ib. 1185 Last War of the Greeks and Normans 1154-1166. William I. the Bad, King of Sicily 1166-1189. William II. the Good CHAP. LVII. The Turks of the House of Seljuk.-Their Revolt against. Mahmud, Conqueror of Hindostan.-Togrul subdues Per- sia, and protects the Caliphs.-Defeat and Captivity of the Emperor Romanus Diogenes by Alp Arslan.-Power and Magnificence of Malek Shah.-Conquest of Asia THE HISTORY. OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE. CHAP. LII. The two Sieges of Constantinople by the ArabsTheir Invasion of France, and Defeat by Charles Martel.-Civil War of the Ommiades and Abbassides.-Learning of the Arabs.-Luxury of the Caliphs.-Naval Enterprises on Crete, Sicily, and Rome. Decay and Division of the Empire of the Caliphs.-Defeats and Victories of the Greek Emperors. W LII. The limits HEN the Arabs first issued from the de- CHA P. sert, they must have been surprised at the ease and rapidity of their own success. But when they advanced in the career of victory to of the the banks of the Indus and the summit of the conPyrenees; when they had repeatedly tried the quest. edge of their scymetars and the energy of their faith, VOL. X. B Arabian LII. CHA P. faith, they might be equally astonished that any nation could resist their invincible arms, that any boundary should confine the dominion of the successor of the prophet. The confidence of soldiers and fanatics may indeed be excused, since the calm historian of the present hour, who strives to follow the rapid course of the Saracens, must study to explain by what means the church and state were saved from this impending, and, as it should seem, from this inevitable danger. The deserts of Scythia and Sarmatia might be guarded by their extent, their climate, their poverty, and the courage of the northern shepherds; China was remote and inaccessible; but the greatest part of the temperate zone was subject to the Mahometan conquerors, the Greeks were exhausted by the calamities of war and the loss of their fairest provinces, and the Barbarians of Europe might justly tremble at the precipitate fall of the Gothic monarchy. In this inquiry I shall unfold the events that rescued our ancestors of Britain, and our neighbours of Gaul, from the civil and religious yoke of the Koran; that protected the majesty of Rome, and delayed the servitude of Constantinople; that invigorated the defence of the Christians, and scattered among their enemies the seeds of division and decay. First siege of Constantino Forty six years after the flight of Mahomet from Mccca, his disciples appeared in arms under the pie by the walls of Constantinople. They were animated Arabs. by *Theophanes places the seven years of the siege of Constantinople in the year of our Christian æra 673, (of the Alexandrian 065, Sept. 1.) and the peace of the Saracens, four years afterwards; A. D. by a genuine or fictitious saying of the prophet, CHA P. that, to the first army which besieged the city of LII. the Cæsars, their sins were forgiven; the long series of Roman triumphs would be meritoriously 668-675. transferred to the conquerors of New Rome; and the wealth of nations was deposited in this wellchosen seat of royalty and commerce. No sooner had the caliph Moawiyah suppressed his rivals and established his throne, than he aspired to expiate the guilt of civil blood, by the success and glory of his holy expedition*; his preparations by sea and land were adequate to the importance of the object; his standard was entrusted to Sophian, a veteran warrior, but the troops were encouraged by the example and presence of Yezid, the son and presumptive heir of the commander of the faithful. The Greeks had little to hope, nor had their enemies any reasons of fear, from the courage and vigilance of the reigning emperor, who disgraced the name of Constantine, and imitated only the inglorious years of his grandfather Heraclius. Without delay or opposition, the naval forces of the Saracens passed through the unguarded channel of the Hellespont, which even now, under the B 2 feeble afterwards; a glaring inconsistency! which Petavius, Goar, and Pagi, (Critica, tom. iv. p. 63, 64.) have struggled to remove. Of the Arabians, the Hegira 52, (A. D. 672, January 8.) is assigned by Elmacin, the year 48, (A. D. 668, Feb. 20.) by Abulfeda, whose testimony I esteem the most convenient and creditable. *For this first siege of Constantinople, see Nicephorus, (Breviar. p. 21, 22.) Theophanes, (Chronograph. p. 294) Cedrenus, (Compend. p. 437-) Zonaras, (Hist. tom. ii. 1. xiv. p. 89.) Elmacin, (Hist. Saracen, p. 56, 57.) Abulfeda, (Annal. Moslem. p. 107, 108. vers. Reiske,) d'Herbelot, (Bibliot. Orient. Constantin.) Ockley's Hist. of the Saracens, vol. ii. P. 127, 128. |