There is considerable difference of opinion. however, as to the manner in which this was done; some maintaining that he did it designedly, while others say the deed was perpetrated under the following circumstances. "Mohammed, having on one occasion indulged too freely in the use of wine, was enjoying himself with a few of his most devoted followers, and among these was Boheira. His companions had long been jealous of the influence this man possessed over their leader, and had resolved on the first opportunity to put him to death. The Prophet having fallen asleep, they now took his sword and with it beheaded the monk, and then returned it to its sheath. On awaking, and seeing the headless body of his friend, Mohammed demanded in his fury who had been guilty of such a deed. "He only," was the reply, "on whose sword his blood is found." The Prophet, drawing his sword and seeing it covered with gore, cursed the wine, and uttered the celebrated command to his followers to abstain from all use of it-"O ye who believe, surely the wine is the work of the devil, wherefore renounce it that ye may enjoy prosperity."

From this place we turned westward along an ancient street now strewn thickly with stones and rubbish, and, passing a little to the north of the large mosk, we reached another mosk standing alone, called el-Khudr, the Arab name for St. George (12 on the plan). Beside it is a tomb of some antiquity. Continuing our course westward over the prostrate ruins of private dwellings, we came to a green meadow considerably depressed below the level of the surrounding buildings, and containing a number of

5 Koran, chap. v. 92.

We soon afterwards

small fountains of pure water. crossed the ancient city wall, which is at this place almost levelled to its foundations; and just beyond it there is a small altar-shaped stone with a Latin inscription. Beyond this is a large meadow called Merj, containing, like that within the walls, a number of small springs and excellent pastures. Around this meadow are the ruins of an extensive suburb.

We now turned along the city wall southward, and several Arabs joined our party. We soon afterwards heard them whisper to our guide that they would strip us, and that he had better join them and share the booty. He declared that he would defend us with his life; and we were thus saved from what would have been rather a serious encounter, as Mr. Barnett and I were alone and unarmed. We soon reached the great western gate of the city, called by the present inhabitants "The Gate of the Winds." The accompanying sketch will convey a better idea of this beautiful remnant of the ancient Bostra than any description: I took it from beside a little guardhouse a few yards distant. From this gate an ancient paved road runs across the plain in a straight line to a large deserted village called Ghusam, about two hours distant. We were informed that it extends as far as the town of Der'a, which some would identify with the Edrei of the Bible.

Sitting down beside the crumbling walls of the little building, I gazed long, inward upon the ruins of this great and ancient city, and outward on the rich but deserted. plain. My companions had taken shelter from a shower

6 See sketch of West Gate of Busrah at head of next chapter.

behind the wall, and now there was not a human being— there was not a living thing-there was not a sign of life, within the range of vision. There was that noble gateway, open and solitary, within it nought but heaps of rubbish and piles of hewn stones: away in the distance rose the deserted-looking columns, without an entablature to support or a building to adorn; there, too, was the triumphal arch, as if erected to commemorate the triumph of DESTRUCTION; while without, the whole country around was waste, desolate, and forsaken. Never before had I seen such a picture of utter desolation except when looking down upon Palmyra; and even there it was not so astonishing. The city of the desert might rise and flourish for a season while the tide of commerce swept past, and while it stood like an oasis in the desert that divides the eastern and western worlds; but on the discovery of another channel of communication it would naturally decline and fall. But Busrah, situated in a plain of unrivalled fertility, with its springs of water, its strong fortress, and its battlemented walls-why should Busrah lie desolate and forsaken? This surely was no city to grow up in a day, and fade in a night! This surely was not a city that depended on the uncertain channel of commerce to waft towards it prosperity! Are not the abundance of its waters, and the richness of its soil, and the wide extent of its plain, sufficient guarantees against decay and ruin? But a greater than human agency has been here at work. The curse of an angry God for the sin of a rebellious people has fearfully descended upon this land. Thus spake the prophet more than two thousand years ago: "The spoiler shall come upon every city, and no city shall

escape; the valley also shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed, as the Lord hath spoken. Give wings unto Moab, that it may flee and get away; for the cities thereof shall be desolate, without any to dwell therein.... Moab is confounded, for it is broken down; howl and cry; tell ye it in Arnon, that Moab is spoiled, and judgment is come upon the plain country. . . . . upon Kiriathaim, and upon Beth-gamul, and upon Beth-meon, and upon Kerioth, and upon BOZRAH, and upon all the cities of the land of Moab far and near." 7 The words of the prophet are now fulfilled to the letter.

Passing through the "Gate of the Winds,” we walked along the main street eastward. The whole of the western section of the city is thickly covered with the heaped-up ruins of private residences. The roofs have long since fallen in, the walls have crumbled down, and the whole is now like a plain covered with confused heaps of stones, in which the lines of the old streets are seen like furrows. At the triumphal arch we turned to the right, and walked past the castle to the large reservoir. This is an ancient work of great strength and magnitude. It is about 130 yards long by 100 broad, and the depth is 20 ft. The interior is lined with a massive wall of rustic masonry, strengthened by projecting buttresses. The water is conveyed to it by a canal from the Zêdy. On its northern side are some ruins of large houses, and a mosk in tolerable preservation; the other sides are open. Burckhardt states that this is a work of the Saracens, made for watering the great pilgrim caravan, which, until a little over a century ago, journeyed from Damascus to this

7 Jeremiah xlviii. 8, 9, 20-4.

8

place, along the ancient road by Musmeih and Suweideh already alluded to. The rustic masonry, however, is not generally considered to be characteristic of the Saracenic age; and I am inclined to believe that this fine reservoir is of a much earlier date.

Turning northward from the reservoir, we came in a few minutes to a large house or palace, with several courts strewn with fragments of columns, capitals, and sculptured cornices. In front of it is a fine Roman arch spanning the main street.

Such are the principal ruins of Busrah, so far as I had time to examine them. Days might be spent profitably in wandering over the city and exploring what remains of antiquity are to be seen, and copying the inscriptions which have hitherto escaped the notice of occasional visitors. Here, as elsewhere, I regretted the shortness of the time I had it in my power to spend in the examination of ruins so important in themselves, and so interesting in a historical point of view. I regretted, too, the necessity which compelled me to retrace my steps from this place, from whence I could see on the broad plain so many of the ancient cities of Moab, as yet unexplored. These present a rich and important field for the labours of the antiquary and the geographer; and an interesting study also for the student of the Bible. It is not likely that I will ever again visit this spot; but if it should be so, I shall only come on purpose to penetrate farther into the plains of Moab.

During my stay at Busrah I purchased about fifty coins and medals which had been found by the peasants in dig8 Travels in Syria, pp. 232-3.