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Book XI. OXUS (1), TEMIR'S (u) Kingdom; to PEKIN (x), the Seat of the Emperor of CHINA; and thence to AGRA,

on to China; others woody, being feated in a Wood. It is the Capital of Zagathy or Sogdiana, a Southern Province of Tatary, and the Metropolis of all Tatary for many Ages. Beffus, General of the Baarians, who murdered Darius, was feized there, and delivered to Alexander the Great, who put him to Death on the fame spot of Ground, where he committed the Fact. It was the chief Seat and Sepu!chre of the great Tamerlain, who made it a magnificent and wealthy City befides the vaft Riches from other Nations, he fent Sooo Camels laden with the Spoils of Damafcus at one Time into it. A large and populous City; fome Houfes are built of Stone in a most pleasant Valley, with an Academy for Muhamme-· dan Learning. Here the best Silk and Paper in all Afia are made: The Chan's Castle is built of Marble, but now it is in Decay.

(t) Oxus; Lat. Gr. i. e. Swift, like the Tygris, because it falls from very high Mountains, and has a rapid Stream. A great River of Tatary, rifing in Mount Taurus; it parts Sogdiana and Margiana, and runs into the Cafpian Sea on the Eaft Side. The Tatars call it Amu, which fignifies the fame; and the Arabians call it Gibeon, i. e. Force; because the Source of it bursteth out of the Earth with vaft Violence. There Cyrus was defeated by Tomyris Queen

of the Scythians or Tatars, about A. M. 3420 and Sabacham of Zagathian Tatary, by Ifmael Sophy of Perfia, A. D.. 1514.

(u) Temir, or Timur-Lene, by the Arabians, and Temir-Cathi by the Tatars; Tatar, i. e. Happy or fortunate Iran; becaufe of his victorious Sword; and Tamerlane by us. A moit victorious Prince of the Pofterity of Zingis Chan, born April 6, A. D. 1336. in the City of Keifh or Skehrjobz, i. e. The green Citys about thirty Miles from Samarcand. He began to reign A. D. 1370; and, like Alexander the Great, in 35 Years fubdued more Kingdoms, than the old Romans did in 800 Years, viz. Babylon, Mefopotamia, Syria. Perfia, Parthia, Egypt, India, China; and boafted that he had three Parts of the World under his Power. He defeated the proud Bajazet, (Turk, i. e. Lightning; for the Expedition of his Conquefts) and all the Turkish Army in that great Battle near Mount Stella in the Plains of Angoria in Galatia, July 28, A. D. 1402. He was cruel, but a vaft Encourager of the Chriftians, though a Muhammedan by Profeffion; and died three Years after that grand Victory, Feb. 8, 1405. at a Village called Atrar and Otrar, diftant from Samarcand about 304 Miles; lived 70 Years, 11 Months, and 22 Days; and was buried in a magnificent Tomb erected by himself for that Pur

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AGRA (y), and LAHOR (z), Imperial Cities of the

pole at Samarcand: But his Sons Jolt all his Conquests; of him the prefent Moguls are defcended. He and Agefilaus, the 6th King of Sparta, were both lame of one Foot, yet very valiant and fuccefsful Generals. He was called the Wrath of God, and the Destroyer of the Earth; and Alaric the King of the Goths, who plundered Rome, A. D. 410, and conquered the Roman Empire, the Scourge of God; for their Cruelty.

(x) Paquin, Pekin, or Pecheli; Chinefe, i. e. The Northern Court; because it is the North of China, as Nankin, i. e. The Southern Court, for the fame Reason. The Capital City of the Province of Pekin, and the Metropolis of that vaft Empire, fince the Year 1404, 30 Leagues from the famous Wall, (which is 1200 Miles long, 6 Fathom high, built in 27 Years by 70,000,000 Men, to keep out the Tartars, about A. M. 3728, and 300 before Jefus Chrift) in a fertile Plain, in the Form of a vaft Square; each Side being 12 Chinese Lys or Furlongs in Length, i. e. 3600 Paces, with 12 Gates, ftately Palaces and Temples, wherein are Idols of maffy Gold, as big as the Life. The Streets are very ftrait, and at the longeft 120 Feet, but very dirty. It is the largest and moft beautiful City on the Face of the Earth. There is a most prodigious Bell, weighing 120,000 Pounds; it is 11 Foot Diameter, 12 Foot high.

