LXV. the streets of Aleppo ftreamed with blood, and CHA P. re-echoed with the cries of mothers and children, with the fhrieks of violated virgins. The rich plunder that was abandoned to his foldiers might ftimulate their avarice; but their cruelty was enforced by the peremptory command of producing an adequate number of heads, which, according to his cuftom, were curiously piled in columns and pyramids: the Moguls celebrated the feast of victory, while the furviving Moslems paffed the night in tears and in chains. I fhall not dwell on the march of the deftroyer from Aleppo to Damafcus, where he was rudely encountered, and almost overthrown, by the armies of Egypt. A retrograde motion was imputed to his diftress and despair: one of his nephews deserted to the enemy; and Syria rejoiced in the tale of his defeat, when the fultan was driven by the revolt of the Mamalukes to escape with precipitation and shame to his palace of Cairo. Abandoned by their prince, the inhabitants of Damafcus ftill defended their walls; and Timour confented to raife the fiege, if they would adorn his retreat with a gift or ranfom; each article of nine pieces. But no fooner had he introduced himself into the city, under colour of a truce, than he perfidiously violated the treaty; impofed a contribu- Damaftion of ten millions of gold; and animated his cus, troops to chastise the pofterity of thofe Syrians who had executed, or approved, the murder of the grandson of Mahomet. A family which had given honourable burial to the head of Hofein, A. D. 1401, January 239 LXV. CHAP. and a colony of artificers whom he sent to labour at Samarcand, were alone reserved in the general maffacre; and, after a period of feven centuries, Damascus was reduced to ashes, because a Tartar was moved by religious zeal to avenge the blood of an Arab. The loffes and fatigues of the campaign obliged Timour to renounce the conquest of Palestine and Egypt; but in his return to the Euphrates, he delivered Aleppo to the flames; and justified his pious motive by the pardon and reward of two thousand fectaries of Ali, who were defirous to vifit the tomb of his fon. I have expatiated on the perfonal anecdotes which mark the character of the Mogul hero; but I fhall briefly mention 3, that he erected on the ruins and Bag- of Bagdad a pyramid of ninety thousand heads; again vifited Georgia; encamped on the banks of Araxes; and proclaimed his refolution of marching against the Ottoman emperor. Conscious of the importance of the war, he collected his forces from every province: eight hundred thousand men were enrolled on his military list "; dad, 1401, July 23. 37 36 The marches and occupations of Timour between the Syrian and Ottoman wars, are represented by Sherefeddin (1. v. c. 2943.) and Arabshah (tom, ii. c. 15—18.). 37 This number of 800,000 was extracted by Arabfhah, or rather by Ebn Schounah, ex rationario Timuri, on the faith of a Carizmian officer (tom. i. c. 68. p. 617.); and it is remarkable enough, that a Greek historian (Phranza, 1. i, c. 29.) adds no more than 20,000 men. Poggius reckons 1,000,000; another Latin contemporary (Chron. Tarvifianum, apud Muratori, tom. xix. p. 800.) 1,100,000; and the enormous fum of 1,600,000 is attefted by a German foldier, who was prefent at the battle of Angora (Leunclay, ad Chalcondyl. 1. iii. p. 82.). Timour, in his Inftitutions, has not deigned to calculate his troops, his fubjects, or his revenues. but LXV. but the fplendid commands of five, and ten, CHAP thousand horse, may be rather expreffive of the rank and penfion of the chiefs, than of the genuine number of effective foldiers 38. In the pillage of Syria, the Moguls had acquired immenfe riches but the delivery of their pay and arrears for seven years, more firmly attached them to the Imperial standard. During this diverfion of the Mogul arms, Bajazet had two years to collect his forces for a more serious encounter. They confifted of four hundred thousand horfe and foot 39, whofe merit and fidelity were of an unequal complexion. We may difcriminate the Janizaries who have been gradually raised to an establishment of forty thousand men; a national cavalry, the Spahis of modern times; twenty thousand cuiraffiers of Europe, clad in black and impenetrable armour the troops of Anatolia, whofe princes had taken refuge in the camp of Timour, and a colony of Tartars, whom he had driven from Kipzak, and to whom Bajazet had affigned a fettlement in the plains of Adrianople. The fearless confidence of the fultan urged him to meet his antagonist; and, as if he had chofen that spot for revenge, he dif played his banners near the ruins of the unfortu 38 A wide latitude of non-effectives was allowed by the Great Mogul for his own pride and the benefit of his officers. Bernier's patron was Penge-Hazari, commander of 5000 horfe; of which he maintained no more than 500 (Voyages, tom. i. p. 288, 289.). 