of establishing a Turkish cadhi, and founding a royal mosque in the metropolis of the Eastern church.67 Yet this truce was soon violated by the restless sultan in the cause of the prince of Selybria, the lawful emperor, an army of Ottomans again threatened Constantinople; and the distress of Manuel implored the protection of the king of France. His plaintive embassy obtained much pity and some relief; and the conduct of the succor was intrusted to the marshai Boucicault,6 68 whose religious chivalry was inflamed by the desire of revenging his captivity on the infidels. He sailed with four ships of war, from Aiguesmortes to the Hellespont; forced the passage, which was guarded by seventeen Turkish galleys; landed at Constantinople a supply of six hundred menat-arms and sixteen hundred archers; and reviewed them in the adjacent plain, without condescending to number or array the multitude of Greeks. By his presence, the blockade was raised both by sea and land; the flying squadrons of Bajazet were driven to a more respectful distance; and several castles in Europe and Asia were stormed by the emperor and the marshal, who fought with equal valor by each other's side. But the Ottomans soon returned with an increase of numbers; and the intrepid Boucicault, after a year's struggle, resolved to evacuate a country which could no longer afford either pay or provisions for his soldiers. The marshal offered

to conduct Manuel to the French court, where he might solic t in person a supply of men and money; and advised, in the mean while, that, to extinguish all domestic discord, he should leave his blind competitor on the throne. The proposal was embraced the prince of Selybria was introduced to the capital; and such was the public misery, that the lot of the exile seemed more fortunate than that of the sovereign. Instead of applauding the success of his vassal, the Turkish sultan claimed the city as his own; and on the refusal of the emperor John, Constantinople was more closely pressed by the calamities of war and famine. Against such an enemy prayers and resistance were alike unavailing; and the savage

67 Cantemir, p. 50-53. Of the Greeks, Ducas alone (c. 13, 15) acknowledges the Turkish cadhi at Constantinople. Yet even Ducas dissembles the mosque.

68 Mémoires du bon Messire Jean le Maingre, dit Boucicault, Maréthal de France, partie ire, c. 30, 35.

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would have devoured his prey, if, in the fatal moment, he had not been overthrown by another savage stronger than himself By the victory of Timour or Tamerlane, the fall of Constan tinople was delayed about fifty years; and this important, though accidental, ervice may justly introduce the life and character of the Mogul conqueror.

KLEVATION OF TIMOUR OR TAMERI ANE TO THE THRONE OF SAMARCAND. HIS CONQUESTS IN PERS A, GEORGIA, TARTARY, RUSSIA, INDIA, SYRIA, AND ANATOLIA.

HIS TURKISH WAR.

DEATH OF TIMOUR.

DEFEAT AND CAPTIVITY OF BAJAZET. CIVIL WAR OF THE SONS OF BAJAZET. RESTORATION OF THE TURKISH MONARCHY BY MAHOMET THE FIRST. SIEGE OF CONSTANTINOPLE BY AMURATH THE SECOND.

THE Conquest and monarchy of the world was the first object of the ambition of TIMOUR. To live in the memory and esteem of future ages was the second wish of his magnanimous spirit. All the civil and military transactions of his reign were diligently recorded in the journals of his secretaries the authentic narrative was revised by the persons best informed of each particular transaction; and it is believed in the empire and family of Timour, that the monarch himself composed the commentaries 2 of his life, and the insti

ATOW

! These journals were communicated to Sherefeddin, or Cherefeddin Ali, a native of Yezd, who composed in the Persian language a history of Timour Beg, which has been translated into French by M. Petit de la Croix, (Paris, 1722, in 4 vols. 12mo.,) and has always been my faithful guide. His geography and chronology are wonderfully accurate; and he may be trusted for public facts, though he servilely praises the virtue and fortune of the hero. Timour's attention to procure intelligence from his own and foreign countries may be seen in the Institutions, p. 215, 217, 349, 351.

702 These Commentaries are yet unknown in Europe: but Mr. White gives some hope that they may be imported and translated by his friend Major Davy, who had read in the East this "minute and faith. fal narrative of an interesting and eventful period." *

The manuscript of Major Davy has been translated by Major Stewart, and published by the Oriental Translation Committee of London. It contains the life of Timour, from his birth to his forty-first year; but the last thirty years of western war and conquest are wanting. Major Stewart intimates that two manuscripts exist in this country containing the whole work, but excuses himself, on account of his age, from undertaking the laborious task of completing the translation. It is to be hoped that the European public will be soon enabled to judge of the value and authenticitv of the Commentaries of the Cæsar of the East. Major Stewart's work

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tutions of his government. But these cares were meffectual for the preservation of his fame, and these precious memorials in the Mogul of Persian language were concealed from the world, or, at least, from the knowledge of Europe. The nations which he vanquished exercised a base and impotent revenge; and ignorance has long repeated the tale of calumny, which had disfigured the birth and character, the person, and even the name, of Tamerlane. Yet his real merit would be enhanced, rather than debased, by the eleva

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8 I am ignorant whether the original institution, in the Turki or Mogul language, be still extant. The Persic version, with an English translation, and most valuable index, was published (Oxford, 1783, in 4to.) by the joint labors of Major Davy and Mr. White, the Arabic professor. This work has been since translated from the Persic into French, (Paris, 1787,) by M. Langlès, a learned Orientalist, who has added the life of Timour, and many curious notes.

