Chapter LI: Conquests By The Arabs.—Part III

One of the fifteen provinces of Syria, the cultivated lands to
the eastward of the Jordan, had been decorated by Roman vanity
with the name of _Arabia_; and the first arms of the Saracens
were justified by the semblance of a national right. The country
was enriched by the various benefits of trade; by the vigilance
of the emperors it was covered with a line of forts; and the
populous cities of Gerasa, Philadelphia, and Bosra, were secure,
at least from a surprise, by the solid structure of their walls.
The last of these cities was the eighteenth station from Medina:
the road was familiar to the caravans of Hejaz and Irak, who
annually visited this plenteous market of the province and the
desert: the perpetual jealousy of the Arabs had trained the
inhabitants to arms; and twelve thousand horse could sally from
the gates of Bosra, an appellation which signifies, in the Syriac
language, a strong tower of defence. Encouraged by their first
success against the open towns and flying parties of the borders,
a detachment of four thousand Moslems presumed to summon and
attack the fortress of Bosra. They were oppressed by the numbers
of the Syrians; they were saved by the presence of Caled, with
fifteen hundred horse: he blamed the enterprise, restored the
battle, and rescued his friend, the venerable Serjabil, who had
vainly invoked the unity of God and the promises of the apostle.
After a short repose, the Moslems performed their ablutions with
sand instead of water; and the morning prayer was recited by
Caled before they mounted on horseback. Confident in their
strength, the people of Bosra threw open their gates, drew their
forces into the plain, and swore to die in the defence of their
religion. But a religion of peace was incapable of withstanding
the fanatic cry of “Fight, fight! Paradise, paradise!” that
reechoed in the ranks of the Saracens; and the uproar of the
town, the ringing of bells, and the exclamations of the priests
and monks increased the dismay and disorder of the Christians.
With the loss of two hundred and thirty men, the Arabs remained
masters of the field; and the ramparts of Bosra, in expectation
of human or divine aid, were crowded with holy crosses and
consecrated banners. The governor Romanus had recommended an
early submission: despised by the people, and degraded from his
office, he still retained the desire and opportunity of revenge.
In a nocturnal interview, he informed the enemy of a
subterraneous passage from his house under the wall of the city;
the son of the caliph, with a hundred volunteers, were committed
to the faith of this new ally, and their successful intrepidity
gave an easy entrance to their companions. After Caled had
imposed the terms of servitude and tribute, the apostate or
convert avowed in the assembly of the people his meritorious
treason: “I renounce your society,” said Romanus, “both in this
world and the world to come. And I deny him that was crucified,
and whosoever worships him. And I choose God for my Lord, Islam
for my faith, Mecca for my temple, the Moslems for my brethren,
and Mahomet for my prophet; who was sent to lead us into the
right way, and to exalt the true religion in spite of those who
join partners with God.”

The conquest of Bosra, four days’ journey from Damascus,
encouraged the Arabs to besiege the ancient capital of Syria. At
some distance from the walls, they encamped among the groves and
fountains of that delicious territory, and the usual option of
the Mahometan faith, of tribute or of war, was proposed to the
resolute citizens, who had been lately strengthened by a
reenforcement of five thousand Greeks. In the decline, as in the
infancy, of the military art, a hostile defiance was frequently
offered and accepted by the generals themselves: many a lance was
shivered in the plain of Damascus, and the personal prowess of
Caled was signalized in the first sally of the besieged. After an
obstinate combat, he had overthrown and made prisoner one of the
Christian leaders, a stout and worthy antagonist. He instantly
mounted a fresh horse, the gift of the governor of Palmyra, and
pushed forwards to the front of the battle. “Repose yourself for
a moment,” said his friend Derar, “and permit me to supply your
place: you are fatigued with fighting with this dog.” “O Dear!”
replied the indefatigable Saracen, “we shall rest in the world to
come. He that labors to-day shall rest to-morrow.” With the same
unabated ardor, Caled answered, encountered, and vanquished a
second champion; and the heads of his two captives who refused to
abandon their religion were indignantly hurled into the midst of
the city. The event of some general and partial actions reduced
the Damascenes to a closer defence: but a messenger, whom they
dropped from the walls, returned with the promise of speedy and
powerful succor, and their tumultuous joy conveyed the
intelligence to the camp of the Arabs. After some debate, it was
resolved by the generals to raise, or rather to suspend, the
siege of Damascus, till they had given battle to the forces of
the emperor. In the retreat, Caled would have chosen the more
perilous station of the rear-guard; he modestly yielded to the
wishes of Abu Obeidah. But in the hour of danger he flew to the
rescue of his companion, who was rudely pressed by a sally of six
thousand horse and ten thousand foot, and few among the
Christians could relate at Damascus the circumstances of their
defeat. The importance of the contest required the junction of
the Saracens, who were dispersed on the frontiers of Syria and
Palestine; and I shall transcribe one of the circular mandates
which was addressed to Amrou, the future conqueror of Egypt. “In
the name of the most merciful God: from Caled to Amrou, health
and happiness. Know that thy brethren the Moslems design to march
to Aiznadin, where there is an army of seventy thousand Greeks,
who purpose to come against us, _that they may extinguish the
light of God with their mouths; but God preserveth his light in
spite of the infidels_. As soon therefore as this letter of mine
shall be delivered to thy hands, come with those that are with
thee to Aiznadin, where thou shalt find us if it please the most
high God.” The summons was cheerfully obeyed, and the forty-five
thousand Moslems, who met on the same day, on the same spot
ascribed to the blessing of Providence the effects of their
activity and zeal.

