a time we are noty famous phyfician, and had the care of the hofpital at Bagh- Afrihi dad committed to him. His hiftory has been reprefented as Ebn Adi, a moft excellent performance by Abu'l-Faraj; who informs who flouus, that he mentions therein a great number of remarkable righed facts, not elsewhere to be found. A fupplement to this noble about the work has been written by Helâl, his nephew, not his fon, as M. D'Herbelot afferts, who was likewife a very eminent phyfician, hiftorian, and philofopher. Thâbet Ebn Senân died, in upon. the year of the Hejra 365, if Abu'lfeda may be depended upon, or in the 363d year of the Moflem æra, if we will believe Abu'l Faraj. Afrihi Ebn Adi Ebn Hamid Ebn Zacharia Al Tecriti, very noted logician, who lived a confiderable part of his time at Baghdad, was one of his cotemporaries. This learned man was often employed in tranfcribing books of literature. He wrote a very fine legible hand, and that with fo much expedition, that he could finifh an hundred leaves in a day and a night's time. He left behind him feveral verfions and explications of antient authors, befides other works, that were held in great efteem. He was inftructed in logic by the famous Abu Nafr Mohammed Ebn Mohammed Ebn Tarkkân Al Farabi, of whom we have already given our readers a particular account. To which we fhall now beg leave to add, that Al Fârâbi, who was looked upon by the Moflems as the prince of philofophers, and the phoenix of his age, firft learned philofophy at Baghdad of Yahya, or Yohanna, Ebn Faballad, in which he made a much greater progress than any of the others who 'were inftructed with him; that he much excelled his fecond mafter, Abu Bahar Matta Ebn Yunes, in all thofe branches of literature he had applied himself to; that, by his logical, phyfical, metaphyfical, and political compofitions, his fame has already been, and will hereafter be, tranfmitted down to all fucceeding ages; and that, finally, he understood the AriHotelian philofophy better than, and fupplied many defects in the writings of, the famous Al Kendi, and others. Afribi Ebn Adi, who was a Chriftian of the Jacobite fect, died in the month of Ab, or Auguft, and the year of Seleucus 1285, towards the clofe of the 363d year of the Hejra, and was buried at Baghdad; being, at the time of his death, about eightyone folar years old %. IN the year of the Hejra 364, commencing September 21, Adado'd, 974, Adado'ddawla, excited thereto by the repeated follicita- dawla tions of Azzo'ddawla, marched with the Perfian forces into poffeffes Irak, and advanced into the neighbourhood of Wafet. Al himself of Baghdad, ISM. ABU'LFED. ubi fup. & in chron. ad ann. Hej. 365. GREG. ABU'L-FARAJ, ubi fup. p. 316, 317. D'HERBEL. Biblioth. orient. art. Helal Ben Thabet Ben Senan, p. 446. & art. Thabet Ben Senan Ben Thabet, p. 1015. MOD. HIST. VOL. III. Aftekin up Aftekin, having received advice of his approach, immediately abandoned the fiege, and retired with the Turkish troops to Baghdad. Upon his arrival there, he found that city in the hands of Abu Taglab Ebn Nafero'ddawla; who having been fent for by Azzo'ddawla, to affift him against the Turks, had taken post in that metropolis, feized upon the Emir Al Omra's palace, and obliged all ranks and degrees of men to recognize his authority. But Al Aftekin, having brought with him the Khalif Al Tay', fummoned him in that prince's name to furrender the place; which not being immediately done, the Turks attacked it fabre in hand, and carried it with inconfiderable lofs. In the mean time, Adado' ddawla, having forced Al Aftekin to raise the fiege of Wafet, joined Azzo❜ddawla; and, after that junction, purfued the Turks to Baghdâd. Being arrived before the town, Adado ddawla invested that part of it fituated on the eaftern bank of the Tigris, and Azzo'ddawla the other. The Turks finding themselves upon the point of being ftraitly fhut up, in order to avoid the calamities attending a fiege, marched out of the place, and were followed by the combined army, under the command of Adado'ddawla and Azzo'dawla, who came with them at Dair Al Akûl; upon which, a fharp and bloody engagement enfued, wherein both fides fuftained an incredible lofs. But at laft the Turks were conftrained to leave the