第401章
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  [Footnote2:ThedynastyoftheSamanidescontinued125years,A。D。847—999,undertenprinces。Seetheirsuccessionandruin,intheTablesofM。DeGuignes,Hist。desHuns,tom。i。p。

  404—406。TheywerefollowedbytheGaznevides,A。D。999—

  1183,seetom。i。p。239,240。Hisdivisionsofnationsoftendisturbstheseriesoftimeandplace。]

  [Footnote3:Gaznahhortosnonhabet:estemporiumetdomiciliummercaturaeIndicae。AbulfedaeGeograph。Reiske,tab。xxiii。p。

  349。D\'Herbelot,p。364。Ithasnotbeenvisitedbyanymoderntraveller。]

  [Footnote4:BytheambassadorofthecaliphofBagdad,whoemployedanArabianorChaldaicwordthatsignifieslordandmaster,D\'Herbelot,p。825。ItisinterpretedbytheByzantinewritersoftheeleventhcentury;andthenameSoldanusisfamiliarlyemployedintheGreekandLatinlanguages,afterithadpassedfromtheGaznevidestotheSeljukides,andotheremirsofAsiaandEgypt。DucangeDissertationxvi。surJoinville,p。

  238—240。Gloss。Graec。etLatin。laborstofindthetitleofSultanintheancientkingdomofPersia:buthisproofsaremereshadows;apropernameintheThemesofConstantine,ii。11,ananticipationofZonaras,&c。,andamedalofKaiKhosrou,notashebelievestheSassanideofthevith,buttheSeljukideofIconiumofthexiiithcentury,DeGuignes,Hist。desHuns,tom。

  i。p。246。]

  [Footnote5:FerishtaapudDow,Hist。ofHindostan,vol。i。p。

  49mentionsthereportofagunintheIndianarmy。ButasIamslowinbelievingthisprematureA。D。1008useofartillery,I

  mustdesiretoscrutinizefirstthetext,andthentheauthorityofFerishta,wholivedintheMogulcourtinthelastcentury。

  Note:ThispassageisdifferentlywritteninthevariousmanuscriptsIhaveseen;andinsomethewordtopegunhasbeenwrittenfornupth,naphtha,andtoofungmusketforkhudung,arrow。ButnoPersianorArabichistoryspeaksofgunpowderbeforethetimeusuallyassignedforitsinvention,A。D。1317;

  longafterwhich,itwasfirstappliedtothepurposesofwar。

  Briggs\'sFerishta,vol。i。p。47,note。—M。]

  [Footnote6:Kinnouge,orCanouge,theoldPalimbothraismarkedinlatitude27Degrees3Minutes,longitude80Degrees13

  Minutes。SeeD\'Anville,Antiquitedel\'Inde,p。60—62,

  correctedbythelocalknowledgeofMajorRennelinhisexcellentMemoironhisMapofHindostan,p。37—43:300

  jewellers,30,000shopsforthearrecanut,60,000bandsofmusicians,&c。Abulfed。Geograph。tab。xv。p。274。Dow,vol。i。

  p。16,willallowanamplededuction。

  Note:Mr。WilsonHinduDrama,vol。iii。p。12andSchlegelIndischeBibliothek,vol。ii。p。394concurinidentifyingPalimbothrawiththePataliparaoftheIndians;thePatnaofthemoderns。—M。]

  [Footnote7:TheidolatersofEurope,saysFerishta,Dow,vol。

  i。p。66。ConsultAbulfeda,p。272,andRennel\'sMapofHindostan。]

  [Footnote*:Ferishtasays,some\"croresofgold。\"Dowsays,inanoteatthebottomofthepage,\"tenmillions,\"whichistheexplanationoftheword\"crore。\"Mr。GibbonsaysrashlythatthesumofferedbytheBrahminswastenmillionssterling。NotetoMill\'sIndia,vol。ii。p。222。Col。Briggs\'stranslationis\"aquantityofgold。\"

  Thetreasurefoundinthetemple,\"perhapsintheimage,\"

  accordingtoMajorPrice\'sauthorities,wastwentymillionsofdinarsofgold,aboveninemillionssterling;butthiswasahundred—foldtheransomofferedbytheBrahmins。Price,vol。ii。

  p。290。—M。]