GREAT

(y) Agra; Indian. The Capital City of the Province of Agra, larger than Debli, og.. i. e. A valt Extent) and a great City in India; being 9 Miles, in the Form of an Half Moon, with a mighty and admirable Caftle. It ftands upon the River Gemn or Gemini, on this Side the Ganges, and is the Metropo lis of the Moghol's Empire; but the Houses are low, mean, and made up of Straw, at a good Distance, and encompaffed with high Walls, that their Women may not be seen. It lies in zz Degrees and an half Northern Latitude, 210 Leagues romSurat, 150 from Labor, and 35 from Debli. Some reckon 25000 Cbriflian Families there, befides Heathens; but the Muhammedans are moft in Number. Agra was made the Imperial City by Mog bol Akbar, A. D. 1566, who called it Akbarabed, i. e. The Habitation of Akbar. Shah Jebab (Perf. i. e. King John) removed from Agra to Debli, March 29, A. D. 1647, and called it Shah Jehanabed, i. e. The Habitation of King John. Dehli pays 3,125,000l. of yearly Revenues to the Emperor.

(x) Lahor, or Lhor; Perf. from the Heb. i. e. Light. The Capital City of the Kingdom or Province of Labor, which contains feveral Kingdoms. It is three Leagues in Length, yields 37 Millions per Ann. to the Moghul, and there the Emperors kept their Court, from A. D. 1155, 'till they removed to A

gra;

GREAT MOGUL (a); down to the GOLDEN CHERSONESE (b): Or where the Emperor of PERSIA (c)

gra; fince it is very much diminished. There is a noble Walk of tall trees on both Sides of the Road from it to Agra, which is 150 Miles diftant. The Province of Labor is called alfo Pengah, Perf. i. e. The City of five Waters; because it is watered by five Rivers, viz. Bawy, Bebat, Obcham, Wihi, and Sindar. Many will have this Coun. try to be the Kingdom of King Porus, who fo valiantly oppofed Alexander the Great; and Labor to be the Bucephalia, which he founded in the Memory of his famous charging Horfe, called Bucephalus, Gr. i. e. The OxHead, who died there not of his Wounds, but of old Age: For he was the next Conqueror after Bacchus, who opened a Communication to the Indies, as far as China, 330 Years before the Incarnation, which facilitated the Propogation of the Gospel to St. Thomas, Bartholomew, Pantanus, and the other zealous Preachers; and Tamerlane was the next, Lahor is 360 Miles from Agra to the South, and 180 Miles Eaft of Multan.

(a) Moghul, or Moghol; Tatar, i. e. White because they defcended from the Moghol Tatars, or fome white Men, who invaded India under a Captain or King called Mogor or Mogol; and erected a Kingdom in Bengal, &c. about A. D. 1187. In the Tatarian Mung Lang fignifies Melancholy; becaufe Mogul or Mungal the Son of Alanza

fat

Chan, the firft Monarch was a Man of a melancholy Difpofition: Their Country, which lies in Turceftan Tatary, is called ftill Moghelftan. The present Moguls are the Race of the famous Tamerlane, who conquered India, A. D. 1400. Now the Moguls are Emperors of all India, extending from Perfia on the Weft, Tatary on the North, China on the Eaft, and the Indian Ocean on the South; they are the richest Monarchs upon Earth, and their Dominions are of the vafteft Extent, being divided into 35 different Kingdoms. He and fome of his Subjects are Muhammedans; the rest are Idolaters, except fome Europeans, who trade there.

(b) Cherfonefe, Lat. Gr. i. e. A Peninfula. A Geographical Term; because it is a Piece of Land furrounded with Sea, but at one Place which unites it to the Continent or Main Land; an Ifthmus. Many Places are fo called, but this is a vaft Tra&t of Land, comprehending the large Peninfula of Ganges, the moft Southern Part of the East Indies, between Sumatra and Borneo, called by the Antients the Golden Cherfonefe; because it abounded with Gold: Now the Promontory of Malaca, from Malaca the chief City of it.

(c) Emperor of Perfia, whole Royal Seat was Ecbatan. Perfia in facred Scripture is called Cuth, Heb. i. e. Lurking or hid

den;

fat in EC'BATAN (d), or fince in ISPAHAN (e):

den; alfo Elam, and the People Elamites; from Elam the Son of Sem, who first fettled there with his Pofterity. In the Reign of Cyrus, about A. M. 3419, before Chrift 531, it began firft to be called Perfia, Heb. i. e. Horfemen or Troopers; because he taught thofe People the Ufe of War and Horses. The Perfians and Tatars call it Iris or Iran, from Irige, eldeft Son of Fraydun, feventh King of the first Race of their Monarchs. It is the most antient and renowned Empire in both divine and human Hiftory. It is about 1440 Miles in Length, and 1 206 in Breadth, in the Middle of Afia; having Tatary and the Cafpian Sea on the North, the River Indus on the Eaft, the Indian Ocean on the South; Euphrates, Tygris, and the Perfian Gulph on the Weft; and confifts of eleven vaft Provinces, befides other Acquifitions. Now the Inhabitants call it Farfitan, and the Empire of the Sophy.

