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:$,6oo men. Yeziff, being difpleafed with his conduft, 
removed him, and appointed for his fucceffor Obeidallah 
Ebn Ziyad. This governor entered the city in the even- 
inf, and was received with all poflible demonllrations of 
joy'by the Cufans, who miftook him for Hofein, owing to 
a black turban refembling that which Hofein ufually wore. 
His firft care was to extinguiffi the fedition that had been 
excited by Modem. For this purpofe, he employed a 
trufty fervant to perfonate a ftranger come out of Syria to 
fee' the inauguration of Hofein, and to get admiffipn into 
Modem’s houfe, to penetrate all his councils. This corn- 
million was faithfully executed; and Obeidallah, under- 
ftanding that Modem lodged in the houfe of one Sharik, 
■who was then fick, font a medenger to Sharik, letting 
him know that he intended to vifit him on a certain day. 
Sharik came to a refolution to receive him, and appointed 
Modem a place in the corher of the room, whence he 
might rulh out upon Obeidallah and kill him. The vidt 
was accordingly made; but, Modem’s heart failing him, 
the governor efcaped; Hani, however, in whofe houfe 
Modem was firft lodged, was imprifoned by Obeidallah. 
Upon the news of this, Modem allembled about 4000 men, 
and befieged Obeidallah in the caftle. The governor, how¬ 
ever, made a fpeech to Modem’s followers; which had 
fuch an effeift, that they all defected him except about 
thirty. By the favour of the night, Modem efcaped to a 
poor woman’s cottage in the neighbourhood; but, being 
betrayed by her fon, Obeidallah lent a detachment of eighty 
horfe to feize him. Modem made a gaHant refiftance, and 
thrice cleared the houfe of his enemies; but being at laft 
overpow ered, and grievoufly wounded, he was taken and 
brought to Cufa. While on the road, he endeavoured to 
fend an account of his bad fuccefs to Hofein, but without 
fuccefs. When arrived at the caftle, he was brought before 
the governor, and beheaded with Hani, and both their 
heads were fent as a prefent to Yezid. 
Hofein, in the mean time, was preparing to fet out for 
Cufa, having received the moft favourable advices from 
Modem, of whofe fate he was ignorant, and who had fent 
him a lift of 140,000 men that w ere ready to obey his or¬ 
ders. This the wifeft of his friends reprefented as a defpe- 
rate enterprize, and intreated him to defer his journey till 
he diould be better affured of fuccefs : but Hofein was 
deaf to all advice, and no arguments could reft rain him. 
The confequenoes may ealily be imagined ; Obeidallah 
dil’patched 5000 men againft him; with orders not to offer 
any violence to him, provided he fubmitt-ed. To thefe 
terms the infatuated Hofein would not agree : he offered, 
indeed, to return home, if Obeidallah would permit ; but 
that not being granted, he defperately engaged the troops 
of Obeidallah; and, after a long refiftanoe, was cut in 
pieces, with all his men. 
In the 6 iff year of the Hegira,Yezid appointed Sal emEbn 
Ziyad governor of Khorafan, with orders to make an irrup¬ 
tion into the Turkifh territories. He advanced with a con- 
fiderable body of troops to Khowarazm, the principal city 
of the Turks in thole parts, from which he is laid to have 
extorted the immenfe liim of 50,000,000 pieces of money ; 
from whence advancing to Samarcand, he forced the inha- 
habitants of that city alfo to pay him an immenfe fum; and 
then retired, with little lofs, into the province he governed. 
In the mean time Abdallah Ebn Zobeir, finding him- 
felf, by the death of Hofein, at the head of the partizans 
of the houfe of Haftiem, who were greatly opprelled by 
Yezid, began in earned to afpire to the khaiifate. As he 
had never owned the authority of Yezid, he now openly 
declared againft him, and was proclaimed khalif at Me¬ 
dina foon after the arrival of Hofein’s family in that place. 
