CALIPHS OF BAGDAD. 39 



tongues for eloquence, and their hand for liberality 

 and valour. But their elevation and their reign were 

 marked by scenes of treachery, murder, and parri- 

 cide. The wealth and dominion of the Bowides, and 

 various other petty dynasties, yielded in their turn 

 to the victorious arms of the first sultans of Ghizni, 

 whose authority, for a short period, extended over a 

 great part of Persia. But the chief glory of these 

 monarchs arose from their holy wars against the infi- 

 dels of India. Subuktagi, originally a Turkish slave, 

 took Cabul, and overran the fine province of the 

 Punjaub. Mahmoud inherited the ruling passions 

 of his father, devotion to religion, and love of mili- 

 tary glory. Sensible of the importance of such an 

 ally, the caliph encouraged him to obtain a never- 

 dying name in this world, and eternal happiness in 

 the next, by spreading the religion of the Prophet ; 

 and, in imitation of other popes, conferred on him 

 the titles of The Right Hand and Protector of the 

 Faith. The other vowed in return, that his sword 

 through life should be consecrated to the service of 

 Islam; and it would be difficult to compute the 

 millions whom he forced, by that powerful instru- 

 ment of conversion, to embrace its tenets. His eld- 

 est son, Musaood, was dignified by the caliph with 

 the title of The Light of Posterity and The Beau- 

 ty of Nations. On the second was conferred the 

 appellation of The Aim of Fortune and The Co- 

 lumn of the State. The last services of Mahmoud, 

 after subduing a considerable part of India in twelve 

 expeditions, were against the Turks, who had in- 

 vaded his Persian dominions and obtained several 

 advantages over his generals. He expired at his Pa- 

 lace of Felicity after a reign of thirty-five years ; be- 



