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foot all about the hills in the neighbourhood. I
generally went out barefoot, and, from this habit
of walking barefoot, I soon found that our feet be-
came so hardened that we did not mind rock or
stone in the least. In one of these walks, between
afternoon and evening prayers, we met a man who
was going with a cow in a narrow road. I asked
him the way. He answered, Keep your eye fixed
on the cow; and do not lose sight of her till you
come to the issue of the road, when you will know
your ground. Khwâjeh Asedulla, who was with me,
enjoyed the joke, observing, What would become
of us wise men, were the cow to lose her way?
"It was wonderfully cold, and the wind of Hâ-
derwîsh had here lost none of its violence, and
blew keen. So excessive was the cold, that in the
course of two or three days we lost two or three
persons from its severity. I required to bathe on
account of my religious purifications; and went
down for that purpose to a rivulet, which was frozen
on the banks, but not in the middle, from the ra-
pidity of the current. I plunged myself into the
water, and dived sixteen times. The extreme
chilliness of the water quite penetrated me."

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remained in Dekhat, I was accustomed to walk on | hundred men. Tambol was speaking with another person in the front of the line, and in the act of saying, Smite them! Smite them!' bu his men were sideling in a hesitating way, as if saying, Shall we flee? Let us flee! but yet standing still. At this instant there were left with me only three persons: one of these was Dost Nasir, another Mirza Küli Gokultash, and Keriindad Khodaidad, the Turkoman, the third. One arrow, which was then on the notch, I discharged on the helmit of Tambol, and again applied my hand to my quiver, and brought out a green-tipped barbed arrow, which my uncle, the Khan, had given me. Unwilling to throw it away, I returned it to the quiver, and thus lost as much time as would have allowed of shooting two arrows. I then placed another arrow on the string, and advanced, while the other three lagged a little behind me. Two persons came right on to meet me; one of them was Tambol, who preceded the other. There was a highway between us. He mounting on one side of it as I mounted on the other, we encountered on it in such a manner, that my right hand was towards my enemy, and Tambol's right hand towards me. Except the mail for his horse, Tambol had all his armour and accoutrements complete. I had only my sabre and bow and arrows. I drew up to my bar, and sent right for him the arrow which I had in my hand. At that very moment, an arrow of the kind called Sheibah struck me on the right thigh, and pierced through and through. I had a steel cap on my head. Tambol, rushing on, smote me such a blow on it with his sword as to stun me; though not a thread of the cap was penetrated, yet my head was severely wounded. I had neglected to clean my sword, so that it was rusty, and I lost time in drawing it. I was alone and single in the midst of a multitude of enemies. It was no season for standing still; so I turned my bridle round, receiving another sabre stroke on the arrows in my quiver. I had gone back seven or eight paces, when three foot soldiers came up and joined us. Tambol now attacked Dost Nasir sword in hand. They followed us about a bowshot. Arigh-Jakanshah is a large and deep stream, which is not fordable everywhere; but God directed us right, so that we came exactly upon one of the fords of the of Dost Nasir fell from weakness. We halted to river. Immediately on crossing the river, the horse remount him, and passing among the hillocks that are between Khirabuk and Feraghîneh, and going from one hillock to another, we proceeded by byeroads towards Ush."

"It was now spring, and intelligence was brought that Sheibâni Khan was advancing against Uratippa. As Dekhat was in the low country, I passed by Abburden and Amâni, and came to the hill country of Masikha. Abbûrden is a village which lies at the foot of Masîkha. Beneath Abburden is a spring, and close by the spring is a tomb. From this spring, towards the upland, the country belongs to Masikha, but downwards from the spring it depends on Yelghar. On a stone which is on the brink of this spring, on one of its sides, I caused the following verses to be inscribed :—

I have heard that the exalted Jemshid
Inscribed on a stone beside a fountain,
Many a man like us has rested by this fountain,
And disappeared in the twinkling of an eye!
Should we conquer the whole world by our manhood
and strength,

Yet could we not carry it with us to the grave.'

In this hill-country, the practice of cutting verses and other inscriptions on the rocks is extremely

common.

