Chap. II. of the East 
and addrefled himfelf to the War, though his Treafury 
was fo exhaufted, that he was forced to coin the Church 
Plate. While he was engaged in this War, the Avares 
broke the Peace, and advanced even to the Gates of Con- 
fiantinople , which, they befieged, but without Succefs. 
Heraclius foon after concluded the Perfian War with much 
Honour to himfelf, after it had lafted fix Years. 
It was one of the moft fatal of which we find any men- 
tion in Hiftory for it exhaufted the Strength, and in its 
Confequences proved the Ruin of both Empires *, for while 
the Perfians were victorious at firft, they over-ran all Egypt, 
plundered the People without Mercy, interrupted their 
Commerce, and deftroyed their Magazines. When the 
Greeks in their Turn had the better of the Perfians , they 
revenged thefe Wrongs fo effectually, that they intirely broke 
the Force and Spirits of the Perfians , which fcarce proved 
a greater Misfortune to that Nation than to the Romans 
themfelves j for if the Perfians had not been in fo weak a 
Condition, the Saracens would never have been able to 
have over-run their Country in the manner they did, and 
which afterwards afforded them an Opportunity of reduc- 
ing the moft valuable Provinces of the Greek Empire. 
It is very remarkable, that upon the firft News of the 
Victories which Heraclius gained over the Perfians , one of 
the principal Monarches of the Indies fent to compliment 
him upon that Occafion, and made him a Prelent of a con- 
fiderable Quantity of fine Pearl, and precious Stones, and 
fame Years afterwards repeated this Civility much to the 
Emperor’s Satisfaction. This is a very fingular Circum- 
ftance, and fliews that there muff have been fome previous 
Correfpondence between thefe Princes ; but it was one of 
the laft Inftances of Friendfhip which palled between thefe 
States ; for before the Deceafe of this Emperor, all the 
Provinces from which any Correfpondence could be carried 
on with the Indies , were torn from the Greeks and as this 
is a Circumftance which very nearly concerns our Subject, 
it is requisite, for the better underftanding it, that we 
fhould enter into a more particular Account of this remark- 
able Event. 
9. Mohammed , the Author of a new Religion, and of a 
new Empire, fet up for a Prophet about two Years before 
Heraclius began to reign ; but the Hegira , or Flight from 
Mecca , which is the iEra of the Mohammedans , and which 
happened when Mohammed was fifty- four Years old, is fixed, 
according to the beft Hiftorians, to July 6 , A.D. 622. 
Mohammed furvived this ten Years, and though at his firft 
affuming the Sovereignty, he had no more than thirty Sub- 
jects ; yet before his Death he had laid the Foundation of 
a very powerful Monarchy. He was fucceeded by his 
Father-in-law Abdallah , furnamed Abubekre , by which 
Name only he is mentioned in moft Hiftories. The 
Meaning of it in Arabic is, The Father of the Virgin •, and 
he was fo called, becaufe his Daughter Aifcha was the only 
one of Mohammed " s Wives whom he married while a Virgin. 
This Abubekre was the firft Khaliff \ which is another 
Arabic Word that fignifies a Vicar , or Subftitute , and a 
Succeffor , and the Kaliffs were efteemed both with refpect 
! to Mohammed. In the fecond Year of his Reign he invaded 
Perfia and in the third and laft he fent Khaled , one of his 
ableft Commanders, with an Army of 36,000 Men to in- 
vade the Greek Empire, which he performed with Succefs, 
and defeated a great Army which Heraclius fent againft 
1 him. 
Omar fucceeded Abubekre in the thirteenth of the Hegira ; 
in the firft Year of his Reign he became Mafter of Damaf- 
eus, and in the fecond he reduced all Syria , having forced 
Heraclius , who came in Perfon to its Relief, to retire pre- 
cipitately. The next Year he made himfelf Mafter of Je- 
rusalem , and all the Country of Paleftine , while one 'of his 
Lieutenants intirely fubdued Perfia , and put an End to 
that ancient Kingdom in the Perfon of Jezdegerd , who was 
; the laft of their Princes. 
