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thousand five hundred sepoys, and three hundred native cavalry, resisted for twenty-six hours Tippoo's overpowering force of ten thousand native infantry and as many cavalry, only yielding when Lally advanced with his Europeans. In the November of the same year, with two hundred thousand men detached from the army of the Carnatic, Tippoo fell upon the English at Paniani, and was about to follow up one vigorous attack by a second, when to the surprise of his enemies he was suddenly seen to retreat. The movement was caused by the news of the death of his father, 7th December, 1782. He withdrew to Seringapatam, assumed the sovereignty of Mysore, and returned to the Carnatic to prosecute the war. From the Carnatic he was summoned to the western coast, where the English, making a diversion, had taken Bednore and Mangalore. Tippoo retook both places—Mangalore after a siege of more than a year; and the English, dispirited, concluded a peace with him, 11th March, 1784, on the basis of a mutual restitution of conquests. For some years after this Tippoo applied himself to the improvement of his army and his finances, and to the propagation of Mahometanism at the expense of Hindooism. A cool, daring, and subtle ruler, he made himself absolute sovereign of a fertile and populous country two hundred thousand square miles in extent, with a revenue of five millions sterling, and an army of one hundred and fifty thousand men, well disciplined by French officers, and the artillery of which he raised to a state of great efficiency. His ruling object was to drive the English out of India, and he worked to effect it whether he was at peace or war with them. He sent in 1787 an unsuccessful embassy to the court of Versailles, to propose an alliance against the English in India; but on the eve of the Revolution, the French government had other matters to occupy it. Tippoo's attack in 1789 upon their ally, the rajah of Travancore, brought the English into the field, aided by the nizam and the Mahrattas. After a war of two years, Lord Cornwallis reached Seringapatam, Tippoo's capital, on the 5th of February, 1792; on the 6th Tippoo's entrenchments were taken, and the siege, which was formally commenced, would doubtless have been followed by the capture of his capital, when, on the 14th of February, 1792, he signed the preliminaries of a peace by which he gave up half of his dominions. During the next six years Tippoo refilled his treasury, and entered into wide-spread secret negotiations for the formation of a league to drive the English out of India. When his correspondence was examined after his death, it was found that he had endeavoured to procure the aid of not only the native princes of India, high and low, but of the shah of Persia, and even of the petty chieftains of Arabia. With the invasion of Egypt by the French in 1798, he entered into correspondence with Napoleon, and sent ambassadors to the governor of the then French colony of the Mauritius to solicit aid, which was promised. On the discovery of this last proceeding Lord Mornington, afterwards marquis of Wellesley, who had newly arrived as governor-general, resolved to assume the offensive. A numerous army was sent against Tippoo, the nizam's contingent in it being commanded by Colonel Wellesley, afterwards the duke of Wellington. On the 5th of April, 1799, the English army under General Harris appeared before Seringapatam, the assault on which, 4th May, was intrusted to Sir David Baird. Tippoo made a gallant but unsuccessful defence in person, and fell in the heat of the fight wounded by three musket bullets. As he lay on the ground an English soldier attempted to tear off his embroidered sword-belt, when the sultan made a cut at him with his sabre, and the soldier then shot him dead. Tippoo was a remarkable man, and his death freed the English rule in India from a formidable and determined foe. His large library, for he was fond of reading, was deposited in the East India house, the MS. portion of it being left in the college at Fort St. William. A descriptive catalogue of it by Professor Stewart of the East India Company's college at Hertford was published in 1809, with memoirs of Hyder Ali and Tippoo Saib prefixed. In 1811 appeared the curious work, "Select Letters of Tippoo Sultan, arranged and translated by Colonel William Kirkpatrick."—F. E.