field of battle to the victors; who thereupon became mafters of the Khalif's perfon, and afterwards triumphantly entered the city of Baghdad. The battle was fought the fourteenth of the former Fomada, and the princes of the house of Búiya foon after poffeffed themselves of the capital; but the Khalif Al Tay' did not return to his palace before the eighth of Rajeb, when Adado'ddawla proftrated himself before him, and had the honour to kiss his hand. The Perfian forces, after the end of the action, made themselves mafters of the Turkish camp, and observed an exact discipline in the city of Baghdâd; but Azzo'ddawla's troops mutinied for their pay, treated their general with great marks of difrefpect, and committed many diforders. As, therefore, Azzo'ddawla had no money to pacify them with, Adado'ddawla advised him to refign his command, and shut himself up in his houfe; that he might thereby be the better enabled, with the affiftance of his own troops, to bring them back to a fenfe of their duty. But Azzo'ddarla had no fooner difmiffed the officers of his court, declared himself incapable of government, and formally renounced before proper witneffes all pretenfions to the poft of Emir Al Omrâ, than Adado'ddawla caufed him and his brothers to be feized at a fplendid entertainment, to which he had invited them, on the een the 26th of the latter Jamada, and immediately fent to pri- anger and BUT, notwithstanding his pretended fubmiffion, and en- But aftergaging behaviour, to the Khalif, he did not long enjoy the wards power which he had fo unjustly acquired. For, Marza- abandons pân, or Marzabân, Azzo'ddawla's fon, receiving advice at that capi Bafra, of which city he then was governor, of what had tal. happened to his father at Baghdad, immediately wrote to Rucno'ddawla, Adado'ddawla's father, an account of that event which produced in him fuch emotions of grief, that, upon the first news of it, he threw himself upon the ground in a moft frantic manner; and afterwards contracted fuch a diftemper, by an irregular abftinence and perturbation of mind, occafioned by the difagreeable news that had been imparted to him, as might have been of fatal confequence, had it not been speedily removed by Adado'ddawla's fubfequent conduct. He alfo upbraided his fon, in the sharpeft terms, with his iniquitous behaviour, and threatened him with the effects of his refentment, if he did not restore to Azzo'ddawla the poft of which he had fo unjustly deprived him. Adado'ddawla, in order to pacify his father, propofed to cede to the person injured fome part of his Perfian territories, as an equivalent for what he had ufurped in Irak. But this propofal was fo far from being relished or approved of by Rucno'ddawla, that he was upon the point of cutting to pieces the minifter who delivered it to him; by whom he fent back a meffage to his fon, importing, that if he did not inftantly comply with his commands, he would come himself with an army to Baghdad, and reinftate Azzo'ddawla in his former poft. Nor did Abu'l Fathi Ebn Al Amid, Adado'ddawla's fecond ambaffador, meet with a more favourable reception from him; the answer given that minister, on this occafion, being extremely rough, and fuch as indicated his wrath to be by no means yet appeafed. Adado'ddawla, therefore, finding that his father would be obeyed, releafed Azzo'ddawla without delay, put him again at the head of the Khalif's "AL MAKIN, ubi fup. p. 232, 233. ISM. ABU'LFED. in chron. ad ann. Hej. 364. GREG. ABU'L-FARAJ, ubi fup. p. 318. KнONDEMIR, D'HERBEL. Biblioth. orient. art.Azzeddoulat, p. 154,155 What tekîn, after he was driven from Baghdad. How councils, and then retired with his forces into Perfia. In the mean time, Al Aftekin, after he had been driven by happened Adado'ddawla from Baghdad, moved at the head of his Turks to Al Af into Syria, and poffeffed himself of Hems. From thence he advanced to Damafcus, and was received with open arms by the inhabitants of that city. He was no fooner admitted into the town, than he enabled the Damafcenes to expel from thence Zaban, or Zabban, an eunuch, and Al Moczz's governor of the place;. after which, they difcontinued their recognition of Al Moezz's authority in the mofques, on days of divine fervice. That prince