that unfortunate sovereign, Aben Abed, King of Seville, he departed from Saragossa without naming his intention to Aben Alhaug, and retired to the frontier of those Comarcas, where he had several strong fortresses: he was accompanied in that removal by many of the most noble Xeques of his kingdom.

A short time afterwards, Aben Alhaug, conformably to the orders he had received from the Prince Temim Ben Juzef, directed his march against the territory of Barcelona, his incursions on which district were made with great success. In his absence, the King Almostain Billah returned to Saragossa, when the Christians immediately renewed their attack on his dominions; and such was their boldness, that they carried the fury of their onslaughts even to the gates of the city.

The General of the Almoravides, even Muhamad Ben Alhaug, was meanwhile on his return from the expedition alluded to above, and was bringing in his train much valuable spoil, with many captives which he had made therein. At a certain point he directed those who had the charge of these riches to take the high roads, as being more easy for their travel, while he pursued his way through the passes and by the hill-paths of that mountainous region, a wild and rocky wilderness, in which there were, nevertheless, some few settlements of the Moslemah people. In this rude way of mountain and precipice, which Aben Alhaug had never previously pursued, and in the midst thereof, where the difficulties were at the greatest, he was attacked by an ambush which the Christians had placed there, and those infidels now fell upon his people with a fury so violent, as well as unexpected, that they had not time to get into any order for defence; wherefore, attempting to fly in much disorder, the Moslemah suffered a cruel slaughter: almost all the cavaliers of Lamtuna perished in that struggle, or, being grievously wounded, were made captive. Their General Muhamad Aben Alhaug himself also died, fighting like the brave warrior that he was ever reputed to be: the Alcayde Muhamad Aben Aixa alone succeeded in saving his life by flight on a very swift mare, which he had mounted in the early morning, and that was no slight proof of his good fortune.

!

When the news of this misfortune reached Aly Ben Juzef, he was much grieved thereby, the death of Aben Alhaug more particularly causing him great sorrow. He appointed in his place the general Abu Bekar Ben Ibrahim Ben Tafelût, who was then in the Waliazgo of Murcia. That officer at once departed to the frontiers of Saragossa, which he reached by Valencia, Tartuxa, and Fraga, whence he passed into the territory of Barcelona, where he destroyed the crops and set fire to the farms, having first plundered the latter of all their flocks and products. This Abu Bekar effected in twenty days, during which time alone he had encamped in the district; and having done so much, he was returning to the territory of Saragossa, when Aben Radmir, king of the country he had thus ravaged, came forth to meet him with a large army gathered from Bazit, Barcelona, and Velad Araguna: thereupon a stubborn encounter ensued, in which many Christians lost their lives, and nearly seven hundred Moslemah obtained the crown of martyrdom.

HE

CHAP. XXV.-THIRD ARRIVAL OF ALY BEN JUZEF IN SPAIN. BESIEGES TOLEDO. IS UNABLE TO REDUCE THAT CITY. VICTORIES OF KING RADMIR. CAMPAIGNS OF MEZDELI.

THE King Aly now perceiving that his presence was required in Spain, determined to pass over to that country, which he did in the year 503, proposing to take part in the Sacred War in his own person. He left Ceuta on the 15th of the moon of Muharram, and sailed to Spain, taking with him a powerful army, the cavalry of which amounted to no less than one hundred thousand men. Arrived in Cordova, he remained there for a month, but after that delay he set forth for the sacred war, which he waged in a manner that was terrible to behold. Entering the city of Tabut by storm, the King Aly Ben Juzef successively occupied twenty-seven fortresses of the Comarcas of Toledo; and such was the terror caused by his devastations in that district, that the people fled their homes, those who could not find

shelter in the cities and forts taking refuge in the rude mountains and inaccessible wilderness, insomuch that all the land remained desolate and as it were a mere desert.

King Aly then laid siege to the city of Toledo, and sat before that place with his people for the space of a month, during which there was a battle fought at the Bab* Alcantara, which was gained by the Moslemah with a great carnage of the Christians, who did not dare to make any further sally, although the enemy was encamped at their gates. The Almunia, which is without the walls, was also taken by the Almoravide troops; but King Aly perceiving that he was losing his time, because Toledo is so strong that it was not possible for him to enter it by force, he continued his devastations of the country, having first occupied the towns of Magdit and Guadilhigiara. He next passed on with his host to Medina Talbira, which he likewise besieged, and after many obstinate encounters the place was taken by force of arms, when such a carnage of the Christians ensued, that not one remained alive of all that were in it. Content with that vengeance, the King Aly Ben Juzef then returned triumphant, and passed over into Africa.

