ed prophecy of Mohammed's, and in
obedience to the precepts of the Koran itself, that the Arabs, having
overrun Syria, Egypt, and Africa, passed over into Spain, and the war
from the very first took the character of a jehad, or religious war--a
character which it retained with the ever-increasing fanaticism of the
combatants until every Mohammedan had been forced to abjure his creed,
or been driven out of Spain. But, as we have seen, the conquest itself
was singularly free from any outbursts of religious frenzy; though of
course there must have been many Christians, who laid down their lives
in defence of all that was near and dear to them, in defence of their
wives and their children, their homes and their country, their religion
and their honour. One such instance at least has been recorded by the
Arab historians,[1] when the Governor, and 400 of the garrison, of
Cordova, after three months' siege in the church of St George, chose
rather to be burnt in their hold than surrender upon condition either of
embracing Islam, or paying tribute.

Omitting the story of the fabulous martyr Nicolaus, as being a tissue of
errors and absurdities,[2] the first martyr properly so called was a
certain bishop, named Anambad, who was put to death by Othman ibn abi
Nesah (727-728)--a governor guilty of shedding much Christian blood, if
Isidore is to be believed.[3]

[1] Al Makkari, i. 279, says: "This was the cause of the spot
being called ever since the Kenisatu-l-haraki (the church of
the burnt), as likewise of the great veneration in which it has
always been held by the Christians, on account of the courage
and endurance displayed in the cause of their religion by those
who died in it."

[2] Florez, "Espana Sagr," xiv. 392.

[3] Isidore, sec. 58, "Munuza quia a sanguine Christianorum,
quen ibidem innocentem fuderat, nimium erat crapulatus, et
Anabadi, illustris episcopi,... quem ipse cremaverat, valde
exhaustus," etc. It is doubtful who this Munuza was, but
probably Othman ibn abi Nesah, Governor of Spain.

Fifteen years later a Christian named Peter, pursuing very much the same
tactics as the pseudo-martyrs in the next century, brought about his
own condemnation and death. He held a responsible post under Government,
that of receiver of public imposts, and seems to have stood on terms of
friendship with many of the Arab nobles. Perhaps he had been rather lax
in his religious obse