IntheeyesoftheMoguls,whoheldtheindefeasiblesuccessionofthehouseofZingis,hewasdoubtlessarebelsubject;yethesprangfromthenobletribeofBerlass:hisfifthancestor,CarasharNevian,hadbeenthevizier^!ofZagatai,inhisnewrealmofTransoxiana;andintheascentofsomegenerations,thebranchofTimourisconfounded,atleastbythefemales,^7withtheImperialstem。^8HewasbornfortymilestothesouthofSamarcandinthevillageofSebzar,inthefruitfulterritoryofCash,ofwhichhisfatherswerethehereditarychiefs,aswellasofatomanoftenthousandhorse。^9Hisbirth^10wascastononeofthoseperiodsofanarchy,whichannouncethefalloftheAsiaticdynasties,andopenanewfieldtoadventurousambition。ThekhansofZagataiwereextinct;theemirsaspiredtoindependence;andtheirdomesticfeudscouldonlybesuspendedbytheconquestandtyrannyofthekhansofKashgar,who,withanarmyofGetesorCalmucks,^11invadedtheTransoxiankingdom。Fromthetwelfthyearofhisage,Timourhadenteredthefieldofaction;inthetwenty—fifth^!!hestoodforthasthedelivererofhiscountry;andtheeyesandwishesofthepeoplewereturnedtowardsaherowhosufferedintheircause。Thechiefsofthelawandofthearmyhadpledgedtheirsalvationtosupporthimwiththeirlivesandfortunes;butinthehourofdangertheyweresilentandafraid;and,afterwaitingsevendaysonthehillsofSamarcand,heretreatedtothedesertwithonlysixtyhorsemen。ThefugitiveswereovertakenbyathousandGetes,whomherepulsedwithincredibleslaughter,andhisenemieswereforcedtoexclaim,\"Timourisawonderfulman:
fortuneandthedivinefavorarewithhim。\"Butinthisbloodyactionhisownfollowerswerereducedtoten,anumberwhichwassoondiminishedbythedesertionofthreeCarizmians。^!!!Hewanderedinthedesertwithhiswife,sevencompanions,andfourhorses;andsixty—twodayswasheplungedinaloathsomedungeon,fromwhenceheescapedbyhisowncourageandtheremorseoftheoppressor。AfterswimmingthebroadandrapidsteamoftheJihoon,orOxus,heled,duringsomemonths,thelifeofavagrantandoutlaw,onthebordersoftheadjacentstates。Buthisfameshonebrighterinadversity;helearnedtodistinguishthefriendsofhisperson,theassociatesofhisfortune,andtoapplythevariouscharactersofmenfortheiradvantage,and,aboveall,forhisown。Onhisreturntohisnativecountry,Timourwassuccessivelyjoinedbythepartiesofhisconfederates,whoanxiouslysoughthiminthedesert;norcanI
refusetodescribe,inhispatheticsimplicity,oneoftheirfortunateencounters。Hepresentedhimselfasaguidetothreechiefs,whowereattheheadofseventyhorse。\"Whentheireyesfelluponme,\"saysTimour,\"theywereoverwhelmedwithjoy;andtheyalightedfromtheirhorses;andtheycameandkneeled;andtheykissedmystirrup。Ialsocamedownfrommyhorse,andtookeachoftheminmyarms。AndIputmyturbanontheheadofthefirstchief;andmygirdle,richinjewelsandwroughtwithgold,Iboundontheloinsofthesecond;andthethirdIclothedinmyowncoat。Andtheywept,andIweptalso;andthehourofprayerwasarrived,andweprayed。Andwemountedourhorses,andcametomydwelling;andIcollectedmypeople,andmadeafeast。\"Histrustybandsweresoonincreasedbythebravestofthetribes;heledthemagainstasuperiorfoe;and,aftersomevicissitudesofwartheGeteswerefinallydrivenfromthekingdomofTransoxiana。Hehaddonemuchforhisownglory;butmuchremainedtobedone,mucharttobeexerted,andsomebloodtobespilt,beforehecouldteachhisequalstoobeyhimastheirmaster。ThebirthandpowerofemirHousseincompelledhimtoacceptaviciousandunworthycolleague,whosesisterwasthebestbelovedofhiswives。Theirunionwasshortandjealous;