  [Footnote*:Ratherthantheidolbroker,hechosetobecalledMahmudtheidolbreaker。Price,vol。ii。p。289—M]

  Fromthepathsofbloodandsuchisthehistoryofnations

  Icannotrefusetoturnasidetogathersomeflowersofscienceorvirtue。ThenameofMahmudtheGaznevideisstillvenerableintheEast:hissubjectsenjoyedtheblessingsofprosperityandpeace;hisviceswereconcealedbytheveilofreligion;andtwofamiliarexampleswilltestifyhisjusticeandmagnanimity。I。AshesatintheDivan,anunhappysubjectbowedbeforethethronetoaccusetheinsolenceofaTurkishsoldierwhohaddrivenhimfromhishouseandbed。\"Suspendyourclamors,\"saidMahmud;

  \"informmeofhisnextvisit,andourselfinpersonwilljudgeandpunishtheoffender。\"Thesultanfollowedhisguide,investedthehousewithhisguards,andextinguishingthetorches,pronouncedthedeathofthecriminal,whohadbeenseizedintheactofrapineandadultery。Aftertheexecutionofhissentence,thelightswererekindled,Mahmudfellprostrateinprayer,andrisingfromtheground,demandedsomehomelyfare,whichhedevouredwiththevoraciousnessofhunger。Thepoorman,whoseinjuryhehadavenged,wasunabletosuppresshisastonishmentandcuriosity;andthecourteousmonarchcondescendedtoexplainthemotivesofthissingularbehavior。\"Ihadreasontosuspectthatnone,exceptoneofmysons,coulddaretoperpetratesuchanoutrage;andIextinguishedthelights,thatmyjusticemightbeblindandinexorable。Myprayerwasathanksgivingonthediscoveryoftheoffender;andsopainfulwasmyanxiety,thatI

  hadpassedthreedayswithoutfoodsincethefirstmomentofyourcomplaint。\"II。ThesultanofGaznahaddeclaredwaragainstthedynastyoftheBowides,thesovereignsofthewesternPersia:hewasdisarmedbyanepistleofthesultanamother,anddelayedhisinvasiontillthemanhoodofherson。^8\"Duringthelifeofmyhusband,\"saidtheartfulregent,\"Iwaseverapprehensiveofyourambition:hewasaprinceandasoldierworthyofyourarms。

  Heisnownomorehissceptrehaspassedtoawomanandachild,andyoudarenotattacktheirinfancyandweakness。Howingloriouswouldbeyourconquest,howshamefulyourdefeat!andyettheeventofwarisinthehandoftheAlmighty。\"AvaricewastheonlydefectthattarnishedtheillustriouscharacterofMahmud;andneverhasthatpassionbeenmorerichlysatiated。

  TheOrientalsexceedthemeasureofcredibilityintheaccountofmillionsofgoldandsilver,suchastheavidityofmanhasneveraccumulated;inthemagnitudeofpearls,diamonds,andrubies,suchashaveneverbeenproducedbytheworkmanshipofnature。^9

  YetthesoilofHindostanisimpregnatedwithpreciousminerals:

  hertrade,ineveryage,hasattractedthegoldandsilveroftheworld;andhervirginspoilswererifledbythefirstoftheMahometanconquerors。Hisbehavior,inthelastdaysofhislife,evincesthevanityofthesepossessions,solaboriouslywon,sodangerouslyheld,andsoinevitablylost。HesurveyedthevastandvariouschambersofthetreasuryofGazna,burstintotears,andagainclosedthedoors,withoutbestowinganyportionofthewealthwhichhecouldnolongerhopetopreserve。

  Thefollowingdayhereviewedthestateofhismilitaryforce;

  onehundredthousandfoot,fifty—fivethousandhorse,andthirteenhundredelephantsofbattle。^10Heagainwepttheinstabilityofhumangreatness;andhisgriefwasimbitteredbythehostileprogressoftheTurkmans,whomhehadintroducedintotheheartofhisPersiankingdom。

  [Footnote8:D\'Herbelot,BibliothequeOrientale,p。527。Yettheselettersapothegms,&c。,arerarelythelanguageoftheheart,orthemotivesofpublicaction。]

