530 TKANSLATION'S OF TWO LETTERS 



any inquiry regarding the character and actions of this 

 extraordinary man ; but you will, lam assured, forgive 

 me, if I offer some observations or) the manner in 

 which the history of Nadir Shah and of several other 

 Asialic princes of eminence have been given by 

 Ruroj^ean writers. 



' Ix describing eastern despots^ there has often ap- 

 peared to me a stronger desire to satisfy the public of 

 the author's attacliment to freedom and his abhorrence 

 to tyranny, and despotic power, under every shape, 

 rhan to give a clear and just view of those characters 

 whose history was the imniediate object of his labours. 

 This usage may no doubt, in some points of view, 

 appear laudable. It may have a tendency to impress 

 rhose who peruse tlie work with a still greater love of 

 the first of all human blessings, rational liberty. 

 But others, who look to a volume of Asiatic 

 history with no other desire but that of obtaining 

 historical truth, and a correct knowledg-e of the so- 



O 



Gial and political state of the nation that is described, 

 will l)e disposed to regret that there was any prejudice 

 on the mind of an autlior or translator, that gave him a 

 bias unfavourable to the gratification of their hopes. 

 They will wish, that he had looked upon the political 

 world with more toleration ; and though they may not 

 censure his warm admiration of the government of his 

 own country, they will lament the existence of a feeling 

 ivhicli was adverse to an impartial consideration of events 

 illustrative of tlie general history of the human mind, 

 and which has led him to stamp with general and un- 

 qualified reprobation rulers, who, however low their pre- 

 tentions may be rated, if tried by the standard of 

 countries towards whom that over which they reigned 

 had no one point of affinity, must have stood high in 

 the scale, if measured by that more applicable principle, 



