384 WARS OF THE CALIPHg. 



nearly twenty years. A spirit of discontent had 

 begiui to prevail generally throughout his domin- 

 ioas, and this was aggravated by a continued system 

 of favouritism on the one hand, and of ill-judged 

 severity on the other. The malecontents in the 

 different provinces held correspondence on their 

 mutual grievances and the means of redress. To 

 appease their fury, Othman owned from the pulpit 

 of the mosque the faults of his administration. 



But he soon forgot his resolutions ; and when 

 crowds of the factious nobles and indignant citizens 

 assembled at the gates of the palace, he refused to 

 grant them either audience or admission. A fierce 

 and sanguinary contest ensued ; for a band of 500 

 of his attendants had rallied in the principal court. 

 At length the assailants made their way to the ca- 

 liph's apartment, where they found him with a copy 

 of the Koran in his lap. Nine wounds were inflicted 

 on his body, of which he expired. Tlie faithful 

 Nailah threw herself between her husband and the 

 daggers of the assassins, and had the fingers of one 

 hand struck off in this heroic effort of conjugal 

 tenderness. 



The charities of Othman were carried to extrava- 

 gance, yet he left immense riches behind him, — 

 500,000',000 drachms and 159,000 dinars being found 

 in his coffers ; besides 290,000 dinars set apart for 

 pious uses (in all, 11,620,208/. Gs. 8d.). 



Considering the claims and personal merits of Ali, 

 his aflinity to the Prophet, and his tried valour in 

 many a field under the banners of the Koran, it is 

 apparently wonderful that the nation of the faithful 

 should have quietly tolerated his repeated disap- 

 pointments. Though still opposed by the faction 

 of Ayesha, his implacable enemy, the ostensible ob- 

 stacles to his elevation were now removed, and the 

 sovereignty had descended to him even in that order 

 of succession which had hitherto been determined 

 rather by degrees of sanctity than of kindred, la 



