his enemy a guarantee of their life. "Go then," said Abdallah, to his son Zobayr, after thy brothers' example, and solicit a pardon, for, in God's name, I desire above all things to see your life in security." The young man, however, protested that he would never condescend to save his life at the expense of his parent's; and he continued to fight bravely till he fell before Abdallah's eyes. In this condition, without resources, the army of Hajjaj daily augmenting by the desertion of his own troops, after the siege had lasted six, or according to other authorities, eight months, Ebn Zobayr,* finding his ruin inevitable, went to his mother Asmá, the daughter of Abu-bekr, and who was then a hundred years old. "Mother," said he, " I am deserted by all, not excepting my relatives and my children. The few who remain faithful to me can scarcely offer an hour's resistance. My enemies still offer all the temporal advantages I can desire. What do you think I ought to do?" She replied: "You must best know what concerns yourself. If you are convinced that you have justice on your side, and that your views have been guided by that alone, maintain your rights, for which your partizans have shed their blood, and bow not your neck to the indignities of the slaves of the Ommiyahs. If you desire only the goods of this world, you are a bad servant of God; you have been the murderer of those who have perished in your cause, and are the author of your own death. If you tell me 'my cause is founded in justice, but, being deserted by my companions, I have sunk into hopelessness;' this is not the way in which men of true courage and of true piety should act. How long do you expect to live in this world? Surely death is preferable to dishonour." Abdallah rejoined: "I fear, O mother, that when I fall, the Syrians will glut their rage upon my corpse, and that I shall be hanged upon a gibbet.” Son," said the heroic Asmá," the sheep that has been slaughtered, feels no pain whilst it is flaying. Persevere in your noble design, for justice is on your side, and implore the help of God." Abdallah bowed his head to his mother in token of acquiescence, and declared that this had been his intention. He dis claimed all worldly motives in aspiring to the Khalifat; zeal for the cause of God, and ambition to defend his sanctuary from profanation, he said, were the grounds of his taking arms. He entreated his mother to be resigned to the fate that awaited him, inasmuch as he had never committed an unworthy act; he had never injured any one by his seizures; he had violated no capitulation, nor done wrong to a single Musulman. They embraced affectionately, and bade each other a last farewell, as persons never more to meet in this world. ཀ་ Abdallah, who felt his courage rekindle after this interview, retired from it to the Kabah, where he passed the remainder of the night in devotional exercises. Early in the morning, he performed prayer, surrounded by a small band of friends resigned like him to death. He resumed his armour, and they prepared, if not to repulse the enemy, at least to sell their lives dearly. The Syrian troops were already in the mosque, exclaiming, with a loud voice, "where is the son of Dzat-alnitakeen.† A body of them occupied the passage of the Kabah. Ebn Zobayr, being told that these soldiers were Egyptians, exclaimed, "Behold the murderers of Othman, Prince of the Faithful!" and, rushing upon them, he cut off the ear of one. Syrians as well as Egyp tians crowded to overpower Abdallah, but, in spite of his age, he dealt such terrible blows amongst them that he cleared the mosque. He retired into the Kabah, but the stones fell upon it in showers, and the enemy, in increased numbers, returned to the charge. Again he fell upon them, and though * Fasi. † A surname of Asmå, signifying "she who wears two girdles.” struck on the forehead by a stone, which covered him with blood, he again repelled them from the mosque. Retiring again into the Kabah, he desired the few friends who yet adhered to him to throw away their scabbards, and to take care not to break their swords, that they might not appear unarmed like women. Ejaculating a short prayer, Abdallah rushed forth against a host of enemies, who thronged every avenue. At this moment, he was overpowered by a storm of missiles, and a nameless soldier, or according to another account, an Arab named Ebn Bahdal,* struck him on the head with a tile, which stretched him on the ground. Two of Abdallah's freed-men threw themselves on their master, and made their bodies a rampart for his till they were both killed. An Arab of the tribe of Morad cut off Abdallah's head and presented it to Hajjaj, who, at the sight of this trophy, prostrated himself on the ground and offered thanks to God. He transmitted the head without delay to Damascus, along with the heads of the chief partizans of Ebn Zobayr. The rest of the latter's companions sought safety in flight: the brave Abdallah ben Safuan was slain whilst he grasped the veil of the Kabah. With Abdallah perished, amongst other personages of note, Abdallah ben Moti, and Abdalrahman ben Othman. This tragical event took place on Tuesday, the 14th of the month Jumada the first, A.H. 73. Masoodi Hajjaj gave orders that the body of Ebn Zobayr should be fixed to a gibbet in an inverted position, and suspended to the gutter of the Kabah. relates, that Asmá solicited leave to bury the remains of her son; but the unfeeling conqueror gave her a stern refusal. Mirkhond states, that Hajjaj had protested that he would not allow the body of Abdallah to be detached from the gibbet till Asmá sued for it; that Asmá pledged herself that she would not offer any such suit; that the unhappy mother, passing, one day, the foot of the gallows from which her son's corpse was still hanging, exclaimed, "It is surely time that this cavalier