History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 6Gibbon, Edward
History
History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire — Volume 6
Gibbon, Edward
Byzantine Empire -- History -- To 527; Rome -- History -- Empire, 30 B.C.-476 A.D.
7 (return) [ After relating some false and foolish tales of
Timour _Lenc_, Arabshah is compelled to speak truth, and to own
him for a kinsman of Zingis, per mulieres, (as he peevishly
adds,) laqueos Satanæ, (pars i. c. i. p. 25.) The testimony of
Abulghazi Khan (P. ii. c. 5, P. v. c. 4) is clear,
unquestionable, and decisive.]
8 (return) [ According to one of the pedigrees, the fourth
ancestor of Zingis, and the ninth of Timour, were brothers; and
they agreed, that the posterity of the elder should succeed to
the dignity of khan, and that the descendants of the younger
should fill the office of their minister and general. This
tradition was at least convenient to justify the _first_ steps of
Timour’s ambition, (Institutions, p. 24, 25, from the MS.
fragments of Timour’s History.)]
9 (return) [ See the preface of Sherefeddin, and Abulfeda’s
Geography, (Chorasmiæ, &c., Descriptio, p. 60, 61,) in the iiid
volume of Hudson’s Minor Greek Geographers.]
10 (return) [ See his nativity in Dr. Hyde, (Syntagma Dissertat.
tom. ii. p. 466,) as it was cast by the astrologers of his
grandson Ulugh Beg. He was born, A.D. 1336, April 9, 11º 57'. p.
m., lat. 36. I know not whether they can prove the great
conjunction of the planets from whence, like other conquerors and
prophets, Timour derived the surname of Saheb Keran, or master of
the conjunctions, (Bibliot. Orient. p. 878.)]
11 (return) [ In the Institutions of Timour, these subjects of
the khan of Kashgar are most improperly styled Ouzbegs, or
Usbeks, a name which belongs to another branch and country of
Tartars, (Abulghazi, P. v. c. v. P. vii. c. 5.) Could I be sure
that this word is in the Turkish original, I would boldly
pronounce, that the Institutions were framed a century after the
death of Timour, since the establishment of the Usbeks in
Transoxiana. * Note: Col. Stewart observes, that the Persian
translator has sometimes made use of the name Uzbek by
anticipation. He observes, likewise, that these Jits (Getes) are
not to be confounded with the ancient Getæ: they were unconverted
Turks. Col. Tod (History of Rajasthan, vol. i. p. 166) would
identify the Jits with the ancient race.—M.]
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