Heg. 940. fent out an army of obfervation, with orders not J.C 1534 to advance into the country. Tachmas hoped that the intemperature of the air and the dryness of the climate would overcome the Turks with more certainty than numerous armies. The Perfian army remained under the cannon of Sultania, a town about eight days march from Tauris. The Ottomans, divided into two corps, followed at a fmall diftance the flying camp of Calaman. The first of these two divifions, com manded by Ibrahim, arrived before Tauris twelve days after the furrender of that place. The emperor and his fon followed fix days after, at the head of the fecond. There were now two hundred and fifty thousand men in the environs of Tauris. Calaman was fent on a fecond time before, to discover the intentions of the Perfians. This general, after a painful march, during which fatigue alone made him lofe fome of his men, found the Perfian cavalry numerous and immoveable under the cannon of Sultania; he had not troops enough to risk attacking them. The return of Calaman informed Solyman, that he muft seek the Perfians a great way off, before he could engage them. What had already happened in the Perfian wars, happened to this prince: the Ottomans fuffered in thefe deferts in proportion to the forces that they had brought there; even their precautions turned against them. The quantity of provifions and ammunition requiring more J.C.1534 more beafts of burden, the nourishment of fo Heg. 940. many animals became impoffible. They were obliged to kill a great number of them to prevent their perishing through mifery. The heat and drought, the infects, the aridity of the fands and the corruption of the meat, foon brought on fcarcity, difeafes, and all the infeparable confequences of fo many scourges, vance into of Perfia. ans march road, and recover Tauris. Meanwhile the Perfian monarch had his eyes open on his enemy, and congratulated himself on having already overcome him by his patience They ad- and good conduct. Whilft Solyman's army was the deferts Wafting in the deferts of Perfia, Tachmas, at the The Perfi- head of the beft of his troops, marched by another by another road towards Tauris, in which he knew that the Turk had left but a very weak garrison. Whether the Perfians were better able than other people to bear the intemperature of their climate and the aridity of their fands, or, what is more probable, that they were better acquainted with the country, and that it was eafier to provifion forty thousand men there than two hundred and fifty thoufand, the king of Perfia arrived fortunately at Tauris, and ftill more fortunately took poffeffion of it in prefence of the Turkish bashaw, commanding in the place, who could not perfuade himself that it was poffible for the Perfians to arrive there, without having deftroyed the Turkish army. He did not make the leaft refiftance. The few troops that had been left under his command command were presently difperfed; their gene-1534. ral, who dreaded the chaftisement of his cowardice, gave them the example of flight. All these misfortunes afflicted Solyman, to fuch a degree, that he began to complain grievously of the enterprife in which his minifter had fo rafhly engaged him. These were the firft reproaches that Ibrahim had ever received from his mafter. He endeavoured to ftifle them by procuring him conquefts which coft no blood. Calaman, the Perfian fugitive, the confident of the minifter, who had advised ftill more than the vizier the war against his country, found means to corrupt his friend Mahomet, who commanded at Bagdad for the fophi Tachmas. The old fatrap repaired thither in difguife; the gold and promifes of Ibrahim, and the hopes of a government for life, whilft thofe of Perfia lafted only three years, dazzled Mahomet; he promised to deliver up the town and all the country belonging to it. As the winter was approaching, Solyman dragged thither his languishing army. On his arrival on the borders of the Euphrates, which he found as fertile as the country that he quitted was wretched, he caused the remains of his troops to be cantoned there. The fultan received reinforcements from Alexandria, the two Syrias, Judea, and Comagen, the fangiacs of which flocked to him with their timarians. The pleasures of Bagdad made Solyman forget for fome time what he had fuffered in Heg. 941, J.C.1535 in the deferts of Perfia; and as pompous titles &942. flatter the vanity of the Turks, he caused himself to be crowned at Bagdad king of that immenfe country, as if he had effectively conquered it. The Per for the army near mount Taurus, furprise As foon as the rigour of the season was abated, fians wait the grand feignior, whom experience could not Turkish correct, and who ardently defired to engage Tachmas, began his march at the head of an army which they almoft renewed, to feek this prince, who took and beat. the greatest care to avoid him. The king of Perfia had employed the time which Solyman had paffed at Bagdad, in laying waste more and more all the plains on both fides of Tauris. This prince no longer found either enemies or provifions but when he attempted to penetrate into Perfia. Always combating the elements, thirst, and hunger, he returned to Tauris. And indeed, never was the facking of a town more dreadful: they burnt whole edifices, in which a number of unfortunate people had in vain fought an asylum. After Solyman's foldiers had flaughtered at their leifure, old men, women, and children, to avenge themselves for the misfortunes which they had fuffered, the army fet out to return to Turkey. Tachmas had fent a corps of troops by the byroads, which lay wait for the enemy at the foot of mount Taurus. The Ottomans, who began to find provifions, and who did not expect an army, were refigning themselves to diforder and the pleasure of pillaging; all their troops were dif perfed; Heg. 941, perfed; when they were attacked in the middle .C. 1535 of the night. The fire which the advanced guard & 942. of the Perfians fet to the Turkish camp, only gave light to the carnage. The fack of Tauris and the lofs of Bagdad were cruelly avenged. The Perfians retired, loaded with almost all the booty which their enemies had made in their country, and dragging after them a multitude of flaves, horfes, and beafts of burden. Solyman, whom victory had 'till then always accompanied, feverely felt this lofs. He called fultaneffes brahim, & havinghim to mind with forrow the counfels of Zulema and The two Roxalana: he repeated often, that his women accufe Iwere more prudent and better informed than the fucceed in vizier, the mufti, and all the minifters and ma- frangled. gicians of the empire, who had made him undertake a war rather againft the elements than a powerful enemy; that near two hundred thousand men had perished in two years for the fole conqueft of Bagdad, which he could not flatter himfelf with preferving more than Selim had done. On his return to Conftantinople, the fultan was received with as much joy as if his enterprise had been crowned with the happieft fuccefs. The people ran out in crowds to meet him; he entered through the gardens of the feraglio, the ground of which was covered with precious carpets. The town was illuminated for several days; but this pomp could not calm the emperor's mind. The vizier had, in the feraglio of Conftantinople, 3 A |