T I M 



and Greek fiie. This fonnidable hofl tlircw tlie Syrians 

 iuto diforder, and they fled with precipitation into the city, 

 whither the enemy accompanied them. Timour foon be- 

 came mafter of tliis opulent capital. Wiiile the llrects were 

 ftreaming with blood and refounding witli cries, the con- 

 queror held a theological conference witli the dodtors of the 

 law; protcfting, towards the clofe of his harangue, that he 

 was not a man of blood, that he wis not the aggrefTor in any 

 of his wars, and that his enemies brought upon themfelves 

 the calamities they fuffered : at the fame time his foldiers 

 were piling up a certain tale of heads of the enemy, in con- 

 formity to his orders, which, according to his cuftom, were 

 afterwards piled up in columns and pyramids. From Aleppo, 

 Timour proceeded to Balbeck, wiiich he took, and then 

 . advanced towards Damafcus. The fultan of Egypt-had 

 1 made great preparations for the defence of the city, and alfo 

 ' for the affafiination of the invader ; but the plot of ufing 

 poifoned daggers was difcovered. The fultan pretended 

 fubmiffion, and thus intended to put Timour off his guard ; 

 in the accomplifhment of this artifice, the camp of Timour 

 i was fuddenly attacked by the Syrian army, and thrown 

 ! into diforder ; but as foon as order was reftored, the Syrians 

 were repulfed, and driven to the gates of Damafeus with 

 great flaughter. The fultan in the mean while had returned 

 1 to Egypt, and the city was left to make the bell pofTible 

 • terms witli the conqueror. During a truce, the foldiers 

 ' broke into the city, mafTacred a great part of the inhabitants, 

 ' and made captives of the reft, carried off a great quantity of 

 ' rich plunder, and the city was reduced to adies. Bagdad 

 , was the next place of importance to which Tinrour direfted 

 . his views. Here Timour attended in perfon, and ordered a 

 blockade ; after 40 days' defence on the part of the in- 

 ' habitants, a ftorm was commanded ; and the death of fome 

 of the affailants was revenged by a malTacre which produced 

 I a pyramid of 90,000 heads. The city was completely 

 razed, with the exception of mofques, hofpitals, and colleges. 

 1 Timour's next objeft was the Ottoman empire. Having 

 ; confulted the court-aftrologers, and obtained a favourable 

 ' anfwer, he put himfelf at the head of an almoft innumerable 

 force, and moved from the Araxes through Armenia and 

 Anatolia, determining to carry the war to the heart of his 

 I rival's dominions. By his rapid advances, he inverted 

 I Angora before Bajazet was apprized of his movement. 

 ! Upon receiving this intelligence, the Ottoman haftened to its 

 relief with a very large army. An engagement enfued, and 

 the conteft, which was very fanguinary, was at length 

 < decided by the defeat and capture of the Turkifh emperor. 

 ' This battle was fought in July 1402. Bourfa, Nice, and 

 ' Smyrna were fucceflively captured with the fame circum- 

 (lances of cruelty that marked the progrefs of Timour's 

 aiTus. 



