of all the soldiers of fortune within the sphere of his influence, that he was at the head of an overwhelming host.

In the month of Ramzân, in the year eight hundred and ninety nine (June 1494), and in the twelfth year of my age, I became,' says Baber, king of Ferghâna.'

His country was of small extent, and his want of years and experience rendered him unfit to cope with the difficulties that surrounded him; yet we find him almost immediately in the field. In 1497, he took Samarkand, but was compelled to His evacuate it soon after, by rebellion in his own kingdom. army deserted him, and he was left without territory at the head of a mere handful of devoted followers. A counter-revolution restored him in the succeeding year. He set out on a second expedition against Samarkand, and while on his way, received intelligence that his old antagonists had again taken possession of his hereditary states. He persevered, however, and made himself master of Samarkand by surprise. His opponent, in this direction, was Sheibani Khan, a chieftain of considerable talent and courage, who ultimately succeeded in driving Baber from his paternal throne, and who, on the present occasion, was éndeavouring to force him to an engagement.

I precipitated matters,' writes Baber, and hurried on the battle: He who with impatient haste lays his hand on his sword, Will afterwards gnaw that hand with his teeth from regret. The cause of my eagerness to engage was, that the stars called the Sahzyûlduz (or eight stars) were on that day exactly between the two armies; and if I had suffered that day to elapse, they would have continued favourable to the enemy for the space of thirteen or fourteen days. These observances were all nonsense, and my precipitation was without the least solid excuse.'

Baber was routed and blocked up in Samarkand, which he was ultimately compelled to evacuate with a few attendants. His account of this event is characteristic, and gives a striking example of energy and light-heartedness in a youth of seventeen, who could, in such a state of danger and destitution, play pranks and make verses.

Having entangled ourselves among the great branches of the canals of the Sogd, during the darkness of the night, we lost our way, and, after encountering many difficulties, we passed Khwâjeh Dîdår about dawn. By the time of early morning prayers, we arrived at the hillock of Karbogh, and passing it on the north below the village of Kherdek, we made for Ilán-ûtî. On the road I had a race with Kamber Ali and Kasim Beg. My horse got the lead. As I turned round on my seat to see how far I had left them behind, my saddleVOL. XXVII. N.S. 2 X

girth being slack, the saddle turned round, and I came to the ground right on my head. Although I immediately sprang up and mounted, yet I did not recover the full possession of my faculties till the evening; and the world, and all that occurred at the time, passed before my eyes and apprehension like a dream, or a phantasy, and disappeared. The time of afternoon prayers was past ere we reached Ilan-ûtî, where we alighted, and having killed a horse, cut him up, and dressed slices of his flesh; we stayed a little time to rest our horses, then mounting again, before day-break we alighted at the village of Kalileh. From Kalileh we proceeded to Dizak....... Here we found nice fat flesh, bread of fine flour well baked, sweet melons, and excellent grapes in great abundance; thus passing from the extreme of famine to plenty, and from an estate of danger and calamity to peace and ease:

(Turki)-From famine and distress we have escaped to repose; We have gained fresh life and a fresh world. (Persian)-The fear of death was removed from the heart;

The torments of hunger were removed away.

In my whole life, I never enjoyed myself so much, nor at any period of it felt so sensibly the pleasures of peace and plenty. Enjoyment after suffering, abundance after want, come with increased relish, and afford more exquisite delight. I have four or five times in the course of my life, passed in a similar manner from distress to ease, and from a state of suffering to enjoyment: but this was the first time that I had ever been delivered from the injuries of my enemy, and the pressure of hunger, and passed from them to the ease of security, and the pleasures of plenty.'

