treat was made with more order than could have J.C.1518. Heg, 924 been expected from a beaten army, though he left on the field of battle the few pieces of cannon that he had, which the Mammelukes had never well known the ufe of. The implacable Selim ordered all the wounded to be maffacred, facrificing them, as he faid, to the manes of Sinan' bafhaw, and he paffed the night on the field of battle in order to enjoy this bloody spectacle.

to Grand

city.

Meanwhile, Tumambei retired to Grand Cairo; They flee but to add to the difgrace, this town, without Cairo. walls or ditches, offered only a heap of defence, Sack of the lefs houses. The loffes which the Mammelukes had just had, left them but little hope; they had only to perish with their empire, and find an honorable fepulchre in the principal town of their dominions. They refolved to form barricades at the entrance of every street, to fortify themselves in the houses, and to dig ditches which they filled with ftakes fharpened and pointed with iron, covered over flightly, which formed fnares, into which whole battalions might tumble without having perceived them. The citizens, the flaves, the fons of the Mammelukes, even the women, all were become foldiers. The Turks thought to enter easily a town without defence; but they had never found any where a more obftinate refiftance than in the ftreets of Grand Cairo; they entered the city without having an idea of the fort of combat to which they were

Heg. 924

J.C.1518. going to be expofed. The brave Mammelukes, who no longer thought of defending their lives, fought like defperate men; every thing became arms in their hands, whilft the citizens, from the windows and tops of the houses, threw down on the Turks, ftones, tiles, utenfils, iron work, in fhort every thing they were capable of rolling on the enemy, and poured on them floods of boiling oil. They fought in the streets in this manner for three days and three nights, the Mammelukes not fearing to expofe themselves to death, provided they could fucceed in giving it. The vanquishers offered quarter, but they were anfwered only by blows with clubs. Selim faw two bashaws crushed to pieces by his fide with large ftones, on which he ordered the town to be fet on fire. The order was executed in feveral places at the fame inftant. This alone was capable of augmenting the confternation and flaughter. Whilft the Egyptians were vainly endeavouring to extinguish the fire, precipitating themfelves from the middle of the flames into the ftreets, and every where meeting death in trying to avoid it, the remains of the Mammelukes efcaped from a place which they could no longer defend. They carried with them their king, paffed the Nile, and went to the number of five thousand men to intrench themselves in the country of Saretta. Selim, mafter of Grand Cairo, was not equally fo of the flames, which con

fumed

Heg. 928.

fumed whole streets under his eyes, fpite of all his J.C.1514efforts to extinguish them. When he had at lengthn reduced Grand Cairo, ruined and deserted, under his power, it was requifite to complete the conqueft of the Mammelukes, who ftill exifted in a corner of Egypt. He fent to fummon Tumambei to furrender, promifing him the fangiacate of Grand Cairo, and all his people their lives.

the reft of

of the Mam

melukes

Their fou

ken and

put to

death

The Mammelukes, who had no dependance on Selim has the promises of the Turkish emperor, and full refentment for all his cruelties, caufed the two purfeed. chiaus, whom he had fent to them, to be ftran- dan is tagled. The news of this violation of the law of nations was a pretext for Selim to give himself up to all his barbarity. But, not choosing to go in perfon against a handful of defperate fellows, he fent twenty thousand men, fpahis and janiffaries, under the command of the vizier Mustapha Kirlou, to force their intrenchments. This laft combat was as obftinate as those that had preceded it. The Mammelukes, after having fold dearly their lives, were almost all left dead on the field of battle. Tumambei threw down his arms and fled in difguife. The Turks, who fancied he could never be defeated 'till they fhould have taken his life, employed every mean to discover him. After four days and four nights fearch, he was betrayed for a fum of money; fome janiffaries took him in a morafs, where he had hidden himself among the bulrushes. This

unfortunate

J.C.1518. unfortunate prince was dragged to Grand Cairo Heg. 924. his fight caused an exceffive joy throughout the

J.C. 1519.

army. Selim ordered him, who, a month before,

was the fovereign of this city, as opulent and populous as it was then ruined and deferted, to be conducted all over Grand Cairo on an old mule. This brave prince, after having been expofed a long time to the infults of the foldiery, was hanged in the middle of his capital. The fultan fet a price on the heads of the remaining Mammelukes, and had all thofe that were brought to him maffacred without mercy.

After this flaughter, Selim marched towards Heg. 925 Alexandria, which opened its gates, before even ter having the grand feignior had caufed them to be fum

Selim, af

deftroyed

melukes,

the Mam- moned. All Egypt followed the example. Noeftablishes thing was feen throughout but a people who' lieutenants fubmitted to the conqueror. Thus ended the

in Egypt,

and brings

with him empire of the Mammelukes, refpected in Africa toConftan- and Afia for near three hundred years.

tinople a

liph.

The fort of ca- different interefts of these foreign mafters and the natives fhould feemingly have extinguished it fooner. A people entire, fubject to another people, muft needs hate a multitude of defpots nourished by the labour of those whom they continually oppreffed. Selim found in Egypt a phantom of a caliph, whom the Mammeluke. foudans had eftablifhed there. He was of the illuftrious race of the Abbafians. This pretended chief of the Muffulman religion, though revered

by

Heg. 925.

by the Egyptians, as the fucceffor of the fuc- J.C.1519. ceffors of Mahomet, had not even the appearance of power. All these advantages were confined to an outward pageantry, and fome confiderable marks of refpect which he received from all the Muffulmen. The grand feignior, after having enjoyed his new conqueft feveral months, conducted the pretended caliph to Conftantinople, where he entertained him at the expence of the public treasure; this prince was neither dangerous by his pretenfions nor his refources. The emperors, having no intereft to get rid of him, permitted him to bear his title of caliph, for the remainder of his life, both at Conftantinople and Grand Cairo, where he returned after the death of Selim. But they would not permit his children to fucceed to this frivolous title, which, in the hands of an enterprising prince, might have given them unéafinefs. After the emperor had vifited all the confiderable towns of Egypt and Syria, he appointed two governors in this important conqueft. Caitbek, one of the lieutenants who had betrayed fultan Gauri, was made bashaw of Grand Cairo for all Egypt, and Gazilbek, who had likewise betrayed that unfortunate prince, was appointed bashaw of Aleppo for all Syria. Selim thought, without doubt, that these Mammelukes would be more capable of governing a country which they had delivered to him, than the Ottomans; never confidering, Oo that