invisible treasury had no need of the treasure of this world. The king handed those coins to Hasnak, who found that they were struck in the name Abú 'Alí Samjúr. The king on his way back, asked Hasnak how he could refuse to accord his belief to such miracles as this. Hasnak answered, that whatever the king observed in respect to miracles was very correct and proper, but at the same time he would suggest that His Majesty should not venture to contend against a man in whose name the coins had been struck in the invisible world. The king asking him whether indeed the coins were struck in the name of Abú 'Alí, he showed them to him; upon which the king was astonished and put to the blush,

In fact, Hasnak was a constant attendant of the king, whether on journeys or at home. The circumstances which led to his appointment to the office of chief minister are as follows:

On the dismissal of Ahmad bin Hasan from the post, the king issued orders to the other ministers for the nomination of some great man to fill up that office. The ministers accordingly nominated Abú-1 Kásim, Abú-1 Husain Akbalí, Ahmad bin 'Abdu-s Samad, and Hasnak Míkál, and sent their names to the king to make his selection. The king, in reply, observed that the appointment of Abú-l Kásim to the office of minister would interfere with his present duty of 'áriz; that it would be impolitic to confer this office on Abú-l Husain Akbalí, as he was too avaricious; that Ahmad bin 'Abdu-s Samad was indeed fit for this post, but he had been entrusted with the duty of arranging the important affairs of Khwarizm; and that Hasnak, though he was of a good family, and had a quicker apprehension than the rest, yet his youthful age offered an obstacle to his appointment. The amirs, on weighing these sentiments of His Majesty, concluded that he was inclined to nominate Hasnak his minister. They, therefore, unanimously represented to the king, that preference should be given to Hasnak Míkál. The king, in compliance with their recommendation, appointed Hasnak to the office of minister, This post he held during the reigns of

the king and his son Sultán Muhammad, who did not interrupt his enjoyment of all the powers delegated to him by his father. Hasnak, with the view of ingratiating himself with Sultán Muhammad, frequently made use of disrespectful language, in speaking of Sultán Mas'úd, who was then in 'Irák; insomuch, that one day in full Court he expressed his apprehensions, that when Sultán Mas'úd ascended the throne, he would impale him (Hasnak). Accordingly, when Sultán Mas'úd came to Khurásán, and took possession of the dominions of Sultán Muhammad, he summoned Hasnak, (and inflicted condign punishment on him).

154

XXVI.

HABIBU-S SIYAR

OF

KHONDAMIR.

THIS famous history is also by Khondamír, and was written subsequent to the Khulásatu-l Akhbár, and in a much more extended form, though Stewart (Descriptive Catalogue, p. 4) strangely characterizes it as an abridgment of that work.

The Habibu-s Siyar was written at the desire of Muhammad al Husainí, who wished to have the facts of universal history collected into one volume. He died shortly after the work was begun, and the troubles which ensued induced our author for some time to suspend his labours, until an introduction to Karímu-d dín Habibu-llah, a native of Ardabil, encouraged him to prosecute them again with ardour. Habíbu-llah was a great cultivator of knowledge; all his leisure hours were devoted to its acquisition, and he was particularly partial to history. It was after the name of this new patron that he entitled his work Habibu-s Siyar. It may be supposed that, as he travels over nearly the same ground as his father, he has made great use of the Rauzatu-s Safá, of which in many parts he offers a mere abridgment; but he has added the history of many dynasties omitted in that work, and the narrative is generally more lively and interesting. He has added, moreover, the lives of the celebrated men who flourished during each period that he brings under review.

The Habibu-s Siyar was commenced in A.H. 927 (1521 a.d.), when the author was about forty-eight years of age. It is not known in what year it was completed, but M. Quatremère (Journ. des Savants, 1843, p. 393) has noticed that the year 930 (1523-4) is mentioned in it, and that the occurrences of Persian history

are brought down to that time;-but Khondamír perhaps continued his labours long after that period, even down to 935 H. (1528–9), because, in an interesting passage at the close of the first volume, of which part has already been quoted in a preceding article,' he says, "Be it known unto the intelligent and enlightened minds of readers that the writing of these histories which form the first volume of Habibu-s Siyar, has been completed for the third time by the movement of the fingers of the composer, according to the saying that a thing attaineth perfection on its third revisal.' The compiler, while on his travels in Hindustán, finished this volume, to the entire satisfaction of all his friends, ‘stopping every day and every night at a different place.' The pen, whose production is as sweet as a parrot's imitation of human speech, and which, by dipping into the ink like a diver into the sea, brings forth to light different narratives as precious gems from the dark caves of the deep, and displays them to the world, threads certain remarkable incidents as valuable pearls in the following manner.'

"The writer had not been long in Hindustán when he fell sick, and became weaker day by day. The regimen which he underwent for three or four months, with respect to drink and light food as well as medicines, proved ineffectual, so that he was reduced to so slender a skeleton, that even the morning breeze was capable of wafting him to a different country. Heat consumed his body as easily as flame melts a candle. At length Providence bestowed upon him a potion for the restoration of his health from that dispensary, where When thou fallest sick, it is He that cureth thee.' The compiler lifted up his head from his sick bed, as the disposer of all things opened the doors of convalescence towards his life. At this time, under the shadow of the victorious standard of his august Majesty, Bábar (may God maintain his kingdom till the day of judgment !), the compiler had occasion to proceed to Bengal, and at every march where there was the least delay, he devoted his time to the 1 Suprà, page 143.

completion of this volume, which was finished at Tírmuháná, near the confluence of the Sarjú and Ganges.'

This passage is taken from a copy written A.H. 1019, but I cannot trace it in any others, all of which end with the verses which precede this conclusion; and it was most probably not in the copy consulted by M. Quatremère, or it could scarcely have escaped the penetration of that learned scholar. It seems, therefore, to have been a postscript written for his Indian friends, and the work which he imposed upon himself may, after all, have been the mere copying, for the third time, of that which he had already composed,

It has been hitherto customary to translate the name of this History as the "Friend of Travelling," under the impression that the name of the original is Habibu-s Sair; but it has been shown by M. Von Hammer and Baron de Sacy (Not. et Extr. ix., ii. 269), that Siyar is the word, signifying "biographies, lives." The reason advanced for this is, that the clause, fi akhbár-i afrádu-l bashar, follows immediately after the title; and rythmical propriety, so much studied amongst Orientals, demands that the word should therefore be Siyar, rather than Sair. Further confirmation of the correctness of this view will be found in the third line of the conclusion, where Habibu-s Siyar follows immediately after Arjimandu-l asar, showing that two syllables are necessary to compose the word Siyar. The entire name signifies, "The Friend of Biographies, comprising the history of persons distinguished among men."

The Habibu-s Siyar contains an Introduction (Iftitáh), three Books (Mujallad), each subdivided into four Chapters (Just), and a Conclusion (Ikhtitám).

1 This, therefore, must have been written about May, 1529, shortly after the dispersion of the army of Kharid. The position of the tract is correctly given by Mr. Erskine, though with a slight error as to the limits. Mr. Caldecott, his epitomizor, makes Kharid a general, and speaks of the army under Kharid. (See Leyden and Erskine's Memoirs of Baber, p. 411, and Caldecott's Life of Baber, p. 230; Erskine's Life of Baber, i., p. 502.)

2 D'Herbelot says, "c'est ce que nous appellons dans l'usage du vulgaire un Veni mecum."-Bibl. Orient., v. Habib al Seir.