ciliation with Tárik. CHAPTER IV. Músa's reconciliation with Tárik-They invade France-Arrival of Mugheyth with a message from the Músa's recon- AFTER this Músa seemed reconciled to Tárik, treated him with affability and kindness, and confirmed him in the command of the van of the army. He then gave him orders to march before him with his division, Músa himself following him with the main body of the troops. Taking the route of Ath-thagheru-l-a'lí (Aragon), they subdued Saragossa and its districts, and continued to penetrate far into the country,' Tárik preceding him, and not passing a place without reducing it, and getting possession of its wealth, for God Almighty had struck with terror the hearts of the infidels, and no one came before him but to ask for peace. Músa followed the track of Tárik, achieving the conquests begun by him, and confirming to the inhabitants the conditions agreed upon by his lieutenant. When the whole of that country had been subdued, such of the Moslems as consulted their safety were of opinion that they should return, while others, and they were the greater number, They invade eagerly desired to penetrate into the land of the Franks. Accordingly Músa, after devoting some time to make the necessary selection of those who volunteered to go with him from those who preferred remaining, proceeded with the rest to the country of the Franks, a land where the Moslems after them never ceased making conquests, gaining spoil, storming cities or granting them peace on the usual terms, till they reached the river Rodhanoh (Rhone), which was the furthest limit of their conquests and incursions in the country of the barbarians. Indeed, the bands which Tárik had led to Andalus subdued also the country of Afranj, and made themselves the masters of the two cities of Barcelona and Narbonne, of the rock of Abeniún 2 (Avignon), and of the fortress of Lúdhún (Lyons), on the banks of the Rhone, the Moslems advancing far into the country and separating themselves considerably from the shore by which they had penetrated. The distance between Narbonne, in the country of Afranj, and Cordova is, according to some, France. three hundred and thirty-five farsangs, according to others, three hundred and fifty.3 4 How far Músa pushed his conquests into the land of the Franks is not explicitly related by the historians of Andalus. Some say that after the taking of Saragossa he went eastwards into the country of the Franks, subduing on his passage Gerona, Calahorra, Tarragona, Barcelona, and other principal cities of those districts. Others say that he penetrated as far as Narbonne and Carcassonne, both of which he subdued. They relate that on his way to one of those cities he crossed a great desert, where he saw the ruins of ancient buildings scattered on the ground, and among them a colossal monument, like a column, rising high into the air, bearing the following inscriptions engraven in Arabic characters on the stone. "O sons of Isma'íl, hither you will arrive, hence you must return ;" and on the other side, "for if you go beyond this stone you will return to your country to make war upon one another, and consume your forces by dis"sensions and civil war. 996 Músa was terrified at the mysterious meaning of these expressions; he called his men together, and consulted them as to whether they should go back or advance beyond the column; the opinions were divided, but the greater part wishing to return, Músa followed their advice, and retreated with his army into Andalus, after having seen enough of the country to judge of the boundless plains that lay before him. 66 Ibnu Khaldún's words are as follows: Having met his master, Músa Ibn Nosseyr, Tárik resigned the command of his troops into his hands, and placed himself under his immediate orders. Músa then completed the conquest of Andalus, and, led by him, the Moslem armies reached as far as Barcelona in the east, Narbonne in the north, and the idol of Cadiz in the west, subduing all the "intermediate provinces and gaining incredible spoil. It is confidently believed that, elated with success, Músa conceived the project of returning to the East by way of Constantinople; for which purpose he intended to march from Andalus "at the head of his brave troops, until, by making his way through the countless "Christian nations that inhabit the great continent, he should arrive at the court of "the eastern Khalifs. However, this design having reached the ears of Al-walíd, "who well knew the state of Mohammedan affairs in Andalus, and feared that if "Músa once communicated his intention to his army they would all follow him, he dispatched to him a messenger to signify his displeasure, and to order him to desist from his rash enterprise, and to appear alone, without his army, in the "Khalif's presence." So far Ibnu Khaldún. Another historian says that Músa penetrated into the continent and reached as far as a city called Carcassonne, which is twenty-five days' march from Cordova ; 7 VOL. I. 2 P and that, having reduced it, he found in its principal church, called Santa Maria, seven columns of massive silver, the like of which no human eye ever beheld, and the circumference of which was such that a single man could not embrace them.8 But all these accounts are contradicted by other writers, who pretend that after approaching the Pyrenees, without invading the land of the Franks lying beyond those mountains, he returned and invaded Galicia. But let us hear Al-hijárí in his Mas'hab. "God Almighty bestowed his favours on Músa Ibn Nosseyr in a manner that "cannot be surpassed, since he vanquished the Christian kings, and dispersed their "armies like the dust, till he penetrated into the continent by one of the gates in "that chain of mountains that divides Andalus from Afranj: it is related that the "Franks flocked immediately under the banners of their great king Károloh, (for "such was the appellation of their kings,) and said to him, 'What is the meaning "of this our ignominy and shame, which will rest as a stigma on our posterity? We "hear about these Arabs sprung from the East, and are informed of their conquests " and of their arrival in the West, subduing the neighbouring kingdom of Andalus, notwithstanding the numerous armies and considerable resources of that empire; " and yet these Arabs, we are told, are scanty in numbers, badly equipped and provided, and do not wear armour:' and Károloh answered them, 'My opinion is "that we should not oppose these people in their first irruption, for they resemble "the mountain torrent, which surmounts every obstacle in its course; they are now "in the height of prosperity, and, instead of being abated, their courage is only "increased at the sight of the enemy; their proud hearts scorn the defence of a "cuirass. Let them alone until their hands are well loaded with spoil, for when they "have settled in this country and established their government, they will then vie "for command, and fight with one another for the acquisition of it. That will be "the time and occasion for our attacking them, and I doubt not but that we shall easily vanquish them :' and by Allah so it was; for in the civil wars that soon "afterwards broke out between the Syrians and the Beladís, 10 the Berbers and the "Arabs, the tribes sprung from Modhar, and those of Yemen, the Moslems divided "into factions, made war upon each other, and lent each other assistance against "the people of their own nation, their brethren in country and religion." 