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After this, he contrives partly to retrieve his affairs, by uniting himself with a warlike Khan of his family, and takes the field with a considerable force against Tambol. The following account of a night skirmish reminds us of the chivalrous doings of the heroes of Froissart:

"Just before the dawn, while or men were still enjoying themselves in sleep, amber Ali Beg galloped up, exclaiming, The enemy are upon usrouse up! Having spoken these words, without halting a moment, he passed on. I had gone to sleep, as was my custom even in times of security, without taking off my jâmâ, or frock, and instantly arose, girt on my sabre and quiver, and mounted my horse. My standard-bearer seized the standard, but without having time to tie on the horse-tail and colours; but, taking the banner-staff in his hand just as it was, leaped on horseback, and we proceeded towards the quarter from which the enemy were advancing. When I first mounted there were ten or fifteen men with me. By the time I had advanced a bowshot, we fell in with the enemy's skirmishers. At this moment there might be about ten men with me. Riding quick up to them, and giving a discharge of our arrows, we came upon the most advanced of them, attacked and drove them back. and continued to advance, pursuing them for the distance of another bowshot, when we fell in with the main body of the enemy. Sultan Ahmed Tambol was standing, with about a

* From the Boslan of Sadi.-Leyden.

We shall conclude our warlike extracts with the following graphic and lively account of the author's attack on Akhsi, and his subsequent repulse:

"Sheikh Bayezid had just been released, and was entering the gate, when I met him. I immediately drew to the head the arrow which was on my notch, and discharged it fall at him. It only grazed his neck, but it was a fine shot. The mo ment he had entered the gate, he turned short to the right, and fled by a narrow street in great perturbation. I pursued him. Mirza Kuli Gokul ash struck down one foot-soldier with his mace, and had passed another, when the fellow aimed an arrow at Ibrahim Beg, who startled him by exclaming, Hai! Hai! and went forward; after which the man, being about as far off as the porch of a boase is from the hall, let fly at me an arrow, which struck me under the arm. I had on a Kalmuk mal; two plates of it were pierced and broken from the blow, After shooting the arrow, he fled, and I discharged an arrow after him. At that very moment a footsoldier happened to be flying along the rampart, and my arrow pinned his cap to the wall, where it remained shot through and through, and dangling from the parapet. He took off his turban, whir he twisted round his arm, and ran away. on horseback passed close by me, fleeing up the

A man

narrow lane by which Sheikh Bayezîd had escaped. I struck him such a blow on the temples with the point of my sword, that he bent over as if ready to fall from his horse; but supporting himself on the wall of the lane, he did not lose his seat, but escaped with the utmost hazard. Having dispersed all the horse and foot that were at the gate, we took possession of it. There was now no reasonable chance of success; for they had two or three thousand well-armed, men in the citadel, while I had only a hundred, or two hundred at most, in the outer stone fort: and, besides, Jehangir Mirza, about as long before as milk takes to boil, had been beaten and driven out, and half of my men were with him."

Soon after this there is an unlucky hiatus in all the manuscripts of the Memoirs, so that it is to this day unknown by what means the heroic prince escaped from his treacherous associates, only that we find him, the year after, warring prosperously against a new set of enemies. Of his military exploits and adventures, however, we think we have now given a sufficient specimen.

In these we have said he resembles the paladins of Europe, in her days of chivalric enterprise. But we doubt greatly whether any of her knightly adventurers could have given so exact an account of the qualities and productions of the countries they visited as the Asiatic Sovereign has here put on record. Of Kabul, for example, after describing its boundaries, rivers, and mountains, he says

*

bers of bee-hives, but honey is brought only from the hill-country on the west. The rawâsh* of Kâbul is of excellent quality; its quinces and damask plums are excellent, as well as its bâdrengs.† There is a species of grape which they call the water-grape, that is very delicious; its wines are strong and intoxicating. That produced on the skirt of the mountain of Khwajeh Khan-Saaîd is celebrated for its potency, though I describe it only from what I have heard:

"The drinker knows the flavour of the wine; how should the sober know it?"

"Kâbul is not fertile in grain; a return of four or five to one is reckoned favourable. The melons too are not good, but those raised from seed brought from Khorasan are tolerable. The climate is extremely delightful, and in this respect there is no such place in the known world. In the nights of summer you cannot sleep without a postîn (or lambskin cloak.) Though the snow falls very deep in the winter, yet the cold is never excessively intense. Samarkand and Tabriz are celebrated for their fine climate, but the winter cold there is extreme beyond measure.'