TIPTOFT, John, Earl of Worcester, a learned patron of letters and officer of state, flourished in the fifteenth century. He was the son of Lord Tiptoft, or Tibetot and Powys, and was born at Everton in Cambridgeshire. He was created a viscount and earl of Worcester by Henry VI. on being appointed lord-deputy of Ireland. He was also made a knight of the garter by Edward IV., a justice of North Wales, constable of the Tower, and lord treasurer. He went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem at a time when it was said his mind was in suspense between gratitude to King Henry or loyalty to King Edward—the latter feeling, according to Lord Orford, being the preponderating one. On his journey homewards he visited Rome for the purpose of inspecting the Vatican, and delivered an oration in Latin to Pope Pius II. (who, as well as himself, was known as a munificent patron of letters), which is said to have brought tears into the pontiff's eyes. Upon his return, Tiptoft bestowed MSS. of the value of five hundred marks upon Duke Humphrey's library at Oxford. His enemies meanwhile found cause of complaint against him; and during the temporary restoration of Henry he was apprehended, brought to London, and accused of cruelty towards the infant sons of the earl of Desmond during his administration in Ireland. He was condemned and beheaded at the Tower in 1490. He was the patron of Caxton, who printed his translation of Cicero's De Amicitia. He also translated "Cæsar's Commentaries as touching British affairs, and Two Declarations," made by Publius Cornelius Scipio and Gayus Flamyneus; drew up "Orders for placing the nobility in all proceedings;" "Orders and statutes for justes and triumphs" (both among the Cotton MSS.); as well as others which were printed in Mr. Park's edition of Harrison's Nugæ Antiquæ Caxton says that, in his time, Tiptoft "flowred in vertue and cunnyng," and to whom he "knew none lyke among the lordes of the temporalite in science and moral vertue."—F.

TIRABOSCHI, Girolamo, an indefatigable author, born at Bergamo, December, 1731; died in Modena, 3rd June, 1794. Having studied in Bergamo and Monza, whilst still a youth he joined the order of Jesuits; passed through his noviciate in Genoa; at a later period was appointed professor of rhetoric in the Milanese college of Brera; and in 1770 became librarian to Francesco III., duke of Modena. The suppression of the jesuit order reduced Tiraboschi to the rank of secular priest, but it failed to wean his affections from the society. Finally, having earned applause, enjoyed honours, and practised virtues, he succumbed to a disease engendered by sedentary pursuits and continual application, and was buried with becoming dignity in the church of S.S. Faustino e Giovita. His principal work, "Storia della Letteratura Italiana," treats of Italian letters from the Etruscan period down to the close of the seventeenth century, and has proved a great boon to his successors in the same field. Painstaking research, vast and accurate information, zealous industry, and pious principles, ail combined to make this history what it is—an admirable book of reference, though somewhat tedious for continuous reading. But perhaps both its chief merit and its chief charm lie in that honourable simplicity which deems no lengthiness of wording wasted, so long as it conveys an unmistakable fact, and no avowal of former error to be eschewed; but rather truth to be paramount in all things down to the minutest details. The tone of the book may, indeed, be over-laudatory to English ears; but this blemish appears to be the fruit of southern enthusiasm and elaborate courtesy, not of a cringing or adulatory spirit. Amongst Tiraboschi's other printed works note—"Vetera Humiliatorum Monumenta adnotationibus, dissertationibus, ac prodromis illustrata," being the memorial of a long-suppressed religious order; "Biblioteca Modenese," consisting of biographical notices of Modenese authors and their works, whilst a supplementary volume embraces the artists; and "Memorie Storiche Modenesi," a political history of Modena. He left also various unpublished writings; and his voluminous correspondence has a place in the library of Modena.—C. G. R.

TIRIDATES is the name of three Parthian princes, who reigned over Armenia in the first and third centuries of the christian era.—Tiridates I., after being made king of Armenia by his brother the king of Media, was driven out of his kingdom by Corbulo, and ultimately received the Armenian crown from Nero at Rome a.d 63.—Tiridates II. was in the power of Caracalla, emperor of Rome in 215; but escaping twice from captivity, was at length permitted to reign on receiving the diadem from the emperor.—Tiridates III., the son of Chosroes, gratefully recognized the protection of the Romans, having for enemies the warlike Persians, who, on the death of Chosroes, nominated the sovereign of Armenia. Tiridates was educated by the Romans, and after a lapse of thirty years was restored to the throne of his ancestors about the year 258. Driven out again by the Persians, under Narses, he was once more restored by the Romans in 298.—R. H.