G84 
P E R 
S I A. 
of the Perfian kings. He fent likewife rich prefents to 
the tnofque in which they were placed, and 1000 toinans 
to be diliributed among the poor. After this, with his 
crown and fceptre in his hand, he came in the mod fub- 
miffive manner, and threw himfelf at the feet of {halt Huf- 
feyn, imploring him to take the government of the realm 
again, or to oblige prince Thamasto take it. Shah Huf- 
feyn, who feemed to underftand the meaning of this of¬ 
fer, and who knew, if he difcovered the lead inclination of 
remounting the throne, his life mu ft anfwer it, anfwsred, 
that he was obliged to him for the zeal he expreffed to his 
perfon ; but that, having voluntarily quitted the govern¬ 
ment, he could not by any means think of taking it again; 
and, as to what regarded his foil, he would not intermed¬ 
dle, nor oblige him to accept a dignity which perhaps he 
might make a very ill ufe of. 
Alhraf, ftill concealing his purpofe, feemed as if he 
were uneafy at this determination of Shah Huffeyn. How¬ 
ever, that he might not be wanting, as he faid, in his re- 
fpedl and duty, he fent a magnificent embaffy to prince 
Thames, with confiderable prefents, and horfes richly ca- 
parifoned, inviting him to come and take poffeffion of the 
throne, and praying that he would pleafe to appoint a 
place where they might meet, and fettle affairs in order to 
it. The prince, too eafy to credit what pleafed him, came 
blindly into the net, and appointed the little plain of 
Teheran for the rendezvous. Afhraf marched immedi¬ 
ately at the head of 12,000 men, and arrived firft in the 
plain, and polled his troops in fuch manner as they could 
mod eafily execute his purpofe. The prince advanced 
with only 3000 men ; but, having heard that Alhraf had 
a great number of troops with him, he began to fufpedl 
treachery ; he therefore fent before him Allam Khan, 
with 2000 men, referving only 1000 about his perfon. 
Allam Khan, perceiving not only a large army of Af¬ 
ghans, but likewife that all the avenues to the camp were 
guarded, found it was their delign to feize the prince. 
Upon this he immediately gave him notice, and defired 
him to take care of himfelf; and it was time to give him 
notice, for Alhraf, advertifed by his fpies of the near ar¬ 
rival of the prince, had privately polled 2500 Afghans 
behind a hill to cut off every pollibility of an efcape ; fo 
that he was jull upon the point of feizing him, when no¬ 
tice was given the prince to take care of his life. The 
unfortunate prince was therefore obliged to mount imme¬ 
diately, and take refuge with about zoo horfe in the 
town of Teheran. But Allam Khan, forefeeing that 
Alhraf would beliege the town, advifed the prince 
immediately to leave it; upon which, having refrellied 
their troops, they marched out, and the prince at their 
head, in the beginning of the night, and with fuch dili¬ 
gence, that at break of day they were fix leagues from 
Teheran, on the fide of Mezanderan. That which Allam 
Khan forefaw happened ; for Alhraf had in veiled the town, 
to the great furprife of the inhabitants, before day-break; 
but, finding the prince efcaped, he in great fury llormed 
the town, and ordered his foldiers to fpare none, but to 
put all to the fword. After this, the town of Kam, or 
Sava, was taken: but this he treated with lefs cruelty 
than Teheran, for the foldiers only plundered the town, 
and faved the people. 
Alhraf, not thinking it proper to pulh his conquefts far¬ 
ther, returned to Ifpahan, where, for the following rea- 
fon, he meditated the deftrudlion of thofe few of the nd- 
bility who had efcaped the fword of Mahmud. The num¬ 
ber of foldiers which Alhraf had taken with him to meet 
the prince, gave a jealoufy to the nobles, that this inter¬ 
view was defigned more for the benefit of Alhraf than of 
the prince; and the fears they had left the prince, whom 
they tenderly loved, fliould befurprifed, induced them to 
write to him. The letter was intercepted, and fent to 
Alhraf, who, to revenge himfelf of the nobles, caufed 
them all to affemble in the royal palace, under the pre¬ 
tence of alking theiradvice; and there were they all mur¬ 
dered. At the fame time he put out the eyes of an infant, 
the grandchild of Utah Huffeyn ; and fome lay he pradlifed 
the fame cruelty on Huffeyn himfelf, but this is not cer¬ 
tain ; however, this weak and unfortunate monarch lan- 
guillied in prifon about two years longer; when he was 
put to death, in 1729. 