Upon his inauguration, to render hirafelf more popular, he 
expatiated 011 the circumftances of Hofein’s death, which 
was very tragical, and reprefented the Cufans as the molt 
abandoned and perfidious people upon earth. The citizens 
of Mecca and Medina flocked to him in great numbers, 
and he foon found himfelf at the head of a confiderable 
force, The people of Medina alfo, having frefli intelli* 
B I A. f« 
gence of Yezid’s diffolute manner of life, renounced their 
allegiance to him, and formally depofed him in a very lin¬ 
gular manner. After they had allembled in the mofque, 
one of them laid, “ I lay alide Yezid as I do this turban,’* 
and immediately threw his turban on the ground. Ano¬ 
ther faid, “ I put away Yezid as I do this Ihoe,” calling 
away his Ihoe at the lame time. Thefe examples being 
followed by others, there was a large heap of Ihoes and 
turbans almoft inftantiy formed. They then difniiffed Ye¬ 
zid’s governor, and banifhed from the city all the friends 
and dependents of the houfe of Ommiyah. Thefe, to the 
number of near a thoulknd, took refuge ip the houfe of 
Merwan Ebn A 1 Ilakem, where they were fo clofely be¬ 
fieged by Abdallah’s party, that they were obliged to fend 
to Yezid for afliftance. The khalif difpatched Mollem 
Ebn Okba to Medina, with a confiderable body of troops, 
to quell the difturbances. He ordered him to fpare Alt 
the fon of Hofein, and his family ; but he was to fummon 
the town to furrender, which, if they refilled, he was to 
take it by ftorm, and give it up to be plundered by the 
foldiers. The inhabitants of Medina, being now fenfiblp 
of their danger, fullered the friends of the houfe of Om¬ 
miyah to depart, on extorting a promife from them not to 
appear in arms againft the reigning faction. Mollem, in 
the mean time, advanced at the head of 5000 foot and 
12,000 horfe ; and, having fummoned the city, according 
to his inftrinffions, upon its refufal he made the neceffary 
preparations for an affault. The garrifon made a vigorous 
defence; but, moft of the Anfars and principal officers being 
killed, the Arabs propofed a capitulation. Mollem, how¬ 
ever, would hearken to no terms, and inlifted on their fur¬ 
rendering at diferetion ; which being refufed, he entered 
the city by ftorm. Ali was treated with great refpeft, but 
all the men that had carried arms were put to the fword, 
and Mofiem fuffered his troops to raviffi 1000 women, and 
to pillage the city for three days fuccellively. 
After the reduction of Medina, Mollem proceeded to 
Mecca, w'here Abdallah then refided; but he died by the 
way, and the command of the army devolved upon Hofein 
Ebn Thamir A 1 Selwi. This general advanced to Mecca, 
which he befieged for forty days, battering the town witii 
fuch fury, that he beat down a great part of the temple, 
and burnt the reft ; nor would the city itfelf have efcaped 
the fame fate, had not an account arrived of die death of 
Yezid, who died in the lixty-fourth year of the Hegira, 
anfwering to the year 684of the Chriftian era, having lived 
thirty-nine, and reigned three years and fix or eight months. 
Yezid was fucceeded by his fon Moawiyah II. who was 
proclaimed khalif at Damalbus the fame day that his father 
died; but, being of a weakly conftitmion, and unable to 
bear the fatigues of government, lie religned the crown 
fix weeks after his inauguration, and died foon after, with¬ 
out naming a fucceffor. This abdication left the Mollem 
empire ablblutely without a mailer, and great commotions 
enlued. On the death of Yezid, Obeidallah Ebn Ziyad, 
governor of Bafra, reprefented to the citizens that they 
ought to name a protestor, till a new khalif fliould be 
chofen ; and, if the perfon elected fliould be difagreeable 
to them, they might then remain in a (late of independence 
under their own protestor. The inhabitants, perceiving 
the drift of this fpeech, complimented him with that ho¬ 
nour; which he accepted with feeming reluflance ; but, 
fending a deputy to Cufa, the inhabitants of that city not 
only refufed to acknowledge his authority, but threw duff 
and gravel at his nveflenger. This coming to the ears of 
the people of Bafra, they not only deprived Obeidallah of 
tlie dignity they had conferred upon him, but even ex¬ 
pelled him the city. Nor could he prevail upon the Najari, 
a tribe of Anfars, to efpoufe Iris caufe, nor even upon his 
own relations; nay, fo odious had he rendered himfelf on 
account of his cruelties, particularly the death of Hofeinthe 
fon of Ali, that his brother Abdallah was unable to protect 
.him from the fury of the populace, though he kept him 
concealed in women’s clothes, and diftributed among the 
jriob 400,000 pieces oflnonty, . Uc was therefore obliged 
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