gerent in the king's absence, then represented to the "Sultán, that it was unworthy of a sovereign to return. "upon hearing a false report of the approach of an enemy. "This remark went against the Sultán's feelings, and "wounded him deeply.

"In 851 H. (1447 A.D.), the Sultán went to Badáún, and "after staying there some time, returned to Dehlí; when "he said that he was much pleased with Badáún, and "wished to stay there always. Hisám Khán, in all "sincerity, told him that it was impolitic to leave Dehlí, "and to make Badáún the capital. This answer incensed "the king still more, and he separated the wazir from "himself, and left him in Dehlí. He made one of his "wife's brothers governor of the capital, and to the other "he gave the title of amir..

"In 852 H. (1448 A.D.), he again went to Badáún, and gave himself up to pleasure, resting satisfied with the "little territory that remained to him. After a time, dis"sensions broke out between his wife's two brothers in "Dehlí. They made war against each other, and one was "killed. Next day the citizens killed the other brother in revenge, at the instigation of Hisám Khán. Disaffected

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men now incited the Sultán to kill Hamíd Khán, the "wazir of the State.1 The Khan took to flight, and proceeding to Dehlí, he, with the connivance of Hisám "Khan, took possession of the city, and invited Malik "Bahlol to assume the sovereignty. Full particulars of "these transactions are given in the history of the reign "of Bahlol. The result was, that Malik Bahlol Lodí came "to Dehlí with a large force, and took possession of it. "After a short time, he left a party of his adherents in · Delhí, and went to Díbálpúr to organize an army. Then "he wrote to the Sultán, stating that his opposition was "really for the Sultán's benefit, and that he was his devoted

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1 Sic, see suprà preceding page.

"servant. To this 'Aláu-d dín replied, 'My father called

you his son, and I have no means of resisting you. I "will content myself with the single district of Badáún, "and resign the sovereignty to you.' Thus successful, Malik "Bahlol clothed himself with the garments of royalty.

Leaving Díbálpúr, he proceeded to Dehlí, and ascended "the throne with the title of Sultán Bahlol. The nobles "who remained with 'Aláu-d dín were confirmed in their privileges. After a while, 'Aláu-d dín died, and the world "went on according to the wish of Sultán Bahlol. The length of the reign of Sultán 'Aláu-d dín was eight years and some months."

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THE full title of this valuable work is Matla'u-s Sa'dain wa Majma'u-l Bahrain, "The Rising of the two fortunate Planets (Jupiter and Venus), and the Junction of the two Seas," composed by Kamálu-d dín 'Abdu-r Razzák bin Jalálu-d dín Is'hák as Samarkandí. The author of the Habibu-s Siyar thus speaks of 'Abdu-r Razzák.

"Kamálu-d dín 'Abdu-r Razzák was a son of Jalálu-d dín Is'hák, of Samarkand, and was born at Hirát on the 12th Sha'bán, A.H. 816 (6th November, 1413 A.D.). His father Is'hák resided at the Court of Sultán Shah Rukh, in quality of Kazi and Imám, and was sometimes consulted on points of law, and desired to read learned treatises in His Majesty's presence. 'Abdu-r Razzák, after his father's death, in the year 841 (A.D. 1437), wrote a comment on Azdu-d dín Yahya's Treatise upon Arabic Prepositions and Pronouns, and dedicated it to Sultán Shah Rukh, on which occasion he had the honour to kiss His Majesty's hand. In the latter part of that prince's reign, he went as his ambassador to the King of Bíjánagar, and experienced various extraordinary incidents and vicissitudes on that journey, but at length returned to Khurásán in safety. After the death of Sultán Shah Rukh, he was successively admitted to the presence of Mírzá 'Abdu-l Latif, Mírzá 'Abdu-llah, and Mírzá Abú-l Kásím; and in the first Jumád of 877 (October, 1472), under the reign of Sultán Abú Sa'íd, he was appointed superintendent of the khánkáh of Mírzá Shah Rukh, where he continued to the

time of his death, which happened in the latter Jumád of the year 887 (August, 1482). Among the excellent productions of his pen is that useful work the Matla'u-s Sa'dain, which is in every one's hand, and is universally known; and in which he has given a general history of events from the time of Sultán Abú Sa'id Bahádur Khán down to the assassination of Mírzá Sultán Abú Sa'id Gurgán."

