Abdallah, he could easily spare them. Some of them went to Yemanah, the rest to Bassorah. Those that went to Bassorah began to say among themselves, "Would to God some of our people would go out in the way of God! for there hath been negligence on our side since our companions went out, and our teachers stood up in the earth, and were the lights of mankind, and exhorted them to religion, and sober and courageous men went out and met the Lord, and became martyrs maintained with God alive."* Thus they encouraged one another mutually till they had gathered together a body of about three hundred, just about the time that the Bassorians made an insurrection against Obeidollah, and, taking the advantage of the disorders among the people, they broke open all the jails. But when Obeidollah was driven into Syria, and the disturbance was completely over, they were soon routed and driven away from Bassorah.

So many things being transacted in several parts of the empire much about the same time, it was necessary to despatch these first, to clear the way for Moktar,† that great and terrible scourge of the enemies of Ali's family; and because he makes so considerable a figure in this part of our history, it will be necessary to be a little more particular in the account of his affairs. The sect of Ali had entertained no very favourable opinion of him ever since the time of Hasan; for he was considered to have been remiss in his service; but he regained their good opinion when Hosein sent Muslim to Cufah to take the suffrages of the Cufians, for he not only entertained him in his house, but also made use of all his interest privately to serve him; all the while, to prevent suspicion, making his appearance in public among Obeidollah's men. Going one morning to wait upon the governor, Obeidollah asked him, "whether he was come with his men to serve Muslim?" Moktar said, "that he was not, but had been under the banner of Amrou the son of Horith, and stayed with him all night," which Amrou confirmed. This, however, did not satisfy Obeidollah, who had good intelligence of his secret practices. He struck him over the face with his stick, knocked out one of his eyes, and sent him immediately to prison, where he was detained till after Hosein's death. Upon which event Al Moktar, finding means to make application to Yezid the MS. Land. Num. 161. A. + Theophanes calls him Mox rúp.

caliph, was, by his express command, set at liberty. Obeidollah knew well that it was not to the caliph's interest to let him go, but forced to obey. He told Al Moktar that he allowed him three days, after which, if he took him, he would be under no obligation to spare him.

Al Moktar made the best of his way to the part of Arabia called Hejaz (which is generally taken by our geographers to be Arabia Petræa), and meeting with a friend, who asked him what ailed his eye, he answered, "Obeidollah injured it: but God kill me if I do not one day cut him to pieces." His friend wondered at his speech, there being then little probability of its ever being in his power, and Moktar inquired of him concerning Abdallah the son of Zobeir. He answered him, "That he had made Mecca the place of his refuge;" to which Moktar answered, "I do not believe that he will make anything of it; but when it comes to pass, that you see Moktar up at the head of his men to revenge the death of Hosein, then, by thy Lord, I will kill, upon the account of his murder, as many as were killed upon the account of the blood of John the son of Zacharias, upon whom be peace."

For the clearing of which passage it must be understood that the Mohammedans entertain a profound veneration for the memory of St. John the Baptist, upon the account of the honourable mention made of him in the third chapter of the Koran, in these words, “Then prayed Zachariah to his Lord, and said, My Lord, give me from thee a good progeny, for thou art the hearer of prayers.' And the angels called to him as he stood praying in the oratory, God sends thee the good news of John, who shall confirm the truth of the word from God, and shall be a great person, chaste, a prophet, and one of the just,' or rather, and one of the just prophets.'

Which passage Hosein Wacs paraphrases in these words,† "John the Baptist, your son, shall publish and give authority to the faith in the Messias Jesus the son of Mary, who is the Word of God, or the Word proceeding from God; for he shall be the first who shall believe in him. He shall become chief and high-priest by his knowledge, by the austerity of his life, and by the sweetness of his behaviour, which are three qualities requisite to make a man an Imam or high priest of the law of God. He shall abstain from women, Koran, chap. iii. 33. D'Herbelot, in Jahia.

and from all the pleasures of sense, and, in short, he shall be a prophet descended from good men such as his father Zachariah and his grandfather Saleh had been before him. teaching men the ways of justice and salvation."

They have, moreover, a tradition that St. John Baptist, having been beheaded by the command of a king of Judea, the blood which flowed from his body could not be stanched till it was avenged by a great desolation which God sent upon the people of the Jews. This is what Al Moktar alluded to.