  [Footnote*:ComparePrice,vol。ii。p。295。—M]

  [Footnote9:Forinstance,arubyoffourhundredandfiftymiskals,Dow,vol。i。p。53,orsixpoundsthreeounces:thelargestinthetreasuryofDelhiweighedseventeenmiskals,VoyagesdeTavernier,partieii。p。280。Itistrue,thatintheEastallcoloredstonesarecaliedrubies,p。355,andthatTaverniersawthreelargerandmorepreciousamongthejewelsdenotregrandroi,lepluspuissantetplusmagnifiquedetouslesroisdelaterre,p。376。]

  [Footnote10:Dow,vol。i。p。65。ThesovereignofKinogeissaidtohavepossessed2500elephants,Abulfed。Geograph。tab。

  xv。p。274。FromtheseIndianstories,thereadermaycorrectanoteinmyfirstvolume,p。245;orfromthatnotehemaycorrectthesestories。]

  InthemoderndepopulationofAsia,theregularoperationofgovernmentandagricultureisconfinedtotheneighborhoodofcities;andthedistantcountryisabandonedtothepastoraltribesofArabs,Curds,andTurkmans。^11Ofthelast—mentionedpeople,twoconsiderablebranchesextendoneithersideoftheCaspianSea:thewesterncolonycanmusterfortythousandsoldiers;theeastern,lessobvioustothetraveller,butmorestrongandpopulous,hasincreasedtothenumberofonehundredthousandfamilies。Inthemidstofcivilizednations,theypreservethemannersoftheScythiandesert,removetheirencampmentswithachangeofseasons,andfeedtheircattleamongtheruinsofpalacesandtemples。Theirflocksandherdsaretheironlyriches;theirtents,eitherblackorwhite,accordingtothecolorofthebanner,arecoveredwithfelt,andofacircularform;theirwinterapparelisasheep—skin;arobeofclothorcottontheirsummergarment:thefeaturesofthemenareharshandferocious;thecountenanceoftheirwomenissoftandpleasing。Theirwanderinglifemaintainsthespiritandexerciseofarms;theyfightonhorseback;andtheircourageisdisplayedinfrequentcontestswitheachotherandwiththeirneighbors。

  Forthelicenseofpasturetheypayaslighttributetothesovereignoftheland;butthedomesticjurisdictionisinthehandsofthechiefsandelders。ThefirstemigrationoftheEasternTurkmans,themostancientoftherace,maybeascribedtothetenthcenturyoftheChristianaera。^12Inthedeclineofthecaliphs,andtheweaknessoftheirlieutenants,thebarrieroftheJaxarteswasoftenviolated;ineachinvasion,afterthevictoryorretreatoftheircountrymen,somewanderingtribe,embracingtheMahometanfaith,obtainedafreeencampmentinthespaciousplainsandpleasantclimateofTransoxianaandCarizme。

  TheTurkishslaveswhoaspiredtothethroneencouragedtheseemigrationswhichrecruitedtheirarmies,awedtheirsubjectsandrivals,andprotectedthefrontieragainstthewildernativesofTurkestan;andthispolicywasabusedbyMahmudtheGaznevidebeyondtheexampleofformertimes。HewasadmonishedofhiserrorbythechiefoftheraceofSeljuk,whodweltintheterritoryofBochara。Thesultanhadinquiredwhatsupplyofmenhecouldfurnishformilitaryservice。\"Ifyousend,\"repliedIsmael,\"oneofthesearrowsintoourcamp,fiftythousandofyourservantswillmountonhorseback。\"—\"Andifthatnumber,\"