11 It is also reported that Músa Ibn Nosseyr sent his son 'Abdu-l-a'la " against Tudmír, and also against Granada, Malaga, and the district of Raya, which cities he entirely subdued. On this occasion they tell the following adventure of 'Abdul-a'la at the siege of Malaga. They say that the governor of that city was a stupid man, and one who did not much care for the safety of the town. Not liking to endure the fatigues and privations of the siege, he used to go out to a garden of his, where he retired to enjoy the pleasures of the country. This he did frequently, but without taking the necessary precautions of appointing scouts or stationary sentries on places commanding the country, so that he might be informed of 'Abdu-l-a'la's arrival. No sooner, therefore, was the Arabian Amír informed of this circumstance by his spies than he prepared an ambush for him, and concealing a small body of his best and most experienced horsemen near the walls of the garden where the governor was, these rushed at night upon the house, surprised him, and made him their prisoner. The Moslems afterwards took the city by storm, and collected considerable plunder. the Khalif. turias invaded. Others, again, say that Músa was present at all these conquests, and that he was preparing to attack the land of the infidels, 12 the country of Galicia, when Arrival of Mugheyth with he was prevented by Mugheyth Ar-rúmí,13 who was the bearer of an order from his a message from patron, the Khalif Al-walíd, enjoining Músa to cease his conquests, and, quitting Andalus, to return to the East with his messenger. This order put a stop to Músa's enterprises and marred his intention, for at that time not a single town remained in Andalus which was not subdued to the Arabs, if we except the country of Galicia.14 However, Músa had such an ardent wish to push his conquests in those parts that he prevailed on the envoy, by offering him the half of his own share Galicia and Asof the spoils, to stop until he had accomplished his object, and accompany him a few days into the heart of the enemy's country. Mugheyth consented, and marched with him until he arrived at the frontiers of the enemy's territory 15 and conquered the fortress of Bézú 16 and the castle of Lúk (Lugo), where they stopped some time. From thence Músa sent forward some of his troops, who reached the rock of Beláy (Pelayo),1 on the shores of the Green Sea, destroying on their way all the churches, and breaking all the bells. The Christians surrendered every where, and asked humbly for peace, which was granted on condition of their paying tribute. The Arabs inhabited the towns deserted by the Christians; for whenever any of the invaders, whether an Arab or a Berber, received orders to settle in a spot, he not only approved of it, but established himself with his family in it without reluctance, by means of which the words of Islám spread far into the country, and the idolatry of the Christians was destroyed and annihilated. message from Things were in this state, and Músa pushing on his conquests into the land of the Second Galicians, his hope of success strengthening every day, when a second envoy, whose Al-walid. name was Abú Nasr, arrived from Syria with orders to stop him in his victorious career, for the Khalif Al-walíd, seeing that his commands were not quickly obeyed, and that Mugheyth allowed Músa to protract his departure, had now sent this Abú Nasr with a letter upbraiding Músa, and enjoining him to return immediately, at Músa's de parture for the East. the same time directing his messenger to see his orders executed, and Músa on his way to Syria.18 Accordingly, in compliance with the Khalif's commands, Músa started, although with the greatest reluctance, from Lugo, in Galicia; and, passing through the gorge of the mountain called after his name Fej-Músa (the mountain pass of Músa), where he met Tárik returning from his expedition in Aragon, he began his march, together with such of the army as chose to return, (for many preferred remaining in the towns where they had settled and fixed their domicile,) and arrived at Seville, taking with him Tárik, as well as the two messengers, Mugheyth and Abú Nasr. governor of Before his departure, however, Músa named his son 'Abdu-l-'azíz 19 19 Andalus, and decided that he should fix his residence in Seville, on account of the proximity of that city to the sea, and to that part of the coast where the troops coming from Africa usually landed; and having made this and other arrangements, having garrisoned the castles on the frontiers, and appointed generals to command the troops and carry on the war, he embarked for Africa on his way to the East in the month of Dhí-l-hajjah of the year ninety-four (Sept. A. D. 713), taking with him Tárik, who had stayed in Andalus three years and four months,20 namely, one year before Músa's arrival, and two years and four months after his landing.21 After staying for some time at Cairwán, Músa prepared to march, leaving the government of Africa proper in the hands of his eldest son 'Abdullah, the conqueror of Mallorca, 22 that of Maghreb (Western Africa) in those of 'Abdu-l-malek,23 the youngest of his sons: intrusting to his son 'Abdu-l-a'la the command of the coast, with the garrisoning of Tangiers and other strong places, he moved on in the ensuing year (ninety-five), preceded by an immense number of waggons and camels carrying the immense booty and vast riches he had acquired, in which were comprised, besides the famous table, such a quantity of precious stones, silver and gold vases, and other valuable objects, as to surpass all computation by their number and baffle all description by their materials. He was also followed by thirty thousand captives taken in war, but with all this he was affected with melancholy and disappointment, which are said to have caused his death soon after, owing to his having been checked in his projects of conquest, since, as we have related elsewhere, some historians attribute to him the design of reducing such parts of the country as still remained in the hands of the Franks, and after this of invading the great land (continent), and arriving with his army in Syria; and this he is supposed to have planned with a view to establish, by the entire subjection of the intermediate countries, an open and direct communication with the East, that |