Heg.1134 of tyrants. Mirveis often repeated the Perfian J.C. 1722. proverb, That the wakeful ferpent triumphs over the & 1135drowfy lion. In effect, he perfuaded the governor, that all the Afghvans voluntarily bore the yoke imposed on them; and when he was fure of his countrymen, and that they were ripe for a revolt, he flaughtered this man in a feast who would have ravished his daughter, and made himself master of the capital of Candahar, from which he had had the addrefs to remove the garrifon. In a few days the confpirators fhewed themselves in the extremities of the province. The court of Ifpahan, instead of making use of force to reduce the rebels, fent commiffioners to Mirveis, who made him offers from the fophi which could not tempt him, and menaces that he despised still more. The chief of the rebels told thefe officers that they should be thankful that he spared their lives, and expressly ordered them to go and tell their master, that the prince, who chofe tyrants to represent him, was a tyrant himfelf, and that he, Mirveis, would foon ease him of a burden too heavy for his hands. To the intereft of liberty was joined that of religion, fo powerful for Muffulmen. The Afghvans were Sunnites. Mirveis having declared himself the defender of the true worship, caused the Sunna and Alcoran of the Turks to be carried with his colours, under which a multitude of foldiers came to enlift every day. The Afghvans were joined by the Bou VOL. IV LI louks, J.C.1722. louks, a warlike, ferocious people, and the Tirins, Heg.1134, & 1135 another horde of Tartars, who bear fatigue and hunger better than any other nation, and never give any quarter. Such troops could not but be very formidable to the effeminate Perfians. The armies of Shah Huffein were affembled flowly, and were dispersed quickly. At length Mirveis died after having secured his family the conqueft of Candahar by fix years labour. Though he left two fons, he ordered that Mir Adula, his brother, should reign after him, either to adopt the fucceffion of the Sunnites, which makes the throne belong to the eldest of the reigning family, or that Mirveis did not choose to leave a prince, too young, a throne, the foundation of which was not yet well established. But this new monarch no way refembled his predeceffor; far from thinking of new conquefts, he did not wish to retain even the province that was already under his fubjection. His timid, indolent character made him fear equally the cares of the throne and the fatigues of war. As he was thinking of giving up Candahar to the obedience of Perfia, the eldeft of Mirveis's fons, called Mir Mamout, who was only nineteen years old, having learned his uncle's design, invested his palace, poffeffed himself of the papers which fhewed Mir Adula's intention, killed the prince, and having affembled the foldiers, he informed them what blood he had been dipping his hands in, and what reafons had determined termined him to commit the inurder. Thofe, who J.C.1722. Heg.1134, had affifted in establishing the throne of Mirveis, & 1135 made no difficulty to place his fon on it, who had just prevented its ruin. If we may believe the Turkish authors, a little time after the acceffion of Mir Mamout to the throne of Candahar, the Tartars of Herat took up arms against their Perfian governor, for a caufe nearly fimilar to that which, a few years before, had made Candahar revolt. The governor of Herat, having conceived fome criminal defigns, attempted to offer violence to a young man, who, endowed with a courage above his age, made his countrymen fenfible of the difgrace of obeying these cowardly corrupters; and, animating them by the example of thofe of Candahar, he armed them against the garrifons that guarded their towns: all were maffacred, and the Tartars of Herat formed an independent republic. This rebellion was the fignal for many others. The Curdes, Ufbecks, Affdalis, and all the people of the vicinity of mount Caucafus, shook off the yoke almoft at the fame time. The feeble Shah Huffein, instead of feeking in his court and armies faithful fervants and good generals, liftened to the atrocious accufations which the eunuchs invented against thofe who might have been able to defend him. He delivered his braveft warriors to the executioner, whilft his best provinces became the prey of the Tartars. J.C. 1722. Mir Mamout, the new king of Candahar, took Heg.1134, & 1135 advantage of these troubles, with as much ability as courage. At the head of twenty thousand men he penetrated as far as the province of Kerman, across arid deferts, combating thirft, hunger, and the inclemency of the air. Being arrived in an inhabited country, he made profelytes and foldiers wherever he met men, After having made himself master of fome fortreffes, he brought twenty-five thousand men into the plains of Ifpahan, to whom the unfortunate fophi opposed an army of double the number, but which was compofed entirely of foldiers without discipline or experience, accustomed to the Afiatic effeminacy and luxury, and whofe arms were more an ornament than a defence in their hands; their numbers did but hasten their defeat. When the foldiers of Mir Mamout were loaded with booty, they laid fiege to the capital of Perfia. Twentyfive thousand men undertook to block up and famish a town of twenty-four miles circuit, and they fucceeded the better, as the imprudent fophi had not taken any measures to provifion it. As foon as the communications were cut off, mifery was felt in Ifpahan. Meanwhile Mir Mamout's army vifibly increased. The governors of the different provinces, who were ordered to come with the national troops to the relief of Ifpahan, either through terror, or treachery, or a mistaken vanity, kept their troops at a distance from the army of the Afghvans, because, they faid, they could not march under one another's J.C. 1722. Heg.1134 orders. The only act of prudence that Shah &1135 Huffein could prevail with himself to do during this unhappy fiege, was to convey his eldest fon from the fword or captivity with which he was threatened. The army of the befiegers being weakened by a confiderable detachment, the young prince left the town in the night, attended by fome horse, and croffed several posts of the rebels, without being difcovered. He retired to Cafbin, from whence he made great efforts to gather fuccours capable of delivering Ifpahan; but terror and difcontent had congealed every heart. Both the fubjects and feudatory princes manifefted their unwillingness: the few troops who set forward were difperfed the second day of their march. Thofe, who seemed animated with a real defire to fuccour their country, were fo few, that they durft not go towards the capital for fear of fhewing the enemy how weak the kingdom of Perfia was. The governor of Sejeftan alone brought a fuccour of near twenty thousand men. Mir Mamout chose rather to corrupt this servant than to fight him. He wrote him a letter to advife him to make himself master of Korazan, telling him that he was more worthy of governing that province than the prince for whofe fervice he was defirous of delivering the capital. This letter, full of flattery and backed by rich presents, prevailed on the perfidious governor to divide the prey which he did not think himself ftrong enough |