^he Govefnmenty LawSy and Couflitution 
Book Ilf. 
Tio better than a popular Krror In both. It has been 
already obferv’d, that a great Part of the modern Con- 
fticution of Perfm is derived from the ancient Form of 
Government that prevailed under their old Emperors, 
that is, the Series of Princes, who governed that which 
is fo well known to the learned World, by the Tide of 
the fecond general Empire, allowing the JJfyrmn to be 
the firft. It is therefore well worthy our Notice, that 
Conftitutions judicioufly fettled, are of fo permanent a 
Nature, and have fuch an interior Strength and Solidity, 
as not only to refift the Power of Time, but even of 
repeated Invafions, to which it is certain, that no 
Country in the World has been more fubjed than this 
of which we are fpeaking. We may from hence dif- 
cern, that though Nations wafte away, and are loft, as 
v/ell as all the Monuments of their Power and Great- 
nefs, yet the Effecls of their Wifdom remain, and the 
Conquerors themfelves are content to receive and fubmit, 
for their own Sakes, and from a Convidion of their 
Excellence, to the Laws of the Conquer’d, 
We know that this has been heretofore obferved of 
the Egyptians, we know that in much later Times it has 
been confefttd in Reference to the Chinefe, but I do not 
remember to have feen this Remark made before as to 
the Perfians. Yet I arrogate nothing to myfelf upon 
this Head, for v/hoever reads Dr Hyde^s, learned Book, 
and compares it with the modern Accounts of Penjia, 
muft difcover it at hrft Sight. At this Day the whole 
Plan of the Perfian Conftitution, except the Ecclefiafti- 
cai Part of it, vt'hich is changed by the Introdudion of 
Mahometanifniy is very near the fame that it was three 
thoufand Year ago ; and yet the Perfees, who are the 
Remains of the ancient People of Perjia, to whom that 
Conftitution belonged, are now reduced to fo inconfide- 
rable a Remnant, that it is doubted whether there may 
be ten thoufand Souls left in Perfia of this Race. Thofe 
that are left indeed preferve their primitive Cuftoms, and 
are authentick Witneffes of the T ruths reported of them 
by the moft learned Writers. It is indeed true, that 
there is another fmall Colony of thefe People in the 
Indies, and it may not be amifs to put the Reader in 
Mind of a Conjedure, mentioned in. Commodere Rog- 
ge%vin\ Voyage, that fome Iftands, difcovered by him 
m xhQ South-Seas, are adually peopled by the Relids 
of thefe ancient Perftans. 
I had myfelf an Opportunity of converfing for feve- 
ral Years with a very fenfible Phyfician, who went that 
Voyage, to whom I was indebted for many of the Par- 
ticulars publifhed therein, and who is dead fince they 
were publifhed. Of this Gentleman I very carefully en- 
quired what the Reafons were which induced him and 
his Companions to advance that Notion, which at firft 
Sight is none of the moft probable. He told me the 
Caules were chiefly three, Firft, that their Complexions, 
in the Sentiments of thofe who had leen fome of the 
Guhers In Pcrfia, very much refembled them, and were 
very unlike either the Inhabitants of Africk, or of In- 
dia j for whereas the former are of a black, and the 
latter of a reddifti or Iron Colour ; thefe were of a 
light Olive, and yet their Afpeds differed abfolutely 
from the Chinefe and lartars. The fecond Caufe he 
affigned, was their worfhipping the Sun and Fire, turn- 
ing^towards the Eaft when they prayed, and ufing a 
low or whifpering Voice, all of which are fuitable 
enough to the Cubevs, or Cany'S as the Punks call them. 
The °third was the Innocency of their Manners, the 
quiet and peaceable Life they lead, the^ Pains they 
took in cultivating their Lands, and their great In- 
duftry in feveral ingenious Manufadures. I fhall not 
take upon me to determine what Credit is due to thefe 
Conjedures, but fiiall content myfelf with obferving, 
that they are worth remembring ; and confidering per- 
haps, our Pofterity may have an Opportunity by con- 
verfing with thefe People, to enter into them more 
minutely. 
One thing more I recoiled that paffed upon this Sub- 
jed, and it was this, that ingenious Gentleman obferv- 
ed to me, that though we had various Travels through 
and Accounts of Perfia, yet we had no general or cor- 
red Hiftory of it, by which a curious Perfon might fee 
in a little Time, what Changes had happened therein, 
from the earlieft Ages down to the prefen c, which he 
thought might be of very great Ufe, even though ic 
were digefted into a very narrow Compafs. Upon ma- 
ture Deliberation, I fa w the Truth and Expediency of 
this in the ftrongeft Light, and that nothing di fabled us 
fo much in this Part of the World, from forming a 
right Judgment of Affairs in thofe Parts, as the not 
Laving diftind and corred Views of the Succeffions of 
their Princes. 
The famous Prefident Briffon, fo barbaroufly mur- 
dered by the Leaguers, in the Reign of Henry HI. of 
France, was long ago fatisfied of this ; and to remedy 
an Evil, the Confequences of which he judged of very 
truly,' he compofed a large Hiftory of Perfia, which he 
publiflied in Latin, and digefted therein an Account of 
the Affairs of that Nation from the earlieft Ages to 
his own. This without doubt was a very curious and a 
very ufeful Work, with refped to Men who ocupy the 
higher Forms in Learning, but to the Bulk of the 
People, I mean of that Sort of People, who believe 
themfelves to make a Part of that learned World, it was 
in Reality of no Service at all. In the firft Place, the 
Book itfelf is very large, written in a learned Language, 
and in a harfh and perplexed Stile even in that Lan- 
guage 5 for it is obfervable of him and of de Phou his 
Cotemporary and Countryman, that they brought the 
Stile of the Bar into the Narration of Hiftory, and gene- 
rally ftated Cafes, or as the French Lawyers term it, 
wrote Fadhims, inftead of giving us a natural and eafy 
Detail of Fads. Befides, Prefident Briffon*s Book was 
chiefly grounded on the Greek and Latin Hiftorians ; 
what he derived from the Perfian Writers, he had thro* 
the Canal of fome German Pedants, which inftead of the 
beft, rendred it the worft Part of his Book, in which 
there are large Chafms ; fo that notwithftanding what the 
Title promifes, It is nothing lefs than a compleat Hif- 
tory •, though I believe at the Time it was wrote, it 
would have been impoftible for any to have given us a 
better •, and it is plain, that before him, none had 
thought it worth his Time and Pains to give us one 
fo good. 
After making thefe Refledions, I became more fenfi- 
ble of the extreme Difficulty of reprefenting the Scheme 
of the Perfian Hiftory within fo narrow Bounds as I 
am tied to in this Work *, and yet I was fenfible, that 
without this, all I had done was imperfed, and that the 
Reader muft neceffarily have Recourfe to other Books 
in order to underftand mine ; which Inconveniency per- 
haps I had fubmitted to, if I could have told him where 
to have fought for better Information ; but chat being 
alfo out of my Power, I found myfelf under an abfbluce 
Neceffity of trying what might be done for his Relief ; 
this produced what follows, fo chat all I have faid is 
not calculated to inhance the Value ; but to excufe the 
Imperfedion of the enfuing Sedion, which being the 
firft Attempt of its kind, may be allowed fome Degree 
of Merit, though it falls, as I am very fenfible, ex- 
tremely llioft of Perfedion. 
SECT. 
