012 A General and 
Came back melancholy •, from whence they prefumed 
he had put out his eldeft Son’s Eyes >, the rather, be- 
caufe he had brought the younger Prince along with 
him. The Governor of the young Prince, who was 
thus preferred from an unparallel’d Virtue and Integri- 
ty, was the only Man that oppofed this Refolution ; he 
laid it was injurious to the Conftitution, and to the Me- 
mory of the late Shah •, he undertook, on, the Peril of 
his Life, that the Fad was falfe, and as there is often 
an irrefiftible Force in Truth, he brought over all the 
reft to his Sentiments, and was deputed by them, who 
hitherto concealed the Death of Shah Abhas^ to go to 
Ifpahan and prefent their Duty to his Succeflor. The 
Mother of that young Prince was alarmed at his Arri- 
val, and at his demanding to fee her Son ; it was an 
Hour before he could be torn from her Embraces ; but 
her Sorrow was foon turned into Joy^ when fhe was. 
informed, that by the Death of his Father he was be- 
come the Sovereign of Per/ia. 
He became fo, as his Subjeds believed, in an ill 
Hour, for after he had reigned two Years with little 
Capacity and lefs Succefs, he wai folemnly crowned a 
fecond Time, in Hopes of removing the malignant 
Influence of the Stars at his firft Coronation ; and then 
it was that he changed his Name from Sefi to Solyman^ 
as we are informed by Six John Chardin^ who was an 
Eye Witnefs of this fecond Coronation. If it ferved 
for any Thing, it was to fiiew the Folly and Abfurdity 
of thefe Aftrological Precautions ; for notwithftanding 
all the Pains they took to fix upon a lucky Hour for 
this important Ceremony, his Adminiftration was not 
a Grain more fortunate than before. In fltort, under 
him the Perfian Empire began to decline, which funk 
and crumbled to Pieces under his Son. Shah Boly- 
man had Vices, which, no doubt, were prejudicial 
to him, but his Follies were more lo j he loved Wine 
and Women to Excefs, Faults in themfelves very great ; 
but another, which might feem more excufable was 
more fatal. He was indolent to the laft Degree ; he 
confided not only the Care of his Perlon, but of his 
State to his Eunuchs, and out of thefe half Men formed 
a Council for governing a great Empire. 
The Confequences that attended this fcandalous Ma- 
nagement, were fuch as might well be expefted from it, 
that is to fay, his Councils were ill taken and worfe 
executed, few able Men were raifed either to Pofts in 
the Government or in the Army, and as foon as thefe 
few were difcovered, they were conftantly removed. 
When weak and bad Men are at the Helm, Calms are 
more dreadful than Storms, for thefe naturally fright 
them from their Pofts, and call thofe to Power 
who know how to employ it. Shah Solyman reigned 
twenty eight Years, dying on the laft of July, 1694, at 
the Age of forty eight Years, leaving behind him the 
Charadfer of one of the weakeft, meaneft, and bloodieft 
Princes that ever difgraced the Perfian Diadem. 
His converfing fo much with Women and Eunuchs 
made him fufpicious •, his being often drunk, and al- 
ways half drunk, rendred him cruel, as the Want of 
Underftanding caufed him of NecefTity to be capricious. 
His Charadter was admirably drawn by one of his Cour- 
tiers ; I never leave the Sh.edcds Pre fence, fays he, with- 
out feeling my Neck, that I may be Jure my Head is Jtill 
upon my Shoulders. 
He left behind him two Sons, Mirza Abbas and Mirza 
Hujjein, The Council of Eunuchs were to be the Judges 
which was the fitteft ,to wear the Crown •, the late Shah 
made them fo by his Management *, but what is ftill 
ftranger, he made them fo by his Will. The Approach 
of Death commonly gives unufual Force of Mind •, it did 
fo to Shah Solyman -, but it was a left-handed Senfe, for 
after reigning like a Fool, he died a Knave. Tou have 
it in your Power, faid he to his Eunuchs, to live under 
what Government you like beji. when I am gone •, your 
Choice, if you would have a martial Prince, mu fl fall upon 
Abbas ; if you would rather have a pacifick Reign, you 
mujl raife Huflein to the fhrone. One need nor, even at 
this Diftance from Perfia, be at a Lofs about the Refo- 
lution formed in this wife Council j weak Men know 
well enough, that they can never hold their Places but 
Concife Hiflory Book III. 
under a weaker King ; and therefore the fagacious Dift 
pofers of a Crown moft unanirnoufly fixed upon the 
Prince that was unworthy of it. The Characler of 
Mirza Abbas was truly given by his Father he had all 
the great Qualities, and wanted none of the good ones 
necelTary to a Monarch 3 he was brave, but not fierce, 
and affable without Falfhood. As to the Character of 
Hujfein, it may be very truly defer i bed in a very few 
Words j there never lived a better Man, or a worfe 
Prince. 
