PREFACE.

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 Mukhlukāt, 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 Timūr, 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 Timur'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."

translation from some language less polished than the Persian.* I have however found it requisite to divide the Translation into Books and Chapters.

In comparing Major Davy's Translation with Petis de la Croix's, I have found so much discrepancy between their spelling of Oriental names, that one can hardly suppose the same persons, or places are meant, I have therefore ventured to make an innovation in Anglo-Oriental orthography, by making use of such of our letters as agree with the Persian Alphabet.

The exact pronunciation of a proper name is of little consequence to the European reader, while the Oriental student will be thus enabled to transpose it into the Persian character; some of the names of places have been so long settled, that I have not interfered with them, but take this opportunity of stating that Kund or Kend, in the Turky language, signifies a town, and therefore forms the termination of the names of many cities; Turan, called by the Greeks, Transoxiana, and by the Arabs, Maveralneher, should properly be spelled Ma-vera-al-neher: that which is beyond the river. Khurasan being the Eastern province of Persia, was called the Region of the Sun.

We are very much indebted to the French Literati for information on Oriental subjects, but they have led us into a very false orthography by their partiality for the letter C, which does not exist in the Persian language, and their alteration of several important letters.

Almost all Arabic names have meanings, and are derived from a root of three letters, thus from H. M. D. praise, is derived Muhammed, the greatly praised, consequently the writing of it Mahomet, as is frequently done, destroys the etymology; Amr, signifies command, whence Amyr, Commander, which should always be written with the first letter of the alphabet, although frequently written Emir and Umeer; Amyr al Mumenyn, Commander of the Faithful, must be in the recollection of every person who has read the Arabian Nights' Entertainments.

* The Turky language differs as much from the modern Turkish, as the Saxon does from the English.

Some of the French authors write,

Dragoman for Terjūmān, an Interpreter ;

Chagan for Khakan, an Emperor;

whilst the letters j, y, t and d are constantly interchanged.

The Persian short vowel called Zubber, is sounded in Persia as short a, in Turkey as short e, in India as short u, and causes a difference in the pronunciation of the natives of these countries; but as the letter E has six sounds in French, and at least three in English, the variation is not greater than is to be found in the dialects of England, Scotland, and Ireland.

I am aware that it is impossible to fix the pronunciation of any language, but as it is desirable that Translators should observe an uniform system, and the mode suggested by Sir William Jones having failed of success, I venture to propose a more simple one, which will save most of the diacritical points, so troublesome both to the writer and to the reader; viz. that of using such of our consonants as agree with those of the Persian Alphabet.

With respect to the vowels,

let the short e represent the Persian vowel

short i, short u,

Zebber.

Zere.

Pysh.

Let our ā, ū, and y, represent the corresponding long vowels, alif, vau, and ye, this latter to be generally sounded ee, or as the French i of Dire, Lire, &c.

Our slender a in Slave, &c. does not exist in Persian, and the only word in which the open o occurs, is in Koh, a mountain, therefore probably a misnomer. In Arabic it is formed by the letters Ain or Alif with the vowel Pysh, as age; nobles. The Arabic K may be sometimes used for C, but as it adds to the number of letters, without an adequate advantage, I think it better omitted.