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Opposite to the fort of Adînahpûr, to the south, garden), in the year nine hundred and fourteen on a rising ground, I formed a charbagh (or great (1508). It is called Baghe Vafa (the Garden of Fidelity). It overlooks the river, which flows between the fort and the palace. In the year in which I defeated Behâr Khan and conquered Lahore and Dibalpur, I brought plantains and planted them here. They grew and thrived. The year before I had also planted the sugar-cane in it, which throve remarkably well. I sent some of them to Badakhshân and Bokhâra. It is on an elevated site, enjoys running water, and the climate in the winter season "This country lies between Hindustan and Kho- is temperate. In the garden there is a small hillock, rasan. It is an excellent and profitable market for from which a stream of water, sufficient to drive a commodities. Were the merchants to carry their mill, incessantly flows into the garden below. The goods as far as Khità or Rûm, they would scarcely four-fold field-plot of this garden is situated on this get the same profit on them. Every year, seven, eminence. On the south-west part of this garden eight, or ten thousand horses arrive in Kabul. From is a reservoir of water ten gez square, which is Hindustan, every year, fifteen or twenty thousand wholly planted round with orange trees; there are pieces of cloth are brought by caravans. The com-likewise pomegranates. All around the piece of modities of Hindustan are slaves, white cloths, water the ground is quite covered with clover. This sugar-candy, refined and common sugar, drugs, spot is the very eye of the beauty of the garden. and spices. There are many merchants that are At the time when the orange becomes yellow, the not satisfied with getting thirty or forty for ten.t prospect is delightful. Indeed the garden is charm. The productions of Khorasan, Rûm, Irâk, and ingly laid out. To the south of this garden lies the Chînt, may all be found in Kâbul, which is the very Koh-e-Sefîd (the White Mountain) of Nangenhâr, emporium of Hindustân. Its warm and cold dis- which separates Bengash from Nangenhâr. There tricts are close by each other. From Kâbul you is no road by which one can pass it on horseback. may in a single day go to a place where snow never Nine streams descend from this mountain. The falls, and in the space of two astronomical hours, snow on its summit never diminishes, whence probyou may reach a spot where snow lies always, ex-ably comes the name of Koh-e-Sefîds (the White cept now and then when the summer happens to Mountain). No snow ever falls in the dales at its be peculiarly hot. In the districts dependant on foot." Kâbul, there is great abundance of the fruits both of hot and cold climates, and they are found in its immediate vicinity. The fruits of the cold districts in Kâbul are grapes, pomegranates, apricots, peaches, pears, apples, quinces, jujubes, dainsons, almonds, and walnuts; all of which are found in great abundance. I caused the sour-cherry-tree to be brought here and planted; it produced ex cellent fruit, and continues thriving. The fruits it possesses peculiar to a warm climate are the orange, citron, the amluk, and sugar-cane, which are brought from the Lamghanât. I caused the sugarcane to be brought, and planted it here. They bring the Jelghûzek ¶ from Nijrow. They have num

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"The wine of Dereh-Nûr is famous all over Lamghanât. It is of two kinds, which they term areh-tashi (the stone-saw), and suhân-tashi (the stone-file). The stone-saw is of a yellowish colour; the stone-file, of a fine red. The stone-saw, how ever, is the better wine of the two, though neither of them equals their reputation. Higher up, at the head of the glens. in this mountain, there are some apes to be met with. Apes are found lower down

The rawâsh is described as a root something like beet-root, but much larger-white and red in colour, with large leaves, that rise little from the ground It has a pleasant mixture of sweet and acid. It may be the rhubarb, râweid.

The bâdreng is a large green fruit, in shape somewhat like a citron. The name is also applied to a large sort of cucumber.

The fort of Adînahpûr is to the south of the Kâbul river.

The Koh-e-Sefîd is a remarkable position in the geography of Afghanistan. It is seen from Peshawer.

