ΤΟ COLONEL DAVY, TRACEY PARK, SOMERSETSHIRE. DEAR SIR, As the Public are indebted to your late Father not only for his able Translation of the Institutes of the Emperor Timur, but also for his having with much perseverance procured and first brought to Europe an authentic copy of the Memoirs of that Monarch, I have much pleasure in dedicating to you my Translation of those Memoirs, in hopes of assisting in some degree to transmit to posterity so meritorious a name. Bath, May, 1830. I have the honour to be, Dear Sir, your obedient humble servant, CHARLES STEWART. PR E F A CЕ. THE fame of Timur, erroneously called Tamerlane, although long known to some persons in Europe, was more generally communicated to the Public in the year 1722, by the labours of the indefatigable Orientalist, Petis de la Croix, who translated from the Persian language the History of that Monarch, denominated Zuffer Nameh, or Book of Victory, by Sherif Addyn Aly of Yezd. In the year 1723, the French edition was turned into English by Mr. John Darby, who dedicated his work to His Royal Highness Frederic Prince of Wales, but these histories commence only with the twenty-fifth year of Timur's age. Iben Arab Shah's Arabic History of Timur, called the Ajaib al Mukhlukat, Wonders of the Creation, was translated into Latin by Golius in 1636, and again by Manger in 1767 and 1772, but, being more of a coarse satire on that Prince than his real history, it is little worthy of credit, and has consequently fallen into disrepute. In the year 1783, Professor White of Oxford, published a Persian Edition of the Institutes of Timur, with an English translation by Major William Davy of the Honourable East India Company's Service,* which was deservedly much admired, and as it was the cause of producing the Translation of the following Memoirs, I shall take the liberty hereafter of subjoining a portion of its Preface. In the year 1787, the late Professor Langlés of Paris, published a French translation of the Institutes, under the title of "Instituts Politiques et Militaires de Tamerlane proprement appellé "Timour, ecrits par lui-même en Mogol, et traduits en François sur "la version Persane d'Abou Taleb al Hosseini, avec la Vie de ce "Conquerant, &c. &c." William Erskine, Esq. in his Preface to the Memoirs of Baber, pub * See Note at the end of the Preface. lished in 1826, (in praise of which work too much cannot be said) informs us, that he had seen at Bombay, a complete Persian translation of the Autographic Memoirs of Timour, the original of which had been found in the library of Jaafer Pasha of Yemen, and that it appears by Astley's Collection of Voyages, that a person of that name was Pashā of Yemen in 1610. This is of importance, as it nearly fixes the date of the Persian Translation, which is confirmed by the dedication of the work to the Emperor Shah Jehan of Hindustan. Having thus premised, I proceed to give a description of the Manuscript brought from India by Major Davy, which I have undertaken to translate it is an Octavo volume, written in the common Persian hand, and as it has never been bound, was probably copied for that gentleman in Calcutta, it is enclosed in an old cover, on which is written in Major Davy's hand; "This Manuscript, which is a fragment of Timūr's, is very valuable, therefore preserve it with care. N. B. It is to be put in the little black writing box." The Manuscript contains four hundred and fifty-seven pages; after the Persian Translator's Preface, it commences with the Institutes, which nearly agree with the printed edition; these are succeeded by the Designs and Enterprizes of the printed copy, after which follows the Book of Omens, mentioned in the 8th page of Dr. White's Preface, and which I might probably also have omitted in my translation, did I not fear the reproach of having left part of my work undone.* The History commences at the 188th page, with the birth of Timūr, A. H. 736, (A. D. 1336,) and is continued in the form of annals till A. H. 777, being the forty-first year of his age, omitting the last thirty years of his life. It is written in a careless manner, occasionally obscure, with much tautology, and some repetitions, but without any break in the detail, except at the commencement of a new year, evidently evincing that the art of book-making has not been employed to set it off, and that it is a * Monsieur Langlés says in the sixth page of his Preface; "ces superstitions sont, pour le philosophe, des renseignemens certains sur les mœurs et sur l'esprit des hommes. J'engage donc M. M. Davy et White à faire cette restitution, si ce n'est pas à l'érudition, du moins à la Philosophie." |