more from her jealousy of Ali's wife, Fatimah, who was daughter of Mohammed by his first and most beloved spouse, Kadijah. Her hostility continued to the end of her life; and, although it did not prevent him from at length attaining the caliphat after the death of Othman, it gave him much trouble in the possession of it.

By the time that Othman died, and the cause of Ali had become strong, that valiant and generous hero, then advanced in years, had lost all desire for the dangerous eminence to which he had once aspired, and would fain have declined it; yet it was literally forced upon him by the impatient zeal of his partisans, as well as from the cool judgment of many others, who hoped that this step would heal the divisions in which they saw much danger to the interests of Islam. But from the hour that he took up the staff of empire he knew not peace. The whole course of his reign was a storm and a conflict; and at length, like his two immediate predecessors, he fell by the blow of an assassin, while engaged in his devotions at the mosque. Ali was distinguished for his bravery; and the appellation of "Lion of God," which is still often connected with his name by the Persians,

was conferred upon him for his many daring exploits, long before he attained the caliphat. He was, as compared with his contemporaries, noble and elevated in his views, and if he was not qualified to gain and secure favour, the deficiency arose chiefly from his superiority to the low acts by which power is too often won and sustained. He was a poet, and was accounted the most eloquent man of his time. Some of his writings are still extant, among which his Moral Lectures are the most distinguished.

It is not necessary to relate in detail the troubles of Ali's reign, which was incessantly disturbed by the rebellious movements of his domestic foes. His chief enemy was Moawiyah, of the family of Ommiyah, of the great tribe of Koreish, who held Syria under Othman, as his lieutenant, and who retained the rule in that quarter after the accession of Ali, and in despite of his power. Ali had fixed the seat of his government at Kufah, on the Euphrates, which thus became the centre of those who were true to his interests. Hence it arose that while the western provinces fell away from him, those of the east remained faithful to him.

After the assassination of Ali, (May 6th,

A.D. 661,) he was succeeded by his eldest son, Hassan, a man whose quiet and retiring spirit ill fitted him for the boisterous times in which he lived, and the bitter strifes in which he was involved. He held the reins of government not more than six months, and then resigned them to Moawiyah, who by that act became caliph, and founder of the dynasty of the Ammiades. Hassan perished ere long by poison; and his death is usually, but perhaps erroneously, ascribed to Moawiyah. His pretensions were inherited by his brother Hossein, whose character was very different from Hassan's, and had more resemblance to that of their father. When Moawiyah died in A.D. 680, his son and successor Yezid regarded his claims with jealousy and apprehension; and his letter from Damascus to the governor of Medina, announcing his accession, instructed him to seize the son of Ali, if he refused to acknowledge his right to the caliphat. The governor thereupon sent for Hossein to his house, informed him of Moawiyah's death, and invited him to declare his allegiance to his son Yezid. This Hossein evaded for the time, and managed to retire to his own house, whence he escaped with his family to Mecca, which was faithful to him.

He there received an invitation from the people of Kufah, the metropolis of Ali, with a promise of support in his claim upon the caliphat.

Relying on that promise, Hossein, despite the dissuasions of his wisest friends, set, out for that place with his family and a small body of attached followers. But, before his arrival in that quarter, his principal friends at Kufah had been seized, and the manifestations in his favour put down with a strong hand by the emir Obeidallah, the caliph's governor in the Arabian Irâk, who took the most careful measures for the defence of the country. When the news of Hossein's approach arrived at Kufah, an officer name Harro was sent out with a thousand horse to meet him. He had orders to conduct him and his party to Kufah, but not otherwise to permit his advance. When Hossein heard these orders, he declined either to desist from his purpose or to submit, and commanded his men to continue their march. This was opposed by Harro, which provoked Hossein to answer him in the following terms, very much in use among the Arabs, "May your mother be childless of you!"* Harro fired at this, as the orientals always do at anything like

* Compare 1 Sam. xx. 30; xv. 33,

disrespectful mention of their mothers; but remembering who Hossein's mother was, he restrained himself from the usual recrimination, and said "If any one else had treated me as you have done, I should not fail to recriminate but there is no tongue that can speak of your mother without the highest respect." After this, he moved off his force, saying that he had no orders to fight with him, but only to conduct him to Kufah, and if he would go in any other direction he would meet with no opposition from him.

Hossein was resolved to push on to Kadeseh, a place lying nearer to Kufah, but not on the direct route. On the way, he learned the real state of affairs at Kufah, which might have taught him that his cause was hopeless. But he still went on; and by the time the governor was able to move out his forces against him, had reached Kerbelah, attended still by Harro watching his movements. The force destined to act against him, under Amer Ebn Saad, amounted to four thousand men, besides the one thousand already out under Harrowhereas Hossein's fighting men scarcely amounted to a hundred-thirty-two horse and forty foot. Before hostilities commenced, several