39 Timour himself fixes at 400,000 men the Ottoman army (Inftitutions, p. 153.), which is reduced to 150,000 by Phranza (1. i. c. 29.), and fwelled by the German foldier to 1,400,000. It is evident, that the Moguls were the more numerous. nate Invades Anatolia, 1402. LXV. CHAP. nate Suvas. In the mean while, Timour moved from the Araxes through the countries of Armenia and Anatolia: his boldness was fecured by the wifeft precautions; his fpeed was guided by order and difcipline; and the woods, the mountains, and the rivers, were diligently explored by the flying fquadrons, who marked, his road and preceded his ftandard. Firm in his plan of fighting in the heart of the Ottoman kingdom, he avoided their camp; dextroufly inclined to the left; occupied Cæfarea; traversed the falt defert and the river Halys; and invested Angora: while the fultan, immoveable and ignorant in his poft, compared the Tartar fwiftnefs to the crawling of a snail*: he returned on the wings of Battle of indignation to the relief of Angora; and as both generals were alike impatient for action, the July 28. plains round that city were the fcene of a memorable battle, which has immortalifed the glory of Timour and the shame of Bajazet. For this fignal victory, the Mogul emperor was indebted to himfelf, to the genius of the moment, and the difcipline of thirty years. He had improved the tactics, without violating the manners, of his nation ", whofe force ftill confifted in the miffile weapons, and rapid evolutions, of a numerous Angora, A. D. 1402, 40 It may not be useless to mark the distances between Angora and the neighbouring cities, by the journies of the caravans, each of twenty or twenty-five miles: to Smyrna xx. to Kiotahia x. to Bourfa x. to Cæfarea viii. to Sinope x. to Nicomedia ix. to Conftantinople xii. or xiii. (fee Tournefort, Voyage au Levant, tom. ii. lettre xxi.) 41 See the Systems of Tactics in the Inftitutions, which the English editors have illuftrated with elaborate plans, p. 373—407.). LXV. cavalry. From a fingle troop to a great army, CHAP, the mode of attack was the fame: a foremost line first advanced to the charge, and was fupported in a juft order by the fquadrons of the great vanguard. The general's eye watched over the field, and at his command the front and rear of the right and left wings fucceffively moved forwards in their several divisions, and in a direct or oblique line: the enemy was preffed by eighteen or twenty attacks; and each attack afforded a chance of victory. If they all proved fruitless or unsuccessful, the occafion was worthy of the emperor himfelf, who gave the fignal of advancing to the standard and main body, which he led in perfon +2. But in the battle of Angora, the main body itself was fupported, on the flanks and in the rear, by the braveft fquadrons of the reserve, commanded by the fons and grandfons of Timour. The conqueror of Hindoftan oftentatiously shewed a line of elephants, the trophies, rather than the inftruments, of victory: the ufe of the Greek fire was familiar to the Moguls and Ottomans: but had they borrowed from Europe the recent invention of gunpowder and cannon, the artificial thunder, in the hands of either nation, must have turned the fortune of the day *3, In that day, 42 43 42 The fultan himself (says Timour) must then put the foot of courage into the stirrup of patience. A Tartar metaphor, which is loft in the English, but preserved in the French, verfion of the Institutes (p. 156, 157.), 43 The Greek fire, on Timour's fide, is attefted by Sherefeddin (I. v. c. 47.); but Voltaire's ftrange fufpicion, that some cannon, inscribed with strange characters, must have been fent by that monarch to Dehli, is refuted by the univerfal filence of contemporaries, Bajazet |