descended;" that these words being reported to Hajjaj, he declared that he considered them as amounting to a virtual request, and immediately gave orders for the removal of the body. The moment the Syrian army were assured of the death of Abdallah ben Zobayr, they vied with each other in shouting God is great!" The shout reached the ears of Abdallah, son of the Khalif Omar, who was then at Mecca. Aged, blind and infirm, he demanded the cause of this clamour, and when told that it was in consequence of the tragical end of Ebn Zobayr, "Alas!" he exclaimed, "what an extraordinary coincidence! These very Musulmans, who, at the birth of Abdallah, uttered this joyful formula of "God is great !" now with the same cry celebrate his martyrdom !" Thus perished Abdallah ben Zobayr, whose courage and virtues entitled him to a less cruel fate. He was distinguished above all Musulmans by his courage, his eloquence, and his zeal for all the observances, even the most minute, of his religion. To render strict justice to his character, it should be declared, that he wanted some eminent qualities which belong to a sovereign, and which were essentially requisite at the period he lived in, when the Moslem empire was torn by civil war, and the throne was the prize of the most worthy or the most fortunate competitor. The chances in his favour were many. It is certain that no rival could urge a more preferable title; and it is probable that if Abdallah, instead of remaining quietly at Mecca, had invaded Syria with all his forces, he would have destroyed the Ommiades, and have been recognized as Khalif throughout the provinces subject to the Musulman rule. But it must be acknowledged that Abdallah knew not how to Tabrizi. take advantage of the chances which fortune threw in his way. PersonalTM courage alone is not sufficient for a prince; he must unite with it activity, skill to gain hearts, and many other qualities, in which Abdallah was deficient. Nor can he be vindicated from the charge of cruelty towards his own brother, as well as other individuals. Another defect in his character, which is degrading even in a private individual, but which in a sovereign is of the basest description,―sordid avarice, would have sufficed to tarnish the lustre of the virtues which this prince really possessed. This avaricious propensity was carried to such a pitch, that it has passed into a proverb amongst the Arabs. I am aware that the Ommiades may have overcharged the picture and exaggerated the faults of one whose memory it was their aim to blast; but history has preserved some anecdotes of this avarice, which it is difficult to discredit. An anonymous writer* relates that Abdallah, having presented a person named Abu-Jehem with 1,000 pieces of silver, the man expressed his gratitude in terms of extraordinary fervour. "How is this?" said Abdallah. I have heard that when you received, some time back, 100,000 pieces of silver from Moawiyah, you thought it a pitiful present, and were discontented." "True," replied AbuJehem: "100,000 pieces of silver is a trifle for Moawiyah to give; but 1,000 is a great deal for you." Abdallah hung his head and said nothing. During the last siege of Mecca, the walls of the Kabah, which had been battered by the engines, were almost in ruins. Hajjaj, when master of the city, consulted Abdalmalek as to what should be done with respect to the buildings constructed by Ebn Zobayr. The Khalif ordered the whole to be destroyed, and that the edifice should be rebuilt on the foundations laid by the Koraishes. Hajjaj executed this order. Taking for his guide the foundations of the Koraishes, he reduced the dimensions of the edifice, in that part where the Black Stone is placed, to the extent of six cubits and a palm. He caused the western door, and all that were below the threshold of the eastern door, to be stopped up: the rest was left in its former state. Subsequently, Abdalmalek felt keen regret at having directed this demolition, when he learned the truth of the words attributed to Aysha by Ebn Zobayr: "I should have been glad," he observed, "had it been me who had assigned to Ebn Khobayb the labours he undertook for the construction of the Kabah." Amer, the son of Abdallah, displayed throughout life a fervent zeal for religion, fulfilling all its duties with such a degree of enthusiasm, that his father blamed its excess. After Abdallah's death, he continued for a whole year to pray for his father exclusively. He died in the act of prayer. Khobayb, the eldest son of Abdallah, who did not await his father's death before he negociated with his enemies, experienced at the court of the Ommiades a treatment as ignominious as it was ungenerous. In the year 93, under the khalifat of Walid, Khobayb, then at an advanced age, received, at the hand of Abdalaziz, fifty stripes. On a winter's day, a skin of cold water was poured upon his head, and he was kept standing at the door of the mosque the whole day, which occasioned his death. Mosab left two sons, Mohamed and Saad. Abbas, son of Abdallah, had also a son named Mohamed. * Marg. note to the Rebi-alabrar. MR. DAVIDS GRAMMAR OF THE TURKISH LANGUAGE.