"أيام ثيم ولَّت" [و‎‎٦‎٧] (٢٤٨/١٣٣)

your Honour had decided the case I returned his envelope to the
’"ht " And what? " said the Judge, appalled, "did you say to
him? I simply said" replied the clerk "I am sorry. It was not
enough!"
Let us not be too quick to judge.
The thought occurs that, whatever defects the present (1985)
priestly regime in Persia may have, it has never been accused of
corruption.
I was intrigued to discover, on this my last visit to Birjand,
that a local sir d a r had apparently solved the problem of middle
age. I had never been able to visit him because of the boycott
of foreigners, but had annually enquired after his health, and
had annually been told "Thank God he is well and vigorous; his
eye is bright, his beard is red, he spends his days hunting’, and
several sons are born to him every year" (daughters don't count!)
On this occasion I was told, "He is very old, very holy, his
beard is long and white, he has divorced all his wives, and he
prays five times a day!" He had progressed - in one bound - from
youthful vigour to venerable sanctity, and had eliminated
entirely that tiresome period - middle age.