THE

MONTHLY REVIEW,

For A PRI L, 1784.

ART. I. Inflitutes, Political and Military. Written originally in the Mogul Language by the Great Timour, improperly called Tamerlane: firt tranflated into Perfian by Abu Taulib Alhuffeini, and thence into English with Marginal Notes; by Major Davy, Perfian Secretary to the Commander in Chief of the Bengal Forces from the Year 1770 to 1773, and now Perfian Secretary to the Governor-General of Bengal. The original Perfian transcribed from a MS. in the Poffeffion of Dr. William Hunter, Phyfician Extraordinary to the Queen, F. R. and A. S. and of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Paris; and the whole Work published with a Preface, Indexes, Geographical Notes, &c. &c. By Jofeph White, B. D. Fellow of Wadham College, and Laudian Profeffor of Arabic in the University of Oxford. 4to. l. 11s. 6d. Boards. Oxford, at the Clarendon Prefs. London, Murray. 1783.

T was rather an unhappy error in judgment, when a certain

thought it proper to point his fatire against the Oxford-press for its patronage of oriental literature. When he pronounced that its expanfive publications in that branch of learning were ulelefs,-unbought, and unread, he certainly, in the first instance, overlooked the important commercial connection between this country and the East; and did not perceive that the fecond contains in reality a fevere cenfure on thofe who ought to be the guardians and patrons of that commerce. As the French hath long been the general language of Europe, fo the Perfic is the general language of the Eaftern world; at leaft it is the language in which the business of the Eaft is generally conducted. A cultivation of the knowledge of that tongue is, on this account, entitled to the encouragement of whatever body of men may happen to prefide over the British intercourfe with India; and every individual who intends to be a refident in that country, especially if he should have an ambition of distinguishVOL. LXX.

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ing himself in any department of government, fhould make it an object of particular ftudy. The labours of Sir William Jones and Mr. Richardfon have tended greatly to facilitate this acquirement, fo neceffary for thofe who turn their views to the Eaft. And this late production of the Clarendon-prefs, now before us, is a moft valuable addition and auxiliary to thofe labours. In fome refpects it may be called a completion of them; for here, without a knowledge of the claffical languages, the young merchant and writer in India, may make himself master of the Perfic tongue :-the Perfic being printed on one page, and on the oppofite Major Davy's translation, in easy, perfpicuous, and elegant English.

Nor is this work more valuable as a Vade Mecum for the Perfic ftudent, than as a literary curiofity, highly meriting the attention of the hiftorian who would treat of the Eaft, and of the philofopher who would study men and manners. Here we find the features of the GREAT TIMOUR, commonly called Tamerlane, delineated by his own pen; and we become intimately acquainted with one of the most fortunate, as well as one of the beft and braveft of conquerors. In his example we fee this maxim illuftrated, that to command himself is not only the greatest glory of the hero, but the fureft road to victory; and that the monarch who mafters his paffions, establishes his power. "Undoubtedly (fays Sir Walter Raleigh, in his hiftory of the world) there were ten thousand in Alexander's army poffeffed of as much perfonal valour as Alexander himself." Exalted abili ties and personal intrepidity are certainly requifite to form the great commander; but they are always found infufficient, when not attended by a conciliatory temper; a mind fuperiour to the weakness of favouritifm; and that felf-command which is the chief guardian of a steady, determined, and dignified conduct. To the want of thofe latter qualities the affaffination of Perdiccas, the bravest and most skilful of Alexander's captains, may be attributed; and to the fame deficiency we may impute those abortive expeditions which have tarnished the annals of Great Britain. That Tamerlane, with all the valour and abilities of a Perdiccas, was a stranger to that depravity, that pride and infolence, which ruined the Grecian hero, by rendering him odious, and, at laft, intolerable to all men, appears evident from his writings. And he who bears a heart benevolent to mankind, muft be pleased to find, in Timour, that felf-government, humanity, juftice, and piety, are qualities as effential to a great hero, as perfonal courage and political fagacity. The estimate of the Tartar monarch muft not, however, be made by our modern ideas of the juftice or injuftice of wars, any more than Ariftotle is to be condemned as an impious favage for maintain. ing, that the Greeks had a right to make war on barbarians, on

purpose

purpose to civilize them. If Timour was ambitious in the extreme, he conceived that his conduct was fully juftified by his motives. He had the command of his prophet to propagate what he believed to be the religion of heaven; and the humanity which he displayed, and the happiness which his conquests, always accompanied with juftice, diffused around him, confer an honour on his name, to which Cæfar and our greatest western conquerors are not entitled. It is one of Timour's maxims, that when a people are funk in corruption and irreligion, or become rebellious to their rulers, they ought to be invaded: it is evident, however, that he means-by a juft prince. But though we fee and confefs the dangerous latitude which this maxim may give to the worft tyrants, let us not condemn the Tartar prince, without including the Greek philofopher in the fame cenfure.

That the Reader may judge both of the character of Timour, and the style of the tranflation, we have, felected the following paffages, which may be given as an addition to the extracts already made from his Institutes, in our account of Mr. White's Specimen, &c. See Review for December, 1779, p. 451.

Timour's deliberate command of himself is confpicuous in the following declarations:

I kept my foldiers and my fubjects fufpended between hope and fear; and conducting myself towards my friends and my enemies with gentleness and with humanity, I either over-looked, or patiently bore with their words and their actions.

Whoever, whether friends or enemies, fled unto me for protection; if they were friends, I treated them in fuch fort as tended to increase their friendship; and if they were enemies, I fo conducted myself towards them, that their enmity was fpeedily converted into affection.

Whoever had a demand upon me, I attempted not to diminish the value thereof; and thofe whom I perfonally knew, I threw not forth from my prefence.