(d) Ecbatan, or Ecbatana; Arab. i. e. Of divers Colours; because the Walls and Towers were built of feven different coloured Stones, which did caft a glorious Splendor. It is called Achametha, Efd. vi. z. and by the Inhabitants Tebris, Cafbin, now Taurus. It was built by Seleucus, according to Pliny; repaired and enlarged by Arphax ad, whom fome call Dejoces. See Judith i. 1, 2, 3, 4. about A. M. 3400, according to Herodotus. It was the firft Capital of

Or

Media, then of Perfia; was the richest City in the World, and confifted of many ftately Palaces, Courts, Sepulchres of their Emperors, and of their whole Treafures. There Daniel the Prophet erected an admirable Palace. The Emperors of Perfia had four noble Palaces: they refided at Ecbatana in the Winter, at Sufa in the Summer, at Perfepolis in the Autumn, and Babylon in the reft of the Year. The Turks facked it often, but the Perfians have kept Poffeffion of it fince A. D. 1603.

(e) Ifpahan, by fome Hagifan, by the Armenians Spuhun, and now Iffahan, Perf. i. e. The happy City, or The City of the Whites. The Metropolis of all Perfia, in the Province of Iraca or Erach, the antient Parthia; it is 70 Miles South from Casbin, 80 Miles from Ormus. Scach Abbas the Emperor of Perfia, fixed his Royal Seat there, beautified, enlarged, and enriched it; and there his Succeffors have kept their Courts these zoo Years paft: It is thought to be the antient Afpadama or Spada, and was called Hecatompolis, Gr. i. e. having 100 Gates, but now 7. It is one of the greatest Cities upon Earth, walled round with Earthen Walls, which is a fingular Thing in Perfia, about 30 Miles round, in a very fruitful Plain, and washed by the River Zenderu, which is as broad and deep as the River Thames is at London; very rich, of a vast Trade from all Places, and po

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Or where the CZAR (f) of RUSSIA fat in Moscow (g); or the TURKISH SULTAN (b) in By

pulous; they reckon a Million of Souls in it; having 162 Mofques, 48 Colleges, 1802 Inns, 273 Baths, 12 large Burying Places, which are without the City, as they are over all Perfia; and fo they were over all the Earth, till about 1000 Years ago; but fome Houfes take up 20 Acres of Ground. The Armenians have an Archbifhop and 20 Churches in it. It is about 2000 Miles from Conftantinople to the South-Eaft, and 2600 from London. There is alfo the first Madrefha or Academy of all the nine that are in Perfia

(f) Czar; or Izar, i. e. King; or Scharvon. The Emperor. A Title of the Emperors of Muscovy or Ruffia. It was firth affumed by Iwan Wafuelewitz, when he conquered the City of Cufcan, and was crowned there, A. D. 1552.

(8) Moscow, or Moskowa; Heb. from the Mofchi or Mofci, an antient People, who defcended from Mifech, the Son of Japhet, Gen. x. 2. Ezek. xxvii. 13. xxxviii. 3. and firft inhabited the Country of Colchis. It is the chief City of Moscow, upon the Banks of the River Mof cow, and gives the Name to that vaft Empire in the North of Europe. This City is old, large, populous, and rich; built of Wood, ill contrived, not paved, and was founded A. D. 1334. The chief Church called feruJalem, was founded by John

ZANTIUM,

Bafilides I. But he put out the Eyes of the Architect, that he might never contrive nor build fuch another. The Tatars burnt 80,000 Houfes of it, A. D. 1571. The Roles 41,000; and destroyed about 200,000 Souls, A. D. 1611. It was again laid in Ashes, A. D. 1699, 170. It is about 16 Miles in Compafs, and contains about 700,000 Inhabitants. It abounds with Merchants out of all Nations, and was made the Royal Seat of the Empire by John Duke of Ruffia about 300 Years ago. It ftands in the Middle of the Country, fenced with Lakes and three ftrong Walls. It is about 750 Miles from Stockholm to the Eaft, 750 from Warjaw to the North, 1000 Miles from Conftantinople to the NorthEast, and 1500 Miles diftant from Paris and London. The Empire is vaft and large, in Length about 1699, and about 1100 Miles in Breadth. X. N. 431. The Mofcovites were rude and barbarous Heathens, till they embraced Chriftianity from the Grecians, A. D. 986, Printing, A D. 1560; and now they are trained up in all polite Literature, Arts and Sciences by Peter the Great: Their Alphabet confifts of 42 Letters, which very much refemble the Greek ones. The Hiftory of the Mafcovites doth not rise above zoo Years paft.

See B.

(b) Turkif Sultan; becaufe

the

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