form which must soon perish, and warned him
to prepare also for death. "For," said she,
"the king whom you serve so zealously will
not reward you; on the contrary, he will cause
you to perish by a cruel death." Four years
afterwards her prophecy was fulfilled,
Mahmoud Khan, by order of the king, had his
beard pulled out, was beaten with rods, and
finally strangled; she herself, as she had
foretold, being burnt alive on the day
following her conversation with Mahmoud, but
her name became holy in the memory of
the Bâbys, and the example of her heroic
self-sacrifice attracted more partisans to
Bâbysm than all the exhortations of its
preachers. The same day the penitent Seyd
Hosseïn, who had denied his master, came to
lay down his life with his fellow-disciples.
Bâbysm now lost its political and military
character, and once more became simply a
religion. A youth sixteen years old, named
Mirza Yahya, was chosen as successor to the
Bâb, and took up his residence at Baghdad.
Here, sheltered from persecution, on the
frontier of two Mohammedan empires, and in the
midst of a great concourse of travellers and
pilgrims, the new religion has planted its
standard, and continues its mission, which
seems far from being as yet completed.

We have already given a sketch of the
theology of Bâbysm, and it now remains to
describe the most marked characteristics of its
morality and policy; for as the Bâbys were
confident that they would conquer the world,
it was necessary that they should publish to
the world the principles on which they
intended to found their government of it. The
religion of the Bâb addresses itself to the mind
rather than to the body; thus it prefers
meditation to prayer, and solitary prayer, as being
most akin to meditation, to prayer in public.
The functions of its ministers are limited to the
duties of praying and teaching.

The religion of the Bâb does not desire any
painful sacrifices from mankind. "All that is
demanded of you by the Most High is love and
contentment," says the Bâb. The general
character of its morality is summed up in two
obligations: "Charity towards others, and
circumspection as regards oneself." The first form
of charity is doing good to the poor and the
wretched. Hospitality is just as much an
obligation as almsgiving; it must be practised at
least once a year towards a poor man or a
stranger, even if one have nothing more to
offer than a cup of cold water; and rich men
are to invite to their table a number of poor
guests proportionate to their wealth. In the
Book of Precepts it is written, "O ye rich,
enrich the poor on the part of your Lord;" but,
on the other hand, it is forbidden to give to
beggars, for to beg is sinful. If the religion
of the Bâb requires its followers to contribute as
much as possible to the common happiness, still
more does it require that one should do no
harm to one's neighbour, even though one
should have received injury at his hands.
Violence is not to be met with violence, nor
injury by injury; discourtesy and want of
civility is stigmatised as a sin, and moderation
of language in argument is classed amongst the
virtues. Women and children are especially
to be cared for; and the Bâb is not satisfied
with having delivered women from the slavery
to which they are subjected in the East; he is
not satisfied with raising them to the proper
rank of wives by abolishing polygamy and
divorce, nor with prohibiting their forced
seclusion, but he lays down that they must be
especially respected and honoured, and that they
should be allowed to act with perfect liberty in
all matters which cannot hurt their honour or
their health. Their natural taste for elegance
should be indulged as much as possible; with
true Eastern gallantry, he says, "Adorn your
ornament; glorify your glory." Contrary to
the usages of all Asiatic countries, he admitted
women to the tables and meetings of men; but
he warns the ministers of religion not to enter
into long conversations with them —" beyond
eighteen words forbear to continue your speech
with them; you can derive no good from
more."

Remembering the severity with which he had
been punished at school, he forbids any one to
beat a child who is under five years of age, and
after that age he enjoins that he should be
chastised with gentleness. He warns parents
to consider the health of their children as much
as their education, and adds, with true affection
for them, "allow them all that can make them
happy." He orders his disciples not to overwork
or overburden the animals they employ.
The true believer is to be charitable and indulgent
to others, and not to be too severe with
himself; fasting and other trials of endurance
are forbidden him after the age of forty-two,
and long and distant journeys are to be
avoided. His virtues are to be, so to say,
every-day virtues — not heroic virtues, which
require to be brought forth by extraordinary
circumstances. All that can render life agreeable
and increase his gratitude to his Creator,
is allowed to the true believer, so long as he
does nothing which can injure him; but opium
and fermented liquors are forbidden. The
Bâb and his eighteen colleagues hold almost
all the property of the society, and have the
right to levy very heavy taxes. With the
money thus collected they are able to maintain
the priests, keep up the religious buildings,
assist the poor, alleviate distress, and educate
the faithful. There is not much originality in
this system, and its dogmas are chiefly
borrowed from ancient systems. Its morality is
even below that of the Stoics. Its ideal city is
an Utopia, which would infallibly degenerate
into a despotism. Its most original feature is
the principle of the permanent incarnation of
the Deity in a body of nineteen persons. It is,
however, so much more imaginative, more
liberal, and more enlightened than Islamism;
and it has done so much good by abolishing
polygamy and raising the status of women, that
it possesses advantages over it which make it a
formidable rival, destined, perhaps, some day to