ment which ought to have constituted its chief treasure, namely, the history and geography of the Peninsula during its occupation by the Moslems. The reason for this deficiency is obvious enough: the collection of Eastern manuscripts now in the Escurial is not the result, as elsewhere, of the constant solicitude of an enlightened Government, but the mere work of accident; and had not two Spanish galleys, while cruising in the Mediterranean, captured three Moorish vessels having on board an extensive collection of books belonging to Muley Zidán, Emperor of Morocco, it may be presumed that the Libraries of Spain would not now contain a single Arabic manuscript; for, whilst those of Paris, Vienna, and Leyden, which scarcely counted a few volumes at the beginning of the last century, have increased their stocks to a number double and treble that of the Escurial, the Government of Spain has made no effort to augment that rich but dilapidated collection. The few works of any historical value which exist in that Library are Biographical Dictionaries,—a favourite branch of literature with the Arabs,-where the genealogy, the year of the birth and death, the masters and pupils, of the individual panegyrized, together with a list of his writings, and some extracts from his verses, are given at full length, while those important historical events with which he may have been connected are dispatched in a few words. If the individual, moreover, happen not to be a poet, or a patron of literature, whatever his military talents may have been, or however important the transactions in which he was engaged, he is taken no notice of.

From such rough materials Conde's work is chiefly composed, and with the exception of the second volume,—which is an unfaithful and rambling version of the Karttás,5the remainder is but a confused mass of biographical articles borrowed from various writers, and joined together without the least regard to the age or style of the composition. The incoherence of the narrative, and the numerous blunders resulting from such an assemblage of heterogeneous materials, need scarcely be pointed out. Events are frequently related twice in quite different moods, and the same individual is made to appear repeatedly on the stage under various names. If to this it be added that Conde, a victim to mental anxiety and

* A Portuguese translation of this work by José Moura has since been published at Lisbon, 1828, 4to. 6 The mistakes in Conde's work, though unnoticed by the generality of its translators or compilers, must be palpable enough to all those who peruse it with the least attention. The last three chapters of the second volume are repeated, with very slight verbal alteration, in the third. He writes the name of Ibráhím Ibn Humushk, a celebrated warrior, in six different ways. Ben Humusqui (vol. ii. p. 230); Aben Hemsek (p. 323); Aben Hamusek (p. 362); Hamasek (p. 373); and Aben Hamasec (p. 377). Haríz Ibn Okkéshah, the general of Al-mámún, King of Toledo, is also variously called-Hariz Ben Alhakem (p. 29); Hariz Ben Alhakim Ben Alcasha (p. 38); Haríz Ben Hakem ben Okeisa (p. 56); and mentioned

suffering, was surprised by death in the midst of his labours,7-that his unfinished manuscript fell into the hands of parties totally unacquainted with the subject, and who increased, instead of remedying, the confusion,—that his work has since been terribly mutilated by translators and compilers, who, with very few exceptions, have suffered his most palpable mistakes to pass uncorrected, the reader may form an idea of the degree of confidence due to the more modern works on the history of the Spanish Moslems.

No sooner had I become sufficiently master of the language of the Arabs to be able to peruse their historical writings, than I was impressed with the idea that, until these were printed in the original with a literal translation, and their narrative compared with those of the Christian chroniclers, no great progress could be made towards the elucidation of Spanish history. I imparted my idea to the venerable President of the Royal Academy of History at Madrid, who not only agreed with me as to the necessity of such an undertaking, but pointed out the manner in which it could be best accomplished, communicating to me, at the same time, the plan of a similar project which had once seriously occupied the attention of that learned body. An application made by me to the proper quarter met, however, with no success, and I was obliged to postpone, if not to relinquish entirely, my undertaking. It was then that I first thought of translating the history of Mohammedan Spain by Ahmed Al

in a manner as if these names applied to three distinct persons. Limiting, however, my observations to the first volume, for which alone Conde can be made answerable, since he himself saw it through the press, I can point out many glaring errors. Abú 'A'mir Ahmed Ibn Shoheyd, the celebrated Wizír of Abdu-r-rahmán III., is called at times Ahmed Ibn Sahid (p. 432), at other times Ahmed Ben Said (p. 446). The same might be said of Bahlúl, who at p. 223 is represented as in arms against Hishám I., and a few pages afterwards is called Wizír to Al-hakem I.