At this time. Nadir Khan, who afterwards became king 
of Perfia and conqueror of the mogul empire, had already 
acquired a high reputation for valour and condtidl. He 
was born in 1686 at Kallat, a fortrefs in Chorafan. His 
father was hereditary governor of a fortrefs built by his 
countrymen againft the Tartars: lie died when Nadir was 
thirteen years of age ; and an uncle took poffeffion of the 
office which Ihould have devolved to the youth. He was 
obliged, in order to fupport himfelf and his mother, to 
employ an afs and camel, which were his foie property, 
in carrying for fale to the next town faggots which hecol- 
ledled in the woods. He was made a llave by the Ufbeks, 
but efcaped from them after a fervitude of four years. In 
1712 he entered thefervice of a beg, who fent him with 
difpatches to court; and it is faid that he killed his comrade, 
affaflinated his mailer on his return, carried off his daughter 
to the mountains, and fubfifted for fome time on robbery. 
In 1714. he became gentleman-ulher to the governor of 
Chorafan, which feems to prove, at leaft, that the crimes 
imputed to him were not notorious. In this fituation his 
condutl was fo laudable, that he was intruded with a 
company of cavalry to a£l againft the Tartars. His cou¬ 
rage and military talents foon raifed him to the command 
of a thoufand horfe, in which llation he obtained general 
efteem. When the Ufbeks invaded Chorafan with ten 
thoufand men, Nadir offered the governor to repulfe them 
with only fix thoufand, and completely performed his 
promife, killing the Tartar chief with his own hand. For 
this fuccefs the governor propofed to procure for him 
from the court of Perfia the poll of lieutenant-general of 
Chorafan ; but the lhah, receiving an unfavourable im- 
prelfion of Nadir, gave the office to another. Nadir, 
irritated at his difappoinrment, reproached his patron in 
fuch infolent terms, that he was difcharged from the fer- 
vice, after a fevere baftinado. Fired with indignation, he 
retired to the fortrefs of Kallat, commanded by his un¬ 
cle; and foon after joined a troop of banditti, at the head 
of whom he pillaged feveral caravans, and laid Chorafan 
and the furrounding provinces under contribution. 
At this time the Afghans under Alhraf continued maf- 
ters of Ifpahan, while the Turks and Ruffians preffed 
upon Perfia in other quarters, fo that Shah Thainas, the 
lawful fovereign, was polfeffed only of two or three pro¬ 
vinces. In 1727 one of the lhah’s generals in difguft had 
joined Nadir with fifteen hundred men, which increafed 
his troop to a formidable body. His uncle now wrote to 
him, promifing to obtain his pardon if he would engage 
in the fervice of Thamas. Nadir accepted the offer, and 
repaired to Kellat, which he feized, and murdered his un¬ 
cle. Thamas was obliged to overlook this villany on ac¬ 
count of the occafion he had for his fervices; and Nadir 
marched againft the Afghans, defeated them, and took 
poffeffion of Nifabour in the name of the lhah. That 
prince made him a lieutenant-general; and he fo well 
infinuated himfelf into the confidence of Thamas, that he 
was able to make him believe that the general in chief had 
formed a confpiracy againft him. That officer was taken 
off by affaffination, and Nadir in 1729 was appointed his 
fucceffor. 
He had now a free career for his ambition, and he began 
with rendering important fervices to his fovereign. He 
reduced the whole of Chorafan, and was recom- 
penfed by a title which in that defpotic country was re¬ 
garded as highly honourable: it was that of Thamat 
Kuuli Khan, fignifying the “ Khan, or Lord Slave, of 
Thamas.” His fucceffes alarmed Alhraf, who marched 
towards Chorafan to oppofe him, but was defeated and 
driven back to Ifpahan, which he foon quitted. Kouli- 
Khan had then the fatisfadlion of re-inftating his king in 
the capital of his empire; thus rifing to the higheft dif- 
tindlion 
