PER 
Some time after Sefi II. came to the crown, he was feized 
with a dangerous illnefs ; and the phyficians, not know¬ 
ing the nature of the complaint, threw the blame on the 
aftrologers, who they pretended had chofen an unfortu¬ 
nate moment for the king’s enthronement. The cere¬ 
mony was therefore repeated. A fire-worfhipper, de¬ 
fended from the ancient kings of Perfia, was fixed on, 
who was placed on a throne with his back againft a 
wooden figure which was an exaft refemblance of him ; 
and to this the great lords did homage as to a king. 
The ceremony lafied till the arrival of the favourable 
hour, when an officer of the court came behind and cut 
off the wooden image, while the mock monarch fled with 
precipitation. The (hah now appeared in the hall, where, 
being invefted with a fcymetar, in which confided the ce¬ 
remony of inauguration, he afcended the throne, and af- 
fumed the name of Solyman. From that time the (hall 
recovering his health, the phyficians grew in high repute, 
and the aftrologers were difgraced. 
An incident is recorded in this reign which muft not 
be omitted here, relating to-a daring affion of Ali Kouli 
Khan, a brave man, but of a turbulent and dangerous 
difpofition, on account of which he was often confined. 
He called himfelf the king’s lion, “becaule,” faid he, 
“ I am chained when ufelefs, and let loofe when I am 
wanted.” He was a prifoner in a fortrefs at the death of 
Abbas, but was treated with fo much lenity, that he was 
even permitted to go out on hunting-parties. Having re¬ 
ceived, during one of his excurfions of this nature, the 
intelligence of Solyman’s acceffion, as foon as he returned 
he fell upon the governor of the fortrefs and nearly 
killed him. At each ftroke he exclaimed, “This is to 
teach you yonr duty, and to know better than to fuffer 
a prifoner to go a-hunting whom the king has entrulted 
to your care.” He then let off for court, and related his 
conduct to the-king, who gave him a very gracious recep¬ 
tion. The fervices of this man were afterward of great 
utility in the wars againlt the Ufbeks and the Coflacks, 
which happened during the reign of Solyman. 
Solyman proved no lefs cruel than his predeceffors. 
The ails of this nature recorded of him, and which muft 
render him infamous to pofterity, are too numerous to be 
all recited here. While the famous Chardin was at Ifpa- 
han, A. D. 1673, Solyman, being angry withaperfon who 
did not play on the lute to pleal'e him, ordered the poor 
man’s hands to be cutoff; and, as foon as he had pro¬ 
nounced this fentence, he threw himfelf on a heap of 
cufhions to deep. His women and domeftics were often 
condemned by him to the moft inhuman tortures. His 
tents were feldom removed in any of his journeys, 
without expofing to view the mangled bodies of 
the victims of his cruelty; and at Ifpahan fcarcely a day 
pafl'ed, but fotne of his attendants in the palace loft 
either life or limb ; and thefe punifliments he inflifted 
for the (lighteft miftakes. In a fit of difpleafure againft 
a female Circadian of great beauty and high rank, who 
had been his principal favourite, he ordered her to be 
married to a poor man of the lowed order of the populace. 
They lived together, however, happily ; when the mo¬ 
narch, envying their enjoyment, fent for the hulband, 
and demanded what feaft or rejoicing he had made on his 
marriage. “ Sire,” replied the man, “ I am a very poor 
man, and was not able to make even an illumination,” 
“ What!” returned the favage fophi, “ that dog did not 
make an illumination ! make one of his carcafs.” A 
thoufand holes were pierced in his body, into which oil 
was poured, and wicks inferted ; and thefe being lighted, 
he was left to expire in excruciating tortures. 
