12
THE DECLINE AND l'ALL
CHAP.
LXV.
The fame of Timour has pervaded the Eastand West; his posterity is still invested with theimperial title; and the admiration of his sub-jects, who revered him almost as a deity, maybe justified, in some degree, by the praise orconfession of his bitterest enemies." Althoughhe was lame of an hand and foot, his form andstature were not unworthy of his rank; and hisvigorous health, so essential to himself and tothe world, was corroborated by temperance andexercise. In his familiar discourse he was graveand modest, and if he was ignorant of the Ara-bic language, he spoke, with fluency and ele-gance, the Persian and Turkish idioms. It washis delight to converse with the learned on to-pics of history and science; and the amusementof his leisure hours was the game of chess,which he improved, or corrupted, with new re-finements.* In his religion, he was zealous,though not perhaps an orthodox mussulman; ybut his sound understanding may tempt us to be-
not). They presented the emperor of China with an' old horse whichTimour had formerly rode. It was in the year 1419 that they depart-ed from the court of Herat , to which place they returned in 1422 fromPekin.
“ From Arabshah, tom. ii, c. 99. The bright or softer colours areborrowed from Sherefeddin, d’Herbelot, and the Institutions.
* Ilis new system was multiplied from 32 pieces and 64 squares, to56 pieces and 110 or 130 squares. But, except in his court, the oldgame has been thought sufficiently elaborate. The Mogul emperorwas rather pleased than hurt, with the victory of a subject: a chess-player will feel the value of this encomium !
r See Sherefeddin, 1. v, c. 15, 25. Arabshah (tom. ii, c. 96, p. 801,803) reproves the impiety of Timour and the Moguls, who almost pre-ferred to the koran, the yacsa, or law of Zingis (cui Dens maledicat) ;nor will he believe that Sharokh had abolished the use and a ntliority ofthat Pagan code.