ; and those of the perfect apostate
harass their own souls, for love of the wealth which
he produced.'
23. And about the ninth and tenth centuries this
also it says, that, ‘as that age proceeds, this is what
occurs, O Zaratüst of the Spitimas! when many
apostates utter the righteousness of priestly instruc-
tion and authority, z/Zzc£ is wickedness towards me,
they cause begging for water, they wither vegetation,
and they put down all excellence which is due to the
manifestation of righteousness.’
24. Again Zaratüst enquired of him thus: ‘What
do they so produce by that, O Athaymazd! when
they cause begging for water, they wither vegetation,
and they put down all excellence due to the mani-
festation of righteousness?’ 25. And Adharmazd
spoke thus: “They so produce those /ugs among
them, O Zaratüst! when they mention a greater
reward for bantlings and relations than that of their
own souls (that is, they talk more concerning their
allowance, where it is that for their own). 26. More-
over, they give to the Kigs and Karaps, for some
repute wih the shepherd people of the husbandman,
and with the swift-horsed people of the warrior, as
100 DÍNKARD, BOOK VII.
though they would provide us! here below with
a large share of meat, that they would make our
privilege, just as we’ here supply him with meat
whom we render greatly precious. 27. The property
of even a wicked man here below, O Zaratüst! in the
average opinion among the disorganized (anárá-
stan6) is a dignified provision (that is, we form
a strong opinion, the approval of which is more to
be asserted as being the opinion of a poor righteous
man, about a worthy righteous man whose manifest
righteousness is a homage (franámisnó) to duty
and good works).
28. Again he enquired of him thus: ‘Is there so
perfect a manifestation here below, in the age of the
worldly existence of the religion of the Mazda-wor-
shippers (that is, is there a lodgement of the religion
of the Mazda-worshippers in any one)?’ 29. And
Atharmazd spoke thus: ‘It is so, among those men
of mine’, O Zaratüst! for here below there are priests
who are eloquent, and they, too, are men voluble and
requisite in the embodied existence, all-beneficent
and producing the destruction of harm and the
wizard; the people of the wicked tyrant say also
regarding them, ¢hat, excepting thee, O Zaratüst!
they rightly practise righteousness more largely,
more powerfully, and more volubly. 30. Blind are
those of the fiend, who are consulting with thee and
are unaware of the tyrant; and observant are also
those of the fiend who consult with them and think
of ¿heir intelligence, and oppose the imbecile (aná-
kásih-aümónd) apostate who is near them, so that
' The archangels.
* Reading minam, instead of madam which is unintelligible here,
Chapter Viii, 27934. 101
they say! this, namely: “As /o this which thou
tellest us, 24 is evidently not so as thou sayest,” of
which they speak thus: “This duty of thy man is
not mine (that is, it is not necessary for me to
perform) nor thine (that is, it is not necessary even
for thee to perform), because z¢ is not this which is
righteousness (that is, not a good work). 31. For
this ove is produced for these words and thoughts
of thine, of whom thou, too, art aware, he who is
whatever is here below of Aüshégar*? of thoughtful
controversy, O Zaratüst of the Spitamas! for he
brings into notice, through the intermingling of
his own soul, 42m who is righteous, or has not
become so.’
32. This, too, he says, namely: ‘Of those, O
Zaratüst of the Spitamas! who come in the ninth
and tenth centuries, I tell thee that they are of the
fiend of Greed (Azi); it is in žer womb that they
are to be fashioned, they who assist those who
would be vicious, through pre-eminence in leader-
ship, or through excellence in subserviency.'
33. And this, too, it says about them: ‘ Those
men are much to be destroyed;’ so it is said by
Aühazmazg that ‘these who are righteous, who
carry away a corpse in this world, distress their
fire, according to every high-priest?, and even long-
flowing water; their bodies, which are really cess-
pools * of a terrible character, become very assisting
for the tormentors whose corpses are grievously
wicked. 34. Concerning them I tell thee, O Zara- ee IL e td e mnêna 1 To the apostate. 2 See §§ 55-60 and Chap. I, 42 n. Here spelt Aükhshédar. 3 Reading dastür, instead of vastfr. * Pahl. mayá-vakhdün = Pers. 4b-gir.
102 DÍNKARD, BOOK VIT.
tüst of the Spitamas! that, in the ninth and tenth
centuries, ‘herve come those who are the brood of the
fiend and the wound-producer (reshgár)! of the
evil spirit; even one of them is more to be destroyed
than ten demon-worshippers?; they also produce
extermination for these who are mine, for these of
my religion, whom they calla provision for destruc-
tion (that is, when it is possible to live in our way,
and ours are wicked, they diminish in superiority).
35. Even the iniquity that they shall commit in
leadership and subserviency, the sin which is smiting
thee, they call a trifle (khalakó), O pure one of the
Spitamas! and the smiter, they say, is Ze whom
these of thy religion of Mazda-worshippers smite.
36. Besides thee, O Zaratüst! they distress those
duties, too, which ave to be acquired y thy people
(lagánó); they think scornfully of this ceremonial
of thine, scornfully of zy worship, O Zaratüst! and
they think scornfully of both the two blessed utter-
ances?, the Avesta and Zand, which were proclaimed
to thee ġy me who am the most propitious of spirits.
37. They foster villainous outrage, azd they say the
best work for mankind is immoderate fighting whose
joyfulness is due to actions that are villainous; those,
too, ¿žať they exterminate are the existences due to
the spirits, they exterminate their own souls, they
exterminate the embodied existences of the world ;
and they produce lamentation for the soul, and even
the religion, as regards what is the mode of controll-
ing orthodox people ¢egether with the iniquitous of
the same period.’
