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"that Ali has just been depofed in the name of "the Arabians; I depofe him likewife in the

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name of the Syrians; and fince the califate is "vacant, I appoint Moavia to it, and I inveft him "with the fovereign power, as I put this ring on my finger." The Arabians, deceived, protefted loudly against this wile, and the two parties feparated more enemies than ever.

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Whilft Ali's caufe was betraying at Saffein, this caliph was employed in calming a fedition near Cufa. The fame foldiers, who had refufed to fight against the Alcoran, confidered as a crime their master's having left to the judgment of men, what ought, they faid, to be decided by God alone. Thirteen thousand of these foldiers took poffeffion of a town in Arabia called Naarvan, declaring that they would no longer acknowledge Ali for their caliph, unless he dif claimed the arbitrators that he had left at Saffein. As Ali had given his word, he thought he ought not to retract it; inftead of replying to these rebels, he marched against them. On his arrival near Naarvan, he placed the Alcoran on the end of a pike in fight of the town, publishing, that he would pardon all the foldiers who fhould repair to this enign; but that thofe who fhould persist in the rebellion would be put to the sword. In those times of trouble and fervor, the Alcoran, as has already been obferved, was more refpected than the caliphs. Nine thoufand of the male

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contents returned to what they confidered as the enfign of their faith. Ali having easily entered the town, which was badly fortified, ordered all the remaining rebels to be put to death, without fparing one of them.

It was after this victory, or rather oarnage, that Ali learned what had paffed at Saffein; he was informed likewife that Egypt had furrendered to Moavia through the negligence and bad adminiftration of its governors, and that Amru, the arbitrator who had attempted to ftrip him of the califate in order to inveft his mafter in it, had entered peaceably into Egypt, pretending to govern it in the name of Moavia. Arabia was not more quiet than the other parts of the Mahometan empire. Moavia fent to ravage feveral cantons of the Yemen, which forms a part of it. The Mahometans, who always thought themselves fighting for their law, were yet more cruel against their strayed brethren, than against those whom they called Infidels. The fhedding of fo much blood raised up affaffins, who thought to deliver their country by exterminating its oppreffors.

Three men, accomplices with feveral others, took, the one the road to Cufa to affaffinate Ali, the fecond that of Damafcus to perform the same on Moavia, and the third that of Grand Cairo with the like intention on Amru. Moavia received only a wound which was not mortal; Amru being fick the day on which the affaffin propofed

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propofed to kill him, another iman,* who said prayers in his ftead, received the fatal ftroke. Ali perished by the fatal hand that was armed against him; he was affaffinated in the mosque. At first the wound did not appear mortal; but it was foon found that the inftrument was poifoned. The caliph ordered them to kill his murderer with a single stroke, after he should be dead.

Ali was affaffinated in the feventy-third year of his age, and the fortieth of the hegira, having reigned four years and ten months. This caliph had more knowledge, more elevation of mind, and more genius, than any of his predeceffors; but he was more unfortunate than all of them. Some perfon asking him why the reigns of Abubeker and Omar had been fo peaceable, and Othman's and his, on the contrary, fo tem-. pestuous: That is," faid he, " because Abu"beker and Omar were ferved by Othman and

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me, and we only by fuch as you." There is a Centiloquium by Ali: it contains a hundred maxims, full of force and reason, which have been tranflated from the Arabic into several other oriental languages. This is one of them: He, who would be rich without poffeffions, powerful without fubjects, and fubject without master, has but to ferve God, and he shall find thefe three things. The Perfians, and feveral other Muffulman na

* Iman, a Mahometan pricft.

tions, who ftill follow the fect of Ali, confider him as the firft lawful fucceffor of Mahomet; they treat the three former caliphs as ufurpers, and don't admit the Sunna, which we have said is the collection of the ancient traditions of Mahomet, from whence the Turks, the opponents of the fect of Ali, have taken the name of Sunnites, and they name Shiites the followers of Ali, who raise the memory of that caliph almost as high as Mahomet's. Some hours before Ali's death, he was asked, who should reign after him; "Mahomet," replied he, "did not name his "fucceffor, nor fhall I mine." He was no fooner dead, than they all turned their eyes on his fon Affan.

This prince was unanimously proclaimed in Affaa. Cufa; but he had neither the force nor ambition neceffary to secure the throne which Moavia had fhaken. The rebels made new efforts immediately on his beginning his reign, and it became neceffary to fend troops against them on the confines of Arabia. The peaceable Affan regretted already the blood that was about to be spilt; and whilft he was preaching fubmiffion and concord in the mofque at Cuba, Moavia, at the head of a powerful army, was promifing the delights of Paradife to thofe who fhould vanquish the pretended affaffins of Othman, or should die in arms against them. The warlike Arabians conceived contempt for a prince fo fparing of human blood.

Affan

Moavia,

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Affan foon perceived that they were growing tired of his lenity and efforts for peace. He no fooner learned that a battle had been fought on the frontiers of Arabia, in which neither party had gotten the advantage, and that the hope of an accommodation was more diftant than ever, than he thought only of ftripping himself of a dignity fo foreign to his nature. Against the confent of all the partifans of the house of Ali, he fent to defire of Moavia an annuity during his life, and went to pafs his days in obfcurity at Medina, practifing becoming virtues, and diftributing to the wretched all the riches which Moavia had left him in exchange for the califate.

The implacable Moavia, fole poffeffor of the throne, was ftill willing to fear the man who had refigned it to him without defending it. The agreement between Affan and him was, that, after 'Moavia's death, the dignity of caliph fhould return to the family of Ali. The ufurper, as ambitious for his pofterity as himself, ardently defired to fecure them the califate. The death of Affan, who as yet had no children, was determined on. His favorite wife engaged to poifon him, on the promife of being married to Moavia's fon. But he, who had concerted his death, and reaped the advantage of it, defpifed fo much the perpetrator, that he refused to fulfil his engage

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