6 5 6 The HIS T O RT of the 
It was natural to expefb, that Mohammed Shah fhould 
fome way or other be acquainted with the Motives that had 
induced this Invafion of his Dominions, and accordingly 
Nadir Shah wrote him a Letter* dated in the middle of 
Augujly in which he tells him* that he came out of pure 
Friendfhip, having heard that a. Handful of barbarous Peo- 
ple had prefumed to harrafs feveral of the Provinces of his 
Empire, and to lay his Subjects under Contribution, which 
Were things unworthy of fo great a Monarch to bear, and 
from which he was come with an Army to refcue and re- 
lieve him. The Emperor, however, took up Arms, and 
feemed determined to meet him in the Field ; but the De- 
putes and Heart-burnings among his Minifters continued. 
As for Khandoran , he was fincerely in his Intereft, though 
miftaken in his Politicks ; and now he law that the Empire 
was to be faved by fighting, he did his utmoft towards car- 
rying on the War ; but the Misfortune was, that the Em- 
peror confided moft in Mizam al Muluck, as indeed he was 
the beft Officer in his Service 5, but it cannot be fuppofed, 
that he, who had been the Author of the War, and had 
drawn Nadir Shah into his Matter’s Dominions, fhould be 
forward to oppofe him •, yet he marched with the reft, and 
on the fourteenth of February an Engagement enfued, 
wherein the Mogul’s Army was defeated, and Khandoran 
mortally wounded. This Ablion, however, was far from 
being decifive, though the Mogul loft feveral of his beft 
Officers, and a great many Men. On the Side of Nadir 
Shah , feven principal Officers, and two thoufand five hun- 
dred Men were killed, and about five thoufand wounded. 
The Mogul’s Troops, on their Return into their Camp, 
fell into great Confufion, and plundered the Tents of fuch 
Officers as were either killed, or taken Prifoners, which 
obliged the Emperor to go in Perfon to that Part of the 
Camp where the Forces, under the Command of Nizam 
al Muluck were potted, in order to put things into a better 
Condition, by reducing the Soldiers to their Duty. It was 
with the feme View, that the Emperor, with that Officer 
the Vizir, and other Omrahs, went without the Mourchas 
or Retrenchments, and drew up their Men in a Line of 
Battle, with a Defign to put a flop to the Enemy’s advanc- 
ing any farther ; but had not the Night come on, thefe Pre- 
cautions would have flood them in little ftead, and that 
Day would have put an End to the whole Affair. About 
an Hour after Sun-fet the Emperor returned back to his 
Tent; feveral of thofe who efcaped out of the Field, as alfo 
thofe who attended the Baggage and Carriages, fled towards 
TOehli , a great many of whom were plundered and killed 
by the way. The Camp in fome Places was very thin of 
Men, infomuch, that when at Midnight the Emperor fent 
for Nizam al Muluck , the Space from his Mourcha to the 
Emperor’s Tent, which is about three Quarters of a Cofs, 
was found intirely empty. Nizam al Muluck , Sirbullind- 
Khan, Kummir 6 din Khan , and all the other Omrahs that 
were left, ftaid with the Emperor in deep Confultation until 
near the Morning, when each returned to his own 
Quarters. 
On the 1 6th, finding the Camp thin, and being appre- 
henfive of the Kuzzlebajb ’ s attacking them, they contrafted 
the Circuit thereof, and their Mourchas into the Compafs 
requifite to contain the Number of Troops they had left, 
which was the Space between the Emperor’s Tent and 
Nizam ’ s Mourcha, and there they flood under Arms the 
whole Day, every Minute expelling the Enemy’s Approach. 
Towards the Evening a fmall Tent was pitched for the Em- 
peror, and all the Troops were difpofed of to their refpec- 
tive Polls, where they continued under Arms the whole 
Night, and their Horfes faddled, without either Hay or 
Corn. The next Day was paft in great Fear and Appre- 
lienfion, for the Emperor faw plainly his Soldiers were very 
much difpirited, and his Minifters and Generals in a man- 
ner at their Wits End, fo that they were as little fit to ad- 
Book 1. 
