SOOLTAN ARSLAN GHIZNEVY,

On his accession, seizes all his brothers, with the exception of Beiram, who flies to Khorassan, and finds protection with Mahomed, the brother of Mullik Shah Suljooky. — Sooltan Sunjur Suljooky demands the release of the princes imprisoned by Arslan, which he refuses. — War ensues. — He sends his mother, the sister of Sooltan Sunjur, to treat for peace; but she urges the war, and supports the pretension of her son Beiram. — Battle between Sooltan Sunjur and Arslan at Ghizny — the latter is defeated, and flies to Hindoostan — returns to Ghizny, and is again defeated — seeks protection with the Afghans — is seized by his own troops, and delivered into the hands of his brother Beiram — by whom he is put to death.

ARSLAN, the son of Sooltan Musaood Bin Ibraheem, having become King of Ghizny, seized and confined all his brothers excepting one, who avoided the same fate by flight. The Prince Beiram, who was so for­tunate as to escape, found protection with Sooltan Sunjur Suljooky, who on the part of his brother Mahomed, the son of Mullik Shah Suljooky, then ruled the province of Khorassan. Sooltan Sun-jur, the maternal uncle of Arslan, having de­manded the release of the other brothers (which was not complied with), espoused the cause of the princes, and made the refusal of Arslan to liberate them a plea for invading the kingdom of Ghizny.

Arslan, hearing of the intended invasion, wrote letters of complaint to Sooltan Mahomed, the elder brother of Sooltan Sunjur, to induce him to coun­teract the movement, and that monarch pretended to be disposed to mediate a peace; but Sooltan Sunjur continuing his march, Arslan felt convinced that he could depend on nothing but his sword. His mother Mehid Irak, offended with him for his treatment of her other children, with well-dis­sembled affection, prevailed on him to send her to negotiate a peace, with a sum of 200,000 deenars to Sooltan Sunjur, for the expense of his ex­pedition. Having arrived in the camp, she, ac­cording to her design, excited Beiram her son, and her brother Sunjur, to prosecute the war with vigour, so that instead of halting, Sooltan Sunjur continued his march with 30,000 horse, and 50,000 foot, from Boost in Khorassan to within one fursung of Ghizny, where the army of Arslan was drawn up to receive him. Sunjur proceeded at once to the attack; and dividing his horse into squadrons, and placing battalions of spearmen in the intervals, with elephants in the rear, to be ready to advance when required, he moved slowly towards the enemy. Both armies fought desperately, till at length, owing to the great good conduct of Mullik Abool Fuzl Seestany, the Ghiznevide army was defeated, and Arslan, unable to renew the conflict, fled with the remains of his army to Hindoostan.

Sooltan Sunjur, having entered Ghizny in triumph, halted there 40 days, when, giving the kingdom to his nephew the Prince Beiram, he re­turned to his own country. Arslan no sooner heard of the departure of Sooltan Sunjur, than, collecting all his troops in the Mahomedan pro­vinces of Hindoostan, he returned to recover his capital, while Beiram, unable to oppose him, shut himself up in the fort of Bamian, till he could be reinforced by his uncle. Sooltan Sunjur again took the field, and expelled Arslan a second time from Ghizny. The latter sought protection among the Afghans; but was so closely pursued, that his army was dispersed, and the few of his officers who remained seized and brought him to Beiram. Arslan, as might be supposed, suffered a violent death, in the 27th year of his age, after a short reign of three years. In the Tubkat Nasiry it is related, that in the reign of Arslan several ca­lamitous phenomena happened; amongst others, mention is made of a thunderbolt, which falling at Ghizny, set fire to, and destroyed most of the buildings of the city.