About four years after the triumph of the Persian war, the repose
of Heraclius and the empire was again disturbed by a new enemy,
the power of whose religion was more strongly felt, than it was
clearly understood, by the Christians of the East. In his palace
of Constantinople or Antioch, he was awakened by the invasion of
Syria, the loss of Bosra, and the danger of Damascus. An army of
seventy thousand veterans, or new levies, was assembled at Hems
or Emesa, under the command of his general Werdan: and these
troops consisting chiefly of cavalry, might be indifferently
styled either Syrians, or Greeks, or Romans: _Syrians_, from the
place of their birth or warfare; _Greeks_ from the religion and
language of their sovereign; and _Romans_, from the proud
appellation which was still profaned by the successors of
Constantine. On the plain of Aiznadin, as Werdan rode on a white
mule decorated with gold chains, and surrounded with ensigns and
standards, he was surprised by the near approach of a fierce and
naked warrior, who had undertaken to view the state of the enemy.
The adventurous valor of Derar was inspired, and has perhaps been
adorned, by the enthusiasm of his age and country. The hatred of
the Christians, the love of spoil, and the contempt of danger,
were the ruling passions of the audacious Saracen; and the
prospect of instant death could never shake his religious
confidence, or ruffle the calmness of his resolution, or even
suspend the frank and martial pleasantry of his humor. In the
most hopeless enterprises, he was bold, and prudent, and
fortunate: after innumerable hazards, after being thrice a
prisoner in the hands of the infidels, he still survived to
relate the achievements, and to enjoy the rewards, of the Syrian
conquest. On this occasion, his single lance maintained a flying
fight against thirty Romans, who were detached by Werdan; and,
after killing or unhorsing seventeen of their number, Derar
returned in safety to his applauding brethren. When his rashness
was mildly censured by the general, he excused himself with the
simplicity of a soldier. “Nay,” said Derar, “I did not begin
first: but they came out to take me, and I was afraid that God
should see me turn my back: and indeed I fought in good earnest,
and without doubt God assisted me against them; and had I not
been apprehensive of disobeying your orders, I should not have
come away as I did; and I perceive already that they will fall
into our hands.” In the presence of both armies, a venerable
Greek advanced from the ranks with a liberal offer of peace; and
the departure of the Saracens would have been purchased by a gift
to each soldier, of a turban, a robe, and a piece of gold; ten
robes and a hundred pieces to their leader; one hundred robes and
a thousand pieces to the caliph. A smile of indignation expressed
the refusal of Caled. “Ye Christian dogs, you know your option;
the Koran, the tribute, or the sword. We are a people whose
delight is in war, rather than in peace: and we despise your
pitiful alms, since we shall be speedily masters of your wealth,
your families, and your persons.” Notwithstanding this apparent
disdain, he was deeply conscious of the public danger: those who
had been in Persia, and had seen the armies of Chosroes confessed
that they never beheld a more formidable array. From the
superiority of the enemy, the artful Saracen derived a fresh
incentive of courage: “You see before you,” said he, “the united
force of the Romans; you cannot hope to escape, but you may
conquer Syria in a single day. The event depends on your
discipline and patience. Reserve yourselves till the evening. It
was in the evening that the Prophet was accustomed to vanquish.”
During two successive engagements, his temperate firmness
sustained the darts of the enemy, and the murmurs of his troops.
At length, when the spirits and quivers of the adverse line were
almost exhausted, Caled gave the signal of onset and victory. The
remains of the Imperial army fled to Antioch, or Cæsarea, or
Damascus; and the death of four hundred and seventy Moslems was
compensated by the opinion that they had sent to hell above fifty
thousand of the infidels. The spoil was inestimable; many banners
and crosses of gold and silver, precious stones, silver and gold
chains, and innumerable suits of the richest armor and apparel.
The general distribution was postponed till Damascus should be
taken; but the seasonable supply of arms became the instrument 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 mission, were eager and importunate to
share the harvest of Syria.

