murmurs of his troops. LI. At length, when the CHA P. fpirits and quivers of the adverfe line were almost exhausted, Caled gave the fignal of onfet and victory. The remains of the Imperial army fled to Antioch, or Cæfarea, or Damafcus; and the death of four hundred and feventy Moflems was compenfated by the opinion that they had fent to hell above fifty thousand of the infidels. The spoil was inestimable; many banners and croffes of gold and filver, precious stones, filver and gold chains, and innumerable fuits of the richest armour and apparel. The general diftribution was poftponed till Damascus fhould be taken; but the seasonable fupply of arms became the inftrument of new victories. The glorious intelligence was transmitted to the throne of the caliph, and the Arabian tribes, the coldest or most hostile to the prophet's miffion, were eager and importunate to fhare the harvest of Syria. The fad tidings were carried to Damafcus by the speed of grief and terror; and the inhabitants beheld from their walls the return of the heroes of Aiznadin. Amrou led the van at the head of nine thousand horfe: the bands of the Saracens fucceeded each other in formidable review; and the rear was clofed by Caled in perfon, with the ftandard of the black eagle. To the activity of Derar he entrusted the commiffion of patrolling round the city with two thousand horfe, of fcouring the plain, and of intercepting all fuccour or intelligence. The reft of the Arabian chiefs were fixed in their respective stations before the feven gates of Da mafcus; Cc 4 The Arabs return to CHAP. mafcus; and the fiege was renewed with fresh vi LI. gour and confidence. The art, the labour, the military engines, of the Greeks and Romans are feldom to be found in the fimple, though fucceffful, operations of the Saracens : it was fufficient for them to invest a city with arms, rather than with trenches; to repel the fallies of the befieged; to attempt a ftratagem or an affault; or to expect the progress of famine and discontent. Damafcus would have acquiefced in the trial of Aiznadin, as a final and peremptory fentence between the emperor and the caliph her courage was rekindled by the example and authority of Thomas, a noble Greek, illustrious in a private condition by the alliance of Heraclius 58. The tumult and illumination of the night proclaimed the defign of the morning fally; and the Christian hero, who affected to despise the enthusiasm of the Arabs, employed the resource of a similar fuperftition. At the principal gate, in the fight of both armies, a lofty crucifix was erected; the bishop, with his clergy, accompanied the march, and laid the volume of the New Testament before the image of Jefus; and the contending parties were fcandalifed or edified by a prayer, that the Son of God would defend his fervants and vindicate his truth. The battle raged with inceffant fury; and the dexterity of 58 Vanity prompted the Arabs to believe, that Thomas was the fon-inlaw of the emperor. We know the children of Heraclius by his two wives; and his auguft daughter would not have married in exile at Damafcus (fee Ducange, Fam. Byzantin. p. 118, 119.). Had he been lefs religious, I might only fufpect the legitimacy of the damfel. Thomas ", an incomparable archer, was fatal to the boldest Saracens, till their death was revenged by a female heroine. The wife of Aban, who had followed him to the holy war, embraced her expiring husband. "Happy," faid fhe, happy art thou, my dear; thou art gone to thy "Lord who firft joined us together, and then "parted us afunder. I will revenge thy death, ❝ and endeavour to the utmost of my power to come to the place where thou art, because I love "thee. Henceforth fhall no man ever touch me "more, for I have dedicated myself to the service "" of God." Without a groan, without a tear, she washed the corpfe of her husband, and buried him with the ufual rites. Then grafping the manly weapons, which in her native land fhe was accustomed to wield, the intrepid widow of Aban fought the place where his murderer fought in the thickest of the battle. Her first arrow pierced the hand of his ftandard-bearer; her fecond wounded Thomas in the eye; and the fainting Christians no longer beheld their enfign or their leader. Yet the generous champion of Damafcus refused to withdraw to his palace: his wound was dreffed on the rampart; the fight was continued till the evening; and the Syrians rested on their arms. In the filence of the night, the fignal was given by a ftroke on the great bell; the gates were thrown open, and each gate discharged an impetuous column on the fleeping camp of the 59 Al Wakidi (Ockley, p. 101.) fays "with poisoned arrows;" but this favage invention is fo repugnant to the practice of the Greeks and Romans, that I must fufpect, on this occafion, the malevolent credulity of the Saracens. Saracens. CHAP. LI. GHA P. Saracens. Caled was the first in arms; at the head LI. The city is taken by form and capitulation, A. D. 634. of four hundred horfe he flew to the post of danger, and the tears trickled down his iron cheeks, as he uttered a fervent ejaculation; " O God, who never 66 fleepest, look upon thy fervants, and do not "deliver them into the hands of their enemies." The valour and victory of Thomas were arrested by the prefence of the fword of God; with the knowledge of the peril, the Moflems recovered their ranks, and charged the affailants in the flank and rear. After the lofs of thousands, the Chriftian general retreated with a figh of despair, and the purfuit of the Saracens was checked by the military engines of the rampart. After a fiege of feventy days ", the patience, and perhaps the provifions, of the Damafcenes were exhausted; and the braveft of their chiefs fubmitted to the hard dictates of neceffity. In the occurrences of peace and war, they had been taught to dread the fiercenefs of Caled, and to revere the mild virtues of Abu Obeidah. At the hour of midnight, one hundred chofen deputies of the clergy and people were introduced to the tent of that venerable commander. He received and 60 Abulfeda allows only feventy days for the fiege of Damafcus (Annal, Mollem. p. 67. verf. Reifke); but Elmacin, who mentions this opinion, prolongs the term to fix months, and notices the use of balifte by the Saracens (Hift. Saracen. p. 25. 32.). Even this longer period is infufficient to fill the interval between the battle of Aiznadin (July, A. D. 633) and the acceffion of Omar (24 July, A. D. 634). to whofe reign the conquest of Damafcus is unanimously ascribed (Al Wakidi, apud Ockley, vol. i. p. 115. Abulpharagius, Dynaft. p. 112. verf. Pocock). Perhaps, as in the Trojan war, the operations were interrupted by excurfions and detachments, till the laft feventy days of the fiege. difmiffed LI. difmiffed them with courtefy. They returned with CHAP. a written agreement, on the faith of a companion of Mahomet, that all hoftilities fhould ceafe; that the voluntary emigrants might depart in safety, with as much as they could carry away of their effects; and that the tributary fubjects of the caliph should enjoy their lands and houses, with the use and poffeffion of feven churches. On these terms, the most respectable hoftages, and the gate nearest to his camp, were delivered into his hands: his foldiers imitated the moderation of their chief; and he enjoyed the fubmiffive gratitude of a people whom he had rescued from deftruction. But the fuccefs of the treaty had relaxed their vigilance, and in the fame moment the oppofite quarter of the city was betrayed and taken by affault. A party of an hundred Arabs had opened the eastern gate to a more inexorable foe. "No quarter," cried the rapacious and fanguinary Caled, "no quarter to the enemies of the Lord:" his trumpets founded, and a torrent of Chriftian blood was poured down the streets of Damafcus. When he reached the church of St. Mary, he was astonished and provoked by the peaceful afpect of his companions their fwords were in the fcabbard, and they were furrounded by a multitude of priests and monks. Abu Obeidah faluted the general; "God." faid he, " has delivered the city into my "hands by way of furrender, and has faved the "believers the trouble of fighting." "And am "I not," replied the indignant Baled, " ઃઃ am I not the lieutenant of the commander of the faith"ful? Have I not taken the city by ftorm? The "unbe |