The prejudices of the more active and energetic inhabitant of the hill country are still more visible in the following passage:

towards Hindustân, but none higher up than this standing water is to be met with. All these cities hill. The inhabitants used formerly to keep hogs.* and countries derive their water from wells or tanks, but in my time they have renounced the practice." in which it is collected during the rainy season. In Hindustan, the populousness and decay, or total His account of the productions of his pater-destruction of villages, nay of cities, is almost innal kingdom of Ferghana is still more minute stantaneous. Large cities that have been inhabited -telling us even the number of apple-trees for a series of years, (if, on an alarm, the inhabitants in a particular district, and making mention take to flight,) in a single day, or a day and a half, of an excellent way of drying apricots, with are so completely abandoned, that you can scarcely almonds put in instead of the stones; and of discover a trace or mark of population.' a wood with a fine red bark, of admirable use for making whip-handles and birds' cages! The most remarkable piece of statistics, however, with which he has furnished us, is in his account of Hindustan, which he first entered as a conqueror in 1525. It here occupies twenty-five closely-printed quarto pages; and contains, not only an exact account of its boundaries, population, resources, revenues, and divisions, but a full enumeration of all its useful fruits, trees, birds, beasts, and fishes; with such a minute description of their several habitudes and peculiarities, as would make no contemptible figure in a modern work of natural history-carefully distinguishing the facts which rest on his own observation from those which he gives only on the testimony of others, and making many suggestions as to the means of improving, or transferring them from one region to another. From the detailed botanical and zoological descriptions, we can afford of course to make no extracts. What follows is more general :—

"Hindustan is a country that has few pleasures to recommend it. The people are not handsome. They have no idea of the charms of friendly society, They have no genius, no comprehension of mind, of frankly mixing together, or of familiar intercourse. no politeness of manner, no kindness or fellowfeeling, no ingenuity or mechanical invention in planning or executing their handicraft works, no skill or knowledge in design or architecture; they have no good horses, no good flesh, no grapes or musk-melonst, no good fruits, no ice or cold water, no good food or bread in their bazars, no baths or colleges, no candles, no torches, not a candlestick."

The chief excellency of Hindustan is, that it is a large country, and has abundance of gold and silver. The climate during the rains is very pleasant, n some days it rains ten, fifteen, and even twenty times. During the rainy season, inundations come pouring down all at once, and form rivers, even in places where, at other times, there is no water. While the rains continue on the ground, the air is singularly delightful-insomuch, that nothing can surpass its soft and agreeable temperature. Its defect is, that the air is rather moist and damp. During the rainy season, you cannot shoot, even with the bow of our country, and it becomes quite useless. Nor is it the bow alone that becomes useless; the coats of mail, books, clothes, and furniture, all feel the bad effects of the moisture. Their houses, too, suffer from not being substantially built. There is pleasant enough weather in the winter and summer, as well as in the rainy in-season; but then the north wind always blows, and there is an excessive quantity of earth and dust fly. ing about. When the rains are at hand, this wind blows five or six times with excessive violence, and artifical canals or water-runs for irrigation, and for the supply of water to towns and villages. The same is the case in the valley of Soghd, and the richer parts of Mâweralnaher.

"Hindustan is situated in the first, second, and third climates. No part of it is in the fourth. It is a remarkably fine country. It is quite a different world, compared with our countries. Its hills and rivers, its forests and plains, its animals and plants, its inhabitants and their languages, its winds and rains, are all of a different nature. Although the Germsîls (or hot districts), in the territory of Kabul, bear, in many respects, some resemblance to dustân, while in other particulars they differ, yet you have no sooner passed the river Sind than the country, the trees, the stones, the wandering tribes, the manners and customs of the people, are all entirely those of Hindustân. The northern range of hills has been mentioned. Immediately on crossing the river Sind, we come upon several countries in this range of mountains, connected with Kashmir, such as Pekheli and Shemeng. Most of "This is the wulsa or walsa, so well described them, though now independent of Kashmir, were by Colonel Wilks in his Historical Sketches, vol. i. formerly included in its territories. After leaving p. 309, note: On the approach of an hostile army, Kashmir, these hills contain innumerable tribes and the unfortunate inhabitants of India bury under states, Pergannahs and countries, and extend all the ground their most cumbrous effects, and each indiway to Bengal and the shores of the Great Ocean.vidual, man, woman, and child above six years of About these hills are other tribes of men."