The sad tidings were carried to Damascus 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 horse: the bands of the Saracens succeeded each
other in formidable review; and the rear was closed by Caled in
person, with the standard of the black eagle. To the activity of
Derar he intrusted the commission of patrolling round the city
with two thousand horse, of scouring the plain, and of
intercepting all succor or intelligence. The rest of the Arabian
chiefs were fixed in their respective stations before the seven
gates of Damascus; and the siege was renewed with fresh vigor and
confidence. The art, the labor, the military engines, of the
Greeks and Romans are seldom to be found in the simple, though
successful, operations of the Saracens: it was sufficient for
them to invest a city with arms, rather than with trenches; to
repel the allies of the besieged; to attempt a stratagem or an
assault; or to expect the progress of famine and discontent.
Damascus would have acquiesced in the trial of Aiznadin, as a
final and peremptory sentence 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. The tumult and illumination of the night proclaimed
the design of the morning sally; and the Christian hero, who
affected to despise the enthusiasm of the Arabs, employed the
resource of a similar superstition. At the principal gate, in the
sight 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 Jesus; and the contending
parties were scandalized or edified by a prayer that the Son of
God would defend his servants and vindicate his truth. The battle
raged with incessant fury; and the dexterity of 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,” said she, “happy art thou, my dear: thou art
gone to thy Lord, who first joined us together, and then parted
us asunder. I will revenge thy death, and endeavor to the utmost
of my power to come to the place where thou art, because I love
thee. Henceforth shall 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 corpse of her husband, and buried him with
the usual rites. Then grasping the manly weapons, which in her
native land she was accustomed to wield, the intrepid widow of
Aban sought the place where his murderer fought in the thickest
of the battle. Her first arrow pierced the hand of his
standard-bearer; her second wounded Thomas in the eye; and the
fainting Christians no longer beheld their ensign or their
leader. Yet the generous champion of Damascus refused to withdraw
to his palace: his wound was dressed on the rampart; the fight
was continued till the evening; and the Syrians rested on their
arms. In the silence of the night, the signal was given by a
stroke on the great bell; the gates were thrown open, and each
gate discharged an impetuous column on the sleeping camp of the
Saracens. Caled was the first in arms: at the head of four
hundred horse 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 sleepest, look upon they servants,
and do not deliver them into the hands of their enemies.” The
valor and victory of Thomas were arrested by the presence of the
_Sword of God_; with the knowledge of the peril, the Moslems
recovered their ranks, and charged the assailants in the flank
and rear. After the loss of thousands, the Christian general
retreated with a sigh of despair, and the pursuit of the Saracens
was checked by the military engines of the rampart.