When they parted, Al Moktar went to Mecca, which he reached just at the time that Abdallah set up for the caliphate, whom he told that all things about Cufah were in the utmost confusion; and then, whispering, said that he was come to proffer him his allegiance, if he would make him easy. I do not find what answer he received, nor whether or no he received any at all. However, from that time he was seen no more at Mecca till about a twelvemonth after, when, as Abbas the son of Sahel and Abdallah happened to be talking concerning him, he appeared on one side of the temple. Abbas went to him immediately, to find out which way he stood inclined, and asked him if he had been all that while in Taïf (for he had seen him there himself); he told him " No, in Taïf and other places," but seemed to make a secret of his affairs. Abbas told him that, like the rest of the Cufians, he was very reserved; that all the noble families of the Arabians had sent some great man or other to offer their allegiance to Abdallah, and that it would be very strange if he should be singular, and refuse it. To this Al Moktar replied, that he had offered his services the year before, but receiving no satisfactory anhe supposed Abdallah had no occasion for them; and, as he thought Abdallah had more occasion for him than he had for Abdallah, he felt himself slighted. At last Abbas prevailed upon him so far, that he said he would visit Abdallah after he had said the last evening prayer. They appointed to meet at the Stone, and Abbas in the mean time rejoiced the heart of Abdallah with the news. When they were admitted into Abdallah's house, Al Moktar told him that if he gave him his allegiance he expected to have access to him upon all occasions before any other person, and

swer,

MS. Laud, No. 161. A.

to be employed upon his most weighty affairs; Abdallah would have had him been content with being governed. "according to the book of God and the tradition." A Moktar answered, “That that was no more privilege than what the farthest man alive enjoyed, and that he would never come in upon any other terms than what he had proposed." Abdallah's affairs being as yet in an unsettled state, it was thought most advisable to indulge him in his humour; A Moktar accordingly continued with Abdallah during the siege of Mecca, and fought bravely in the defence of it, till, as we have related before, upon the news of Yezid's death the siege was raised, and the army returned into Syria.

After the death of Yezid, Al Moktar continued with Abdallah five months and some days; but perceiving that Abdallah was still shy of him, and did not employ him in any considerable post, nor make any great use of him in his counsels, he began to inquire diligently into the condition of the Cufians, and Ali's friends on that side of the country. At last he was informed, by one in whom he confided, that there was only a small party, supported by a few provincialists, in the interest of Abdallah; whereas the friends of Ali wanted nothing but a man of their own opinion to head then in order to consume the whole earth. Al Moktar swore that he was their man, and that, by their assistance, he would beat down" all haughty tyrants.' "His informant also told him, for his further satisfaction, they had already gone so far as to set one over them, who was, however, a person of but little experience. Al Moktar said he did not intend to call them to sedition, but to the right way, "and to the church," and forthwith set forth for Cufah. All the way he went he made it his business to pay his respects to the congregations of the several mosques, and say his prayers among them, and harangue them, assuring them of success and victory, and a speedy deliverance from all their grievances. When he came to Cufah he called the sect together, and told them that he was come "from the mine of excellency,† the Imam that directs the right way, who commanded medicines to be applied, and the veil to be removed, and the perfection of It is an expression used in the Koran.

That was Mohammed Ebn Hanifiyah, Ali's son, then resident at Месса,

gracious works, and the killing of their enemies. He then represented to them the incapacity of Solyman for such an undertaking, as being altogether inexperienced in war, and one that would only destroy both them and himself." This he repeated so frequently that he drew over a great many of the sect into his interest, who began every day to favour him more and more in their common discourse, and magnify his merit, and promise themselves great things from him. But notwithstanding all this, Solyman's interest was still superior amongst the sect, as being the most ancient, and of the greatest authority. Solyman now resolved to go forwards according to his own appointment, with what forces he had, expecting to be joined by a great army of the sect at Nochailah. Al Moktar stayed behind, awaiting the issue of the expedition, not doubting in the least, but that if Solyman miscarried, as he thought he would, the sole command of the sect would inevitably fall into his hands. By some of Solyman's party he was suspected of having a secret design of seizing the province, upon which account they surrounded his house, and having surprised him, advised the governor to bind him and make him walk barefoot to prison. The governor answered that he would never do so to a man that had not openly declared himself an enemy, but was only seized upon suspicion. Then they demanded that he should be put in irons; but the governor answered that the prison was restraint enough. And being conveyed thither upon a mule, we must leave him there for a while.

We return now to Solyman and his penitents, for so all those who confederated under him to revenge the death of Hosein were called, because of their sorrow for their former neglect of him in his extremity. According to agreement, in the new moon of the latter Rebiyah, they set out for the general rendezvous at Nochailah, a place not very far distant from Cufah. When he came there, and had taken a view of the camp, he was greatly concerned at the smallness of the number collected there, and despatched two horsemen post to Cufah, with orders to cry round about the streets, and in the great mosque, Vengeance for Hosein." As they passed through the streets they stimulated the people, and amongst the rest an Arabian, who was married to the greatest beauty of her time, whom he doated upon to an excess. As soon

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