"The country and towns of Hindustan are extremely ugly. All its towns and lands have an uniform look; its gardens have no walls; the greater part of it is a level plain. The banks of its rivers and streams, in consequence of the rushing of the torrents that descend during the rainy season, are worn deep into the channel, which makes it generally difficult and troublesome to cross them. In many places the plain is covered by a thorny brush-wood, to such a degree that the people of the Pergannahs, relying on these forests. take shelter in them, and, trusting to their inaccessible situation, often continue in a state of revolt, refusing to pay their taxes. In Hindustân, if you except the rivers, there is little running water.‡ Now and then some

age, (the infant children being carried by their mothers,) with a load of grain proportioned to their strength, issue from their beloved homes, and take the direction of a country (if such can be found) exempt from the miseries of war; sometimes of a strong fortress, but more generally of the most unfrequented hills and woods, where they prolong a miserable existence until the departure of the enemy; and if this should be protracted beyond the time for which they have provided food, a large portion necessarily dies of hunger.' See the note itself. The Historical Sketches should be read by every one who desires to have an accurate idea of the South of India. It is to be regretted that we do not possess the history of any other part of In. dia, written with the same knowledge or research."

† Baber's opinions regarding India are nearly the same with those of most Europeans of the upper class, even at the present day.

This practice Baber viewed with disgust, the hog being an impure animal in the Muhammedan law. +"The Ils and Uluses." Grapes and musk-melons, particularly the latPersia there are few rivers, but numbers of ter, are now common all over India.

such a quantity of dust flies about that you cannot | hill country to the east of Andejân, and the snow see one another. They call this an Andhi.* It fell so deep as to bury it, so that of the whole only gets warm during Taurus and Gemini, but not so two persons escaped, he no sooner received inwarm as to become intolerable. The heat cannot formation of the occurrence, than he despatched be compared to the heats of Balkh and Kandahar. overseers to collect and take charge of all the propIt is not above half so warm as in these places. erty and effects of the people of the caravan; and, Another convenience of Hindustân is, that the wherever the heirs were not at hand, though himworkmen of every profession and trade are innu- self in great want, his resources being exhausted, merable and without end. For any work, or any he placed the property under sequestration, and preemployment, there is always a set ready, to whom served it untouched; till, in the course of one or the same employment and trade have descended two years, the heirs, coming from Khorasan and from father to son for ages. In the Zefer-Nâmeh Samarkand, in consequence of the intimation which of Mulla Sherif-ed-dîn Ali Yezdi, it is mentioned they received, he delivered back the goods safe as a surprising fact, that when Taimur Beg was and uninjured into their hands. His generosity building the Sangîn (or stone) mosque, there were was large, and so was his whole soul; he was of an stone-cutters of Azerbaejan, Fârs, Hindustân, and excellent temper, affable, eloquent, and sweet in other countries, to the number of two hundred, his conversation, yet brave withal, and manly. working every day on the mosque. In Agra alone, On two occasions he advanced in front of the and of stone-cutters belonging to that place only, I troops, and exhibited distinguished prowess; once, every day employed on my palaces six hundred and at the gates of Akhsi, and once at the gates of eighty persons; and in Agra, Sîkri, Biâna, Dhulpûr, Shahrokhîa. He was a middling shot with the Gualiar, and Koel, there were every day employed bow; he had uncommon force in his fists, and on my works one thousand four hundred and ninety-never hit a man whom he did not knock down. one stone-cutters. In the same way, men of every From his excessive ambition for conquest, he often trade and occupation are numberless and without exchanged peace for war, and friendship for hostility. stint in Hindustân. In the earlier part of his life he was greatly addicted to drinking bûzeh and talar. Latterly, once or twice in the week, he indulged in a drink. ing party. He was a pleasant companion, and in the course of conversation used often to cite, with great felicity, appropriate verses from the poets. In his latter days he was much addicted to the use of Maajûn, while under the influence of which he was subject to a feverish irritability. He was a humane man. He played a great deal at backgammon, and sometimes at games of chance with the dice.

"The countries from Behreh to Behâr, which are now under my dominion, yield a revenue of fifty-two krors, as will appear from the particular and detailed statement.t Of this amount, Pergannahs to the value of eight or nine krors are in The possession of some Rais and Rajas, who from old times have been submissive, and have received these Pergannahs for the purpose of confirming them in their obedience."

These Memoirs contain many hundred characters and portraits of individuals; and it would not be fair not to give our readers one or two specimens of the royal author's minute style of execution on such subjects. We may begin with that of Omer-Sheikh Mirza, his grandfather, and immediate predecessor in the throne of Ferghâna :—

"Omer-Sheikh Mirza was of low stature, had a short bushy beard, brownish hair, and was very corpulent. He used to wear his tunic extremely tight; insomuch, that as he was wont to contract his belly while he tied the strings, when he let himself out again the strings often burst. He was not curious in either his food or dress. He tied his turban in the fashion called Destâr-pêch (or plaited turban). At that time, all turbans were worn in the char-pêch (or four-plait) style. He wore his without folds, and allowed the end to hang down. During the heats, when out of the Divân, he generally wore the Moghul cap.