After a siege of seventy days, the patience, and perhaps the
provisions, of the Damascenes were exhausted; and the bravest of
their chiefs submitted to the hard dictates of necessity. In the
occurrences of peace and war, they had been taught to dread the
fierceness of Caled, and to revere the mild virtues of Abu
Obeidah. At the hour of midnight, one hundred chosen deputies of
the clergy and people were introduced to the tent of that
venerable commander. He received and dismissed them with
courtesy. They returned with a written agreement, on the faith of
a companion of Mahomet, that all hostilities should cease; that
the voluntary emigrants might depart in safety, with as much as
they could carry away of their effects; and that the tributary
subjects of the caliph should enjoy their lands and houses, with
the use and possession of seven churches. On these terms, the
most respectable hostages, and the gate nearest to his camp, were
delivered into his hands: his soldiers imitated the moderation of
their chief; and he enjoyed the submissive gratitude of a people
whom he had rescued from destruction. But the success of the
treaty had relaxed their vigilance, and in the same moment the
opposite quarter of the city was betrayed and taken by assault. A
party of a hundred Arabs had opened the eastern gate to a more
inexorable foe. “No quarter,” cried the rapacious and sanguinary
Caled, “no quarter to the enemies of the Lord:” his trumpets
sounded, and a torrent of Christian blood was poured down the
streets of Damascus. When he reached the church of St. Mary, he
was astonished and provoked by the peaceful aspect of his
companions; their swords were in the scabbard, and they were
surrounded by a multitude of priests and monks. Abu Obeidah
saluted the general: “God,” said he, “has delivered the city into
my hands by way of surrender, and has saved the believers the
trouble of fighting.” “And am I not,” replied the indignant
Caled, “am I not the lieutenant of the commander of the faithful?
Have I not taken the city by storm? The unbelievers shall perish
by the sword. Fall on.” The hungry and cruel Arabs would have
obeyed the welcome command; and Damascus was lost, if the
benevolence of Abu Obeidah had not been supported by a decent and
dignified firmness. Throwing himself between the trembling
citizens and the most eager of the Barbarians, he adjured them,
by the holy name of God, to respect his promise, to suspend their
fury, and to wait the determination of their chiefs. The chiefs
retired into the church of St. Mary; and after a vehement debate,
Caled submitted in some measure to the reason and authority of
his colleague; who urged the sanctity of a covenant, the
advantage as well as the honor which the Moslems would derive
from the punctual performance of their word, and the obstinate
resistance which they must encounter from the distrust and
despair of the rest of the Syrian cities. It was agreed that the
sword should be sheathed, that the part of Damascus which had
surrendered to Abu Obeidah, should be immediately entitled to the
benefit of his capitulation, and that the final decision should
be referred to the justice and wisdom of the caliph. A large
majority of the people accepted the terms of toleration and
tribute; and Damascus is still peopled by twenty thousand
Christians. But the valiant Thomas, and the free-born patriots
who had fought under his banner, embraced the alternative of
poverty and exile. In the adjacent meadow, a numerous encampment
was formed of priests and laymen, of soldiers and citizens, of
women and children: they collected, with haste and terror, their
most precious movables; and abandoned, with loud lamentations, or
silent anguish, their native homes, and the pleasant banks of the
Pharpar. The inflexible soul of Caled was not touched by the
spectacle of their distress: he disputed with the Damascenes the
property of a magazine of corn; endeavored to exclude the
garrison from the benefit of the treaty; consented, with
reluctance, that each of the fugitives should arm himself with a
sword, or a lance, or a bow; and sternly declared, that, after a
respite of three days, they might be pursued and treated as the
enemies of the Moslems.

The passion of a Syrian youth completed the ruin of the exiles of
Damascus. A nobleman of the city, of the name of Jonas, was
betrothed to a wealthy maiden; but her parents delayed the
consummation of his nuptials, and their daughter was persuaded to
escape with the man whom she had chosen. They corrupted the
nightly watchmen of the gate Keisan; the lover, who led the way,
was encompassed by a squadron of Arabs; but his exclamation in
the Greek tongue, “The bird is taken,” admonished his mistress to
hasten her return. In the presence of Caled, and of death, the
unfortunate Jonas professed his belief in one God and his apostle
Mahomet; and continued, till the season of his martyrdom, to
discharge the duties of a brave and sincere Mussulman. When the
city was taken, he flew to the monastery, where Eudocia had taken
refuge; but the lover was forgotten; the apostate was scorned;
she preferred her religion to her country; and the justice of
Caled, though deaf to mercy, refused to detain by force a male or
female inhabitant of Damascus. Four days was the general confined
to the city by the obligation of the treaty, and the urgent cares
of his new conquest. His appetite for blood and rapine would have
been extinguished by the hopeless computation of time and
distance; but he listened to the importunities of Jonas, who
assured him that the weary fugitives might yet be overtaken. At
the head of four thousand horse, in the disguise of Christian
Arabs, Caled undertook the pursuit. They halted only for the
moments of prayer; and their guide had a perfect knowledge of the
country. For a long way the footsteps of the Damascenes were
plain and conspicuous: they vanished on a sudden; but the
Saracens were comforted by the assurance that the caravan had
turned aside into the mountains, and must speedily fall into
their hands. In traversing the ridges of the Libanus, they
endured intolerable hardships, and the sinking spirits of the
veteran fanatics were supported and cheered by the unconquerable
ardor of a lover. From a peasant of the country, they were
informed that the emperor had sent orders to the colony of exiles
to pursue without delay the road of the sea-coast, and of
Constantinople, apprehensive, perhaps, that the soldiers and
people of Antioch might be discouraged by the sight and the story
of their sufferings. The Saracens were conducted through the
territories of Gabala and Laodicea, at a cautious distance from
the walls of the cities; the rain was incessant, the night was
dark, a single mountain separated them from the Roman army; and
Caled, ever anxious for the safety of his brethren, whispered an
ominous dream in the ear of his companion. With the dawn of day,
the prospect again cleared, and they saw before them, in a
pleasant valley, the tents of Damascus. After a short interval of
repose and prayer, Caled divided his cavalry into four squadrons,
committing the first to his faithful Derar, and reserving the
last for himself. They successively rushed on the promiscuous
multitude, insufficiently provided with arms, and already
vanquished by sorrow and fatigue. Except a captive, who was
pardoned and dismissed, the Arabs enjoyed the satisfaction of
believing that not a Christian of either sex escaped the edge of
their cimeters. The gold and silver of Damascus was scattered
over the camp, and a royal wardrobe of three hundred load of silk
might clothe an army of naked Barbarians. In the tumult of the
battle, Jonas sought and found the object of his pursuit: but her
resentment was inflamed by the last act of his perfidy; and as
Eudocia struggled in his hateful embraces, she struck a dagger to
her heart. Another female, the widow of Thomas, and the real or
supposed daughter of Heraclius, was spared and released without a
ransom; but the generosity of Caled was the effect of his
contempt; and the haughty Saracen insulted, by a message of
defiance, the throne of the Cæsars. Caled had penetrated above a
hundred and fifty miles into the heart of the Roman province: he
returned to Damascus with the same secrecy and speed On the
accession of Omar, the _Sword of God_ was removed from the
command; but the caliph, who blamed the rashness, was compelled
to applaud the vigor and conduct, of the enterprise.

