[626] An excellent work to be consulted with respect to Hassan, son of Sábáh, is the history concerning him contained in روضة الصفا فى سيرة الانبيا والمولك ولخالفا _Rúzat al sáfá fí sírat al anbía w’ al mulk w’ al khalifa_, “the Garden of Purity, containing the history of prophets and khalifs,” composed by _Muhammed_, son of _Khavendshah_, known under the name of _Mirkhond_, born in the year of the Hejira 837, or at the end of 836 (A. D. 1432 or 1433), deceased in 903 (A. D. 1498). The Persian text of the part of it here pointed out was published in Paris, 1812, by Am. Jourdain, with a French translation and Notes, some of which are by Silvestre de Sacy. I shall, in my quotations from it, use only the name “Mirkhond.” [627] Some people of Hassan’s sect established his genealogy as follows: “Hassan, son of Ali, son of Jâfer, son of Hassan, son of Muhammed, son of Sabah Homairi Yemini, but Hassan, to whom it was presented, ordered it to be cancelled, saying: ‘I prefer being a simple privileged servant of the Imám to being his degenerated son.’”――(_Mirkhond_, p. 39.) [628] We shall have further to notice Nizam al mulk, and a remarkable work which he left. From this work, Mirkhond (p. 31) quotes the following words respecting the Imám Movafek, above mentioned: “The Imám, one of the most illustrious among the learned men of Khorassan, was generally honored, and his society sought after as a source of happiness. He was then more than eighty-five years of age, and it was an opinion generally received, that all young men who instructed themselves under his direction in the science of the Koran and prophetic traditions, obtained the favor of fortune.” [629] Mirkhond has _Hakim Omar Khayam_. Silvestre de Sacy (p. 32, note) thought that it would perhaps be better to translate “Hakim, son of Omar,” and _Khayam_ is a surname, signifying “maker of tents.” [630] Alp Arselan, son of Daud (or David), son of Mikail (Michael), son of Seljuk was the second sultan of the family and dynasty of the Seljucides. He succeeded to Togrul Bèg, his uncle, who died without offspring in the year of the Hejira 455 (A. D. 1063). At first called _Isrâil_, he took, after his conversion to Muhammedism, the name of Muhammed with the surname _Alp Arselan_, “the courageous lion” in the Turkish language. His most memorable victory was that gained with 12,000 men over 300,000 Greeks, whom he put to flight, and took their emperor Romanus, surnamed Diogenes.