7 Conde having, like others of his literary friends, espoused the cause of the French during their partial occupation of the Peninsula, was appointed by Joseph Buonaparte chief librarian of the Royal Library of Madrid, which charge he filled as long as the French were in possession of the capital. On the evacuation of the Peninsula by the French troops, Conde retired to Paris, where he passed some years in arranging the materials he had collected for his history of the Arabs. When his task was completed, he returned to Madrid in 1819, intending to give it the last touch and commit his work to the press; but, instead of meeting with the protection and assistance to which his arduous undertaking entitled him, he was, owing to his political offence, persecuted and oppressed; every possible obstacle was thrown in his way by the members of the Government, and, if I am not misinformed, the use of the Oriental manuscripts in the Escurial was refused to him. These marks of indifference to his pursuits, and animosity towards his person, on the part of his countrymen, and the extreme poverty to which he was reduced by the refusal of Government to grant him any portion of the emoluments of his former office, seriously affected the health of Conde, who died in 1820, in a state of almost entire destitution, just as his friends were about to print his work by subscription.

makkarí. I knew that, by command of Charles IV., a copy of that work, made under the superintendence of the celebrated French orientalists De Sacy and Langlés from a manuscript in the Royal Library at Paris, had been transmitted to Madrid as early as 1816; and although Conde, for whose use the transcript was made, had never been able to ascertain to what recess it had been consigned, I still hoped that, by searching the Libraries, I should be able to find it. In this expectation, however, I was likewise foiled; and notwithstanding my personal exertions and the most diligent inquiries, I have not yet been able to discover what has become of it. Good fortune procured me at that time the acquaintance of Dr. Frederic William Lembke, a Hanoverian gentleman, the author of an excellent history of Spain, who possessed a copy of Al-makkarí, diligently collated by him with those of Gotha and Paris. Having obtained the loan of the manuscript, I transcribed it entirely, and soon after began a Spanish translation. This I had nearly completed and illustrated with notes and copious extracts from other Arabian manuscripts in the public libraries, or in my own collection, when, in one of my visits to this country, I had the honour of becoming acquainted with the President of the Oriental Translation Fund, who kindly suggested to me the idea of offering to the Committee a translation of Al-makkari's work, copies of which were to be found in the library of the British Museum. My offer being accepted, I fixed my residence in London, and recommenced the version in English,—a language in which, owing to my family connexions and my long stay in this country, I am, fortunately for the accomplishment of my wishes, tolerably well versed.

In undertaking a translation of Al-makkari's work, I was well aware that large extracts from it had been made by Professor Shakespear from a copy in his possession, and printed in Murphy's History of the Mohammedan Empire in Spain; that Cardonne and Desguignes had known and consulted it, and that Dr. Lembke had also borrowed from it. All this, added to several defects of composition to which I shall presently allude, rendered a translation of that manuscript less desirable, perhaps, than it would have been under other circumstances, especially as several historical pieces of undeniable merit still remain untranslated. Yet, with all these disadvantages, I fixed upon Al-makkarí's text as being the only one, to my knowledge, presenting a continuous history of the conquests and settlements of the Mohammedans in Spain, and thus offering a vast field for such illustrations and additions from

8 Geschichte von Spanien, Hamb. 1831, forming part of the historical collection entitled Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, by Heeren and Ukert. I have only seen the first volume of this work, which, from its conciseness, and the use the author has made of the writings of Nuwayri, Al-makkarí, and other Mohammedan historians, promises to be one of the best written histories of the Peninsula.

VOL. I.

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other historians as I proposed to collect, so as to form a sort of "Critical History of the Spanish Arabs."