butthepolicyofTimour,intheirfrequentquarrels,exposedhisrivaltothereproachofinjusticeandperfidy;and,afterafinaldefeat,Housseinwasslainbysomesagaciousfriends,whopresumed,forthelasttime,todisobeythecommandsoftheirlord。Attheageofthirty—four,^12andinageneraldietorcouroultai,hewasinvestedwithImperialcommand,butheaffectedtoreverethehouseofZingis;andwhiletheemirTimourreignedoverZagataiandtheEast,anominalkhanservedasaprivateofficerinthearmiesofhisservant。Afertilekingdom,fivehundredmilesinlengthandinbreadth,mighthavesatisfiedtheambitionofasubject;butTimouraspiredtothedominionoftheworld;andbeforehisdeath,thecrownofZagataiwasoneofthetwenty—sevencrownswhichhehadplacedonhishead。
Withoutexpatiatingonthevictoriesofthirty—fivecampaigns;
withoutdescribingthelinesofmarch,whichherepeatedlytracedoverthecontinentofAsia;Ishallbrieflyrepresenthisconquestsin,I。Persia,II。Tartary,and,III。India,^13andfromthenceproceedtothemoreinterestingnarrativeofhisOttomanwar。
[Footnote!:Inthememoirs,thetitleGurganisinoneplacep。
23interpretedtheson—in—law;inanotherp。28asKurkan,greatprince,generalissimo,andprimeministerofJagtai。—M。]
[Footnote7:AfterrelatingsomefalseandfoolishtalesofTimourLenc,Arabshahiscompelledtospeaktruth,andtoownhimforakinsmanofZingis,permulieres,ashepeevishlyadds,
laqueosSatanae,parsi。c。i。p。25。ThetestimonyofAbulghaziKhanP。ii。c。5,P。v。c。4isclear,unquestionable,anddecisive。]
[Footnote8:Accordingtooneofthepedigrees,thefourthancestorofZingis,andtheninthoftimour,werebrothers;andtheyagreed,thattheposterityoftheeldershouldsucceedtothedignityofkhan,andthatthedescendantsoftheyoungershouldfilltheofficeoftheirministerandgeneral。ThistraditionwasatleastconvenienttojustifythefirststepsofTimour\'sambition,Institutions,p。24,25,fromtheMS。
fragmentsofTimour\'sHistory。]
[Footnote9:SeetheprefaceofSherefeddin,andAbulfeda\'sGeography,Chorasmiae,&c。,Descriptio,p。60,61,intheiiidvolumeofHudson\'sMinorGreekGeographers。]
[Footnote10:SeehisnativityinDr。Hyde,SyntagmaDissertat。
tom。ii。p。466,asitwascastbytheastrologersofhisgrandsonUlughBeg。Hewasborn,A。D。1336,April9,11degrees57minutes。P。M。,lat。36。Iknownotwhethertheycanprovethegreatconjunctionoftheplanetsfromwhence,likeotherconquerorsandprophets,TimourderivedthesurnameofSahebKeran,ormasteroftheconjunctions,Bibliot。Orient。p。878。]
[Footnote11:IntheInstitutionsofTimour,thesesubjectsofthekhanofKashgararemostimproperlystyledOuzbegs,orUsbeks,anamewhichbelongstoanotherbranchandcountryofTartars,Abulghazi,P。v。c。v。P。vii。c。5。CouldIbesurethatthiswordisintheTurkishoriginal,Iwouldboldlypronounce,thattheInstitutionswereframedacenturyafterthedeathofTimour,sincetheestablishmentoftheUsbeksinTransoxiana。
Note:Col。Stewartobserves,thatthePersiantranslatorhassometimesmadeuseofthenameUzbekbyanticipation。Heobserves,likewise,thattheseJitsGetesarenottobeconfoundedwiththeancientGetae:theywereunconvertedTurks。
Col。TodHistoryofRajasthan,vol。i。p。166wouldidentifytheJitswiththeancientrace。—M。]
[Footnote!!:Hewastwenty—sevenbeforeheservedhisfirstwarsundertheemirHoussein,whoruledoverKhorasanandMawerainnehr。VonHammer,vol。i。p。262。NeitherofthesestatementsagreeswiththeMemoirs。Attwelvehewasaboy。\"I