  continuedMahmud,\"shouldnotbesufficient?\"—\"SendthissecondarrowtothehordeofBalik,andyouwillfindfiftythousandmore。\"—\"But,\"saidtheGaznevide,dissemblinghisanxiety,\"ifIshouldstandinneedofthewholeforceofyourkindredtribes?\"—\"Despatchmybow,\"wasthelastreplyofIsmael,\"andasitiscirculatedaround,thesummonswillbeobeyedbytwohundredthousandhorse。\"TheapprehensionofsuchformidablefriendshipinducedMahmudtotransportthemostobnoxioustribesintotheheartofChorasan,wheretheywouldbeseparatedfromtheirbrethrenoftheRiverOxus,andenclosedonallsidesbythewallsofobedientcities。Butthefaceofthecountrywasanobjectoftemptationratherthanterror;andthevigorofgovernmentwasrelaxedbytheabsenceanddeathofthesultanofGazna。Theshepherdswereconvertedintorobbers;thebandsofrobberswerecollectedintoanarmyofconquerors:asfarasIspahanandtheTigris,Persiawasafflictedbytheirpredatoryinroads;andtheTurkmanswerenotashamedorafraidtomeasuretheircourageandnumberswiththeproudestsovereignsofAsia。

  Massoud,thesonandsuccessorofMahmud,hadtoolongneglectedtheadviceofhiswisestOmrahs。\"Yourenemies,\"theyrepeatedlyurged,\"wereintheiroriginaswarmofants;theyarenowlittlesnakes;and,unlesstheybeinstantlycrushed,theywillacquirethevenomandmagnitudeofserpents。\"Aftersomealternativesoftruceandhostility,aftertherepulseorpartialsuccessofhislieutenants,thesultanmarchedinpersonagainsttheTurkmans,whoattackedhimonallsideswithbarbarousshoutsandirregularonset。\"Massoud,\"saysthePersianhistorian,^13\"plungedsinglytoopposethetorrentofgleamingarms,exhibitingsuchactsofgiganticforceandvalorasneverkinghadbeforedisplayed。A

  fewofhisfriends,rousedbyhiswordsandactions,andthatinnatehonorwhichinspiresthebrave,secondedtheirlordsowell,thatwheresoeverheturnedhisfatalsword,theenemiesweremoweddown,orretreatedbeforehim。Butnow,whenvictoryseemedtoblowonhisstandard,misfortunewasactivebehindit;

  forwhenhelookedround,bebeheldalmosthiswholearmy,exceptingthatbodyhecommandedinperson,devouringthepathsofflight。\"TheGaznevidewasabandonedbythecowardiceortreacheryofsomegeneralsofTurkishrace;andthismemorabledayofZendecan^14foundedinPersiathedynastyoftheshepherdkings。^15

  [Footnote11:Seeajustandnaturalpictureofthesepastoralmanners,inthehistoryofWilliamarchbishopofTyre,l。i。c。

  vii。intheGestaDeiperFrancos,p。633,634,andavaluablenotebytheeditoroftheHistoireGenealogiquedesTatars,p。

  535—538。]

  [Footnote12:ThefirstemigrationoftheTurkmans,anddoubtfuloriginoftheSeljukians,maybetracedinthelaboriousHistoryoftheHuns,byM。DeGuignes,tom。i。TablesChronologiques,l。

  v。tom。iii。l。vii。ix。x。andtheBibliothequeOrientale,ofD\'Herbelot,p。799—802,897—901,Elmacin,Hist。Saracen。

  p。321—333,andAbulpharagius,Dynast。p。221,222。]

  [Footnote13:Dow,Hist。ofHindostan,vol。i。p。89,95—98。I

  havecopiedthispassageasaspecimenofthePersianmanner;butIsuspectthat,bysomeoddfatality,thestyleofFerishtahasbeenimprovedbythatofOssian。

  Note:Gibbon\'sconjecturewaswellfounded。ComparethemoresoberandgenuineversionofCol。Briggs,vol。i。p。110。—

  M。]

  [Footnote14:TheZendekanofD\'Herbelot,p。1028,theDindakaofDowvol。i。p。97,isprobablytheDandanekanofAbulfeda,Geograph。p。345,Reiske,asmalltownofChorasan,twodays\'

  journeyfromMaru,andrenownedthroughtheEastfortheproductionandmanufactureofcotton。]

  [Footnote15:TheByzantinehistoriansCedrenus,tom。ii。p。

  766,766,Zonarastom。ii。p。255,NicephorusBryennius,p。21

  haveconfounded,inthisrevolution,thetruthoftimeandplace,ofnamesandpersons,ofcausesandevents。TheignoranceanderrorsoftheseGreekswhichIshallnotstoptounravelmayinspiresomedistrustofthestoryofCyaxaresandCyrus,asitistoldbytheirmosteloquentpredecessor。]