The work of Al-makkarí is divided into two parts; one relates to the history of Spain, the other contains the life of the celebrated historian and Wizír, Abú 'Abdillah Mohammed Ibn 'Abdillah, better known by the surnames of Ibnu-l-khattíb (the son of the preacher), and Lisánu-d-dín (the tongue of religion),—a writer whose works are still highly prized and eagerly read by the learned of Fez and Morocco, and who was himself a pupil of Mohammed Ibn Mohammed Al-makkarí At-telemsání, one of our author's ancestors. As Al-makkarí himself informs us (see Preface, p. 10), his first intention was merely to write a biography of that celebrated individual. This he had completed, and divided into eight books, in which he treated of the Wizír's ancestors and birth, of his youth, education, writings, &c., when the thought struck the author that his work might be rendered more interesting, were he to write an account of the conquests and settlements of the Moslems in Spain. He then composed the historical part, which he likewise divided into eight books. Al-makkarí seems to have met at first with considerable difficulties in the execution of his task from the scarcity of historical records, having, as he informs us, left the whole of his books in Africa, including a very complete history of Spain under the Moslems, on which he had bestowed considerable labour. He must, however, have procured books in the East, for he introduces quotations from the best authors of Mohammedan Spain,-quotations which, as far as I have been able to ascertain by a comparison with the original works cited, are always correct, and show that he must really have possessed copies of their writings. Indeed, the work of Al-makkarí is entirely composed of passages transcribed or abridged from more ancient historians, (the author himself seldom speaking in his own words,) and chronologically arranged, so that the title of "Historical Collections" would perhaps be better suited to it than that of "History." The plan followed by the author is this: when relating a particular event, he either transcribes at length or abridges the words of a historian; immediately after which he relates it again in two or three different ways from other sources; thus affording several versions of the same event. If to this it be added, that in transcribing the words of a historian he frequently makes longer extracts than are necessary, and perhaps quotes three or four pages merely to tell us the opinion of that historian respecting a matter that might be related in two lines,—that his narrative is continually interrupted by the introduction of poems and long extracts from rhetorical works nowise connected with his subject,—that in his historical information he is at times exceedingly diffuse, while he is often as much too laconic, relating in few words the most important event, or wasting several pages in the discussion of another of little or no interest, according as his inclinations as an author

or the abundance or scarcity of his materials prompted him, and that he but seldom introduces critical or explanatory remarks of his own, the reader will form a very mean estimate of Al-makkarí's qualifications as a historian.

Yet with all these imperfections, and notwithstanding the defects which he has in common with the generality of the Arabian writers and historians, Al-makkarí possesses many advantages not easily to be met with in other authors. He gives an uninterrupted narrative of the conquests, wars, and settlements of the Spanish Moslems, from their first invasion of the Peninsula to their final expulsion,-which, as far as I am aware, does not occur in any other author: and besides, his mode of writing history, though involving repetitions, is in my opinion the best he could have adopted; for, if the historical facts recorded by contemporary writers had been garbled and disfigured by a Mohammedan author of the seventeenth century, the utility of such a production would have been impaired, together with its authenticity. As it is, Al-makkarí transmits to us a collection of historical extracts and fragments relative to the history of Spain, taken from works, the titles of which, as well as the names of their authors, are in most instances given; and thus presents the original text of ancient historians whose writings are now probably lost.

The deficiency in certain periods of his history, occasioned, no doubt, by his want of proper materials, is an evil of a more serious nature; but this I have attempted to supply by inserting, in an Appendix, such fragments from valuable unpublished manuscripts as were calculated to fill the void, while I have thrown into the Notes and Illustrations such additional matter as appeared necessary to corroborate or refute his assertions. In short, by borrowing considerably from other writers who have partially treated the same subject, I have endeavoured, as far as was in my power, to augment the real value of this work.

I now proceed to state what parts of the work I have selected for translation. From the second part, viz., that treating of the life and writings of the Wizír Mohammed Ibnul-khattíb, I have made only a few short extracts relating to the history of the kingdom of Granada. Of the first part, however, I have availed myself in the following manner : Book I., giving a physical and topographical description of Mohammedan Spain, I have entirely translated, with the exception of various poetical extracts, and some lengthy risáleh or epistles, which, besides being strewed with difficulties of no ordinary nature, contain no historical fact of any importance. Book II., which details the invasion and conquest of Spain by the Moslems, I have also translated entirely, as well as Book III., containing chronological account of the various Mohammedan dynasties which ruled over that country, and Book VIII., in which the historical narrative is continued till the final expulsion of the Mohammedans from the Peninsula. Book IV., giving a topographical account of