326 CONQUESTS OF THE SARACENS. 



Christians are stated to have lost 150,000 men in 

 killed, and 48,000 in prisoners. Perhaps the Arabs 

 may exaggerate in point of number ; but the Greek 

 historians themselves have admitted the total over- 

 throw of the Roman power in Syria in this san- 

 guinary engagement (Nov. 636), which they long 

 after bewailed as a just retribution for their sins. 



Of the Saracens, 4030 martyrs were buried on the 

 spot. Next to the prayers of the cahph, the glory 

 of the triumph has been ascribed to the female war- 

 riors ; for their ablest generals confessed that their 

 bravery had been in vain, had not the battle been 

 again and again restored by the firmness of the 

 women. The intelligence of the victory, together 

 with the legal proportion of the spoil, were speedily 

 conveyed to the throne of Omar, and received with 

 the most lively demonstrations of joy and gratitude. 

 After detailing the loss on both sides, " I found," 

 says Obeidah in his letter, " some heads cut off; not 

 knowing whether they belonged to Mussulmans or 

 Christians, I prayed over them, and buried them. 

 The numbers drowned are unknown to any but God ; 

 as for those that fled to the deserts and momatains, 

 we have destroyed them all." 



Recovered from the toils of the campaign at Da- 

 mascus, the Saracens were eager to be led to new 

 conquests. The dispersion of the Christians left 

 them free to choose which of the fortified towns 

 should be the object of their first attack ; and, in 

 obedience to the caliph's commands, they proceeded 

 forthwith to the reduction of ^lia* or Jerusalem. 

 Trusting to their engines and the sanctity of the 

 place, the fearless inhabitants disdained to reply to 

 the pacific messages of the enemy, and prepared for 

 a vigorous defence. Ten days were wasted in prayer 

 and vahi expectation; and, on the eleventh, the 

 town was beleaguered by the whole strength of the 



* A name derived from the colony of the Emperor JElius 

 Hadrian. 



