the fields of the Christian, and are loading his captive people with fetters, the Ameer beholding all this with eyes of complacency and delight, while the tyrant Alfonso regards the same with dismayed and troubled glances, that turn giddy and are bewildered at the sight.

"Of the Ameers of Spain, Aben Abed, King of Seville alone was found to be constant in the fight; he alone refused to turn his face for the fear of the cruel carnage, maintaining his ground and fighting steadily, as should the bravest and noblest warrior of his land, and in a manner fully worthy of him who held the place of principal leader of the Moslemah. Yet he came forth from the battle with only a slight wound in the side, and this shall serve him as a glorious remembrance of that stupendous conflict wherein he received the same.

"Alfonso Ben Ferdeland, sheltered beneath the shadows of the darksome night, saved his life by a hasty flight, without certain road or direction, nor did he give his sorrowful eyes to sleep through those dreary hours. Nay, of the five hundred cavaliers with whom he fled the field, four hundred perished in that difficult way, and he entered into the city of Toledo with one hundred only. For all this be thanks to God the Highest!"

That singular favour and glorious victory of Zalacca was conferred on the Moslemah forces on Friday, the 12th day of the moon Regeb, in the year 479, corresponding to the 2nd and 3rd of the month of October in the year 1686. It was celebrated by Alebata, Aben Gemhur, and other good poets, in elegant verses, but it is a truth that the Ameers of Spain did not acquit themselves well on that day. Aben Abed of Seville was the only one of them who merited praise and eternal remembrance, but he did so, and the same may be said of the Sevillian cavaliers whom he led: since both he and those of his company performed feats of admirable prowess. Some writers affirm that Aben Abed bore off six glorious wounds from that field, and he himself implies something of the same kind, in certain verses which he wrote soon after to his son the Prince Obeidallah Arraxid. These authors furthermore tell us that at the set of the sun on that day of Zalacca, the King of Seville was compelled by

the state of those wounds to remain in his pavilion, while King Juzef and his Almoravides were in pursuit of the Christians; but they add that his contentment and delight at the victory were such, that, wounded as he was, he took the fragment of a scroll not broader than a finger, and wrote thereon the result of the battle, sending the lines to his son, who was then in Seville. The few words thus written were as follow::

"To my son Raxid, whom God hold perfected by his grace! The Mosleman force hath met the proud Alfonso, and God hath given the victory to the Faithful, conquering the Infidels by their hands, for which be thanks to God, for He is the upholder of all things. Make this known to all the Faithful who are with thee. Farewell." Then he closed his letter, and fastened it beneath the wing of a carrier-pigeon, which he had brought from Seville for that purpose, and which now served as the messenger of those glorious news.

Yahye relates that the people of Seville were in no small doubt and anxiety meanwhile, much desiring to be delivered from their suspense, and not yet knowing of the success of their army, when they beheld the dove arriving at the Alcazar of Aben Abed. She was instantly taken, and the little billet which she had borne beneath her wing being unsealed, was read to all the people in the principal mosque. Then the whole city was filled with gladness, and they began to make a great festival, rejoicing and giving thanks to God. A few days later they received a more minute relation of that great event, and as Aben Abed wrote to the people of Seville, so did Metuakil Omar Ben Alaftas, King of Valencia; Almudafar, Ameer of Badajoz; the Vizier of Cordova, Abu Bekir Mohamad; and Abdallah, King of Granada, to their people respectively: and the same was done by the rest of the Ameers, each writing an account to his people, insomuch that the victory was made known by those letters and relations to every part of Spain.

The letter of King Aben Abed was as follows:"Praise be to God.

"The 12th day of the moon Regeb, in the year 479, having come, God made manifest a decree of His eternal wisdom and irrevocable will, written in the resplendent

characters of divine fire on the tablets of destiny. This decree opened to us the gates whereby we were to come forth from many oppressions and tribulations, entering instead thereof on a path that leadeth to much felicity and good fortune.

"It was permitted to us by the Merciful, the Giver of all things, the Acceptor of contrition, the Pardoner of our sins, that we should meet the arrogant enemy of the Faith, to our glory and to his confusion.

"He commenced by certain falsehoods and deceits, whereby he purposed to offend and do us wrong, but the Infidel fell into the snare which he had prepared for our feet, for such was the divine destination of eternal justice. His false and deceptive precipitation was the presage of felicity to the Faithful, the deceit whereby the enemy of Allah would have betrayed us, brought the air of victory, full of soft and cheering fragrance, to our banners, and this beneficent breeze the treachery of the Infidel could not dissipate, nor could his anger turn it aside.

