And villages and lands became mine, which are ample
to support me, and will suffice those who come after
me. And I remained with him until he was killed.
May God pardon him ! "



THE BEDAWY AND THE KALIFAH. 227



THE BEDAWY WHO TAUGHT THE
KHALIFAH MANNERS.
TRANSLATOR'S PREFATORY NOTE.
Hisham-ibn-'Abd-el-Milik was the fourth of that Khalffah's sons
who reigned over the Mushms. He succeeded his brother
YezidA.H. 105 (a.d. 724), and died of quinsy ater-Rus&fa,A.H.
125 (a.d. 742), aged from fifty-three to fifty-six years, accord-
ing to different authors. He was buried at er-Rus4fa, a town
which lay opposite to er-Rd.kkah, at one day's journey west
of the Euphrates ; and which is placed by Abu'1-Feda in
lat. 36° N. It was founded by Hisham, who made it his
summer residence, and retired there to avoid the plague
which desolated Syria. Hishim governed without any
prime minister, and greatly harassed his subjects by his
rapacious and covetous disposition. He was richer than
any of his predecessors, but the Persian historian Khondemir
says that Hisham would not trust any person with the keys
of his coffers, and that he was one of the most avaricious
princes that ever lived.
T T is related, amongst other anecdotes, that Hish4m-
ibn-'Abd-el-Malik was engaged one day in hunt-
ing and sport. And he saw a gazelle being pursued by
the dogs. And he followed it. And it passed round
the hut of an Arab who was pasturing his flocks. So



228 'ilAm-e'n-nAs.