Baber had two maternal uncles who were khans of considerable power, and, after various movements, which led to nothing decisive, he resolved on joining them, and they invaded in conjunction the kingdom of Ferghana, then in possession of a rebel named Tambol. The latter defended himself with courage and skill, and the inexperienced ardour of Baber exposed him to many hazards, from which he was extricated with much difficulty. The first division of the memoirs closes in a very unaccountable manner. Baber had attempted to defend, with inadequate means, Akhsi, a fortified city, but was compelled to flee, hotly pursued. He was, at length, overtaken, and induced to surrender ;-at this point the narrative breaks off, and a considerable hiatus occurs in all the MSS. The previous details are full of interest, and just when it is carried to the highest pitch, we are left to an uncertainty on which no existing document throws the smallest light. Nothing more is known of this part of his history beyond the general fact, that he succeeded in rejoining his uncles, who seem to have intended, after availing themselves to the utmost of his services, to divide his territories between them. In this

design, however, they were disappointed; for Tambol, driven to extremity, called in Sheibani Khan, who immediately advanced at the head of an army more in number than the rain-drops,' defeated and took the Khans, and compelled Baber to take flight. During nearly a year, he concealed himself in the hill country to the south of Ferghana, whence he descended, in 1504, at the head of between two and three hundred ragged and ill-armed followers. Badakshan was at this time under the dominion of Khosrou Shah, an unpopular chief; and Baber seems to have felt little scruple in carrying on a brisk course of intrigue, which terminated in the complete dethronement of Khosrou, and the substitution of his rival. From this time, with many reverses, the fortunes of Baber gradually advanced. He made himself master of Kabul, and extended his conquests in the direction of Hindustan. His attachment to his native soil, led him, after the death of Sheibani Khan, who fell in a war, which he had rashly and wantonly provoked, with Shah Ismael of Persia, to make an attempt at recovering Samarkand. He failed through the mismanagement of his Persian allies, and from that period confined himself to an eastern direction in his enterprises. Some of his occasional excursions against the refractory tribes in his more immediate neighbourhood, are interestingly described.

It was about the end of the first watch, when a man came from the advance with information that, in a narrow defile, the Hazâras had fortified and strengthened a ford with branches of trees, and had stopped the advance of our troops, who were now engaged with

On hearing this, we instantly quickened our pace, and when we had advanced a little way, reached the place where the Hazaras had made their stand, and were in hot action. That winter the snow lay very deep, which rendered it dangerous to leave the common road. The banks of the stream, about the ford, were all covered with ice and it was impossible to pass the river at any place off the road, on account of the ice and snow. The Hazâras had cut down a number of branches of trees, with which they had fortified the opposite landing-place. They ranged themselves both on horseback and foot, as well in the channel as along the banks of the river, and maintained the fight by discharges of arrows. Muhammed Ali Mobasher Beg, one of the new Amirs, whom I had distinguished by particular marks of favour, and who was a very brave and able man, and a deserving young officer, had neglected to put on his coat of mail; as he advanced rather near to the place where the road was blocked up by the branches, he was struck by an arrow in the kidneys, and expired on the spot. We had come up hurriedly, and many of us had not taken time to put on our armour. One or two arrows passed whizzing by, and missed us. Ahmed Yusef Beg, in evident alarm, said every time, "You should not have come here unarmed-you

must go back. I have observed two or three arrows graze close by your head." I replied," Be you bold; as good arrows have many a time passed my head." At this very moment, on our right, Kasim Beg, with his band, discovered a place where the stream could be crossed, and having gained a footing on the opposite side, no sooner pushed on his horse to the charge, than the Hazaras, unable to keep their ground, took to flight. The party that had got in among them, followed them in close pursuit, dismounting and cutting numbers of them down. In reward for his bravery on this occasion, I bestowed Bangash on Kassim Beg as a provision. Khatim Korbegi also signalised himself on this expedition, on which account I gave him the office of Korbegi............To Kepek Kuli Baba, for his good conduct, I gave Muhammed Ali Mobasher Beg's office. Sultan Kuli Chinâk went in pursuit of them, but it was impossible to leave the road on account of the quantity and depth of the snow. I myself accompanied the pursuers; we fell in with the sheep and herds of horses of the Hazaras near their winter habitations. I collected for my own share, to the number of four or five hundred sheep, and twenty or twenty-five horses. Sultan Kuli, and two or three other persons who were at hand, were joint sharers. I myself went twice on a plundering party. This was one of the times. The other was also against these very Turkomân Hazâras, when, on my return from Khorâsân, I led a foray against them, and brought off numbers of their horses and sheep. The wives and little children of the Hazâras escaped on foot to the snow-covered hillocks, and there remained. We were rather remiss in following them. The day, too, was far spent; we therefore went and halted at the huts of the Hazâras.'