After this Conqueft the Saracens , as they were then 
called^ demanded Tribute of Egypt and Cyrus Bifhop of 
1 Alexandria , knowing the diftreffed Condition of the Em- 
pire, and feaiing the Confeqyences of a War, confented to 
pay an annual I ribute of 200,000 Aurei, with which for two 
Years the Saracens were contented, and very probably 
1 would have been fo for a long Space of Time, if the Em- 
N U M B. 35, 
Indies.- 509 
peror Heraclius had not taken this in ill Part, and treated 
it as a fleecing of his Subjects to inrich the Infidels. He 
bellowed therefore the Government of Egypt on an Arme- 
nian, whofe Name was Manuel, with the Title of Pr<s- 
fedlus Auguftalis, who, when the Tribute was demanded 
next anfwered, that they had formerly a Pried, but now a 
Soldier, to deal with. Omar thereupon fent Amrou his 
General with a potent Army into that Country, where, 
when it was too late, Heraclius would have renewed the 
Treaty made by Cyrus, and would willingly have paid the 
former Tribute. But Amrou , in the Space of two Years, 
conquered the beft Part of the Country, and laid Siege to 
Alexandria. While he lay before the Place, which held 
out fourteen Months, the Emperor Heraclius died, and 
being fucceeded by his Son, who was a Minor, the Saracens 
at their Leifure prolecuted the Conqueft of Egypt , and foon 
after annexed thereto all the adjacent Countries. 
Omar the fecond Khaliff reigned but ten Years and a half, 
and in that Space of Time fubdued Syria , Chaldea, Mefo- 
potamia , Perfia, Egypt, and Part of Africa •, that is to fay, 
as far as Tripoli in Barbary. By this Blow the Romans, as 
they fti’ied themfelves, or Greeks, as they were ftiled by 
others, loft all their Eaftern Provinces, and the Trade to 
the Indies intirely, which for the prelent fuffered an abfo- 
lute Interruption, the Arabs being at that time intirely ad- 
dicted to War •, and though they were avaritious enough, 
had no great Notion of Commerce. It is fcarce to be con- 
ceived how great an Alteration the Rift of this new Empire 
made in the Face of Affairs, and what prodigious Defola- 
tion enfued before thefe Conquerors came to be foftened to 
fuch a Degree, as to cultivate the Arts of Peace, and to 
endeavour, by theRules of Policy, to eftablifti and maintain 
the mighty Empire they had acquired, the greateft indeed 
and moft extenflve that the World had everfeen, reaching 
Weftward as far as Spain , and Eaftward to the very Fron- 
tiers of the Indies. Our Subject obliges us to examine the 
Progrefs of their Power in Egypt, becaufe it not only opened 
once again the Trade through the Red-Sea, but alfo that of 
Europe, by the fame Canal to the Eaft- Indies. 
10. That Impetuofity and Violence which enabled the 
Saracens to make themfelves Mailers in fo fliort a time of 
fuch vail Dominions, was not like to fuffer them to con- 
tinue long under one Plead, which, however, was undoubt- 
edly the Defign of Mohammed their Founder. We have not 
room to enter here into all the Reafons of that Divifion which 
happened among the Arab Princes, and therefore fhall con- 
tent ourfeives with one, which was the great Diftance of 
their Provinces, that naturally gave an Opportunity to fuch 
as were intruded with the Government of them to fet up 
for themfelves. 
We have already fhewn how all that Part of Africa , 
which had been under the Dominion of the Romans, fell 
into their Hands ; and we fhall next obferve, that Abulcaf- 
fem Mohammed Ben Abdallah, being in Poffeffion of Part 
of Africk, fet up for himfelf in the Year of the Hegira 296, 
and took the Title not of Khaliff, but of Mahadi , which 
fignifies Director, or Chief Prieft. He fixed the Seat of his 
Government at Cairoan , which is a Name the Arabs be- 
llowed on the ancient City of Cyrene , or rather a new City 
built on the Ruins of the old one. He left the Govern- 
ment to his Son Cajem , who removed the Seat of Empire 
to Mahadi e, a new City which his Father had ere&ed ; and 
his Grandfon Abou Temim Maad , better known by his Sir- 
name Moe% Ledinillah, who fucceeded in the Year of the 
Hegira 341, profecuted the Defign which his Anceftors 
had entertained of making himfelf Mafter of Egypt. 
With this View he fent his General Giauhar , who was 
a Greek by Birth, to invade that Country, of which he 
made himfelf intirely Mailer ; and in the Year of the Hegira 
358, laid the Foundation of a new City, which Moez Le- 
dinillah refolved fhould be the Capital of his Dominions. 
As the Arabs were exceedingly addifted to A Urology, par- 
ticular Care was taken that the firft Stone of this City fhould 
be laid, when the Planet Mars was in the Afcendant j and 
as this Planet is by them called Caher , the new City was 
called Caher ah, or Al Caher ah, that is, the Victorious ; 
and is the fame which the Europeans call Cairo, or Grand 
Cairo. I have been the more careful in marking the Date 
of this City’s Foundation, which agrees with the Year of 
6 O our 