* WE had prepared a notice of this work, shortly after its publication, when we received the melancholy intelligence that its author had fallen a victim to the dreadful disease with which our land has lately been visited. We, therefore, postponed our observations until we should be able to give a brief sketch of his short though remarkable history. Mr. Arthur Lumley Davids was the only child of Hebrew parents, who resided in Hampshire. At an early age, he was sent to the school of a clergyman of the established church, who prepared young gentlemen for the universities, at one of which it was intended Mr. Davids should receive his education. He soon evinced extraordinary talents, excelling in almost every branch of learning, but applying himself more particularly to the study of mechanics and experimental philosophy; and such was his progress in the latter, that he once delivered a lecture on chemistry before the whole school. Drawing and music shared his attention; and at the age of eight, with a fine voice, he could sing any music at first sight. When in his tenth year, his father died: an event which shortly afterwards occasioned his mother's removal with her son to London, where she settled. From this time, he devoted himself principally to the study of the modern languages, in most of which he made astonishing progress, without any other assistance than is to be derived from books. Being intended for the legal profession, he entered the office of a respectable solicitor in town, as a preparatory step to his being called to the bar. To the unwearied diligence with which he applied himself to the study of the law, the gentleman who thus had the superintendance of his legal education can testify. His religious persuasion, however, presented a formidable obstacle to his becoming a barrister: a circumstance which doubtless, in some measure, influenced him in entering with great spirit into the exertions which have recently been made by the Jews to obtain an enlargement of their civil rights; in furtherance of which object, he wrote several letters, which appeared in the Times newspaper. He also took an active part in the formation of a society for the cultivation of Hebrew literature; at one of whose meetings, in 1830, he delivered an able lecture on the literature and philosophy of the Jews, which was attended by some of the most eminent literary men in London. From the age of fifteen, he appears to have devoted his leisure hours exclusively to the study of oriental languages, particularly the Turkish, in which he made great proficiency. In the grammar before us, we have the fruit of this application during the last five years of his life. It was commenced (as he states in his preface) without the remotest view to publication; but it occurring to him, as he proceeded, that, as no similar work existed, it might be acceptable to the public; and obtaining, through Sir Robert Gordon, the British ambassador at Constantinople, permission to * A Grammar of the Turkish Language; with a preliminary Discourse on the Language and Literature of the Turkish nations; a copious Vocabulary; Dialogues; a Collection of Extracts, in Prose and Verse; and lithographed Specimens of various Ancient and Modern Manuscripts. By ARTHUR LUMLEY DAVIDS, Member of the Asiatic Society of Paris, &c. &c. pp. 278. 4to. London, 1832. Parbury, Allen, and Co., and John Taylor. Asiat.Journ..NS.VOL.9.No.36. 2 Z dedicate it to the Ottoman Sultan, he redoubled his exertions to make it worthy of approbation. The labours of his profession, at this period, left him but little time for so arduous an undertaking; but with the ardour of youth and the enthusiasm of a devotee, he sacrificed the hours, which should have been given to repose, to the revision of his manuscript and the correction of the press. The elaborate essay on the literature of the Turks, which is prefixed to the work, was not commenced until the grammatical part was nearly completed. It is a performance which bears ample testimony, as well to the uncommon powers of his mind as to his indefatigable industry. It was compiled chiefly during the night, and sent next morning to the printer's. It is to be feared that his life was the forfeit of these continued exertions. Early on the morning of the 19th of July, he was seized with an attack of cholera; but unwilling to alarm his mother, he did not call for assistance till after the lapse of four or five hours, by which time the fatal malady, acting on a frame already enfeebled, through the effects of incessant labour, had acquired such strength as to baffle medical skill, and he expired the same day, in the twenty-first year of his age. much can be By those who ardent zeal in His principles were those of the strictest probity and honour, his manners mild and unassuming, and his disposition candid and communicative. The history of his short life affords another proof how effected by a few years of well-directed talent and industry. were acquainted with his many excellent qualities, and his the pursuit of knowledge, his early loss will be long and deeply felt; but their grief is light compared with the bitter hopelessness of sorrow which she must feel, whose latter years derived their chief solace from the affectionate attentions and growing reputation of her only son. It has to us been long a matter of surprise that no grammar of the Turkish language should have been written in English. A small work bearing that title was indeed published in the year 1709, written by Thomas Vaughan, a merchant of Smyrna; but instead of being a help to the Turkish student, the author seems to have had no other object than to make it a medium "to deliver some Thoughts how Languages in general may be easiest and best attained, and Latin in particular best taught." This desideratum is at length supplied by the work of Mr. Davids. The grammars already in existence, such as Meninski, Seaman, Holderman, Viquier, &c., besides the disadvantage of not being written in English, are compiled in a manner calculated to deter rather than to encourage the student in the acquisition of the language. Following the plan of Sir William Jones, Mr. Davids has adopted a Turkish, or rather an Arabic title for his work. He styles it, "A or “ A Book of useful Knowledge النافع في تحصيل صرف و نحو تركي for the Acquisition of Turkish Grammar." He has avoided the mistake retained in so many editions of Sir W. Jones's Persian Grammar, viz. adding the word 'language,' after, which is certainly not according to oriental phraseology. We question, however, whether زبان |