And whoever, from the first shining forth of my fortune and power, had fought my protection, whether worthy or unworthy, whether their conduct towards me had been good or evil, when I afcended the throne of empire, I caufed them to blush by my bounty and kindness; and I confidered as undone the evil which they had done unto me, and I drew the pen of oblivion over the register of their actions.

'I never gave way to the thirst of revenge, nor did I ever fatiate my refentment on any one. Those who had injured me, I delivered over to the juftice of the Almighty.

I retained in my fervice warriors of approved valour, and foldiers of tried experience. And I admitted to my fociety men of exalted lineage, and the posterity of the Prophet, and theologians, and doctors learned in the law. And the feditious, and the wicked, and the înglorious, I drove far from my prefence.'

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The

The fapience, as well as the generosity of Timour's mind, is alfo difcernible in the following maxims:

By experience it is known unto me, that he is a firm affociate, who taketh not offence at the conduct of his friend; and who is the enemy of the enemy of his friend; and who he fitateth not to hazard his life, when occafion fhall require. Thus certain of my Ameers, followed my fortunes even to death; nor did I with-hold from them aught which I had.

And by experience it was known unto me, that a wife enemy is preferable to a foolish friend. Thus Ameer Hooffein, the grandfon of Ameer Kurghun, was one of those foolish friends; and the mifchiefs which in his friendship he did unto me, were fuch as no enemy would do in the excefs of his enmity.

Ameer Khodaudaud once faid unto me, "Watch thou thy ene my, as thou would'st guard a ruby of luftre, or a jewel of high price; but when thou meeteft with a flone of Laukh, crush him thereon until not one particle of him remain.”

He also faid, "When an enemy fleeth unto thee for protection, and kneeleth before thee, have compaffion upon him, and receive him with kindness." Thus I acted towards Touktummish Khaun. When he fled to me for fhelter, I treated him with tenderness and humanity.

If an enemy, after tafting of thy generofity and bounty, return again to enmity, deliver him over to the juftice of the Almighty.

He is a true friend who taketh not offence at the conduct of his friend; or, if he doth, is willing to receive his acknowledgments.' If part of Timour's religious notions, and his regard for omens, are in reality abfurd and fuperftitious; yet under all that want of better knowledge, which it is the defign of a purer and more exalted religion to impart, we ftill discover a great and elevated mind. He perfectly knew how to interpret every omen, fo as to render the impreffion of it on the minds of his followers conducive to the ends he had in view: and though, under the preffure of difficulties which might well fhock the most daring and intrepid fpirit, he betook himself to prayer, and indeed often fought relief from it amidst his emergencies, yet his devotion appears to have been equally manly and fincere. It had nothing of that groveling cant which is the diftinguishing feature of hypocrify. It bore no refemblance to Cromwell's method of seeking the Lord.

Befide the tranflation from Timour, by Major Davy, this work contains a very well-written and fenfible preface, with ufeful notes, by that admirable critical fcholar, Mr. White; together with some remarks on the importance of the cultivation of the Perfic to a country trading with the Eaft, which highly merit the attention of the India Company, by Mr. Davy. To the whole are added fome Brahmin prayers, tranflated by Mr. C. W. Boughton Roufe, which prove that those Indian philofophers, however held up by fome as the mirrors of perfection,

have not yet learned to form an abstract idea of God; but scatter him over the universe, as if divided into material parts and operations, and neither diftinct from, nor independent of, the visible creation.

ART. II. Obfervations on the Paffage to India, through Egypt, and across the Great Defert; with occafional Remarks on the adjacent Countries, and alfo Sketches of the different Routes. By James Capper, Efq; Colonel in the Service of the Hon. Eaft India Company. 4to. 7s. 6d. Boards. Faden. 1783.

IN

N the Introduction to this work, Colonel Capper gives the following account of his reafons for publishing that part of it which relates to the paffage to India, by the way to Egypt:

The following letter was written in India, at the request of a perfon of rank, who once had thoughts of returning to Europe by the way of Suez: it was not, at that time, intended for publication; however, fince my return to England, many of my friends having defired a copy of it, to avoid the trouble of transcribing it myself, or the expence of having it tranfcribed by others, I have at laft reluctantly confented to its going to the prefs.'

Colonel Capper enters into a detail of the proper times for taking this journey. His account is interspersed with many curious anecdotes of the country which the traveller is to pass through, and he is very minute in his directions with refpect to neceffaries and conveniencies.

The route to India, by the way of Suez and the Red Sea, is more expeditious, lefs dangerous, and lefs fatiguing than that by way of Baffora. English veffels are not allowed to anchor at Suez. Colonel Capper takes notice of a curious edict of the Grand Signior's againft them: "Hiftorians" (fays the edict) "inform us, that the Chriftians, an enterprizing and artful race, have, from the earliest times, conftantly made ufe of deceit and violence to effect their ambitious purposes. Under the disguise of merchants they formerly introduced themselves at Damafcus and Jerufalem; in the fame manner, they have fince obtained a footing in Hindoftan, where the English have reduced the inhabitants to flavery; fo now likewife, encouraged by the Beys, the fame people have lately attempted to infinuate themselves into Egypt, with a view, no doubt, as foon as they have made maps of the country, and taken plans of the fortifications, to attempt the conqueft of it.

In order to counteract these their dangerous defigns, on first hearing of their proceedings, we enjoined their Ambaffador to write to his court, defiring their veffels might not be allowed. to frequent the port of Suez; which requifition being fully complied with, if any of their veffels prefume hereafter to anchor there, the cargo fhall be confifcated, and all perfons on board be imprisoned, until our further pleasure be known,"