332 CONQUESTS OF THE SARACENS. 



dinars of gold (138,750/.)- The importunities of his 

 courtiers had for a time retarded tire flight of Hera- 

 clius ; but when he beheld the battlements closely- 

 invested by the Saracens, his patriotism yielded to 

 considerations of personal safety. Having assem- 

 bled the bishops and principal men of the city in the 

 Greek church, he there bewailed the unhappy fate 

 of Syria, which he devoutly ascribed to the sins of 

 the prince and the people. While his ears had been 

 daily assailed with rumours of defeat, his imagina- 

 tion was terrified with dreams of a falling throne, 

 and a crown toppling from his head. Ascending a 

 hill in the neighbourhood, he cast a last look on his 

 beloved Antioch, and the long fruitful valley (the 

 Hollow, or Coelosyria) stretching away with its 

 flourishing towns and glittering turrets, from north 

 to south, between the snowy chains of the two Le- 

 banons ; and with expressions of regret and convic- 

 tion that he should never more behold these inter- 

 esting and favourite regions, he made his way with 

 a few domestics to the Mediterranean shore, and 

 privately embarked for Constantinople. A Moham- 

 medan tradition has laboured to make him a con- 

 vert, by means of a cap sent him by Omar, in Avhich 

 was sewed a text of the Koran ; and which cured 

 him of an obstinate headache when every other 

 remedy had failed. History, perhaps with some 

 truth, has recorded a conversation between his 

 imperial majesty and one of the Moslem captives, 

 as to the person and dignity of their sovereign. 

 " What sort of a palace," said Heraclius, " has your 

 caliph V "Of mud." "And who are his attend- 

 ants 1" " Beggars and poor people." " What tapes- 

 try does he sit upon V " Justice and uprightness." 

 " And what is his throne !" " Abstinence and wis- 

 dom." "And what is his treasured' "Trust in 

 God." " And who are his guards V " The bravest 

 of the Unitarians." 



Constantine, the eldest son of Heraclius, vms sta- 



