two Worlds of Good and Evil.  His Duties:  Worship, Agriculture, Purity.  Nature of the Worship.  Hymns, Invocations, the Homa Ceremony, Sacrifice.  Agriculture a part of Religion.  Purity required:  1, Moral; 2, Legal.  Nature of each.  Man’s future Prospects.  Position of the Magi under the Sassanians; their Organization, Dress, etc.  The Fire-temples and Altars.  The Barsom.  The Khrafcthraghna.  Magnificence of the Sassanian Court; the Throne-room, the Seraglio, the Attendants, the Ministers.  Midttude of Palaces.  Dress of the Monarch:  1, in Peace; 2, in War, Favorite Pastimes of the Kings.  Hunting.  Maintenance of Paradises.  Stag and Boar-hunts.  Music.  Hawking.  Games.  Character of the Persian Warfare under the Sassanians.  Sassanian Chariots.  The Elephant Corps.  The Cavalry.  The Archers.  The ordinary Infantry.  Officers.  Standards.  Tactics.  Private Life of the later Persians.  Agricultural Employment of the Men.  Non-seclusion of the Women.  General Freedom from Oppression of all Classes except the highest.

The general character of the Persian religion, as revived by the founder of the Sassanian dynasty, has been described in a former chapter; but it is felt that the present work would be incomplete if it failed to furnish the reader with a tolerably full account of so interesting a matter; more especially, since the religious question lay at the root of the original rebellion and revolution which raised the Sassanidae to power, and was to a considerable extent the basis and foundation of their authority.  An access of religious fervor gave the Persians of the third century after Christ the strength which enabled them to throw off the yoke of their Parthian lords and recover the sceptre of Western Asia.  A strong—­almost fanatical—­religious spirit animated the greater number of the Sassanian monarchs.  When the end of the kingdom came, the old faith was still flourishing; and, though its star paled before that of Mohammedanism, the faith itself survived, and still survives at the present day.

It has been observed that Dualism constituted the most noticeable feature of the religion.  It may now be added that the Dualism professed was of the most extreme and pronounced kind.  Ormazd and Ahriman, the principles of Good and Evil, were expressly declared to be “twins.”  They had “in the beginning come together to create Life and Death, and to settle how the world was to be.”  There was no priority of existence of the one over the other, and no decided superiority.  The two, being coeval, had contended from all eternity, and would, it was almost certain, continue to contend to all eternity, neither being able to vanquish the other.  Thus an eternal struggle was postulated between good and evil; and the issue was doubtful, neither side possessing any clear and manifest advantage.