EGYPT. 317 
ille Modems?” Abdallah represented with a blufh the 
importance of his own life, and the temptation that was 
held forth by the Roman praefeft. “ Retort, (laid Zo- 
beir,) on the infidels their ungenerous attempt. Pro¬ 
claim through' the ranks, that the head of Gregory (hall 
be repaid with his captive daughter, and the equal fum 
of one hundred thoufand pieces of gold.” To t|ie cou¬ 
rage and diferetion of Zobeir the general of the caliph 
entrufted the execution of his own ftratagem, which in¬ 
clined the long-difputed balance in favour of the Sara¬ 
cens. Supplying by adlivity and artifice the deficiency 
of numbers, a part of their forces lay concealed in their 
tents,’ while the remainder prolonged an irregular (kirmifh 
with the enemy, till the fun was high in the heavens. 
On both fides they retired with fainting fteps: their 
horfes were unbridled, their armour was laid afide ; and 
the holftle nations prepared, or feemed to prepare, for 
the refrefhment of the evening, and the encounter of the 
enfuing day. On a fudden, the charge was founded ; 
the Arabian camp poured forth a fwarm of frefh and in¬ 
trepid warriors; and the long line of the Greeks and 
Africans was furprifed, aflaulted, and overturned, by new 
fquadrons of the Saracens. The praefebt Gregory was 
flain by the hand of Zobeir: his daughter, who fought 
revenge and death, was furrounded and made prifoner; 
and the fugitives involved in their difafter the town of 
Sufetula, to which they efcaped from the fabres and lances 
of the Arabs. After the attack and fall of this opulent 
city, the provincials and barbarians implored on all (ides 
the mercy of the conqueror. His vanity or his zeal 
might be flattered by offers of tribute or profelfions of 
faith : but his Ioffes, his fatigues, and the progrefs of an 
epidemical difeafe, prevented a folid eftablifhment ; and 
the Saracens, after a campaign of fifteen month's, re¬ 
turned to Egypt, with the captives and the wealth of 
their African expedition. The author of the death of 
Gregory, was expected to have claimed the mod precious 
reward of the victory : from his filence it might be pre¬ 
fumed that he had fallen in the battle, till the tears and 
exclamations of the praefebf’s daughter, at the fight of 
Zobeir, revealed the valour and modeffy of that gallant 
foldier. The unfortunate virgin was offered, and-almoft 
rejefted as a (lave, by her father’s murderer, who coolly 
declared that his fword was confecrated to the fervice of 
religion ; and that he laboured for a recompenfe far above 
the charms of mortal beauty, or the riches of this tran- 
fitory life. A reward congenial to his temper, was the 
commiflion of announcing to the caliph Othman the fuc- 
cefs of his arms. The companions, the chiefs, and the 
people, were affembled in the mofque of Medina, to hear 
the interefting narrative of Zobeir; and, as the orator 
forgot nothing except the merit of his own counfels and 
aftions, the name of Abdallah was joined by the Ara¬ 
bians with the heroic names of Caled and Amrou. 
The conquefts of the Saracens were fufpended near 
twenty years by domeflic broils, till their diffentions were 
compofed by the eflablifhment of the houfe of Ommiyah : 
and the caliph Moawiyah, who fucceeded, was invited 
by the Africans themfelves. For the caufes of thefe 
diffentions, fee the article Arabia, vol. ii. p. 13, & c. 
The firft general of Moawiyah acquired a juft renown, 
fubdued an important city, defeated an army of thirty 
thoufand Greeks, fwept away fourfeore thoufand cap¬ 
tives, and enriched with their fpoils the adventurers from 
Syria and Egypt. But the title of conqueror of Africa 
i$.more juftly‘due to his fucceflfor Akbah. He marched 
at the head of ten thoufand of the braveft Arabs ; and 
the genuine force of the Modems was enlarged by the 
aid and converfion of many thoufand barbarians. The 
fearlefs Akbah plunged into the heart of the country, 
traverfed the wildernefs in which his fucceflors ereCted 
the fplendid capitals of Fez and Morocco, and at length 
penetrated to the verge of the Atlantic and tlie great de- 
fert. The river Sus defeends from the weftern fides of 
mount Atlas, fertilizes, like the Mile, the adjacent foil, 
Vol. VI. Ho. 352. 
