643 RetrofpeSl of French Literature.-^Navels and Romances, 



lip, are in perpetual aftion. During the 

 laft fifteen years, he has interrogated 

 twice a day, and in the felf fame Ipot, 

 not iefs than froin fifty to fixty travellers, 

 whom he coniiatrs as i'o many fubaltern 

 purveyors, conv ked for the exprels pur- 

 pole of furnilhing fviod for his inemoiy. 

 Accordingly, '*\\At finejfi of exprelhon 1 

 what a treafure of acqulfitions! At a 

 fingle glance, he becomes acquainted with 

 your country and your en and. On hear- 

 ing you pronounce but a woitJ, he di- 

 vines the extent of your talents, and an- 

 tici(i.itcs every word (hat you are about to 

 utter." 



The au'hor has rot prefixed his natne 

 to this liftle work, but it is well known 

 that it was written by the fame pen as 

 that which proHuced " Raifon k. Foiie;" 

 and it is almoft unnecefTary to obferve, 

 that it was compolcd for ;he exprefs piir- 

 pofe of confirming Bonaparte's preten- 

 fion» to the diatlem. 



" Tulikan Fils de Gengifkan, ou 

 I'Afie confolee," &;c. — Tulikan Son of 

 Gengifkan, or Afia confolcd, by An- 

 thony GiBLiN. I vol. 8vo. 20 edit. 



Gengifkan Empcvor of the Moguls 

 made his appearance tovv.^rds the middle 

 of the twelfth century. He h one of the 

 moft famous warriors in the annals of the 

 world i and never did any conqueror over- 

 run a greater extent of country, or fub- 

 jugate more nations. 



Voltaire, in his tragedy of " The Or- 

 phan of China," makes a hero of him ; 

 but hiftory repreftnts him as a ruffian who 

 converted Afia into an imnienfe cemetery, 

 where he reigned by nunns of c?riiage 

 jind defolation. Of his four fens, none of 

 them, Tulikan e«cepieH, was fage, juft, 

 or humane. The others refembitd their 

 father, boih in courage and ferocity. 



The above are hiiiorical truths, and 

 ferve as the bafis of the jfeient work ; we 

 now come to thofe that have been luper- 

 added. 



Gengifkan, after conquering and defo- 

 lating China, dillrihmed his iramenfe ac- 

 quifitions among his children, who were 

 to govern thcni riwring his abfence. To 

 the haiigkty Ogothai was confided Tar- 

 tary j the fierce A7,\r was entruHed with 

 the management of Ptrfia and Arabia, 

 whi'e Cathay fell to the lot of young Tu- 

 likan. The author does not name t'e 

 fourth fon ; it Is uncertain, therefore, 

 wheiher he accompanied his father in his 

 triumphal cireer, or was entrufled with 

 the management of any itparate ftate. 



Yehi, Vice roy of Latong, was in- 

 debted tor his life to a uoble action, which 



aftonifhed the ferocious conqueror; anc! 

 made him acquainted with the charms of 

 clemency. In confcquence of this, he 

 became attached to he perfon of his fon, 

 the young Tulikan, and, in return, gave 

 him inlfruflions replete with fagacity, po- 

 licy, and vi'tne. Among other matters, 

 he recounted to him the particulars of the 

 Origin, flourifhing ftate, and deflruflion 

 of Cathay, and thus made him acquaint- 

 ed with a people whj will be always cele- 

 brated, on account of the fage and virtu- 

 ous Confutzee, known to us by the name 

 of Confucius. 



The Prince becomes iViferefled at the 

 recital ; he laments the miferies of a 

 kingdom once fo prolperous, and he wifhes 

 them to ceafe. The exiles are- accord- 

 ingly allowed to return ; the conquerors 

 and the conquered are united to each 

 other; agriculture is reanimated and 

 proteiltd, commeice re-ellablilhfd, and 

 the laws revered. Happinels fucceeds to 

 defohtion ; the arts begin to flourifh ; 

 education, the faiences, and morals rear 

 their heads ; letters are elleemed and ho- 

 nouied. Thcfe benefits are not forgotten. 

 Tulikan is beloved by the people whom 

 he has rendeied happy : but above all, he 

 is elleemed by Arz=mi, the daughter of 

 Altong King of Cathay, who, after be- 

 ing vanquilhcd by Geng-.fican, dellroyed 

 himl'elf, by fetting fire to the royal pa- 

 lace, with a view of efcaj>ing from the 

 fury of the cjnqaeror. 



At this atfpicious epoch, Azar, bro- 

 ther of Tulikan, being on his death-bed, 

 earni ftly defnes to fee him, and a depu- 

 tation from the Perfian court implores his 

 prefence. Unable to reiilt the various 

 motives by which he had been urged, he 

 fets out, beholds Azar expire, appeafes 

 the troubles of the kingdom, and relfores 

 their ancient government to the Perfiais. 



In the mean time, during his abfence, 

 Tienzo, fon of Altong, and brother of 

 Azemi, arrives at Cambalu, the capital 

 oi Cathay, in the fiiuation of a flave, and 

 the minilfer Yelu, in concert with his 

 own fifttr, immediately loofe his fet- 

 ters. 



He then recounts his misfortunes, and 

 informs them at the fame time, that his 

 brealt ftill continues to be aftuated with 

 the wiih, and the hope, of avenging the 

 dtath of his father, and re-conquering the 

 empire of his an'ce(fors. It is in vaia 

 that his fidtr, together with the Vizir, 

 praife the wilUom and the virtues of Tu- 

 likan ; the joy, the tranl'ports, and the 

 happinefs of the people, in vain announce 

 h<^w worthy he is of the throue occupied 



by 