This monfter died a natural death, after a reign of 
twenty-nine years, A. D. 1694. He was lucceeded by 
his fon Shah Huffeyn, the moft merciful and moft unfor¬ 
tunate prince of his race. He negledied the affairs of the 
ftate to fuch a degree, and fuffered himfelf to be governed 
j'o much by his eunuchs, that fome of his chief officers, 
after having reproached him with his inattention, refigned 
S I A. 691 
their employments in difguft. He was wholly occupied 
with his pleafures, and did not beftow a thought upon 
any thing elle. The number of his eunuchs exceeded, 
threefold, thofe of his predeceffors. Tiie ladies of his 
court rode on horfes or mules, with each an eunuch to 
hold the bridle, and the female attendants on affes; while 
it was one of the emperor’s higheft amufements to fcourge 
the beafts till they threw their riders. In a pilgrimage 
which he undertook, he was efcorted by more than fixty 
thoufand perfons of both fexes, and of all ages. The 
only inftance in which he fliowed any tafte for greatnefs, 
was in his paffion for magnificent buildings, and to this 
every thing elfe gave place : he built monafteries and hof- 
pitals, while his troops were perifliing with hunger, or 
dilperfed for want of pay. To what a degree he forgot 
his duty as a king, may be feen from the following in¬ 
ftance. On the approach of a rebel army, his minifters 
endeavoured 10 roufe him out of his lethargy, by repre¬ 
senting to him the magnitude of the danger. “ It is 
your bufinefs,” faid he, “ to look to that; you have ar¬ 
mies provided : for my part, if they but leave me my 
lioule at Farabad, l (hall be content.” 
For more than twenty years, which his reign lafted, he 
never once palled fentence of death, and confequently 
never put on the red habit, which was the colour worn 
by the kings of Perfia when they were to pronounce judg¬ 
ment for capital offences. 
There are few, if any, inftances of a diffolution fo en¬ 
tire as that of the kingdom of Perfia under the feeble and 
inadiive Huffeyn. It began at the capital. The fophi 
refided there, who was unconfcious of what was going 
on, til! an event of importance awakened him from the 
llupor into which he had fallen. The province of Can- 
dahar, fituated between the Mogul dominions and Per¬ 
fia, alternately became the pofleffion of each of thefe 
empires. Its inhabitants were a warlike people, inured 
to fatigue, and divided into tribes, each under the go¬ 
vernment of a chieftain. The principal was that of the 
Afghans, or Patans. This people had been long treated 
ill by the Perlians : they complained and fought for re- 
drefs. Inftead of attention being paid to their demands, 
every fpecies of violence was committed on them; and 
Mir-Weis, one of their leaders, was apprehended and 
fent to Ifpahan, as a fomenter of the difcontents. Mir- 
Weis law it neceffary for him to a< 5 f with caution and pru¬ 
dence. He attached himfelf to a party in the court, and 
had the addrefs to render the governor, Gurghin Khan, 
himfelf an object of fufpicion, and did not defpairof be¬ 
coming mafterof Candahar, by being appointed to watch 
his motions. His firft attempts for this purpofe were 
fruftrated; after this difappointment he counterfeited de¬ 
votion, and undertook a pilgrimage to Mecca. On his 
return the governor’s doubts were entirely diffipated, and 
he was fo firmly perfuaded that nothing was to be feared 
from fo holy a man, that he did not hefitate to infult him ; 
he even commanded him to fend his daughter to the ha- 
ram, but this demand coft Gurghin Khan his life. No 
fooner was the governor thus maflacred, than Mir-Weis 
prefented himfelf at the gates of Candahar, which furren- 
dered after a very flight refiftance. During a period of 
fourteen years, Mir-Weis harafled the Perlians; by his 
good conduct, his fpeeches, and his victories, he united 
the other tribes to that of the Afghans, of which he was 
the leader. He died kingof Candahar, A. D. 1715, leav¬ 
ing his throne to Abdallah, his brother, as he thought 
his children too young for the duties of fovereignty. 
Abdallah’s love of peace made him willing to put the 
Perfians once more in pofleffion of Candahar. The treaty 
for this purpofe was on the point of being figned, when 
Mahmud, his nephew, then but eighteen years old, heard 
of this intention with indignation, and at the head of 
thirty or forty of his father’s friends he entered the pa¬ 
lace, cut off Abdallah’s head, and was proclaimed king. 
He then entered Perfia, and laid fiege to Ifpahan. The 
mifery of the people pierced the feeling heart of the un¬ 
fortunate 