and falls into the fea at a moderate diftance from the Ca¬ 
nary, or Fortunate, iflands. Its banks were inhabited by 
the laft of the Moors, a race of favages, without laws, or 
discipline, or religion : they were aftonithed by the ftrange 
and irrrefiftible terrors of the oriental arms ; and as they 
poffeffed neither gold or filver, the richeft fpoi! was the 
beauty of the female'captives, fome of whom were after¬ 
wards fold for a thoufand pieces of gold. The career, 
though not the zeal, of Akbah was checked by the pro- 
fpeT of a boundiefs ocean. Yet this Mahometan Alex¬ 
ander was unable to preferve his recent conquefts. By 
the univerfal defection of the Greeks and Africans, he 
was recalled from the fliores of the Atlantic, and the fur¬ 
rounding multitudes left him only the refource of an ho¬ 
nourable death. The prudence of Akbah had propofed 
to found an Arabian colony in the heart of Africa ; a ci¬ 
tadel that might curb the levity of the barbarians, a place 
of refuge to fecure, againft the accidents of war, the 
wealth and the families of the Saracens. With this view, 
and under the modeft title of the ftation of a caravan, he 
planted this Colony in the fiftieth year of the hegira. I11 
its prefent decay, Cairoan ftill holds the fecond rank in 
tile kingdom of Tunis, from which it is diftant about 
fifty miles to the fouth ; its inland fifuation, twelve miles 
weftward of the fea, has protected the city from the 
Greek and Sicilian fleets. When the. foreft, or rather 
wildernefs, was cleared, the veftiges of a Roman town 
were difeovered in a fandy plain : the vegetable food of 
Cairoan is brought from afar; and the fcarcity of Spring* 
conftrains the inhabitants to collect in cifterns and refer- 
voirs a precarious Supply of rain-water. Thefe obftacles 
were fubdued by the induftry of Akbah ; be traced a 
circumference of three thoufand and lix hundred paces, 
which he encompaffed with a brick wall ; in the fpaceof 
five-years, the-governor’s palace was furrounded with a 
filfficient number of private habitations; a fpacious 
mofque was fupported by five hundred columns of granite, 
porphyry, and Numidian marble ; and Cairoan became 
the feat of learning as well as of empire. But thefe were 
the glories of a later age ; the new colony was fhaken by 
the fucceflive defeats of Akbah, and the weftern expedi¬ 
tions were again interrupted by the civil difeord of the 
Arabian monarchy. The fon of the valiant Zobeir 
maintained a war of twelve years, and a fiege of feven 
months againft the houfe of Ommiyar, for the caliphate, 
(which fee under Arabia.) 
The return of domeftic peace allowed the caliph Ab- 
dalmalek to refume the conqueft of Africa, as an appen¬ 
dage to the government of Egypt; and the ftandard was 
delivered to Haflain, its governor, A. D. 692. The whole 
revenue of Egypt, with an army of forty thoufand men, 
was confecrated to the important fervice. In the vicif- 
fitudes of war, the provinces had been alternately won 
and loft by the Saracens. The veteran bands of Haffan, 
under a boundiefs infurreftion, became inadequate to the 
defence of Africa : the conquefts of an age were loft in a 
Single day ; and the Arabian chief, overwhelmed by the 
torrent, retired to the confines of Egypt, where he ex¬ 
pected, for five years, the promifed fuccours of the ca¬ 
liph. The lot of combating this infurredtion devolved 
on the fucceflor of Flaftan; it was finally quelled by the 
activity of Mufa and his two Sons ; but the number of 
the rebels may be prefumed from that of three hundred 
thoufand captives ; fixty thoufand'of whom, the caliph’s 
fifth, vyere ibid for the profit of the public treafury. 
Thirty thoufand of the barbarian youth were immedi¬ 
ately inlifted in the troops of Mufa, and deftined to affift 
him in the conqueft of Spain. 
Egypt, for many centuries, continued thus under the 
uncontrolled dominion of the caliphs of Medina, Da- 
mafeus, and Bagdad, conftantly afiifting them in their 
conqueft of Africa, or rather that portion of it which ex¬ 
tends along the Mediterranean Sea ; but which was not 
completed till the year 709 of our era. Under the ca¬ 
liphate of Mohammed ben Yezid, the Africans revolted, 
4 M and 
