His nephew Alp-Arselan ascended the throne, and up held by his valour and generosity the glory of the empire which his uncle had founded. His first enterprise was di rected against the tottering power of Constantinople. He invaded Georgia, and advanced into the province of Phry gia; but he found an enemy, worthy of the name, in the Emperor Romanus. The Persian armies were forced to fall back upon their frontiers. A general engagement fol lowed, where the troops of Romanus were at first success but the treachery and cowardice of one of his princi pal officers, who withdrew with a large division of his forces, gave the victory to the Persians. The courage of Romanus, strengthened by despair, was unable to retrieve his fortunes; and being at last wounded and overwhelmed by numbers, he was taken prisoner, and carried into the presence of his conqueror. "What would you have done, had fortune reversed our lot ?" demanded the I'crsian. " I _would have given you many a stripe," was the reply. Alp Arselan smiled at his inoffensive rage; and asked what treatment he now expected from him. " If thou art cruel," said Romanus, " put me to death. If vain-glorious, load me with chains, and drag me in triumph to thy capital. If generous, grant me my liberty." Alp-Arselan was gene rous. He nobly released the emperor and all his officers, and treated them with every mark of friendship and regard.
The Persian king now led his armies to the conquest of the country of his fathers. He crossed the Oxus without opposition by a bridge, which he had commanded to be thrown over that river ; but here his career of conquest was dosed, The protracted resistance of a small fortress had retarded the progress of the Persian army, which so irritated the monarch, that he commanded its gallant com mander into his presence ; and, after loading him with re proaches, ordered him for execution. The brave soldier drew his dagger and rushed towards the sultan. The guards interposed; but Alp-Arselan, who considered him self unequalled as an archer, seized his bow, and ordered them to stand back. He, however, missed his aim, and before he could draw another arrow, he fell under the dag ger of his prisoner. Before his death, he delivered over his crown to his son Malik Shah ; and entreated him with his dying breath to entrust the management of his affairs to his celebrated minister Nizam-ul-Alulk, to whose wis dom and virtue he attributed the prosperity of his own reign.
The accession of NIalik Shah was opposed by his uncle Cawder Beg ; but that chief, having been taken prisoner, was soon after put to death ; and also by his brother Tour tousch, who, being defeated in battle, was compelled to leave the kingdom. Au instance of the piety and good ness of Malik Shah on this occasion is recorded by De Guigr.es. In coming out of a mosque with Nizam-ul
Mulk, previous to the engagement, lie demanded of his minister what had been the object of his devotions. " 1 have prayed," was the answer, " that the Almighty may give you a victory over your brother." " And I," said the king, "that God may take my life and if my brother is more worthy than I to reign over the faithful." Having established peace at home, he directed his arms to the ex tension of his empire. His generals overran the whole of Syria and Egypt. Bokharah, Samarcund, Khaurizm and Kashgar were compelled to do him homage, and he prose cuted his conquests till the Mediterranean and the wall of China became the boundaries of his dominions. During his reign of twenty years the degree of prosperity which Persia enjoyed is unequalled in its history. Many colleges and mosques were built, and agriculture was promoted by the construction of canals and water-courses. The refor mation of the calendar, which was entrusted to an assem bly of astronomers selected front every part of his empire, and whose labours established the Jellacan, or glorious ra, marks the state of science at that period. The pros perity of the kingdom, however, was much owing to the excellent government of his virtuous and able minister, whose powers and attainments were entirely devoted to the glory of his prince and his country. But this devotion was at last requited with ignominy and death. Nizam-ul Mulk had fallen under the displeasure of the principal Sultana, who feared that her plans for the aggrandizement of her infant son, in opposition to the claims of his elder brother, would be resisted by that faithful minister. She therefore embraced every opportunity of throwing out insinuations against him to the Sultan, who, forgetting what he owed to his exertions, was prevailed upon to demand the instant resignation of the cap and ink-horn, the insignia of his ex alted station. The old man could not supprdss his cha grin. " When the sea was troubled," he said, " Malik Shah honoured me with his confidence; but all is now calm, and he listens to my calumniators. But he will not long be ignorant that the cap and ink-horn which he has called me to resign, are connected by a divine decree with his crown and throne." Nizam-ul-Mulk was soon afterwards murdered at the instigation of his successor in office; and Malik Shalt survived him but a few months. The ingra titude of the monarch has affixed a stain upon his charac ter which all his glory will never efface ; and the fortunes of his kingdom began to decline from the hour that mark ed the degradation of his virtuous minister.