Baber made various demonstrations towards the east, before he finally marched upon Hindustan with the view of permanent conquest. Ibrahim, the emperor of Delhi, collected an immense army, and advanced to meet the invaders, who intrenched themselves near the celebrated town of Paniput. The decisive battle was fought on the 21st of April, 1526, and terminated in the entire defeat of Ibrahim, who fell in the conflict. The last engagement on a large scale in which Baber commanded, was that with the gallant Rajpoot leader, Rana Sanka, who, in 1527, made one bold but unsuccessful effort for victory on the field of Sikri. In consequence of his success on that occasion against an army of Pagans,' Baber assumed the title of Ghazi, or the Victorious.' Previously to the battle, he solemnly renounced the use of wine. He died in 1530, and the following singular account is given of the immediate occasion of his death.

When all hopes from medicine were over, and while several men of skill were talking to the emperor of the melancholy situation of his son, Abul Baka, a personage highly venerated for his knowledge

:

and piety, remarked to Baber, that, in such a case, the Almighty had sometimes vouchsafed to receive the most valuable thing possessed by one friend, as an offering in exchange for the life of another. Baber exclaiming that, of all things, his life was dearest to Hûmaiûn, as Hûmaiûn's was to him, and that, next to the life of Hûmaiûn, his own was what he most valued, devoted his life to heaven as a sacrifice for his son's. The noblemen around him en. treated him to retract the rash vow, and, in place of his first offering, to give the diamond taken at Agra, and reckoned the most valuable on earth that the ancient sages had said, that it was the dearest of our worldly possessions alone that was to be offered to heaven. But he persisted in his resolution, declaring that no stone, of whatever value, could be put in competition with his life. He three times walked round the dying prince, a solemnity similar to that used in sacrifices and heave-offerings, and retiring, prayed earnestly to God. After some time, he was heard to exclaim, "I have borne it away! I have borne it away!" The Musulman historians assure us, that Hûmaiûn almost immediately began to recover, and that, in proportion as he recovered, the health and strength of Baber visibly decayed. Baber communicated his dying instructions to Khwajeh Khalifeh, Kamber Ali Beg, Terdi Beg, and Hindu Beg, who were then at court, commending Humaiûn to their protection. With that unvarying affection for his family, which he shewed in all the circumstances of his life, he strongly besought Hûmaiûn to be kind and forgiving to his brothers. Humaiûn promised, and, what in such circumstances is rare, kept his promise.'

Such is a partial outline of this valuable work, which has given precision, not only to scientific detail, but to an important section of oriental history. It will be found to correct much. error, to communicate much novel information, and to throw light to a considerable extent on what was previously obscure.

Art. III. The Shepherd's Calendar; with Village Stories and other Poems. By John Clare, Author of "Poems on Rural Life and Scenery." Fcp. 8vo. pp. 238. Price 6s. London. 1827.

JOHN

OHN CLARE, we confess, is a favourite with us; we hope he is with our readers, and for a similar reason; he is so true to nature, that his verse may be said to reflect the very images and colouring of the scenes he describes, rather than to be the tapestry-work of the fancy. His poetry seems to have no other business than simply, as it murmurs on, to image to the mind's eye the natural objects which the season and the place may present. There they are, softened by the reflection, but just as they breathe or bloom; and any poor wight, in cities pent, by means of this camera lucida, may see them as he sits with his book in his hand, by the side of