The history of the life of Nader Shah, King of Persia. Extracted from an Eastern manuscript, which was translated into French by order of His Majesty the King of Denmark ... / With an introduction ... and an appendix ... By William Jones, esq.

  • Mahdī Khān Astarābādī, active 1733-1759.
Date:
1773
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The history of the life of Nader Shah, King of Persia. Extracted from an Eastern manuscript, which was translated into French by order of His Majesty the King of Denmark ... / With an introduction ... and an appendix ... By William Jones, esq. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    132/322 (page 12)
    ajj.i728. one of Ills attendants for that purpofe, who Nad. 41. gladly undertook the office, fince a brother, whom v he tenderly loved, had been unjuftly flam by Melek during his government of Khorafan. This Ufurper was a bafe, perfidious, artful ty¬ rant ; he had been governor of Segeftan, but removed into Khorafan, when the Afgans in¬ vaded Perth, and was delighted with the ruin of his country, as it gave him an opportunity of railing himfelf to abfolute power. Nader had now recovered a great part of the fin eft province in the Perfian Empire; and he refolved to bring the whole of it to fubjeclion, before he carried his arms into the Weft. As to the Sultan, he neither feared nor regarded him : he fhowed him, indeed, a great deal of out¬ ward refpeeft, but acted in all his affairs with a fovereign authority; for he well knew that nothing could injure him, while he was at the head of thirty thoufand hardy foldiers, who were firmly attached to his intereft, as well from the veneration, which his amazing courage extorted from them, as from the hope of fharing the fruits of his victories. ■» Z' -f ; On the twenty-feventh of July, he fet out upon an expedition againjl the Afgans, who had by this time penetrated into the heart of Khorafan : thofe banditti fled precipitately from Ins army, which advanced, as the poet fays, like a flame that confumes all before it. He came in a few days to one of thofe vaft deferts of land, that are fo frequent in Alia ; where, mounted on a camel, with a lance in his hand, he led his foldiers without intermiffion, and held in common with them the toil and danger 1