Vife him, as he was to aft without their Advice. On the 
1 7th of February , Nifum al Muluck , with Aiim Allah 
Khan, and feveral Horfemen, went out and pitched a fmall 
Tent betwixt the two Camps, to which Nadir Shah’s Ait - 
maucd al Dozvlct , or "Vizir Kajfum. Keg-Khan came, and 
from thence conduded him to his Matter, who embraced 
him fitting, and made him ftand honourably ciofe by him- 
felr 5. he ga've him a Cup of Sherbet, and made him eat at 
the Vizir’s i Joule ; after which it was agreed, that Moham- 
med Shah fhould come and flay with Nadir Shah. This 
Conference lafted about fix Hours, and was immediately . 
followed by^two very remarkable Events ; the firil was a 
kind of Ceftation of Arms, which was fo much the more- 
neceffary, that the Emperor might be under no Apprehcn- 
fions, and that he might be the better able to bring his 
Troops into good Order, who hitherto had been in a great 
deal of Confufion ; the next was, that Nizam al Mducb 
was declared High Treafurer, and Emir al Omrah y that is, 
prime Minifter, fo that with refpect to him, the End of 
the War was intirely accomplifhed. Ail the Minifters who 
oppofed him Were driven from Court, and he was- not only 
veiled with the Title, but was in Fad at the Head of the 
Emperor’s Counfels, and had the whole Power of the Em- 
pire in his Hands H . 
It is from this Time therefore, that we are to date hb 
real Concern for the Peace of his Country, which having 
firft accomplifhed, his own Views he now laboured to pro- 
mote. About this Time Khandoran , his old Ant-agon ill,, 
died of the Wounds he had received in the Battle, and was 
buried with more Privacy than feemed confiftent with the 
great Offices he had held, and the high Favour in which 
he had flood with his Matter. It is not eafy to conceive by 
what Arguments Mohammed Shah was prevailed upon to 
quit his own Camp, and truft himfelf in that of his Enemy ; 
but it feems he was now intirely guided by his new Minifter, 
who very probably told him, that in his prefent Circum- 
ftances he hazarded little by taking that ftep, fince it was, 
in the Power of the Ferfian Monarch to force him to ac- 
cept what Terms he pleafed, and that therefore it was better 
to do with good Grace a thing he might otherwife be com- 
pelled to do, whether he would or not. But, however it 
was, this is certain, that on the 19th of February , in the 
Morning, the Emperor fitting in a Royal Litter, with a 
Canopy over it, followed by a lead Horfe, and a Drum, 
and attended only by a few of his faithful Servants, and an 
Efco-rt of about two hundred Horfe, marched out of the 
Camp, and when he had gone a good way by a Sign, he 
forbad the Horfemen to accompany him any farther ; then 
with his Eunuchs, and the abovefaid Omrahs, each of 
whom had not above two or three Servants to attend him* 
he went on to- Nadir Shah’s Camp. 
When he had advanced about half way, one of Nadir 
Shah’s Minifters came to meet him, and paid him the ufual 
Honours: He likewife allured him, that his Matter waited 
for him with much Impatience, that due Care would be 
taken to make this Interview as eafy and as agreeable to 
him as poffible, and that he had no Reafon to apprehend 
any Danger, or the leafl Failure in point of Decorum or 
Complaifance. All this was certainly requifite to keep up 
the Spirits of a Monarch in fuch a Situation, and under fo 
many Difficulties. He continued his March therefore, and 
as he drew near Nadir Shah’s Tent, he received another 
and more welcome Meflage ; for there Nefr Allah Mirza 9 
Nadir Shah’s Son, who came in a Royal Litter, having 
alighted, paid his Refpedls, according to the Form of his 
Country. The Emperor ordering his own Litter to be fet 
down, embraced Nefr Allah Mirza ; after which they both 
marched on until they came as far as the Train of Ordnance: 
Here all the Attendants were obliged to flay behind, only 
the Emperor with two or three Eunuchs, and the Omrahs 
abovementioned, were allowed to pafs. When they came 
<5 We are indebted for this very exact and no lefs carious Account of this extraordinary Tranfa&ion, to Mr. James Frazer, whom I have before- 
mentioned, and I have inferted it here, in order to render this Hiftory of the Mogul Empire as compleat as poffible. The Reader wiii perceive, tiu: at 
this Junaure there was a kind of Sufpenfion of the Emperor’s Power, and all was at the Mercy of a Stranger. It may feem ftrange, that Nadir ^ hah 
fhould let flip this Opportunity of making himfelf Maker of Indojlati j but when it is confidered, that the Power of the Ferfian was chiefly owing to 
the Weaknefs and ill Condua of Mohammed Shah, it will appear great Wifdom and confummate Policy in the Conqueror, to aft as he did: For, if he 
had cut off the Mogul Emperor, his Subjeas might have become delperate, and Nadir Shah's Army was fo foiall, and fo far advanced Into- this voun- 
try, that he might have been ruined in his Retreat, if he had not aded as he did. 
to 