Another expedition of the conquerors of Damascus will equally
display their avidity and their contempt for the riches of the
present world. They were informed that the produce and
manufactures of the country were annually collected in the fair
of Abyla, 64 about thirty miles from the city; that the cell of a
devout hermit was visited at the same time by a multitude of
pilgrims; and that the festival of trade and superstition would
be ennobled by the nuptials of the daughter of the governor of
Tripoli. Abdallah, the son of Jaafar, a glorious and holy martyr,
undertook, with a banner of five hundred horse, the pious and
profitable commission of despoiling the infidels. As he
approached the fair of Abyla, he was astonished by the report of
this mighty concourse of Jews and Christians, Greeks, and
Armenians, of natives of Syria and of strangers of Egypt, to the
number of ten thousand, besides a guard of five thousand horse
that attended the person of the bride. The Saracens paused: “For
my own part,” said Abdallah, “I dare not go back: our foes are
many, our danger is great, but our reward is splendid and secure,
either in this life or in the life to come. Let every man,
according to his inclination, advance or retire.” Not a Mussulman
deserted his standard. “Lead the way,” said Abdallah to his
Christian guide, “and you shall see what the companions of the
prophet can perform.” They charged in five squadrons; but after
the first advantage of the surprise, they were encompassed and
almost overwhelmed by the multitude of their enemies; and their
valiant band is fancifully compared to a white spot in the skin
of a black camel. 65 About the hour of sunset, when their weapons
dropped from their hands, when they panted on the verge of
eternity, they discovered an approaching cloud of dust; they
heard the welcome sound of the tecbir, 66 and they soon perceived
the standard of Caled, who flew to their relief with the utmost
speed of his cavalry. The Christians were broken by his attack,
and slaughtered in their flight, as far as the river of Tripoli.
They left behind them the various riches of the fair; the
merchandises that were exposed for sale, the money that was
brought for purchase, the gay decorations of the nuptials, and
the governor’s daughter, with forty of her female attendants.

The fruits, provisions, and furniture, the money, plate, and
jewels, were diligently laden on the backs of horses, asses, and
mules; and the holy robbers returned in triumph to Damascus. The
hermit, after a short and angry controversy with Caled, declined
the crown of martyrdom, and was left alive in the solitary scene
of blood and devastation.

64 (return) [ Dair Abil Kodos. After retrenching the last word,
the epithet, holy, I discover the Abila of Lysanias between
Damascus and Heliopolis: the name (Abil signifies a vineyard)
concurs with the situation to justify my conjecture, (Reland,
Palestin. tom. i. p 317, tom. ii. p. 526, 527.)]

65 (return) [ I am bolder than Mr. Ockley, (vol. i. p. 164,) who
dares not insert this figurative expression in the text, though
he observes in a marginal note, that the Arabians often borrow
their similes from that useful and familiar animal. The reindeer
may be equally famous in the songs of the Laplanders.]

66 (return) [ We hear the tecbir; so the Arabs call Their shout
of onset, when with loud appeal They challenge heaven, as if
demanding conquest. This word, so formidable in their holy wars,
is a verb active, (says Ockley in his index,) of the second
conjugation, from Kabbara, which signifies saying Alla Acbar, God
is most mighty!]