Lane-Poole — Mohammadan Treaties with Christians. 241 



eleven months, at the expiration of which the Roman garrison of 

 Alexandria was to quit the city and depart by sea ; no Roman army 

 was to return or attempt the recovery of Egypt ; hostages were to be 

 given by the Romans for the due execution of the treaty ; and the 

 Jews were to be allowed to remain at Alexandria. There is not 

 a word of all this in the Treaty of Misr ; and it obviously has no 

 connexion with the capitulation of Alexandria. 



It was, as is evident from its contents, a treaty with the Copts of 

 the city of Misr as against the Romans, rather than with the Romans. 

 The questions now arise, when could it have been concluded, and by 

 whom? Now the Arab historians — upon whom alone we have to 

 rely for events between the capture of the city of Misr and the fall 

 of the fortress of Babylon, for there is a gap here in John of Nikiu's 

 Chronicle — are full of reports of negotiations between the Copts and 

 the Arabs with a view to a peace, which was strongly opposed by 

 the Roman garrison in the fortress, then the chief position of Roman 

 power at the apex of the Delta. According to Tabari, after the 

 Arabs had reached Babylon, there came to meet them, on the part of 

 of el-Mukawkis (the name they give to the governor of Egypt), a 

 patriarch {gdthallk, eatholicus) and a bishop, who, after some fighting 

 ( iSj\i ), were invited by 'Amr to discuss terms : this was before 

 reinforcements had reached the Muslims, and 'Amr and his 4000 men 

 were apparently in a precarious position. The discussion was of a 

 friendly nature in regard to the Copts, for whom, it was said, the 

 Prophet Mohammad and the Muslims had always entei-tained a kindly 

 feeling, on the atavic ground of the Arabs' descent from the Egyptian 

 bondmaid Hagar. 'Amr offered the usual terms : those who embraced 

 Islam should be the equals of the conquerors and enter the universal 

 brotherhood of the Muslims, and those who refused should pay the 



