But the Caliph made answer, 'These be not fit for eating.'
Then said Hulagu: 'Since thou didst so well know that these be not fit for
eating, why didst thou make a store thereof? With part thereof thou
mightest have sent gifts to propitiate us, and with part thou shouldst
have raised an army to serve thee and defend thyself against us! And
Hulagu commanded them to take forth the Caliph and his son to a place
without the camp, and they were here bound and put into two great sacks,
being afterwards trampled under foot till they both died - the mercy of
Allah be upon them." - H. C.]
The foundation of the story, so widely received among the Christians, is
to be found also in the narrative of Nikbi (and Mirkhond), which is cited
by D'Obsson. When the Khalif surrendered, Hulaku put before him a plateful
of gold, and told him to eat it. "But one does not eat gold," said the
prisoner. "Why, then," replied the Tartar, "did you hoard it, instead of
expending it in keeping up an army? Why did you not meet me at the Oxus?"
The Khalif could only say, "Such was God's will!" "And that which has
befallen you was also God's will," said Hulaku.
Wassaf's narrative is interesting: - "Two days after his capture the Khalif
was at his morning prayer, and began with the verse (Koran, III. 25),
'Say God is the Possessor of Dominion! It shall be given to whom He will;
it shall be taken from whom He will: whom He will He raiseth to honour;
whom He will He casteth to the ground.' Having finished the regular office
he continued still in prayer with tears and importunity. Bystanders
reported to the Ilkhan the deep humiliation of the Khalif's prayers, and
the text which seemed to have so striking an application to those two
princes. Regarding what followed there are different stories. Some say
that the Ilkhan ordered food to be withheld from the Khalif, and that when
he asked for food the former bade a dish of gold be placed before him,
etc. Eventually, after taking counsel with his chiefs, the Padishah
ordered the execution of the Khalif. It was represented that the
blood-drinking sword ought not to be stained with the gore of Mosta'sim. He
was therefore rolled in a carpet, just as carpets are usually rolled up,
insomuch that his limbs were crushed."
The avarice of the Khalif was proverbial. When the Mongol army was
investing Miafarakain, the chief, Malik Kamal, told his people that
everything he had should be at the service of those in need: "Thank God, I
am not like Mosta'sim, a worshipper of silver and gold!"
(Hayton in Ram. ch. xxvi.; Per. Quat. 121; Pachym. Mic. Palaeol.
II. 24; Joinville, p. 182; Sanuto, p. 238; J. As. ser. V. tom. xi.
490, and xvi. 291; D'Ohsson, III. 243; Hammer's Wassaf, 75-76; Quat.
Rashid. 305.)
NOTE 8. - Nevertheless Froissart brings the Khalif to life again one
hundred and twenty years later, as "Le Galifre de Baudas." (Bk. III. ch.
xxiv.)
[1] Not that Alaue (pace Mr. Longfellow) ever did see Cambalu.
CHAPTER VII.
HOW THE CALIF OF BAUDAS TOOK COUNSEL TO SLAY ALL THE CHRISTIANS IN HIS
LAND.
I will tell you then this great marvel that occurred between Baudas and
Mausul.
It was in the year of Christ[NOTE 1] ... that there was a Calif at Baudas
who bore a great hatred to Christians, and was taken up day and night with
the thought how he might either bring those that were in his kingdom over
to his own faith, or might procure them all to be slain. And he used daily
to take counsel about this with the devotees and priests of his
faith,[NOTE 2] for they all bore the Christians like malice. And, indeed,
it is a fact, that the whole body of Saracens throughout the world are
always most malignantly disposed towards the whole body of Christians.
Now it happened that the Calif, with those shrewd priests of his, got hold
of that passage in our Gospel which says, that if a Christian had faith as
a grain of mustard seed, and should bid a mountain be removed, it would be
removed. And such indeed is the truth. But when they had got hold of this
text they were delighted, for it seemed to them the very thing whereby
either to force all the Christians to change their faith, or to bring
destruction upon them all. The Calif therefore called together all the
Christians in his territories, who were extremely numerous. And when they
had come before him, he showed them the Gospel, and made them read the
text which I have mentioned. And when they had read it he asked them if
that was the truth? The Christians answered that it assuredly was so.
"Well," said the Calif, "since you say that it is the truth, I will give
you a choice. Among such a number of you there must needs surely be this
small amount of faith; so you must either move that mountain there," - and
he pointed to a mountain in the neighbourhood - "or you shall die an ill
death; unless you choose to eschew death by all becoming Saracens and
adopting our Holy Law. To this end I give you a respite of ten days; if
the thing be not done by that time, ye shall die or become Saracens." And
when he had said this he dismissed them, to consider what was to be done
in this strait wherein they were.
NOTE 1. - The date in the G. Text and Pauthier is 1275, which of course
cannot have been intended.