Shaw Allum, the present Mogul, reads, values, but cannot imitate, the institutions of his great ancestor. The English translator relies on their internal evidence; but if any suspicions should arise of fraud and fiction, they will not be dispelled by Major Davy's letter. The Orientals have never cultivated the art of criticism; the patronage of a prince, less honorable, perhaps, is not less lucrative than that of a bookseller; nor can it be deemed incredible that a Persian, the real author, should renounce the credit, to raise the value and price, of the work.

6 The original of the tale is found in the following work, which is much esteemed for its florid elegance of style: Ahmedis Arabsiade (Ahmed Ebn Arabshah) Vitae et Rerum gestarum Timuri. Arabice et Lutine. Edidit Samuel Henricus Manger. Franequera, 1767, 2 tom. in 4to. This Syrian author is ever a malicious, and often an ignorant, enemy the very titles of his chapters are injurious; as how the wicked as how the impious, as how the viper, &c. The copious article of TIMUR, in Bibliothèque Orientale, is of a mixed nature, as D'Herbelot indifferently draws his materials (p. 877-888) from Khondemir, Ebn Schounah, and the Lebtarikh.

6 Demir or Timour signifies, in the Turkish language, Iron; and Beg is the appellation of a lord or prince. By the change of a letter or accent, it is changed into Lenc, or Lame; and a European corruption confounds the two words in the name of Tamerlane.*M biert

commences with the Book of Dreams and Omens a wild, but characteristic, chronicle of Visions and Sortes Koranice. Strange that a life of Tmour should awaken a reminiscence of the diary of Archbishop Lard! The early dawn and the gradual expression of his not less splendid but more real visions of ambition are touched with the simplicity of truth and nature. But we long to escape from the petty feuds of the pastoral chieftain, to the triumphs and the legislation of the conqueror of the world. M.

* According to the memoirs he was so called by a Shaikh, who, when visited by his mother on his birth, was reading the verse of the Koran,

tion of a peasant to the throne of Asia; nor can s lameness be a theme of reproach, unless he had the weakness to blush at a natural, or perhaps an honorable, infirmity.*

In the eyes of the Moguls, who held the indefeasible Buccession of the house of Zingis, he was doubtless a rebel subject; yet he sprang from the noble tribe of Berlass: his fifth ancestor, Carashar Nevian, had been the viziert of Zagatai, in his new realm of Transoxiana; and in the ascent of some generations, the branch of Timour is confounded, at least by the females, with the Imperial stem. He was born forty miles to the south of Samarcand in the village of Sebzar, in the fruitful territory of Cash, of which his fathers were the hereditary chiefs, as well as of a toman of ten thousand horse.9 His birth 10 was cast on one of those periods of anarchy, which announce the fall of the Asiatic dynasties, and open a new field to adventurous ambition. The khans of Zagatai were extinct; the emirs aspired to independence; and their domes

7 After relating some false and foolish tales of Timour Lenc, Arabshah is compelled to speak truth, and to own him for a kinsman of Zingis, per mulieres, (as he peevishly adds,) laqueos Satanæ, (pars i. c. i. p. 25.) The testimony of Abulghazi Khan (P. ii. c. 5, P. v. c. 4) is clear, unquestionable, and decisive.

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8 According to one of the pedigrees, the fourth ancestor of Zingis, and the ninth of Timour, were brothers; and they agreed, that the posterity of the elder should succeed to the dignity of khan, and that the descendants of the younger should fill the office of their minister and general. This tradition was at least convenient to justify the first steps of Timour's ambition, (Institutions, p. 24, 25, from the MS. fragments of Timour's History.)

See the preface of Sherefeddin, and Abulfeda's Geography, (Chorasmiæ, &c., Descriptio, p. 60, 61,) in the iiid volume of Hudson's Minor Greek Geographers.

10 See his nativity in Dr. Hyde, (Syntagma Dissertat. tom. ii. p. 466,) as it was cast by the astrologers of his grandson Ulugh Beg. He was born, A. D. 1836, April 9, 11° 57'. P. M., lat. 36. I know not whether they can prove the great conjunction of the planets from whence, like other conquerors and prophets, Timour derived the suriame of Saheb Keran, or master of the conjunctions, (Bibliot. Orient. p. 878.)

"Are you sure that he who dwelleth in heaven will not cause the earth to swallow you up, and behold it shall shake, Tamuru." The Shaikh then stopped and said, We have named your son Timur," p. 21.-M.

He was lamed by a wound at the siege of the capital of Sistan. Shere feddin, lib. iii. c. 17, p. 136. See Von Hammer, vol. i. p. 260.-M.

In the memoirs, the title Gurgan is in one place (p. 23) interpreted the son-in-law; in another (p. 28) as Kurkan, great prince, generalissimo, and prin minister of Jagtai.-M.