[Mr. Morley in his Catalogue of the MSS. of the Royal Asiatic Society, uses the above biography, but makes the following additions: "In A.H. 850 (A.D. 1446), 'Abdu-r Razzák was sent on an embassy into Gílán, and had scarcely fulfilled his mission, when he was ordered to depart for Egypt, with the title of ambassador. The death of his master, however, prevented his journey."

"In 856 (A.D. 1452), the Sultán Abú-l Kásím Bábar, passing through the town of Taft Yazd, had an interview with the celebrated historian Sharafu-d dín 'Alí Yazdí, and our author was present at the conference. Two years afterwards he became attached to the person of the Sultán Abú Sa'íd, who treated him with the greatest honour; and in A.H. 863 (a.d. 1458), when Sultán Husain Bahádur undertook an expedition into Jurján, our author, who had been sent on a mission into that part of the country, had an opportunity of witnessing most of the events of the war."

CONTENTS.

"Vol. I. Commencing with the birth of Abú Sa'íd, son of Uljaitú Sultán Muhammad Khudábandah. — The history of Tímúr, from the rise of his fortunes to his death, i.e., from A.H. 704 (A.D. 1304) to A.H. 807 (A.D. 1404), giving a detailed account of his reign in 'Irák, Túrán, and other countries.2

1 "Hájí Khalfa, v., p. 603. Biog. Universelle. Not. et Ext. des MSS., xiv., p. 3." The Habibu-s Siyar gives the date of the author's death as A.H. 880, A.D. 1475, infrà. So also does D'Herbelot, v. "Schahrokh."

2 ["I have not seen this first volume, and have given the contents from the catalogue of the Imperial Library at St. Petersburg, p. 287."-Morley.]

"Vol. II. The history of Tímúr's descendants, from the accession of Shah Rukh, in A.H. 807 (A.D. 1404), to that of Sultán Hasan Mírzá, in A.H. 875 (A.D. 1470), the time when the author wrote."]

'Abdu-r Razzák's embassy to India does not seem to be related either in the Rauzatu-s Safa or the Habibu-8 Siyar, though their narrative of that period is copious.

This history is not so well known in India as in Europe. The best MS. I have seen in India is in the possession of Muhammad Raziyau-d dín, chief native judge of Allahabad. It is a well written folio in the Naskh character, containing in the first division 426, and in the second 452 pages, of thirty-one lines to a page. There are copies in the British Museum, the Imperial Library of St. Petersburg, and other public collections. [The second volume seems to be more common than the first; the Library of the East India Office has a copy, and so had1 the Library of the Royal Asiatic Society. This professed to be an autograph copy of the author, but Mr. Morley saw reason to doubt the truth of this statement. The India Office copy, which is a finely written folio with illustrations, written in the year 1601 A.D., has been used by the editor for the following Extracts respecting the Embassy to India.]

[There is among Sir H. Elliot's papers a copy of that portion of the first volume which relates the history of Tímúr's expedition to India. On comparing this account with the Malfúzát-i Timúri and the Zafar-náma, it proves to be a mere reproduction of Tímúr's own narrative. 'Abdu-r Razzák evidently used both the memoirs and the Zafar-náma. His narrative is less verbose than Tímúr's, and more simple in style than the language of Sharafu-d dín; still the details are essentially the same, the facts being related in the same order without addition, modification, or comment. So notwithstanding the high reputation of the Matla'u-s Sa'dain, this portion of the work proves, like the celebrated Zafar-náma, to be nothing more than another version

1 [The past tense is used because the MS. is now missing.]