fanciedthatIperceivedinmyselfallthesignsofgreatnessandwisdom,andwhoevercametovisitme,Ireceivedwithgreathauteuranddignity。\"Atseventeenheundertookthemanagementoftheflocksandherdsofthefamily,p。24。Atnineteenhebecamereligious,and\"leftoffplayingchess,\"madeakindofBudhistvownevertoinjurelivingthingandfelthisfootparalyzedfromhavingaccidentallytroduponanant,p。30。Attwenty,thoughtsofrebellionandgreatnessroseinhismind;attwenty—one,heseemstohaveperformedhisfirstfeatofarms。
Hewasapractisedwarriorwhenheserved,inhistwenty—seventhyear,underEmirHoussein。]
[Footnote!!!:CompareMemoirs,page61。Theimprisonmentistherestatedatfifty—threedays。\"AtthistimeImadeavowtoGodthatIwouldneverkeepanyperson,whetherguiltyorinnocent,foranylengthoftime,inprisonorinchains。\"p。63。
—M。]
[Footnote*:Timour,ononeoccasion,senthimthismessage:\"Hewhowishestoembracethebrideofroyaltymustkissheracrosstheedgeofthesharpsword,\"p。83。ThesceneofthetrialofHoussein,theresistanceofTimourgraduallybecomingmorefeeble,thevengeanceofthechiefsbecomingproportionablymoredetermined,isstrikinglyportrayed。Mem。p130—M。]
[Footnote12:TheistbookofSherefeddinisemployedontheprivatelifeofthehero:andhehimself,orhissecretary,Institutions,p。3—77,enlargeswithpleasureonthethirteendesignsandenterpriseswhichmosttrulyconstitutehispersonalmerit。ItevenshinesthroughthedarkcoloringofArabshah,P。
i。c。1—12。]
[Footnote13:TheconquestsofPersia,Tartary,andIndia,arerepresentedintheiidandiiidbooksofSherefeddin,andbyArabshah,c。13—55。ConsulttheexcellentIndexestotheInstitutions。
Note:ComparetheseventhbookofVonHammer,GeschichtedesOsmanischenReiches。—M。]
I。Foreverywar,amotiveofsafetyorrevenge,ofhonororzeal,ofrightorconvenience,maybereadilyfoundinthejurisprudenceofconquerors。NosoonerhadTimourreunitedtothepatrimonyofZagataithedependentcountriesofCarizmeandCandahar,thanheturnedhiseyestowardsthekingdomsofIranorPersia。FromtheOxustotheTigris,thatextensivecountrywasleftwithoutalawfulsovereignsincethedeathofAbousaid,thelastofthedescendantsofthegreatHolacou。Peaceandjusticehadbeenbanishedfromthelandabovefortyyears;andtheMogulinvadermightseemtolistentothecriesofanoppressedpeople。
Theirpettytyrantsmighthaveopposedhimwithconfederatearms:
theyseparatelystood,andsuccessivelyfell;andthedifferenceoftheirfatewasonlymarkedbythepromptitudeofsubmissionortheobstinacyofresistance。Ibrahim,princeofShirwan,orAlbania,kissedthefootstooloftheImperialthrone。Hispeace—offeringsofsilks,horses,andjewels,werecomposed,accordingtotheTartarfashion,eacharticleofninepieces;butacriticalspectatorobserved,thattherewereonlyeightslaves。
\"Imyselfamtheninth,\"repliedIbrahim,whowaspreparedfortheremark;andhisflatterywasrewardedbythesmileofTimour。
^14ShahMansour,princeofFars,ortheproperPersia,wasoneoftheleastpowerful,butmostdangerous,ofhisenemies。InabattleunderthewallsofShiraz,hebroke,withthreeorfourthousandsoldiers,thecoulormainbodyofthirtythousandhorse,wheretheemperorfoughtinperson。NomorethanfourteenorfifteenguardsremainednearthestandardofTimour:hestoodfirmasarock,andreceivedonhishelmettwoweightystrokesofacimeter:^15theMogulsrallied;theheadofMansourwasthrownathisfeet;andhedeclaredhisesteemofthevalorofafoe,byextirpatingallthemalesofsointrepidarace。