  ThevictoriousTurkmansimmediatelyproceededtotheelectionofaking;and,iftheprobabletaleofaLatinhistorian^16deservesanycredit,theydeterminedbylotthechoiceoftheirnewmaster。Anumberofarrowsweresuccessivelyinscribedwiththenameofatribe,afamily,andacandidate;

  theyweredrawnfromthebundlebythehandofachild;andtheimportantprizewasobtainedbyTogrulBeg,thesonofMichaelthesonofSeljuk,whosesurnamewasimmortalizedinthegreatnessofhisposterity。ThesultanMahmud,whovaluedhimselfonhisskillinnationalgenealogy,professedhisignoranceofthefamilyofSeljuk;yetthefatherofthatraceappearstohavebeenachiefofpowerandrenown。^17Foradaringintrusionintotheharemofhisprince。SeljukwasbanishedfromTurkestan:withanumeroustribeofhisfriendsandvassals,hepassedtheJaxartes,encampedintheneighborhoodofSamarcand,embracedthereligionofMahomet,andacquiredthecrownofmartyrdominawaragainsttheinfidels。Hisage,ofahundredandsevenyears,surpassedthelifeofhisson,andSeljukadoptedthecareofhistwograndsons,TogrulandJaafar;

  theeldestofwhom,attheageofforty—five,wasinvestedwiththetitleofSultan,intheroyalcityofNishabur。Theblinddeterminationofchancewasjustifiedbythevirtuesofthesuccessfulcandidate。ItwouldbesuperfluoustopraisethevalorofaTurk;andtheambitionofTogrul^18wasequaltohisvalor。Byhisarms,theGasnevideswereexpelledfromtheeasternkingdomsofPersia,andgraduallydriventothebanksoftheIndus,insearchofasofterandmorewealthyconquest。IntheWestheannihilatedthedynastyoftheBowides;andthesceptreofIrakpassedfromthePersiantotheTurkishnation。

  Theprinceswhohadfelt,orwhofeared,theSeljukianarrows,bowedtheirheadsinthedust;bytheconquestofAderbijan,orMedia,heapproachedtheRomanconfines;andtheshepherdpresumedtodespatchanambassador,orherald,todemandthetributeandobedienceoftheemperorofConstantinople。^19Inhisowndominions,Togrulwasthefatherofhissoldiersandpeople;byafirmandequaladministration,Persiawasrelievedfromtheevilsofanarchy;andthesamehandswhichhadbeenimbruedinbloodbecametheguardiansofjusticeandthepublicpeace。Themorerustic,perhapsthewisest,portionoftheTurkmans^20continuedtodwellinthetentsoftheirancestors;

  and,fromtheOxustotheEuphrates,thesemilitarycolonieswereprotectedandpropagatedbytheirnativeprinces。ButtheTurksofthecourtandcitywererefinedbybusinessandsoftenedbypleasure:theyimitatedthedress,language,andmannersofPersia;andtheroyalpalacesofNishaburandReidisplayedtheorderandmagnificenceofagreatmonarchy。ThemostdeservingoftheArabiansandPersianswerepromotedtothehonorsofthestate;andthewholebodyoftheTurkishnationembraced,withfervorandsincerity,thereligionofMahomet。ThenorthernswarmsofBarbarians,whooverspreadbothEuropeandAsia,havebeenirreconcilablyseparatedbytheconsequencesofasimilarconduct。AmongtheMoslems,asamongtheChristians,theirvagueandlocaltraditionshaveyieldedtothereasonandauthorityoftheprevailingsystem,tothefameofantiquity,andtheconsentofnations。ButthetriumphoftheKoranismorepureandmeritorious,asitwasnotassistedbyanyvisiblesplendorofworshipwhichmightallurethePagansbysomeresemblanceofidolatry。ThefirstoftheSeljukiansultanswasconspicuousbyhiszealandfaith:eachdayherepeatedthefiveprayerswhichareenjoinedtothetruebelievers;ofeachweek,thetwofirstdayswereconsecratedbyanextraordinaryfast;andineverycityamoschwascompleted,beforeTogrulpresumedtolaythefoundationsofapalace。^21

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