4

be readily acknowleged by all who are thoroughly acquainted with thofe authors, when they have perufed the foregoing fheets. Nay, we have been enabled, by the affiftance of the Reverend and Learned Dr. Hunt, Profeffor of Hebrew and Arabic in the Univerfity of Oxford, for which both we and the public are extremely obliged to him, to infert in this work all the particulars recorded in Ebn Shohnah's hiftory, from the commencement of the 512th year of the Hejra, the laft mentioned in Erpenius's edition of Al Makin, to the clofe of 656. As this hiftory has never yet been printed, and Dr. Hunt has collated his manufcript, out of which we have been fupplied with fo many additional articles, with two others preferved in the Bodleian library, Oxon. in feveral paffages that feemed to have been the most depraved; fuch a valuable acceffion to the firft part of our large and extenfive work, hitherto in vain defired by the learned world, cannot but be highly acceptable to all our most curious and intelligent readers. We have alfo transfufed into the modern hiftory of the Arabs many extracts from Abu'lfeda's chronicle, or general hiftory, for a confiderable part of which our moft grateful acknowlegements are due to F. Affemani and M. Reifke, two gentlemen juftly celebrated over the whole republic of letters for their profound erudition, and from the productions of other eastern authors, whose writings in Europe are very little known. This performance has likewife been inriched with the substance of fome critical manuscript notes on Abu'l Faraj, which not feldom correct Dr. Pocock's Latin verfion of that author, now in the poffeffion of the Rev. John Swinton, M. A. of Chrift-Church, Oxford, F. R. S. as well as with M. Kehr's obfervations upon the Arabic coins found on the coast of the Baltick, in 1722, adorned with infcriptions in the Cúfic character, and other valuable pieces, either hitherto inedited, or at prefent extremely difficult to be procured.. All which being maturely weighed, the variety of matter contained in this and the two preceding volumes will, we flatter ourselves, be deemed an ample compenfation for the delays, occafioned by our being always obliged to have recourse to the fountain head, made in the publication of them.

WE fhould now have proceeded, in conformity to our original plan, to the hiftory of several Mohammedan dynasties, in Africa, Europe, and Afia, whofe princes had rendered themselves independent on the Khalifs, had not a deviation from that plan appeared neceffary, for the following reasons.

1. Because an execution of it would have obliged us to relate many of the Mofiem tranfactions that happened in

the

the fecond, third, fourth, fifth, and fixth centuries of the Hejra, after we had given a particular account of the abolition of the Khalifat, which was effected by the Tartars in the seventh century of the Mohammedan æra, and confequently to break in upon the chronological order of the hiftory.

2. Because the ftates governed by thofe dynafties being formed at different times out of the territories belonging to the Khalifs, and owning them, for the most part, as their fpiritual directors or fovereign pontiffs, their hiftory muft either coincide with that of the Khalifs, or be confidered as detached from the body of this work, and confequently be thrown into a fupplement or appendix.

3. Becaufe the old plan is remarkably defective, as will very clearly appear from the additional articles of the new one, which we fhall fubftitute here in its room.

4. Because, by deferring for fome time the publication of the hiftory of those dynafties, we may probably be enabled to oblige our curious readers with a more perfect, diftinct, and particular account of them; as fome learned men abroad, efpecially the famous M. Reifke of Leipfick, who has already favoured the public with a Latin verfion of a confiderable part of Abu'lfeda's general hiftory, and promised such a tranflation of the remainder, may perhaps fupply us with fome valuable materials for the laft part of our work, that have not yet in any of the modern western languages appeared.

5. Because, by the affiftance of thefe learned men, and our own farther endeavours, we may poffibly render a future lift of those dynasties ftill more complete, than even the new one exhibited to the view of our readers here.

6. Because the hiftory of the Turks, Tartars, and Moguls, who abolished the Khalifat, will much more naturally fucceed that of the Khalifs, than the hiftory of the first Mohammedan dynafty, rendered in a great measure at least independent on those princes; which, according to the most approved oriental writers, commenced towards the clofe of the fecond century of the Hejra.

