In this manner, one day, when the discourse fell upon this subject in the service of the master of favour, the head of the sages of the age, the unequalled jewel of the multitude of the possessors of beneficence, the ornament of the council of experience and of success, the splendor of the assembly of the distinction of merit and of happiness, the man of exalted designs, knowing the enigmas of science and wisdom, and endowed with eminent virtues, WILLIAM BAYLEY SAHEB,[273] (may his prosperity be everlasting in the ways of celebrity), I expressed my sentiments as follows: That which embraces the different tenets and sects, demonstrating in what respects they are either agreeing or conflicting with each other, is an object not destitute of difficulty nor of pretension; but the book called _Dabistán_, is incomparable for the assemblage of various tenets, and of general and particular creeds. Direction was therefore given that, as to execute the transcription of such a book is, on account of the errors which may be committed, an object of hesitation and reflection, it should therefore be drawn in the form of print. As obedience to the order of a lord is praiseworthy, necessary, important, and not devoid of various manifest advantages, therefore was printed the beforesaid copy, which is replete with the fundamentals of each religion and sect, and a collection of the dogmas of all creeds and sects explicitly and distinctively, in order to diffuse the useful notes and disseminate the precious gems in such a manner, that the colleagues in study may derive from the reading of this work an abundant advantage, and a sufficient satisfaction. Thus, a multitude of copies in this country, which came under the view of the editor, contained numerous errors, alterations, and contradictions of vicious expressions; afterwards, with extreme care and pains to obtain the authentic copy which had come into my possession from the town of the King of the World (_Delhí_), the doubts and faults have been, as much as possible, discarded, and the editor carried it to a manifest correction. Besides, on account of different idioms and technical phrases of each sect, the understanding and interpretation of frequent expressions of this book were difficult without having recourse to dictionaries; on that account, and for the convenience of those who consider and the utility of those who investigate, the editor, having inquired and examined as much as was possible, by means of the most esteemed books, such as dictionaries, interpretations, and commentaries of the learned of each sect, fixed the meaning _of difficult words_ at the end of this book in some separate leaves, in such a manner that, without trouble and useless prolixity, the brides of those ideas may become manifest upon the exalted bridal seats of intelligence.[274] Moreover, for ranging the vocables, the editor adopted the mode that under the first letter should be placed the chapter, and under the second letter