Heg. 804.

J.C. 1402. Tamerlane. The conqueror's fons difperfed themfelves over Natolia and all the Ottoman The one that went to Burfa, to

dominions.
seize the treasures of Bajazet, had been prevented
by Solyman. This prince, in his flight, had
paffed through that town, from whence he had
taken every thing valuable, and had gained Gui-
zelhiffar, a place built by Bajazet directly facing
Conftantinople, defigned to prevent the Greek
emperors from entering Afia., Burfa was reduced
almost to afhes; Nice was facked; and the whole
country, as far as the Bofphorus of Thrace, mi-
ferably laid wafte. Bajazet's wife, the daughter
of the prince of Phrygia, and fifter of Bazzirlaus,
killed in this fatal battle, was taken by Tamer-

lane's

prince was brought before Tamerlane, who, with a mock fmile, asked him if this fort of ride were not one of the amufements of his illuftrious ancestors? To this cruel raillery he added a ftill more fenfible infult. Bajazet had mar ried Mary, the daughter of the despot of Servia, who of all his wives was his greatest favorite. Tamerlane having taken this princess, cut off her petticoats juft above her knees, and, in that fituation, and half naked, he obliged her to ferve him at table in prefence of her husband. Bajazet, whofe only remaining weapon was his tongue, enraged with anger and indignation, and perhaps furious with jealousy, told him, that, being sprung from the dirt, and defcended from unknown parents, he ought to be ashamed of his life, at having contemned the blood royal, and insulted a princess, whose birth should have procured her respect.

The Tartar only laughed at the anger of his prifoner; he carried him with him in his retinue, and loaded him with heavy chains; it is faid even that he confined him in an iron cage, like a wild beast. Bajazet could not long sustain so many outrages: some historians say, that, in order to put an end to a life fo odious, he beat out his brains against the bars of his cage. Others,' that a flave having infolently thrown him a poisoned bone, as to a dog, Ba-` jazet, after having fharpened it with his teeth, pierced his throat with it. See l'Hiftoire de Malte de Vertot. TRANSLATOR.

Heg. 804.

lane's out parties, as fhe was fleeing from Burfa. J.C. 1402. This prince fent her to her husband to confole his captivity; the only violence, that he offered this princefs, was, the obliging of her to abjure the Chriftian religion, in which she was born, and to embrace Iflamifm.

reftores the

their ef

Bajazet

gated.

Tamerlane fixed his refidence for fome time Tamerlane at Kutaia, a town two days journey from Burfa, princes very agreeable by its fituation, and by the tem- tates that perature of the air. He gave public plays and had subjuwarlike festivals there, to which the hiftorians of Death of his life affert that he invited Bajazet, in order to Bajazet. foften his captivity. Tamerlane, who pretended to have taken arms, only to repair the injuftices of this prince, took Mehemet, the fon of Caraman Ogli, from the prifon to which the Turkish emperor had condemned him, and restored him the fovereignty poffeffed by his father. He reftored likewife to Iacub Thelebi, the heir of Ierman Ogli, and to the other. Muffulman princes difpoffeffed by Bajazet, the lands which they had loft, making them all his tributaries. He even gave Bajazet the title and inveftiture of the kingdom of Natolia. Notwithstanding the good J.C. 1403,, Heg. 805 treatment which the fultan received from Tamerlane, his chagrin shortened his days; he died in the train of the vanquisher, in a town called Akzaar. It was not, as fome hiftorians have pretended, by beating his head against the bars of an iron cage, in which he was never really

imprisoned;

Heg. 805.

1.C.1403. imprifoned; but he died of the effects of an apoplexy, that became fatal to him, because this unfortunate prince, who wished only for death, refused every remedy which was earnestly offered him. His vanquisher gave him a magnificent funeral, and fent his body to Burfa to be interred with his ancestors.

Bajazet's profperity rendered his end more bitter; he supported his fall as much worse, as he was fallen from fuch a height. Notwithstanding his paffion for war, Bajazet, during a reign of fourteen years, did not neglect the advantages of peace. Befides the town of Guizelhiffar, which he built oppofite Conftantinople, he adorned almost all the large ones of his empire, with mofques, public schools, hospitals, in short, every kind of building useful to the people, that could immortalize the magnificence of a monarch. But, like moft conquerors, Bajazet was impetuous, haughty, and fanguinary. Tamerlane, who vanquifhed him in arms, furpaffed him likewife in policy, in generofity, and particularly in justice.

INTERREIGN.

INTER REIGN.

WE

UNDER SOLYMAN.

J.C. 1403,
to 1406.
Heg. 805,
to 809.

Solyman

European

with the

an embally

merlane to

the death

ther.

E have obferved, that, during the battle of Angora, at the time that Bajazet faw fortune declaring against him, he obliged his fon Solyman to flee from the fword of the vanquisher, in order to fave the remains of the Ottoman blood. This young prince, accompanied by Ali divides the bashaw, his father's grand vizier, repaired to dominions Conftantinople to implore the clemency, not of Greeks. John, but of Manuel Paleologus, who, hereto- He receives fore, had refigned the throne to his nephew when from Tahe thought it ready to fall. But fince the diver- announce fion of the Tartars, Manuel, recalled by all the of his faOrders of the ftate, had resumed the authority, no longer thought tottering. The Greek monarch took advantage of the misfortunes of the Ottomans, if not to take from them all their European poffeffions, at leaft to divide their conquefts. This prince preferred a partition to a war, even with the vanquished. He confirmed Solyman in the poffeffion of Thrace, but reserved Theffalonica to himfelf, where he fent his nephew John, whom he had driven from the throne, leaving him the title of emperor. He again united to the Greek empire the towns beyond the

Strimon

J.C. 1403, Strimon in Macedonia as far as Zetunion, all the

to 1406.

to 809.

Heg. 805, places from Panima to the entrance of the Bofphorus, called the facred entrance, and the forts on the borders of the Pont Euxine as far as Varna. After this treaty, Solyman retired to Adrianople, in order to refign himself to that immoderate debauchery which obfcured all his fhining qualities. This prince, finding himself in poffeffion of a fmall fovereignty, seemed to have forgotten, that his father and brothers were languishing in captivity, and that a powerful enemy had almost destroyed their great empire. He was fcarcely arrived at Adrianople, when he received an embaffy from Tamerlane to inform him of the death of his father. This conqueror, whofe name alone infpired terror, addreffed a letter to the fon of his prifoner, of which the following is the fubftance: he told him, that he confidered it as his duty to testify to him the part he took in the misfortune of his father; that by it he had learned in what manner God confounds the great and those that confider every thing as just that their ambition fuggefts to them. "I have "been," continued he, "more favored by for

tune perhaps than any one in the world. No

man can look on my prosperity, without being "ftruck with admiration. All this touches me "less than the example of thy father, which "teaches me to put voluntary bounds to my good fortune. I am willing then to forget "that