About the same period, the brave and excellent King of Saragossa, Ahmed Abu Giafar Almostain Billah Aben Hud, also went forth against the Christians, who had laid siege to the fortress of Tudila, a stronghold on the shore of the Ebro, whither he now repaired with a chosen body of cavalry to bear succours to his people. Here the Christians gave him battle; and in that encounter, which was a furious and obstinate one, the King, fighting in person, was pierced through the breast with a lance, and fell dead from his horse. This is related by Abdallah Ben Aita, who was present at the battle, with the learned Asafir of Jaen.

On the death of their valiant king and general, the Moslemah abandoned the field, which remained to the Christians, who took the city. This defeat and heavy loss for Islam took place in the year 503. The Moslemah bore the remains of the virtuous Ahmed of Saragossa to the capital

* Gate of Alcantara.

of his kingdom, where they buried him in his vestments and arms as he was, all the city following his bier, and long lamenting the loss they had sustained. The son of their beloved monarch was immediately proclaimed king by the inhabitants of Saragossa; his name was Abdelmelic Ben Ahmed Abu Meruan, and he was called Amad-Dolah. He was a brave warrior, but did not possess equal prudence with his father. He had given clear proofs of bravery in the battle of Huesca, and in the various encounters before Tauste and Lerida, but had scarcely the policy needful to maintain himself among the powerful and ambitious neighbours by whom he was surrounded.

The general of the Almoravides, Syr Aben Bekir, had meanwhile been occupied with the Algarve of Spain, where he took the cities of Zintiras, Badajoz, Jabora, Bortecal, and Lisbona, with all such towns held by the Christians as had not averted their fall by declaring themselves in favour of the Almoravides. In the year 504, and in the moon of Dilcada of that year, Syr Ben Bekar wrote an account of these things, describing the state of the country, and this letter he sent to the King Aly Ben Juzef:

While the Almoravides were thus fighting against the Christians on the frontiers with various fortune, the noble Xeques of Lamtuna, who held the governments and Alcaydias of the kingdom, did their best to gain the esteem and good will of the people whom they ruled; but these continued to consider them rather as tyrannous oppressors than as protecting auxiliaries and friends, which was the character they desired to obtain. Yet the fear of that vast body of cavalry and men in arms of every kind, which remained permanently in the country, restrained the people from giving expression to these feelings, and maintained them in obedience to those new lords. The Cadies, judges, and

other learned men to whom the arrangement of these affairs was committed, were meanwhile more insufferable to the people than were the generals and soldiers who had been born and bred in the deserts among fierce lions and hungry tigers; these being for the most part a frank and simple race, detesting all deceits and vileness, nor by any means so covetous as were the Cadies, who oppressed the people under the shadow of the military occupants, basely deceiving

the latter, while they robbed the poor and helpless of those fruits of their labour which they had hardly obtained in the painful sweat of their brows. The receivers of the imposts were for the most part Jews, who extorted the taxes from Moslemah as well as Christians, after the number of their heads, but were in fact no other than the instruments and ministers of that insatiable avarice and covetousness to which their superiors in office had resigned themselves as a prey.

Now at this time the Almoravide general, Syr Ben Abi Bekir, who had returned from his campaigns in the Algarve, fell sick in the city of Seville, and his malady increased to so great an extent that the resources of medicine could no longer be made available to his cure, since he was now very old; wherefore he departed to the mercy of Allah, and that event took place in the year 507. He was then buried within the city, and his government was given to Muhamad Aben Fatima, who held it during three years only, at the end of which time he also died.

In the same year of 507, the general Mezdeli fell upon the Comarcas of Toledo with the sword of desolation, cutting up and burning the fields and farms of that territory even to the gates of the city itself. He caused the fort of Servand and that of Azquena to be razed to the earth, and delivered unceasing assaults against the city for eight days, using various machines and engines of war for that purpose. Mezdeli caused whatever Christians he found in the forts, or could get into his hands, to be put to death; nay, he did not even spare the women and children.

When the news of these devastations, and of the distress to which the city of Toledo was now reduced, were taken to Albarhanis, King of the Christians, that leader came to the succour of the place with a very powerful host. This being told to Mezdeli, he struck his camp and marched as if to the encounter of Albarhanis; but he passed before the Christian host during a very dark night, and escaping undiscovered, proceeded to Cordova, a conqueror laden with the richest spoils. Having arrived there he instantly dispatched a force to garrison Arahina, which he fortified strongly, placing therein a large body of cavalry, with crossbowmen and troops of other arms.