Chap II. 
of Marco Polo. 
Years in that Country, in the Quality of Phyfician to its rity, as well as his own Information, he tranfcribed, and 
Emperors, and had thereby an Opportunity of having free from which in a great Meafure we have taken the Fads that 
Recourfe to thofe Records, which for the Benefit of Pofte- are contained in the following Seition. 
SECTION XXII. 
A fuccinB Hijlory of the Empire of the Great Mogul, from its Foundation hy the Great 
Tartar Conqueror Timur-Bec, or Tamerlane, to the prefent Times . 
Taken chiefly from the Oriental Writers. 
2, The Rift or y of Timur-Bec, or Tamerlane, from his Jirjl Appearance in the Worlds to his being ^ declar'd 
Khan of the Tartars. 2. His Conquefls in the Indies, and fubfequent Victories , to the Time of hts Death . 
3. The Rif or y of Miracha the Son of Tamerlane, and his Succejfor in Kart of his Dominions. 4. The 
Reign op' Abouchaid the Grandfon of Tamerlane. 5. The Rif or y of Sheik-Omar, the Seat of who fe Em- 
pire was at Samercand. 6. The Life and Reign op' Babar, the firft of thefe Monarchs who affum’ d the 
Title of G/w/zE Mogul. 7. An Account of the great Revolution which happen'd under Homayum, hts Refla- 
tion to the Empire cj'the Indies, and his Death. 8. The Reign o/'Akebar, and the Ac ce [Jims made by him to 
the Dominion of the Moguls. 9. The Reign of lehan-Guire, and of the Troubles that happen’d therein \ 
10. The Hijlory of Shah-Jehan, and of the Princes his Sons , to the Time of his Deceafe. 1 x* A fuccinB 
Account of the Reign of Aurengzebe, and of the feveral Accejftons made by him to the Indian Empire . 
x 2. Of the Difputes that happen’d after his Deceafe among the Princes his Sons. 13. Of the Reign of 
Badour-Siiah, and of the War carried on by him againf his Brethren. 14. Of the Troubles that have 
happen’d fince in that Empire. 15. The Hijlory continued to the Expedition of the Shah-Nadir, or KoulL 
Kan, with an authentick Account of its mof remarkable Particulars . 
1, M HE Empire of the Tartars fubfifted for near 
j| two hundred Years, under the Adminiftration 
JL of the dired Defendants of its illuftrious 
Founder Zingis-Khan , when a new Conqueror was born 
of the fame Race ; for Timur-Bec , or, as he is ufually call- 
ed by us Tamerlane , was defended in a dired Line from Ca- 
bal, who was the Great-Grandfather of Zingis. His Fa- 
mily, tho 5 not powerful, was very illuftrious, fince, tho’ 
he was the Vaffal or Subjed of Adill-Khan , yet he was 
by Birth, Prince or Chieftan of the Tribe of Burlafs. The 
vifible Declenfion of the Power of Adill-Khan , gave him 
feme Hopes of fhaking off his Dominion. The Weak- 
nefs of four Princes had fo loofe ned the Foundation of 
their Throne, that this Adill-Khan had little more left him 
than the Shadow of fupreme Authority. Whole Tribes of the 
Mongals or Moguls, withdrew themfelves entirely from his 
Obedience, and fet up particular Princes of their own ; 
the reft, who ftill acknowledged his Sovereignty, pre- 
tended to aftign the Meafure of their Submiffion, and to fix 
the Bounds of that Duty they were content to pay. As 
for Tamerlane, his Defign was to throw off the Yoke en- 
tirely, but wanting fufficient Strength for fo bold an Un- 
dertaking, he confederated with Hujfein, who had ex- 
adly the fame way of thinking *, and when they had join- 
ed their Forces together, they declared War againft Adill- 
Khan, attack’d and defeated his Army, and having taken 
him Prifoner, tied him Hand and Foot, and threw him 
into a Torrent, where he was drowned. Tamerlane, to 
give the belt Colour poftible to fo foul a Fail, raifed Ca- 
bl'd, who was a dired Defcendant from the famous Zagatai- 