FromShiraz,histroopsadvancedtothePersianGulf;andtherichnessandweaknessofOrmuz^16weredisplayedinanannualtributeofsixhundredthousanddinarsofgold。Bagdadwasnolongerthecityofpeace,theseatofthecaliphs;butthenoblestconquestofHolacoucouldnotbeoverlookedbyhisambitioussuccessor。ThewholecourseoftheTigrisandEuphrates,fromthemouthtothesourcesofthoserivers,wasreducedtohisobedience:heenteredEdessa;andtheTurkmansoftheblacksheepwerechastisedforthesacrilegiouspillageofacaravanofMecca。InthemountainsofGeorgia,thenativeChristiansstillbravedthelawandtheswordofMahomet,bythreeexpeditionsheobtainedthemeritofthegazie,orholywar;andtheprinceofTeflisbecamehisproselyteandfriend。
[Footnote14:ThereverenceoftheTartarsforthemysteriousnumberofnineisdeclaredbyAbulghaziKhan,who,forthatreason,divideshisGenealogicalHistoryintonineparts。]
[Footnote15:AccordingtoArabshah,P。i。c。28,p。183,thecowardTimourranawaytohistent,andhidhimselffromthepursuitofShahMansourunderthewomen\'sgarments。PerhapsSherefeddinl。iii。c。25hasmagnifiedhiscourage。]
[Footnote16:ThehistoryofOrmuzisnotunlikethatofTyre。
Theoldcity,onthecontinent,wasdestroyedbytheTartars,andrenewedinaneighboringisland,withoutfreshwaterorvegetation。ThekingsofOrmuz,richintheIndiantradeandthepearlfishery,possessedlargeterritoriesbothinPersiaandArabia;buttheywereatfirstthetributariesofthesultansofKerman,andatlastweredeliveredA。D。1505bythePortuguesetyrantsfromthetyrannyoftheirownviziers,MarcoPolo,l。i。
c。15,16,fol。7,8。Abulfeda,Geograph。tabul。xi。p。261,262,anoriginalChronicleofOrmuz,inTexeira,orStevens\'sHistoryofPersia,p。376—416,andtheItinerariesinsertedintheistvolumeofRamusio,ofLudovicoBarthema,1503,fol。167,ofAndreaCorsali,1517fol。202,203,andofOdoardoBarbessa,in1516,fol313—318。]
II。AjustretaliationmightbeurgedfortheinvasionofTurkestan,ortheEasternTartary。ThedignityofTimourcouldnotenduretheimpunityoftheGetes:hepassedtheSihoon,subduedthekingdomofKashgar,andmarchedseventimesintotheheartoftheircountry。Hismostdistantcampwastwomonths\'
journey,orfourhundredandeightyleaguestothenorth—eastofSamarcand;andhisemirs,whotraversedtheRiverIrtish,engravedintheforestsofSiberiaarudememorialoftheirexploits。TheconquestofKipzak,ortheWesternTartary,^17
wasfoundedonthedoublemotiveofaidingthedistressed,andchastisingtheungrateful。Toctamish,afugitiveprince,wasentertainedandprotectedinhiscourt:theambassadorsofAurussKhanweredismissedwithahaughtydenial,andfollowedonthesamedaybythearmiesofZagatai;andtheirsuccessestablishedToctamishintheMogulempireoftheNorth。But,afterareignoftenyears,thenewkhanforgotthemeritsandthestrengthofhisbenefactor;thebaseusurper,ashedeemedhim,ofthesacredrightsofthehouseofZingis。ThroughthegatesofDerbend,heenteredPersiaattheheadofninetythousandhorse:withtheinnumerableforcesofKipzak,Bulgaria,Circassia,andRussia,hepassedtheSihoon,burntthepalacesofTimour,andcompelledhim,amidstthewintersnows,tocontendforSamarcandandhislife。Afteramildexpostulation,andagloriousvictory,theemperorresolvedonrevenge;andbytheeast,andthewest,oftheCaspian,andtheVolga,hetwiceinvadedKipzakwithsuchmightypowers,thatthirteenmilesweremeasuredfromhisrighttohisleftwing。Inamarchoffivemonths,theyrarelybeheldthefootstepsofman;andtheirdailysubsistencewasoftentrustedtothefortuneofthechase。Atlengththearmiesencounteredeachother;butthetreacheryofthestandard—bearer,who,intheheatofaction,reversedtheImperialstandardofKipzak,determinedthevictoryoftheZagatais;andToctamishI
