Antioch, however, soon arose again from its ruins, under the protection
of the emperors of the West. Great and well-situated cities are not
easily destroyed past recovery. Antioch became once more rich and
populous; but it seemed to be its fate to succumb to the attacks of
barbarians. It was again besieged about a hundred years after the
above-stated catastrophe, by the Saracens, before the eyes of Prince
Constantine, son of the emperor Heraclius. The infidels approached a
bridge at a short distance from Antioch, called the Bridge of Iron.
Two towers, each furnished with three hundred soldiers, were intrusted
with the defence of it. These degenerate Romans surrendered their
posts to the enemy; Constantine, in despair, could trust neither the
courage nor the fidelity of his troops. Very unlike the Romans of
the days of Pyrrhus, who would have thought themselves dishonoured
by taking advantage of a crime, this prince resorted to the baseness
of assassination as the surest means of averting the storm which
threatened Antioch. He hoped to terminate the war by assassinating the
caliph who directed the enterprises of the Saracens. An assassin was
sent to Medina. Trembling at the sight of Omar, the wretch confessed
his intentions, and the name of the person who employed him. Omar, so
far from losing his life, acquired the honour of pardoning the man who
attempted it: the Christian prince acquired the disgrace of having
attempted a crime, and failed in it. The two armies encamped near
Antioch. A general, named Nestorius, commanded the Romans: endowed with
the valour of a soldier, he for a moment forgot that his life belonged
to his army, and challenged the bravest of the Mussulmans to single
combat. Dames, who had acquired the reputation of being invincible at
the siege of Aleppo, presented himself. His horse stumbling whilst he
was engaged with his enemy, Dames was seized and conveyed a prisoner to
the tent of the challenger. Nestorius, proud of this chance victory,
was desirous of a fresh triumph. He offered a second challenge, which
was accepted by Dehac. The two champions fought for a long time with
equal success; when, exhausted by fatigue, and their horses being jaded
and breathless, they separated to recruit their strength. During the
second conflict, Dames, having deceived the slaves who guarded him,
contrived to escape, and rejoined his comrades. A few days after, the
two armies engaged, and the Romans were cut to pieces after a severe
and bloody battle. A fresh perfidy of Youckinna, formerly governor of
Aleppo, contributed greatly to the defeat of the Romans. This traitor
guarded in Antioch Derar and two hundred other Mussulman prisoners. At
the moment of the combat, he set them at liberty, joined them to the
troop he commanded, and ranged himself under the standard of Mahomet.
At the sight of these new enemies, the Roman legions lost all courage;
they fancied the whole population of Antioch was pouring out upon
them. The field of battle was strewed with dead. The inhabitants of
Antioch, finding themselves without resource, capitulated; to avoid
being pillaged, they paid the conqueror three hundred thousand pieces
of gold, amounting to about one hundred and seventy thousand pounds
sterling,--a sum which seems to us incredibly small from such a city so
circumstanced. Abou-Obéidah entered Antioch on the 21st of August. As
he dreaded for his soldiers the pleasures of this voluptuous city more
than he feared the Roman armies, he only allowed them to remain there
three days.