CALIPHS OF BAGDAD. 15 



spiritual, devolved on his brother and successor, Mo- 

 tassem. The name of the Ocionary, by which he is 

 designated in history, originated from the remark- 

 able coincidences, that he was the eighth caliph of his 

 family — the eighth in descent from Abbas — he gained 

 eight distinguislied victories — eight sons of princes 

 were enrolled in his service — he possessed eight 

 thousand male, and as many female, slaves — he had 

 eight sons and eight daughters — he was master of 

 eighty thousand horses — and left in his coffers eight 

 minions of gold dinars, with eighteen millions of 

 drachms of silver. His strength was so prodigious 

 that he is said to have carried a burden of 1000 

 pounds' weight ; and such was the muscular power 

 of his arm, that he could hold a sheep in each hand 

 until his attendants flayed them alive. Among 

 other luxuries he kept 130,000 piebald horses in his 

 stables at Samarra, and maintained 50,000 boys at 

 court, to each of whom he furnished a satchel or 

 little bag for provisions. He was the first caliph 

 that added to his name the title of Billah, or B^AUahy 

 equivalent to the Dei Gratia of Christian sove- 

 reigns. 



Vathek was a liberal patron of learned men, and 

 so charitable to the poor, that not a single beggar, 

 through the whole course of his reign, was to be 

 met with in his dominions. His brother Motawak- 

 kel displayed all the caprice and cruelty of a tyrant. 

 He evinced his displeasure against the Jews and 

 Christians by compelling them to use wooden in- 

 stead of iron stirrups — to wear leathern girdles, to 

 have badges on their clothes, and to paint the figures 

 of devils or hogs and apes on their door, to distin- 

 guish them from the IMussulmans. Among other 

 instances of his folly and depravity, it is recorded 

 that one of the amusements in which he chose to 

 indulge himself was to give a magnificent entertain^ 

 ment, and in the moment of convivial gayety to turn 

 a lion loose among the terrified guests. Sometimes 