dying the following year, his fon and fucceffor, Al Aziz Bi'llah, fent Jawhar, his general, with a powerful army, into Syria; who laid fiege to Damafcus, and carried on his attacks with fo much vigour, that the city must have fallen into his hands, if a body of the Karmatian troops had not haftened to its relief. At the approach of thefe troops, Jawhar thought fit to raise the fiege, as he was not in a condition to make head against them, and at the fame time to repulfe the Damafcenes, in the numerous fallies which they made. The Karmatians, having been joined by the Turks and Damafcenes, purfued Jawhar, and came up with him firft at Al Ramla, and afterwards at Afcalon, or Afhkelon; at the laft of which places, they offered him battle. But Jawhar, having loft the greatest part of his men by famine, declined an engagement. However, he was reduced in a fhort time to the laft extremity, and with great difficulty prevailed upon Al Aftekin, who commanded the combined army, to permit him, for a large fum of money, to return into Egypt. Upon his arrival at Mefr, he perfuaded Al Aziz himself to undertake an expedition against Al Aftekin, then in poffeffion of the beft part of Syria. That prince, therefore, without delay, marched with a formidable army against the rebels, and came up with them at Al Ramla; where, after an obftinate difpute, he intirely defeated them, put a vaft number of them to the fword, and took most of the reft prifoners. However, Al Aftekin himself found means to make his efcape. But Al Aziz having offered a reward of 100,000 dinars to any one who would deliver that general alive into his hands, Mafraj Ebn Dagfal, an Arab of the tribe fup. AL MAKIN, ISM, ABU'LFED. & GREG, ABU'L-FARAJ, ubi of of Tay, his particular friend, with whom he had taken refuge, being tempted by the largenefs of the reward, brought him alive to the Fâtemite Khalif; who was fo far from offering him any violence, that he made him a present of a very fine tent, as well as of several sumptuous mantles, or cloaks, and much houfhold-furniture of almost ineftimable value, releafed all the Turkish prisoners who had fought under him as their chief, and carried him with him to Mefr, where in great affluence he at laft ended his days k. THIS year, according to Al Kâdi Shahabo'ddin Ebn Abil- Other dâm Al Hamawi, Abu'l Kafem Ebn Al Hafan, the Emir of tranfac Sicily, undertook an expedition against the Chriftians of that tions of ifland, reduced Mefina, Catana, and feveral other fortreffes the prefent of confiderable ftrength, and ravaged the country through year. which he moved in a dreadful manner. Not content with this, he committed terrible depredations on the coaft of Calabria, and even made incurfions into the interior part of that province; after which, his troops returned home, with a great number of prifoners, and laden with fpoil. Thefe operations, however, are placed by Abu'lfeda amongst the tranfactions of the following year. About the fame time, Rucno'ddawla Ebn Buiya, who was now far advanced in years, affigned to his fon Adado'ddawla Fârs, Arjân, and Kermân; to his fon Mowayyado'ddawla Al Rây and Esfahân; and to his fon Fakhro' ddawla Dainawâr and Hamadan. He also obliged them at the fame time to take an oath to fupport one another, and to act in concert, on all emergent occafions. The Khalif Al Tay', according to Al Makin, took to wife Sahraban, Adado' ddawla-Ebn Moezzo'ddawia's daughter, and promifed her for a dower 100,000 dinars, before the close of the prefent year 1. THE fame year, if we will believe Al Makin, the Greeks, The under the conduct of the emperor Zimifces, made an irrup- Greeks tion into Syria, took Hems and Baalbec, and from the latter make an of those cities marched to Damafcus. But Al Aftekin, con- irruption tinues the fame author, advancing against them with a coninto Syria. fiderable force, Zimifces turned off to Sidon, and obliged the inhabitants of that place to pay him a large fum of money; after which, he moved to Tripoli, and befiged that city above forty days. Here, if we will believe the hiftorian now before us, through the influence of Bafilius and Conftantine, he had poifon adminiftered to him; which forced him to retire, in a ISM. ABU'LFED. ubi fup. AL MAKIN, ubi fup. p. 233. |