He had been bred in the fevere Study of the Alchoran, 
and at the fame Time that he was very knowing in the 
Mahometan Religion, he was very fmcere in the Belief of it. 
He gave a ftrong Teftimony of the Uprightnefs of his 
Difpoficion in refufing to put out the Eyes of his Brother 
Mirza Abbas •, he was concent at firft to fay it was inhu- 
man, but finding himfelf continually excited thereto, by 
fuch as direded him in all other Things, he told them 
fairly, that when his Brother and he firft read the Law toge- 
ther, they had fworn upon that holy Book, never to 
put out the Eyes of each other, which ever came to the 
Throne •, and he would not incur the Guilt of Perjury. 
Indeed his Nature was fo tender, that firing a Pifiol 
among his Ducks, which by Accident had Shot in it, 
he cryed out when he faw them wounded, that he was 
defiled with Blood, and gave a large Sum, in Alms to 
the Poor, to wipe out the Stain. His Minifters faw 
his Indolence with Pleafure, and his Weaknefs with 
Delight •, but his Integrity and Reditude of Mind gave 
them infinite Concern. It was therefore for fome Time, 
their foie Bufinefs to ftudy how they might corrupt himj 
they thought at laft of a proper Method, and they 
made Choice of his Mother to carry it into Execution. 
That Princefs pretended to be at the Point of Death, 
and that the Phyficians had declared nothing could fave 
her Life but drinking Wine. The Shah, out of Piety, 
had forbid the making it in any Part of his Dominions, 
and out of Refped to the Law of Mahomet had never 
tafted it himfelf He caufed it to be got however to 
fave his Mother’s Life, and becaufe fhe would not drink 
unlefs he drank to her, he took off a large Giafs, which 
left fuch a Relifh on his Palate, as gave him an Incli- 
nation to it ever after. 
By Arts like thefe Shah Huffein was drawn to become 
the great Inftrument of his own Ruin, and that of his 
Subjeds. The Eunuchs, firft admitted mto Council by 
his Father, contrived under him to fiiut out all others. 
The Prime Minifter himfelf was excluded ; and thus 
Perfia, for the firft Time, was blefs’d : But why fiiould 
I not fpeak plain ? was curfed then, let me fay, with a 
Cabinet-Council. It is true, the ancient Form was 
kept up, the great Officers of State met, the Aflembly 
was as regular as numerous, and to the Populace ap- 
peared for fome Time as auguft as ever : But,, it was a 
mere empty Show, for only the White and Black Eunuchs 
had the Power, and which fure never happened in any 
Country but this, didated their Orders through the 
Mouth of their Sovereign. We cannot dwell upon 
this extraordinary Subjed 3 we cannot enter into the 
Detail of the Steps by which this Monarchy fell to 
Ruin 3 we leave thofe to the Imagination of the Reader, 
and efteem ourfelves happy, that by fo reafonable an 
Excufe, we can difeharge ourfelves of fo difagreeable a 
Task. 
Let it fuffice then to fay, once for all, that through 
this loofe and fcandalous Adminiftratiori the Conftitu- 
tion was diflTolved, and the whole Frame of Govern- 
ment fell to Pieces. The Ecclefiafticks were noted for 
irreligious Notions and Depravity of Manners 3 the Go- 
vernors of Provinces had as little Power as Will to 
proted, but were allowed to plunder, that others might 
fqueeze them 3. the Viziers fleeced the People for fome 
Years, and were then fleeced themfelves v the Soldiers 
were robbed of their Pay, which forced them to work 
for a Subfiftence 3 and as this furniffied them with Mo- 
ney, Part of it was given to their Officers to wink at 
their Negled of Difeipline 3 which was the more rea- 
dily complied with by Men trufted with Commands, 
tho’ they knew little or nothing of martial Difeipline 
themfelves. In fuch a State of Things one would think 
there 
