[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