Khan, to the Throne, from whom in two Defcents it 
came to the Poffeffion of Mohammed his Grandfon. But 
he who was now powerful enough to bellow Crowns, had 
fo much of Ambition, as to deferve the Power that at- 
tended them in his own Hands, tho’ for certain Purpofes 
he fuffered the Title to remain elfewhere. Under the 
Name of Mohammed-Khan, he made War on the reft of 
the Princes of the Family of Zingis , and by his repeated 
Viitories became fo famous, that he was quickly confidered 
as the firft, or principal Khan of the Tartars. This provoked 
the Jealoufy of Hujfein , who had been his firft Companion in 
Arms, fo that of a Friend and Ally, he firft became a fecret 
Rival, arid very foon an open Enemy. Their Armies met in 
the Plains of Balk, where a bloody Battle enfued, in which 
Hujfein was defeated and killed, and Tamerlane then faw 
himfelf at the Head of the whole Power of the Tar - 
tars % without a Competitor, and therefore haying fum- 
N ; tr M B, 43, 
moned all the Princes of the Blood of Zagatai to Samar 
cand, there, by a fort of Eledion, affumld the Title of 
Khan, which hitherto he had not done, put on the Impe- 
rial Crown of Gold, and the Girdle, which was alfo an 
Enfign of that Dignity, received the Homage of all who 
were prefent, and very rich Prefents upon that Occafion. 
It is from this Eledion and Coronation, that the Reign of 
this great Prince is ufually dated, becaufe tho’ he had the 
Power long before, ? y et his Title was never till now ac- 
knowledged, or himfelf known to the World, as fupreme 
Khan of the Tartars, which Title he ever after bore. 
2. This great Event fell out in the Year of the Hegira 
781, in the Year of our Lord 1379, and in the thirty- 
fourth Year of the Age of Timur. He was no fooner 
feated on the Throne of Zingis-Khan , than he began to 
form a Defign of uniting under his Dominion, all the 
Countries that had formerly paid Obedience to that Con- 
queror, with v/hich View he inftantly attack’d the Princes 
of Chorajfan , Sigejlan, and Kandahar, whom he reduced 
in a fihort Space of Time, and thereby opened a fair Road 
into the Indies. It was in the Year of the Hegira 800, 
and A. D. 1409, that he undertook the Conqueft of that 
extenfive Empire, at the Entrance of which, he found 
Abundance of little Clans of Thieves, that by the Help of 
the ftrong Holds which they had erected, maintained a 
kind of tyrannical Power over the adjacent Country. 
Thefe he, firft of all rooted out, and at the fame Time de~ 
ftroyed without Mercy a Multitude of Guebres, or Wor- 
fhippers of Fire, that had fettled themfelves on the Con- 
fines of Indojlan, when driven out of their native Country 
of Perfa. He next befieged the famous Fortrefs of Ul~ 
dugin , which had hitherto been confidered as impregna- 
ble ; but as this was not a Tafk that required fo great an 
Army as that under his Command, he employed a Part 
of it in reducing the adjacent Country, then under the 
Dominion of Sultan Mohammed , who finding himfelf in 
fuch imminent Danger, invited all the neighbouring Princes 
to join him, in order to defend themfelves againft a com- 
mon Enemy, who made no Scruple of declaring that he 
meant to difpoffefs them of all their Dominions, in order 
to annex them to his own. This Application had the de- 
fired Effeit j Rajah Rana, and the reft of thofe little Princes 
took care to aflfemble their Forces, and at the Time 
appointed, joined Sultan Mohammed- , who immediately 
march’d to give the Invader Battle. The Forces of the 
Indian Princes furpaffed in Number by very far the Army 
of the Tartars, but the Conduit of Timur , who had 
7 X fpenc . 
