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', FOURTH DISCOURSE. Ok PHYSICIANS
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avoid relishes and preserves so } that the 'treatment cannot succeed."
, Thea Fadl. ibn Ya'hya applauded thef- acumen and dis-
^cernrnentof that great man, and revealed to him his real complaint,,
saying, " It was for this that I summoned thee, and what I did
was for a proof."
Then the Catholicos applied himself /o the treatment of the
case, and did all that w&s possible In this matter. When some
time had elapsed and there was no improvement, the Catholicos
writhed inwardly, for this had appeared no great matter, yet it
was thus protracted. At last one day when he was sitting with
Fadl ibn Yahya, he said, " Honoured Sir, I have tried every
available remedy without effect. Perchance thy father is displeased
with thee. Satisfy him, and 'I will Eemovet.this disease
from thee."
So that night Fadl arose, went 'to
[his father] Yahya, fell at
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his feet, and asked for his forgiveness. His old father
forgave
him, [and the Catholicos continued to treat him after the same
sort as before, and he began to improve, and ere long was com
pletely cured].
Then Fadl asked the Catholicos, " How didst thou know that
the cause of my complaint was my father's displeasure ?
"
The
Catholicos answered, " I tried every known remedy without
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effect. So I said to myself, This great man has received a blow
from some quarter.' (\Y) I looked about, but could find no one
who lay down at night dissatisfied and afflicted through thee ;
on the contrary, many were those who lived in comfort through
thy alms, gifts and marks of favour. At length I was informed
that thy father was vexed with thee, and that there had been
an altercation between thee and him, and I knew that [thine
aiVment] arose from this. So I adopted this treatment and ft
passed away, and my conjecture was not at fault."
After this Fadl ibn Yahya enriched the Catholicos and sent
him back to Pars.
ANECDOTE XLIII.
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In the year A.H. 547 (=A.D. 1 1 52-3)2, when a battle took place
at the gates of Awba 3 between the King of the World ,Sanjar ibn
Malikshah and my master 'Ala'u'd-Dunya wa'd-Dm al-Husayn
ibnu'l-Husayn (may God immortalise their reigns and domains !),
I wandered
and the Ghurid army sustained so grievous a reverse,
about Herat in the guise of a fugitive, because I was cowpected
with the House of Ghur, against whom enemies utterecT all 1
,J For the meaning of anbajdt (pi. vianba oranbaja), seep. C