"He read elegantly: his general reading was the Khamsahs, the Mesnevis, and books of his tory; and he was in particular fond of reading the Shahnameh.** Though he had a turn for poetry, he did not cultivate it. He was so strictly just, that when the caravan from Khitatt had once reached the

This is still the Hindustâni term for a storm, or tempest.

About a million and a half sterling, or rather 1.300.000Z.

This statement unfortunately has not been preserved.

About 225,0001. sterling. Several Persian poets wrote Khamsahs, or poems, on five different given subjects. The most celebrated is Nezâmi.

The most celebrated of these Mesnevis is the mystical poem of Moulavi Jiluleddin Muhammed. The Sufis consider it as equal to the Koran. **The Shahnameh, or Book of Kings, the famous poem of the great Persian poet Ferdausi, and contains the romantic history of ancient Persia. ++ North China; but often applied to the whole

The following is the memorial of Hussain Mirza, king of Khorasan, who died in 1506:

"He had straight narrow eyes, his body was robust and firm; from the waist downwards he was of a slenderer make. Although he was advanced in years, and had a white beard, he dressed in gay-coloured red and green woollen clothes. He usually wore a cap of black lamb's skin, or a kilpak. Now and then, on festival days, he put on a small turban tied in three folds, broad and showy, and having placed a plume nodding over it, went in this style to prayers.

"On first mounting the throne, he took it into his head that he would cause the names of the twelve Imams to be recited in the Khûtbeh. Many used their endeavours to prevent him. Finally, however, he directed and arranged every thing according to the orthodox Sunni faith. From a disorder in his joints, he was unable to perform his prayers, nor could he observe the stated fasts. He was a lively, pleasant man. His temper was rather hasty, and his language took after his temper. In many instances he displayed a profound reverence for the faith; on one occasion, one of his sons having slain a man, he delivered him up to the avengers of blood to be carried before the judgment-seat of the Kazi. For about six or seven years after he first ascended the throne, he was very guarded in abstaining from such things as were forbidden by

country from China to Terfân, and now even west to the Ala-tagh Mountains.

* This anecdote is erroneously related of Baber himself by Ferishta and others.-See Dow's Hist. of Hindostan, vol. ii. p. 218.

+ Buzch is a sort of intoxicating liquor somewhat resembling beer, made from millet. Talar I do not know, but understand it to be a preparation from the poppy. There is, however, nothing about bûzeh or talar in the Persian, which only specifies sherab, wine or strong drink.

Any medical mixture is called a maajûn; but in common speech the term is chiefly applied to intoxicating comfits, and especially those prepared with bang.