7. Because we have already referred our curious readers, for many interefting particulars relative to fome of the aforefaid dynasties, to the fupplement here mentioned. For though we have had frequent occafion to touch upon the affairs of those dynafties in the course of this and the preceding volume, as the hiftory of the Khalifs under whom feveral of their princes flourished muft by a profound filence on that head have been rendered incomplete; yet every perfon, who has a tafte for such a large and extenfive work as this, will naturally expect to meet with the whole series of

the principal tranfactions of each Moflem ftate, in one clear and fuccinct view, arranged in the chronological order by us all along obferved.

FOR these reafons it has been thought proper to affign the hiftories of thofe ftates places in a fupplement, detached from the body of this work; which will be formed of them, and thofe of a few other independent kingdoms, according to the following plan.

THE hiftory of the Aglabites, Roftamites, Edrifites, and Fatemites, in Africa.

THE hiftory of the Emirs of Sicily, who gradually rendered themselves independent on the princes of the house of Aglab.

THE hiftory of the Ommiyan Khalifs, and Moorish kings, in Spain.

THE hiftory of the Molem kingdom, founded by Apochapfus, or Abu Kabs, the Spanish Magrebian admiral, in Crete.

THE hiftory of the families of Tolûn and Al Akhfhîd; and of the Fâtemite Khalifs of Egypt.

THE hiftory of the Khalifs of the houfe of Al Abbas in Egypt, after the taking of Baghdad by the Tartars.

THE hiftory of the monarchies which fprung up in Irân, or Perfia at large, on the declenfion of the Khalifs, to the conqueft of the Tartars, viz. the Tâberians, Thaherians, or Dhâberians, Saffarians, Sammânians, Deylamites, Búiyans, Gaznevids, and Khowârazmians.

THE hiftory of the Indians, to the conqueft of India by Mahmud Gazni, and his fucceffors of the families of Gazni,. Gaur, and Kurt, till the fubverfion of their power by Timûr Bek and the Moguls.

THE hiftory of the princes of the houfe of Mardas at Aleppo, and of the family of Hamdan at Al Mawfel, Máredin, Aleppo, Kinnifrin, and other places in the territories of the Khalifs.

THE hiftory of the Sahebs of Al Batiha, of the defcendants of Merwân in Mefopotamia, and of the Okailite Arabs at Al Mawfel.

THE hiftory of the Atabeks prefiding over the Babylonian Irák, Syria, and the greatest part of Mefopotamia, generally called the Atabeks of Irák.

THE hiftory of the Atabeks of Adherbijân, Fârs, and Lariftân.

THE hiftory of the Ayubites in Syria, Egypt, and Arabia, from Salah'addin to the ufurpation of the Bahrite Mamlûks. THE hiftory of the Bahrite Mamluks in Egypt.

THE

THE hiftory of the Circaffian, Chercassian, or Al Fercaffian, Mamluks in that country, to its conqueft by the Turks.

THE hiftory of the kingdoms of Sennar and Nubia.

THE hiftory of the kingdom of the Hammadites in Africa.

THE hiftory of the Al Molâhidah, or Ifmaelians in Irân and Syria, commonly called Affaffins, to their extirpation by the Tartars.

THE hiftory of the Modhafferian dynasty in Perfia, to which a period was put by Timar Bek.

THE hiftory of the Sarbedarian dynasty in Khorasan, the laft of whose princes was alfo fubdued by that conqueror. THE hiftory of the Zeyrites, Al Morabeta, or Molathemiyah, Al Moâhedûn, and Banu Merin, in Weft-Barbary.

THE hiftory of the Drufes, feated on mount Lebanon, and the maritime coaft of Syria.

THE hiftory of the kingdoms of Prefter John and Tibet. THE hiftory of the Circaffians, or Chercaffians, Afghans, Lefgees, and other nations; of whom no particular account has been given, either in the preceding part of this fupplement, or the body of the work,

MOD. HIST, VOL. III.

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