Splendid Ceremonial at the Accession of Al-Hakem II.--His Wise and Prudent Measures--Ordoño seeks an Audience--His Baseness--Successful Expedition against the Christians--Disturbances in Africa--Army of the Khalif Defeated--The Berber Chieftains are corrupted, and their Forces disband--Importance of Cordova as a Religious Centre--Description of the Great Mosque--Death of Al-Hakem--His Literary Attainments--His Patronage of Letters--The Library--Institutions of Learning--General Prevalence of Education--Public Improvements--The Khalif the Exemplar of the Highest Culture of his Age--Prosperity of the Empire 634 CHAPTER XIV REIGN OF HISCHEM II. Origin of Ibn-abi-Amir-Al-Mansur--The Scene in the Garden--Genius and Attainments of the Youthful Statesman--His Sudden Rise to Power--Influence of the Eunuchs--Their Conspiracy Detected--Ibn-abi-Amir aspires to Supreme Authority--He is appointed Hajib--Ruin of his Rivals--Reorganization of the Civil and Military Service--Systematic Degradation of Hischem --The Palace of Zahira--The Hajib becomes Master of the Empire--Successful Wars with the Christians--Disturbances in Africa--Destruction of Leon--Sack of Santiago--Death of Al-Mansur--His Great Services to the State--His Unbroken Series of Military Triumphs--Al-Modhaffer--Abd-al-Rahman--Mohammed--Suleyman --Disappearance of Hischem--Rapid Disintegration of the Empire 683 AUTHORITIES CONSULTED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS WORK (To promote facility of reference, the following list has been classified not only alphabetically by authors, but also by languages.) ENGLISH. AL-HARIRI--Makamat. 8vo. London, 1850. ALI BEY--Travels. 2 vols. 4to. London, 1816. AL-MAKKARI--History of the Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain. 2 vols. 4to. London, 1840. ANDERSON--History of Commerce. 4 vols. 4to. London, 1789. ARNOLD--Ishmael: The Natural History of Islamism. 8vo. London, 1859. BEATTIE--Castles and Abbeys of England. 2 vols. 8vo. London. BERINGTON--Literary History of the Middle Ages. 4to. London, 1814. BLUNT--A Pilgrimage to Nejd. 2 vols. 8vo. London, 1881. BOSWORTH-SMITH--Mohammed and Mohammedanism. 8vo. London, 1876. BOWER--History of the Popes. 3 vols. 8vo. Philadelphia, 1844. BRAND--Popular Antiquities. 8vo. London, 1810. BURCKHARDT--Notes on the Bedouins and Wahabys. 2 vols. 8vo. London, 1831. BURCKHARDT--Travels in Arabia. 2 vols. 8vo. London, 1829. BURCKHARDT--Travels in Nubia. 4to. London, 1822. BURTON--A Pilgrimage to Medina and Mecca. 12mo. New York, 1856. ---- Chronicle of London--1089–1483. 4to. London, 1827.