over the Persians, when Mohammed's letter reached him. But far from showing any sign of a disposition to accede to the summons it contained, Heraclius stationed a large body of troops in the districts of the empire bordering on Arabia, to guard against any possible trouble from that quarter.

(12.) Mohammed, with 2000 followers, visits the Pilgrim Festival, according to treaty-right, and, after despatching marauding expeditions to various parts, including one to Muta, finds a pretext for breaking the armistice and easily conquers Mecca with an imposing army of 10,000 men.

Mohammed, having once risen to the contemplation of early conquests in foreign parts, naturally redoubled his efforts first to consolidate and still further to extend his power within Arabia itself. The conquest of Khaibar which had greatly added to his sinews of war, was speedily followed by a series of smaller expeditions, despatched to different parts, under sundry chosen leaders. Thus we read of one, under Omar, against a Bedouin tribe to the south-east of Mecca, on the road to Sana and Najran; of one, under Abu Bekr, against the Kilabites in the Nejd; of another, under Bashir, against the Morrites, near Fadak; again of one, under Ghalib, against the Owalites at Mafaa, to the north-east of Medina; and finally of one, again under Bashir, against the Ghatafanites, in the neighbourhood of Khaibar.

But the crowning object of Mohammed's aspirations, for the present, was, to obtain possession of Mecca where, in consequence of his rapidly expanding power, the number of his secret partisans was daily increasing. Therefore, in spring 629, he gladly availed himself of the treaty-right, which he had acquired the year before, by visiting, with his followers, the national shrine from which they had been debarred for seven years. The occasion could be turned to account for strengthening the footing already obtained there, though the Meccans would, during the visit, haughtily retire from the city to its environs.

That the ostentatious observance of this prudent stipulation did not prove an insuperable barrier to mutual intercourse,

appears clearly from the fact that, though the Moslems were not permitted to extend their visit beyond the three days agreed upon, yet this short time afforded Mohammed opportunity enough to engage himself to another Meccan lady, Meimuna, the younger sister of his uncle Abbas' wife. He even proposed to celebrate the wedding there, and to regale the Meccans by a sumptuous wedding repast, which would, of course, have been a splendid opportunity for further lessening their remaining antipathy; but his proposal was looked through by the wary Koreish. Being not yet prepared, as a body, to humour him, they firmly insisted on his departure at the close of the stipulated three days, and his new bride had to follow after him, to be married during the return journey.

It was obvious to all that, even in this hurried pilgrimage, the Prophet's sole wish was not to give himself up to devout worship at the Kaaba, but that he, at the same time, pursued other and very different objects. He had come with 2000 followers, a sufficient force to make an impression on the city, though they were bound to deposit their arms outside the sacred territory, and to enter with only a sheathed sword on their side. They were left entirely unmolested, whilst they performed their devotion; and it must, of course, have been a secret satisfaction to the Meccans to see the Moslems, the reputed foes of all idolatry, pay such high honour to the national sanctuary, still full of idols. According to Ibn Ishak, many Meccans had remained in the city, and were standing in rows, 'to see what Mohammed and his companions would do;' and he describes the scene thus: 'When Mohammed entered the temple, he cast his garb on the left shoulder, so that his right arm appeared, and said, "May God be gracious to the man whom He shows them to-day in his strength!" Then he embraced the pillar and came out leaping, his companions leaping after him, till he was hid from them by the temple. After this, he embraced the pillar towards Yemen, and the Black Stone. Thus he made three circumambulations, leaping; and then marched again slowly.

By publicly paying so much honour to the ancient temple of idolatry and its proud guardian city; by at the same time strengthening old ties of friendship and forming new ones,