Siyar al-mutaʾakhkhirin 42.21.3

42.21.3

An Imperial letter came to Abdol-rezac, conferring upon him both the grade and effectual command of six thousand horse, with several offices, titles, and dignities. The General, having read the letter with derision, carried it upon the crest of one of the towers, and after shewing it to the men in the trenches, he tore it to pieces, with every mark of contempt and indignation, and threw the pieces to the people below. Sending at the same time for the man, who had brought the letter, he gave him this verbal answer: "Sir, tell your master that this war looks, without comparison, like that of Kerbelah; and I hope, so long as I live, to exert myself in behalf of my master, as did, to their eternal honor and glory, those seventy-two heroes who stood by Imam Hussein, and shed their blood in covering him with their persons against those two-and-twenty thousand cowards who were not ashamed to smite those valorous fellows, and to fight the Messenger's beloved grandson. I hope to imitate their fidelity and courage, and to do myself honor both in this world and the other." The Emperor, hearing this answer, said publicly, "That wretch Larian's mind is of the homely kind;" but in private he paid the highest encomiums to his fidelity, services, and unshaken attachment.