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Crete was also subdued.

remained in their hands. Corsica, by the united power of arms and eloquence, was induced to drive away the Greeks, and to embrace the Moslem faith, which prevailed there for nearly one hundred and fifty years. Sardinia, though for a short time it admitted the yoke, freed itself by securing the powerful protection of France, afterwards, about the commencement of the tenth century, it became a Moslem province, in which condition it remained for nearly a hundred years. Sicily also submitted to the Moors from Spain and Africa, after enormous cruelties and exactions.

Rome at length was made to hear the war cry of the desolating Arabs. When Sicily was in their possession, the passage up the Tiber was easy, and soon the affrighted citizens of that ancient capital beheld a Saracen encampment before their walls. In a battle occasioned by the approach of the emperor Lothaire, to the relief of the city, the Saracens were victorious, as they had been in other similar engagements; and the valour of a pope, with the bad conduct of the invaders themselves, saved Rome from destruction. "Ils revinrent bientot apres avec une armee formidable,"* says Voltaire, "qui semblait devoir détruire l'Italie et faire une bourgade Mahométane de la capitale du Christianisme. Le Pape Léon IV., prenant dans ce danger une autorité que les généraux de l'Empereur Lothaire semblaient abandonner, se montra digne, en defendant Rome, d'y commander en souverain. Il avait employé les richesses de l'église à réparer les murailles à élever des tours,

* Essai sur l'histoire Generale, tom. I., ch. xviii., Ed. 1756.

à tendre des chaînes sur le Tibre. Il arma les milices a ses dépens engagea les habitans de Naples et de Gayette à venir défendre les côtes, et le port d'Ostie, sans manquer à la sage précaution de prendre d'eux des ôtages, sachant bien que ceux qui sont assez puissans pour nous secourir, le sont assez pour nous nuire. Il visita lui meme tous les postes, et reçut les Sarasins à leur descente, non pas en équipage de Guerrier, ainsi qu'en avoit usé Goslin. Evêque de Paris, dans une occasion encore plus pressante, mais comme un Pontif qui exhortait un peuple Chrétien et comme un roi qui veillait à la sûreté des ses sujets. Il était né Romain. Le courage des premiers âges de la république revivait en lui dans un temps de lâcheté et de corruption, tel qu'un des beaux monumens de l'ancienne Rome, qu'on trouve quelquefois dans les ruines de la nouvelle. Son courage et ses soins furent secondés. Ou reçut les Sarasins courageusement à leur descente; et la tempête ayant dissipé la moitié de leurs vaisseaux, une partie de ces conquérans, échappés au naufrage, fut mise a la chaîne. Le Pape rendit sa victoire utile, en faisant travailler aux fortifications de Rome, et a ses embelissemens, les memes mains qui devaient les detruire."

CHAPTER XIV.

The decline of Mahometan power.-Extent of the Arabian empire.-Causes which led to that extent.-Continuance of Mahometanism. -Decay of the empire. -What led to it.Spain revolts and sets up a separate caliph.-Africa.-Egypt.Bagdad.-Fall of the house of the Abbassides.-Sects of Mahometans.-Orthodox.- Heretical. The intolerance of Maho

metanism.

THE first battle in which the Arabs tried their power against the disciplined forces of the Roman empire was the battle of Muta. Though on that occasion they were successful, it can hardly be supposed that the most sanguine would have ventured to predict that before the close of a century their empire would become more extensive than any former kingdom. It overthrew the power of the Romans, and rendered the successors of the prophet the mightiest and most absolute sovereigns on earth. Yet such was the fact.

Under the last monarch of the Ommiade house the Arabian dominion, except only a part of Africa not much known, and of but little account, included a compact dominion of six months' march of a caravan in length, and four in breadth, with innumerable tributary and dependent states. In the exercise of their prerogative the caliphs were unfettered by popular rights, by the votes of a senate, or by the laws of a free constitution; the Koran was their professed rule of action, but they alone were its interpreters, so that their will was law. The loss of Spain from the empire was more than made up by conquests in India, Tartary, and European Turkey. Samarcand and Timbuctoo studied with equal devotion the language and re

T

ligion of the Koran, and at the temple of Mecca the Moor and the Indian met as brother pilgrims. Throughout the countries west of the Tigris the language of Arabia became the vehicle of popular intercourse, and though in Persia, Tartary, and Hindostan the native dialects continued in common use, the Arabic was the sacred language. The forms of worship and religion enjoined by Mahomet, were all but universal.

Before we advert to the decline of the Arabian empire a few sentences may be introduced as to the causes contributing to its unparalleled prosperity.

One of them has already been mentioned in the observations in chapter the second, on the condition of the Christian church in Syria, and the neighbouring countries at the time Mahomet commenced his career. The leading article of his faith, the unity of God, harmonized with what Jews and Christians universally contended for. He propounded this doctrine so as by excluding the Deity of Jesus Christ to fall in with the views of the greater number of the Christian sectaries. Mahomet, moreover, enjoined practices which in the then corrupting state of piety were beginning widely to prevail. To the untutored mind of a desert wanderer, his doctrine would have all the attractiveness which he might have heard of, as pertaining to Christianity; besides that having appeared to originate in his own land it would secure from him the greater attention. Systems in which truth and error have been combined are by no means unwillingly received, especially by those portions of mankind who are already superstitious and fanatical, and such we have seen was the

Arabian character. Mahomet's religious, moral, and juridical system was in general accordance with Asiatic opinions, it provided a paradise exactly adapted to the imagination and character of an Oriental-and as the superstitious are always rather worshippers of what awakens apprehension and appeals to fear, than what enkindles hope, his hell contributed more than his heaven to multiply disciples.

Still had no appeal been made to arms, the Mahometan faith in all probability would have been confined to the deserts of Arabia. The whole of Asia was in a state of unprecedented military inactivity. Opportunity was thus afforded for the success of his enterprise. Empires were proverbially tottering and powerless in the seventh century, political wisdom almost disappeared, and to military talents and courage, all except the Arabs, were strangers. Previous contentions, as for instance those between the Persian and Byzantine empires, had entirely destroyed what little remains of internal vigour the governments might otherwise have had. Čivil revolts, tyranny, and extortion, sensuality, and sloth, annihilated the ambition of universal rule, which the Greek and Roman empires had cherished; and their provinces neglected or oppressed, became an easy prey to the Moslem yoke.

The more easily was this yoke imposed on the nations, when to the indomitable courage and fe rocity of the desert wanderer, the Saracens added those other features which make up a warlike character. They despised death, were self-denying and energetic to a degree far beyond the soldiers of civilized countries, while they were al

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