THE MODERN PART OF AN Univerfal History, FROM THE Earlieft ACCOUNT of TIME. Compiled from ORIGINAL WRITERS. By the AUTHORS of the ANTIENT PART. IN RECTO DECVS LONDON: Printed for S. RICHARDSON, T. OSBORNE, C. HITCH, M.DCC.LIX. ADVERTISEMENT TO THE READER, Relating to this FOURTH VOLUME. W E have seen, in the course of the preceding volume, a series of eleven Abaffine khalifs from Al Kayem, the 26th of that dynasty +, to the total extinction of the khalifat, gradually stripped of all their secular authority and power, and reduced to a mere religious and ecclefiaftical sway, by a fucceffion of Seliukian monarchs, the defcendants of the famed Togrol Begh*, who, under the bare title of Emir AlOmra, which that unfortunate khalif beftowed upon him, governed all civil and military affairs with an abfolute and defpotic power, affuming the royal title of foltan only over their Seljuk fubjects, and their other conquefts: fo that, in order to fet forth the surprising decline, as well as the once amazing extent and power, of the khalifat, we have been under the neceffity of anticipating, in a great measure, the Seljukian history, which was defigned for this volume; without which that of the khalifs must have appeared maimed and imperfect to any curious reader. + Vol. iii. p. 207, & feq. fin. * Ibid. p. 241, ad BEING now therefore come to give a particular account of that celebrated dynafty, the fame reafons will of courfe oblige us to recapitulate, tho' in the most fuccinct manner the subject will admit of, the fame monarchs reigns, conquefts, and tranfactions, in order to render their history, which makes no less a figure in the Oriental one, as full, clear, and compleat, as the former, which we have given of the khalifat, especially as both of them have been fo ftrangely mutilated and disguised by the Greek writers: but of this we fhall fay the lefs here, having prefixed at the threshold of the Seljukian history an account of them, as well as of thofe others, whether Turkish or Arab, of whom we have made ufe in the course of it *. And that, joined to what we have faid above, will, we hope, fufficiently account to our readers, not only for every fuch unavoidable repetition, but likewife for every contrast and inconfiftency they may have occafion to remark between those writers. It being, indeed, next to impoffible it fhould happen otherwife, confidering the vaft difference of their religions and interefts: one fet of them zealous Mohammedans, the other Heathen; the former full of gall and refentment against those monarchs who had deprived their khalifs of all their fecular power, and raised their own to that envied height upon the ruins of theirs. The other no lefs jealous of the glory of their own natural princes, representing their every action, motive, and fuccefsful ftep to agrandifement, in the most advantageous light, and gloffing over every thing that caft the leaft tarnish upon it. * See hereafter, p. 76, & feq. Το To give one inftance for all of the different representations of those writers; When the haughty khalif Al Kayem [after having been restored to his dignity, and reconducted to his capital, and to his very palace, with the greatest marks of honour and refpect by the generous Togrul Begh]+ was obferved to hesitate so long whether he fhould condescend to grant him his daughter in marriage; it was natural for the Moflem hiftorians to represent his behaviour as a mark of his ftrenuous and laudable zeal for the Mohammedan religion, whilft the Seljuks looked upon it as a piece of ill-timed pride and black ingratitude to fo noble a prince and benefactor. We have endeavoured to account for these and other material variations as often as the nature of the subject would permit it; the reft we have chofen to refer to our reader's judgment; only defiring him to infert with his pen the few following emendations. ERRAT A. Page 97. Line 31. Instead of taking, read having exacted (an oath). And ibid. 32. Instead of to, read from. 109.-31. Inftead of his own, read his vazir's (piety). 119.30. After altho', read that dignity had been enjoyed by the (Khalifs). 120.11. For depart from, read retire to. 159. 17. For Gypfies, read plaifterers, or workers in lime and mortar. + See vol. iii. p. 246, & feq. |