'The dynasty of the Kajars translated from the original Persian manuscript presented by His Majesty Faty Aly Shah to Sir Harford Jones Brydges ... to which is prefixed a succinct account of the history of Persia previous to that period illustarted with plates and a map of Western Persia' [‎23] (44/684)

PRELIMINARY MATTER.
XX111
n- fuse dates, and confound circumstances, which, by
is Western authors, are related with apparent cor-
!rs rectness and exactitude. But if I am little in-
id clined to consider the Muhammedan historians, of
of the times before the appearance of their Prophet,
ve as worthy of much credit, it becomes me to add,
y. that, in nine cases out of ten, I believe any system
ud founded purely on etymology is entitled to less.
a y In such speculations, I am well aware how reason
irj limps and imagination flies: at the same time I must
ty be allowed to add, that, in respect to the Mosaical
g e history, I entirely agree with a very learned writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. ,
who says, " There is no medium or palliation : the
whole is allegorical, or the whole is literalor, in
p S other words, the whole is true, or the whole is false.
vn
SECT. II.
ter
^ It may not perhaps be disagreeable to the reader
as to find some little account of the different dynas-
l ie ties which have reigned, or are said to have reigned,
over Persia: not that I shall so far exercise his pa-
tience as to attempt to reconcile the accounts of
j ie any of these monarchs given us by the Eastern
writers, either with Sacred History, or with the his-
^, torical accounts we have received of different
^ Persian princes from the Greek or Roman histo-
rds Yians. Those who are desirous of receiving infor-
mation on this subject will find a great variety of
books which may be consulted; and amongst the
icr res ^ ^^ 0 ^ ume of Sir John Malcolm's History
ee [ 0 f Persia, a work which displays no common labour
al researc ^ an( i offers, amidst a good deal of con-
jecture (as must infallibly happen in this case), a