"Our Moslemah prepared their arms, resplendent as the light, and covered their horses with caparisons of silk; they then awaited with impatience the coming of the day wherein they were to mingle themselves in the ranks of the foe, and become involved amidst those Infidel hordes, in lakes and streams of whose blood they were to slake the fiery thirst of their swords. The felicitous dawn which was to make us conquerors at length arrived, it appeared in radiance, calling us to action from the heights of blessedness, and, as it were, exciting all to combat by these words: The day hath dawned! the day hath dawned! and no long time hence shall come forth the sun, his bright rays scorching the Infidels, who shall this day find no shade or shelter beneath which they may conceal themselves from the noontide resplendence of his fires.'

Never yet hath a more auspicious dawn appeared for the Moslemah arms; we put our troops into order of battle, the generals and valiant men beginning to place themselves in the positions destined for them; yet it was not without some commotion and heaving of the heart that we bound the linen wrappers of our turbans fast to our heads.

We

made a short profession of faith, and presently afterwards the earth trembled beneath our feet as we moved to that fight which was soon to make us glitter with the radiance of the victory given to his army by God the divine Protector, whom no human tongue can describe, nor the understanding of any creature of Allah comprehend.

"In the first encounters there were some signs of dread defeat and consternation for the Moslemah, many of the noblest among them falling a prey to the fury of the foe, whose countless numbers came upon us, impetuous as the torrent that rushes from the mountains, and these carried many away in their rage. But that imminent peril having passed, God bade victory descend upon our banners, and the edge of our Moslemah swords reaped an abundant harvest of Infidel throats. Allah had made us promise of the victory, and announced a favourable conclusion, and Allah is no vain breaker of his promise, but fulfilleth the compact made with minute exactitude.

"And now reflect on this felicity, celebrate the great good fortune as its importance merits; rejoice in it with us, and give thanks to the Conqueror, even to Allah, for none is the conqueror save God alone, nor is there force or power save in His hand: wherefore say ye with us, Thanks be to God, the creator and preserver of all things, for the happiness which he sent us at the dawn and the blessing which continued till the night."

This battle of Zalacca was the most fortunate and eventful of any fought by the Moslemah since that of Yarmuz and the day of Cadisia, seeing that the battle, or rather the Infidel downfall of Zalacca, caused the seat of Islam to be made firm in Andalusia: and whereas before that time the foot of the believer had become feeble, and was slipping away from the path traced out for him by the hand of God, it now became confirmed in strength, and the Faithful returned to their pristine constancy in the law.

CHAP. XVIII.-RETURN OF JUZEF ABEN TAXFIN TO AFRICA. OF THE CAMPAIGNS OF THE ALMORAVIDES, AND OF ABEN ABED, KING OF SEVILLE. HUESCA TAKEN BY THE CHRISTIANS AFTER THE VICTORY OF ALCORAZA. SECOND COMING OF THE KING OF THE MOSLEMAH, JUZEF ABEN TAXFIN.

The chronicles relate that some few days after this victory, and while the Moslemah were still occupied with the distribution of the spoils gathered therein, the rich vestments, the costly arms, the gilded swords, the gorgeous girdles and shoulder belts of price, the precious lances inlaid with ivory, silver, and other metals, with such riches as words can find no name to denote, there came a messenger of great woe from Africa to the camp of Juzef Aben Taxfin, King of the Moslemah. This envoy brought intelligence of the death of Abu Bekir Seir, a son of Juzef the king, whom he had left grievously sick at Morocco; by this event Aben Taxfin was rendered very sorrowful, and the great rejoicings which the Moslemah were making for their victory were thereby diminished.

The Ameer now determined to repair immediately to Africa, whither he would not have returned so early but on that account. He gave the command of the Almoravide troops, whom he ordered to continue in Spain, to his general, Syr Abi Bekir, and then departing immediately, he embarked and passed over to Morocco, in which city he remained until the year 480.*

The army of the Almoravides then directed their march along the frontier line of Gallicia, recovering as they went the towns and fortresses which had been taken from the Moslemah by the Christians: they were accompanied in that campaign by Aben Alaftas, King of Badaljos.

Syr Ben Bekir, the most crafty of the Almoravide generals, and the one in whom Juzef Aben Taxfin confided the most implicitly, was meanwhile occupied in close observation of the disposition of the country, the state of the towns, and the strength of the fortresses; and so did he pass the time until the arrival of the year 480.

The King of Seville, Aben Abed, who understood the

*A.D. 1086 or 1087.