Lane -Poole — Mohammadan Treaties with Christians. 247 



■were free to do, including the Eomans of Alexandria and the parts round 

 about. And it was agreed in writing that el-Mukawkis should write 

 to the emperor to inform him of what he had done ; and if he accepted, 

 the treaty was good. Heraclius's reply was naturally a repudiation 

 of the treaty. He pointed out the small numbers of the Arabs 

 compared with the Romans and the Copts, and ordered hostilities to 

 be resumed. Upon this el-Mukawkis, convinced that resistance was 

 useless, went to 'Amr, and begged of him three things : first, ' do not 

 break faith with the Copts, but count me as one with them, and on 

 me be binding what is binding on them, for my word and theirs 

 agreed upon what thou didst covenant, and they are fulfilling towai'ds 

 thee what thou wishest; secondly, if the Eomans after this sue for 

 peace, make no peace with them till thou hast made them confiscate 

 and slaves ; . . . and thirdly, I beg of thee when I go to my rest to 

 have me bm-ied at St. John's at Alexandria." And 'Amr agreed 

 to these requests. It is true that Maki-Izi, in another part of his 

 work,* gives the same three requests of el-Mukawkis in slightly varied 

 words, on the authority of Ibn 'Abd-el-Hakam, in connexion with 

 the conquest of Alexandria. Such confusions are unhappily too 

 common in regard to many events in the Arab invasion of Egypt. 

 But the three requests, to whichever date they belong, show clearly 

 enough that el-Mukawkis and 'Amr held by the Treaty of Misr 

 which had been concluded with the Copts, and that the Eomans put 

 themselves outside the treaty. The ninth-century writer, Ibn 'Abd- 

 el-Hakam's account of that treaty, as cited by MakrIzI, closely agrees 

 with what has already been related, and the learned geographer 



* Ibid., i. 163. Mr. Butler says, 'Here we get back to an earlier version' 

 but Ibn 'Abd-el-Hakam is a hundred years later than Ibn Lahi'a (t 164 a.h.) 

 The latter moreover was a famous traditionist, as well as chief Kadi of Fustat. 



