193 



to Nicephorus, emperor of Constantinople, which Gibbon styles 

 of such tremendous brevity. 



" In the name of the most merciful God! Haroun-al-Rashid, 

 commander of *he faithful, to Nicephorus the Roman dog: 



" I have read thy letter, O thou son of an unbelieving mother. 

 Thou shalt not hear, thou shalt behold my reply." 



A reply, which was indeed written in characters of blood and 

 fire, on the plains of Phrygia! — Similar was the language of Hydei 

 to his enemies ; equally laconic and sanguinary his epistles to the 

 government of Madras; followed up b} r his conquering cavalry, 

 carrying death and destruction to the very gates of Fort St. 

 George! 



I will dwell no longer on these melancholy scenes. — Sir James 

 Sibbald, who resided eleven years in Hyder's dominions, and was 

 for some time in a public character at his durbar in Serino-anatam. 

 as well as in habits of intimacy with Tippoo Sullaun, during the 

 life of his father, has often entertained me with a description of 

 the splendid pageantry and ostentatious ceremonies in the newly 

 established durbar, where he carried his authority with a hio-h 

 hand; sometimes profuse in his entertainments and princely in his 

 presents, at others equally mean and sordid. These Mahomedan 

 sovereigns seemed anxious to revive the magnificence of former 

 times, in the palace at Seringapatam ; but they had neither taste, 

 judgment, nor wealth, to follow the example of the Mogul and 

 Patan courts in India, still less to vie with the splendor of the 

 Abassides, or the Moorish sovereigns in Europe, the former of 

 whom they seemed desirous to imitate; especially Tippoo, who 

 wished to add the character of sanctity to his other princely vir- 



VOL. IV. 2 c 