the law; afterwards he became addicted to drinking "As we were guests at Mozeffer Mirza's house, wine. During nearly forty years that he was King Mozeffer Mirza placed me above himself, and havof Khorasan, not a day passed in which he did not ing filled up a glass of welcome, the cupbearers in drink after mid-day prayers; but he never drank waiting began to supply all who were of the party wine in the morning. His sons, the whole of the with pure wine, which they quaffed as if it had been soldiery, and the town's-people, followed his exam- the water of life. The party waxed warm, and the ple in this respect, and seemed to vie with each spirit mounted up to their heads. They took a tancy other in debauchery and lasciviousness. He was a to make me drink too, and bring the into the same brave and valiant man. He often engaged sword circle with themselves. Although, all that time. I in hand in fight, nay, frequently distinguished his had never been guilty of drinking wine, and from prowess hand to hand several times in the course of never having fallen into the practice was ignorant the same fight. No person of the race of Taimur of the sensations it produced. yet I had a strong Beg ever equalled Sultan Hussain Mirza in the use lurking inclination to wander in this desert, and my of the scymitar. He had a turn for poetry, and com- heart was much disposed to pass the stream. In posed a Diwân. He wrote in the Turki. His poet- my boyhood I had no wish for it, and did not know ical name was Hussaini. Many of his verses are far its pleasures or pains. When my father at any time from being bad, but the whole of the Mirza's Diwân asked me to drink wine, I excused myself, and abis in the same measure. Although a prince of dignity, stained. After my father's death, by the guardian both as to years and extent of territory, he was as care of Khwâjeh Kazi, I remained pure and undefond as a child of keeping butting rams, and of amu- filed. I abstained even from forbidden foods; how sing himself with flying pigeons and cock-fighting.' then was I likely to indulge in wine? Afterwards One of the most striking passages in the constitutional impulse, I got a desire for wine. I had when, from the force of youthful imagination and work is the royal author's account of the mag- nobody about my person to invite me to gratify my nificence of the court and city of Herat, when wishes; nay, there was not one who even suspected he visited it in 1506; and especially his im- my secret longing for it. Though I had the appeposing catalogue of the illustrious authors, art-tite, therefore, it was difficult for me, unsolicited as ists, and men of genius, by whom it was then I was, to indulge such unlawful desires. It now came into my head, that as they urged me so much, and as, besides, I had come into a refined city like "The age of Sultan Hussain Mirza was certainly Heri, in which every means of heightening pleasure a wonderful age; and Khorasan, particularly the and gaiety was possessed in perfection; in which city of Heri, abounded with eminent men of unri- all the incentives and apparatus of enjoyment were valled acquirements, each of whom made it his aim combined with an invitation to indulgence, if I did and ambition to carry to the highest perfection the not seize the present moment, I never could expect art to which he devoted himself. Among these was such another. I therefore resolved to drink wine! the Moulana Abdal Rahman Jami, to whom there But it struck me, that as Badia-ez-zeman Mirza was no person of that period who could be compar- was the eldest brother, and as I had declined receiv. ed, whether in respect to profane or sacred science.ing it from his hand, and in his house, he might now His poems are well known. The merits of the Mulla are of too exalted a nature to admit of being described by me; but I have been anxious to bring the mention of his name, and an allusion to his excellences, into these humble pages, for a good omen and a blessing!"

adorned.

He then proceeds to enumerate the names of between thirty and forty distinguished persons; ranking first the sages and theologians, to the number of eight or nine; next the

take offence. I therefore mentioned this difficulty which had occurred to me. My excuse was ap proved of, and I was not pressed any more, at this party, to drink. It was settled, however, that the next time we met at Badîa-ez-zeman Mirza's, I should drink when pressed by the two Mirzas."

the conscientious prince escaped from this By some providential accident, however, meditated lapse; and it was not till some poets, about fifteen; then two or three paint-cherished and resisted propensity. At what years after, that he gave way to the longers; and five or six performers and composers of music;-of one of these he gives the following instructive anecdote

"Another was Hussian Udi (the lutanist), who played with great taste on the lute, and composed elegantly. He could play, using only one string of his lute at a time. He had the fault of giving him. self many airs when desired to play. On one occasion Sheibani Khan desired him to play. After giving much trouble he played very ill, and besides, did not bring his own instrument, but one that was good for nothing. Sheibâni Khan, on learning how matters stood, directed that, at that very party, he should receive a certain number of blows on the neck. This was one good deed that Sheibâni Khan did in his day; and indeed the affectation of such people deserves even more severe animadversion."

In the seductions of this luxurious court, Baber's orthodox abhorrence to wine was first assailed with temptation:—and there is something very naïve, we think, in his account of his reasonings and feelings on the occasion.

* No moral poet ever had a higher reputation than Jami. His poems are written with great beauty of language and versification, in a captivating strain of religious and philosophic mysticism. He is not merely admired for his sublimity as a poet, but venerated as a saint."

particular occasion he first tell into the snare, unfortunately is not recorded-as there is a blank of several years in the Memoirs previous to 1519. In that year, however, we find him a confirmed toper; and nothing, in deed, can be more ludicrous than the accuracy and apparent truth with which he continues to chronicle all his subsequent and very fre quent excesses. The Eastern votary of intoxication has a pleasant way of varying his enjoyments, which was never taken in the West. When the fluid elements of drunkenness begin to pall on him, he betakes him to what is learnedly called a maajun, being a soft of electuary or confection, made up with pleasant spices, and rendered potent by a large admixture of opium, bang, and other narcotic ingredients; producing a solid intoxication of a very delightful and desirable description. One of the first drinking matches that is described makes honourable mention of this variety:

"The maajun-takers and spirit-drinkers, as they have different tastes, are very apt to take offence with each other. I said. Don't spoil the cordiality of the party; whoever wishes to drink spirits, let

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