peakthelanguageoftheInstitutionsgavethetribeofToushitothewindofdesolation。^18HefledtotheChristiandukeofLithuania;againreturnedtothebanksoftheVolga;and,afterfifteenbattleswithadomesticrival,atlastperishedinthewildsofSiberia。ThepursuitofaflyingenemycarriedTimourintothetributaryprovincesofRussia:adukeofthereigningfamilywasmadeprisoneramidsttheruinsofhiscapital;andYeletz,bytheprideandignoranceoftheOrientals,mighteasilybeconfoundedwiththegenuinemetropolisofthenation。MoscowtrembledattheapproachoftheTartar,andtheresistancewouldhavebeenfeeble,sincethehopesoftheRussianswereplacedinamiraculousimageoftheVirgin,towhoseprotectiontheyascribedthecasualandvoluntaryretreatoftheconqueror。
AmbitionandprudencerecalledhimtotheSouth,thedesolatecountrywasexhausted,andtheMogulsoldierswereenrichedwithanimmensespoilofpreciousfurs,oflinenofAntioch,^19andofingotsofgoldandsilver。^20OnthebanksoftheDon,orTanais,hereceivedanhumbledeputationfromtheconsulsandmerchantsofEgypt,^21Venice,Genoa,Catalonia,andBiscay,whooccupiedthecommerceandcityofTana,orAzoph,atthemouthoftheriver。Theyofferedtheirgifts,admiredhismagnificence,andtrustedhisroyalword。Butthepeacefulvisitofanemir,whoexploredthestateofthemagazinesandharbor,wasspeedilyfollowedbythedestructivepresenceoftheTartars。Thecitywasreducedtoashes;theMoslemswerepillagedanddismissed;butalltheChristians,whohadnotfledtotheirships,werecondemnedeithertodeathorslavery。^22RevengepromptedhimtoburnthecitiesofSeraiandAstrachan,themonumentsofrisingcivilization;andhisvanityproclaimed,thathehadpenetratedtotheregionofperpetualdaylight,astrangephenomenon,whichauthorizedhisMahometandoctorstodispensewiththeobligationofeveningprayer。^23
[Footnote17:ArabshahhadtravelledintoKipzak,andacquiredasingularknowledgeofthegeography,cities,andrevolutions,ofthatnorthernregion,P。i。c。45—49。]
[Footnote18:InstitutionsofTimour,p。123,125。Mr。White,theeditor,bestowssomeanimadversiononthesuperficialaccountofSherefeddin,l。iii。c。12,13,14,whowasignorantofthedesignsofTimour,andthetruespringsofaction。]
[Footnote19:ThefursofRussiaaremorecrediblethantheingots。ButthelinenofAntiochhasneverbeenfamous:andAntiochwasinruins。IsuspectthatitwassomemanufactureofEurope,whichtheHansemerchantshadimportedbythewayofNovogorod。]
[Footnote20:M。LevesqueHist。deRussie,tom。ii。p。247。ViedeTimour,p。64—67,beforetheFrenchversionoftheInstituteshascorrectedtheerrorofSherefeddin,andmarkedthetruelimitofTimour\'sconquests。Hisargumentsaresuperfluous;andasimpleappealtotheRussianannalsissufficienttoprovethatMoscow,whichsixyearsbeforehadbeentakenbyToctamish,escapedthearmsofamoreformidableinvader。]
[Footnote21:AnEgyptianconsulfromGrandCairoismentionedinBarbaro\'svoyagetoTanain1436,afterthecityhadbeenrebuilt,Ramusio,tom。ii。fol。92。]
[Footnote22:ThesackofAzophisdescribedbySherefeddin,l。
iii。c。55,andmuchmoreparticularlybytheauthorofanItalianchronicle,AndreasdeRedusiisdeQuero,inChron。
Tarvisiano,inMuratori,Script。RerumItalicarum,tom。xix。p。
802—805。HehadconversedwiththeMianis,twoVenetianbrothers,oneofwhomhadbeensentadeputytothecampofTimour,andtheotherhadlostatAzophthreesonsand12,000
ducats。]