Timour's conquefts were extended from the Irtifch and 

 Volga to the Perlian gulf, and from the Ganges to the Ar- 

 chipelago ; and beyond thefe limits his name was a found of 

 • terror. Several princes purchafed his favour by tribute, or 

 j by extraordinary tokens of refpeft. His want of fhipping 

 i prevented his entrance into Europe. From his various expe- 

 ] ditions, Timour did not return to Samarcand until the fum- 

 ■ner of 1404. In that capital, he difplayed his magnificence 

 \ >nd power in difpenfing rewards and puniihments, attending 

 ■.0 the complaints of his people, eredling palaces and tern- 

 ales, and giving audience to ambafTadors from Egypt, 

 ; A.rabia, India, Tartary, RulTia, and Spain. Although he 

 i lad profelTed fatisfaftion with the extent of his empire, yet 

 le indulged a projeA of ambition of very great magnitude, 

 , vhich was that of the conqueft of China. His preparations 

 ; or this grand expedition were proportioned to its magni- 



T I N 



tude ; 200,000 veteran foldiers were mullcred, and they 

 were furniflied with means for conveying ncccdarics over 

 the defarts which feparate Samarcand from Pckin. The 

 aged emperor mounted his horfe in the winter feafon, croffed 

 the Sihon on the ice, and advanced to the diftance of 300 

 miles from his capital ; but at the camp of Otrar he was 

 feized with a fever, which fatigue, and the imprudent ufe of 

 iced water, foon rendered mortal. He was not unapprizcd 

 of his danger ; and having fummoned round him his em- 

 prefles and principal emirs, he declared his grandfon Me- 

 hemet Jehan Ghir his univerfal heir and fuccelfor, and ex- 

 aiilcd an oath of obedience to him. He thus expired April 

 ift, 1405, in the 70th year of his age, and the 35th from 

 his elevation to the throne of Zagatai. He left 53 de- 

 fcendants, and his pofterity are to this day inverted with 

 the title of the Mogul emperors, although the power and 

 dominions have parted into other hands. 



His perfon and charadler are defcribed by one of his bio- 

 graphers in the following terms: " Timour was tall and cor- 

 pulent, with a wide forehead and large head, a pleafing 

 countenance, and fair complexion. He had broad fhoulders 

 and ftrong limbs, but was maimed in one hand and lajne of 

 the right fide. His eyes were full of fire ; his voice was 

 loud and commanding ; his conrtitution hardy and vigorous; 

 his .underftanding found ; and his mind firm and itedfaft. 

 In converfation he was grave and modcft, and he prided 

 himfelf in an attachment to truth. He delighted in reading 

 hirtory, and in dilcurting topics of fcience with the learned. 

 His religion was fierce and fanatical, and he aftually had, 

 or affefted to have, the fuperftitious reverence for omens, 

 prophscies, faints, and allrologers, which is general in the 

 Eaft. He condufted his government alone, without fa- 

 vourites or minifters, and its fpirit was abfolute and uncon- 

 trouled rule. It was his boart to have introduced fecuritv and 

 order throughout liis wide dominions, and he challenged the 

 prail'e of a benefattor to mankind ; but no conquelis have 

 been attended with greater dertruition of human lives, and 

 greater defolation of flourilhiug cities and diftridls, than his 

 were ; and his ambition prompted him to extend his authority 

 beyond the pollible limits of a fingle government. He was 

 not, howevei-, a mere barbarian conqueror ; but, if his in- 

 ftitutions can be relied on as genuine, had enlarged ideas of 

 the adminiflration of a great empire." The " Inilitutions 

 of Timour" have been made known in Europe by two 

 tranllations from a Perfian vcrfion : one in Englilh by major 

 Davy and profertbr White, Oxford, 1783; and the other 

 in French, by M. Langles, Paris, 1 787. Mod. Univer. 

 Hift. Gibbon's Rom. Emp. Gen. Biog. 



TIMOURKENG, or Fortnfs of Iron, in Geograpiy, 

 a town of Thibet ; 60 miles W.N.AV. of Eatac. 



TIMPALU, a town on the W. coaft of the ifland of 

 Celebes. N. lat. 0° 16'. E. long. 1 19^ 44'. 



TIMPANO, Ital., a kettle-drum. See Tympanum 

 and Tymba-LLES. 



TIMPFE, or Tympfe, in Coinage, an old filver coin 

 of Poland. The tympfe, or tympfen, was reckoned at 

 eighteen grofchen, and the florins were valued at thirty 

 grofchen. 



TIMURCOUGH, in Geography, a town of Thibet ; 

 54 miles W.N.W. of Lahdach. N. lat. 35° 12'. E. long. 



If 12'. . 



TIMU8, in Ancient Geography, a town of Afia Minor, 

 dertroyed by an earthquake. 



TIMYR'A, a town of Afia, in Ifauria. 



TIN, Stanmim, Jupiter, a whitidi metal, fofter, lefs elaf- 

 tic, and lefs foncrous, than anv other metal, excepting lead. 

 In the Chaldee language, J' [2 5 '"') fignifiesy//mf,»W, or dirt ; 



and 



