The Races of the Danube. 223 



The first great wave of Mohammedan invasion 

 not only swept away the provinces south of the 

 Mediterranean, but overwhelmed the greater part 

 of Spain, and cut it away from the Empire for 

 several centuries. The disastrous effect of this 

 long isolation upon the future history of Spain 

 lias been often remarked, and if thoroughly 

 treated would make an interesting study. Yet 

 the contributions of the Mohammedan conquerors 

 to the work of human culture, which were by no 

 means insignificant, may perhaps be thought to 

 have afforded some compensation for the harm 

 done. Spain is the only instance of a country 

 once thoroughly infused with Roman civilization 

 which has been actually severed from the Empire ; 

 and even here the severance, though of long dura- 

 tion, was but partial and temporary. After a 

 struggle of nearly eight centuries, the higher form 

 of social organization triumphed over the lower, 

 and the usurping race was expelled. 



Contemporaneously with this final rescue of 

 Spanish territory, the second great wave of Mo- 

 hammedan invasion overflowed the remnants of 

 the Byzantine Empire, and seemed for a while to 

 threaten the security of Europe. In this second 

 invasion, conducted by Turks, there was much 

 more of barbarism than in the older invasion of 



