IN MOSQUE OF SULTAN HASAN]

His brother and successor, Shaban, was an utter profligate, cruel,
faithless, avaricious, immoral, and pleasure-loving. Gladiators
played an important part at his court, and he often took part in their
contests. Horse-racing, cock-fights, and such like amusements occupied
him much more than state affairs, and the whole court followed his
example. As long as Shaban did not offend the emirs, he was at liberty
to commit any atrocities he pleased, but, as soon as he seized their
riches and imprisoned and tortured them, his downfall was certain.
Ilbogha, Governor of Damascus, supported by the other Syrian emirs,
sent him a list of his crimes and summoned him to abdicate. Meanwhile an
insurrection had broken out in Cairo, and, although Shaban expressed
his willingness to abdicate, he was murdered by the rebels in September,
1346. His brother Haji met with a similar fate after a reign of fifteen
months, though some accounts affirm that he was not murdered but only
exiled.

Haji was succeeded by his brother Hasan, who was still a minor; the
emirs who ruled in his name competed for the highest posts until
Baibagharus and his brother Menjik carried off the victory. These two
ruled supreme for a time. The so-called "black death" was ravaging
Egypt; many families were decimated, and their riches fell to the state.
The disease, which differed from the ordinary pest in the blood-spitting
and internal heat, raged in Europe and Asia, and spread the greatest
consternation even amongst the Moslems, who generally regarded disease
with a certain amount of indifference, as being a divine decree.
According to Arabic sources, the black death had broken out in China and
from there had spread over the Tatar-land of Kipjak; from here it took
its course towards Constantinople, Asia Minor, and Syria on the one
hand, and towards Greece, Italy, Spain, France, and Germany on the
other, and was probably brought to Egypt from Syria. Not only men,
but beasts and even plants were attacked. The ravages were nowhere
so fearful as in Egypt; in the capital alone in a few days as many
as fifteen or twenty thousand people were stricken. As the disease
continued to rage for two years, there was soon a lack of men to plough
the fields and carry on the necessary trades; and to increase the
general distress, incursions were made by the tribes of Turcomans
and Bedouins, who plundered the towns and villages. Scarcely had this
desperate