His early life and character — his conduct on his accession to the throne — his repugnance to the employment of men of low origin — his court the resort of many of the princes and nobles expelled by Chungiz Khan and the Moguls from their own do­minions — his encouragement of learned men. — Description of his court and equipage. — Singular instance of stern justice. — Makes war on the Mewatties. — 100,000 Mewatties put to death. — The army employed to fell the forests of Mewat, which become good arable lands. — The King marches an army to Lahore, and repairs the city walls. — Settles pensions on the old officers of the army.—The King's nephew, Sheer Khan, dies—is buried in a magnificent tomb at Bhutnere. — Moguls invade the Punjab. — The King's eldest son Mahomed opposes and de­feats them — is made governor of Mooltan. — Toghrul Khan, ruler of Bengal, revolts. — An army is sent against him, which is defeated, and the general slain. — The King proceeds in person to quell the revolt. — Toghrul flies to Orissa — is pursued by the King's army, and slain. — The King returns to Dehly, after an absence of three years. — The Prince Mahomed comes to the capital — his father's advice to him. — Moguls invade Punjab. — The Prince marches against them — defeats them, but is himself killed in the action — his ro­mantic gallantry — his character. — The King's grief for the loss of his son. — Appoints the Prince's son, Kei Khoosrow, to succeed him in Mooltan. — The King's health gradually declines. — Sends for his son Kurra Khan, governor of Ben­gal, who comes, but again quits the capital. — The King makes his will in favour of his grandson Kei Khoosrow, governor of Mooltan. — Death of Gheias-ood-Deen Bulbun. — Mullik Fukhr-ood-Deen Kotwal opposes the succession of Kei Khoos-row, but raises Kei Kobad, the son of Kurra Khan, to the throne.

GHEIAS-OOD-DEEN BULBUN was a prince of just principles, and endowed with many great and amiable qualities. He was a Toork of Kurra Khutta, and of the tribe of Albery. In his youth he was taken by the Moguls, that conquered his country, and sold him to a merchant, who con­veyed him to Bagdad. His father was a chief of great power, and commanded 10,000 horse in the war in which our young hero was carried off. He was bought at Bagdad, in the year 630, by Khwaja Jumal-ood-Deen, of Bussora, a person famed for his piety and learning. His patron, having ascertained that he was of the same tribe as Shums-ood-Deen Altmish, conveyed him to Dehly, and, presenting him to that monarch, was rewarded so handsomely, that he returned with an inde­pendent fortune to Bagdad.

Shums-ood-Deen Altmish employed him first in the superintendence of his falconry, in which he was very skilful. He rose by degrees from that station, by the influence of his brother Eibuk Kishly Khan, (who happened to be then in great favour at the court of Dehly,) till he became a noble. In the reign of Rookn-ood-Deen Feroze he commanded in Punjab, when, on hearing that his enemies at court had exasperated the King against him, he refused to obey the royal mandate to return, and long maintained independent possession of the province. Having subsequently joined the confederate chiefs who marched to Dehly to depose Sooltana Ruzeea Begum, he was taken prisoner, and remained some time in confinement; but, effecting his escape, he joined the party of Beiram against the Queen. During the reign of Beiram he was particularly befriended by Budr-ood-Deen, the Ameer Hajib, through whose influence he procured the govern­ment of Hansy and Rewary, in which office he distinguished himself in several actions against the inhabitants of Mewat.

During the reign of Alla-ood-Deen Musaood, in the year 642, he was promoted to the office of Ameer Hajib, and in the late reign of Nasir-ood-Deen Mahmood he was raised to the vizarut, which high office he filled in such a manner as to relieve the King from all anxiety and embarrass­ment, and on the death of his sovereign, who was also his brother-in-law, he ascended the throne not only without opposition, but even with the general consent of the nobility and people.

In the reign of Shums-ood-Deen Altmish, forty of his Toorky slaves, who were in great favour, entered into a solemn covenant to support each other, and on the King's death to divide the empire among themselves. Jealousies and dissen­sions afterwards arose among them, and prevented this project from being carried into execution. Gheias-ood-Deen Bulbun was of this number, and as several of them had succeeded to great power in the kingdom, the first act of his reign was to rid himself of all who remained. Among these was his own nephew, the celebrated Sheer Khan.

The death of these chiefs removed all apprehen­sion from his mind, and he afterwards became so renowned for his justice and the wisdom of his ad­ministration, that his alliance was courted by the kings of Persia and Tartary. He took particular care that none but men of merit and family should be admitted to any public office, and for this purpose he endeavoured to make himself acquainted with the talents and connections of every person about his court. While, on the one hand, he was liberal in rewarding merit, on the other, he was no less rigid in punishing vice; for whoever misbehaved in his station was certain of being immediately disgraced. He made it a rule never to place any Hindoo in a situation of trust or power, lest that race should employ its delegated authority to the destruction of the Mahomedans.

During a reign of 22 years he scrupulously ex­cluded men of low origin from his court; and being one day told that one Fukhroo, an old servant of the state, who had acquired a vast fortune by usury and by monopolies in the bazaar, would present him with some laks of rupees if he would honour him with one word from the throne, he rejected the proposal with disdain, and said, — “What must his subjects think of a king who “should condescend to hold discourse with such a “creature?”

In the history of these times, compiled from the Tubkat Nasiry and other works, besides that of Ein-ood-Deen Beejapoory, it is stated, that Gheias-ood-Deen Bulbun used to affirm, that one of the greatest sources of the pride of his reign was, that “upwards of fifteen of the unfortunate sovereigns “from Toorkistan, Mawur-ool-Nehr, Khorassan, “Irak, Ajum, Azoorbaizam, Iran, and Room, who “had been driven from their countries by the “arms of Chungiz Khan, were enabled to find “an honourable asylum at his court at Dehly.” Princely allowances and palaces were assigned to each, and, on public occasions, they ranged them­selves before the throne according to their rank; all standing on the right and left, except two princes of the race of the Caliphs, who were per­mitted to sit on either side of the musnud. The parts of the town in which the royal emigrants resided took their names from the princes who occupied them, and were denominated Mohullas; * such as

In the retinue of those princes were some of the most illustrious men of learning whom Asia at that time produced. The court of India, therefore, in the days of Gheias-ood-Deen Bulbun, was

esteemed the most polite and magnificent in the world. A society of learned men assembled fre­quently at the house of the prince, commonly known by the name of Khan Shaheed, at which the Ameer Khoosrow of Dehly, the poet, presided. Another society of musicians, dancers, actors, and story-tellers, * frequently met at the house of the King's second son, Kurra Khan Bagera, who de­lighted in such amusements. The omras followed the example of their superiors, so that various so­cieties were formed in every quarter of the city, and the King's taste for splendour in his palaces, equipages, and liveries, was imitated by the cour­tiers.

So imposing were the ceremonies of introduc­tion to the royal presence, that none could approach the throne without a mixture of awe and admir­ation. Nor was Gheias-ood-Deen Bulbun less splen­did in his processions. His state elephants were covered with purple and gold trappings. His horse-guards, consisting of a thousand Tartars, appeared in glittering armour, mounted on the finest steeds of Persia and Arabia, with silver bits, and housings of rich embroidery. Five hundred chosen foot, in rich liveries, with drawn swords, preceded him, pro­claiming his approach, and clearing the way. His nobles followed according to their rank, with their various equipages and attendants. The Nowroze†*