IntheBattleofAnkarain1402,Timur,adescendantofGenghisKhan,defeatedBajazid,SultanoftheOttomanEmpire,andtookhimprisoner.HegaveBajazidaverycivilreceptionatfirst,andasked,"Now,tellmetrulywhatyouwouldhavedonewithme,hadIfallenintoyourpower?"
Bajazidissaidtohavereplied,"Iwouldhaveenclosedyouinanironcage,andcarriedyouaboutasaspectacleofderisiontotheworld."
Timursaid,"Then,proudman,asyouwouldhavedonetome,evensoshallIdotoyou."Anironcagewasmade,intowhichBajazidwasthrust,andhewascarriedalonginTimur'strainlikeawildbeastfornearlythreeyearsuntil,despairingofobtaininghisfreedom,hestruckhisheadwithsuchviolenceagainstthebarsofthecage,astoputanendtohiswretchedlife.
一四○二年，成吉思汗後人帖木兒在安哥拉一戰之中，打敗並活捉了鄂圖曼帝國的蘇丹巴耶塞特。他接見巴耶塞特時，最初很客氣，問道：「要是我落在你手上，你會怎樣對我？老實告訴我吧。」
據說，巴耶塞特的回答是：「我會把你關進鐵籠裏，帶在身旁，供世人取笑。」
帖木兒說：「你真狂妄。既然你會這樣對待我，我就照樣對待你好了。」他叫人造了個鐵籠，把巴耶塞特推進去。巴耶塞特像野獸一樣，被帶在帖木兒的隨從之中，過了將近三年。最後，他自覺沒有機會恢復自由，用力把頭撞在籠子的鐵條上，結束了悲慘的生涯。
【小啟】拙欄電郵今起改為[email protected]