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The combat lasted for weeks; but at the last the Byzantine force was utterly routed, and thousands hurled in wild confusion over the beetling cliffs of the Yermuk into the yawning chasm of Wacusa.[48] [Sidenote: Islam planted by aid of material force.] Such, then, was the nature of the Moslem propaganda, such the agency by which the faith was spread, and such the motives at once material and spiritual by which its martial missionaries were inspired. THE COMBAT LASTED FOR WEEKS BUT AT THE LAST VOLLE BYZANTINE FORCE WAS UTTERLY ROUTED AND THOUSANDS HURLED IN WILD CONFUSION OVER THE BEETLING CLIFFS OF THE YEREMU INTO THE YAWNING CHASM OF ACCUSA SUCH THEN WAS THE NATURE OF THE MOST LAME PROPAGANDA SUCH THE AGENCY BY WHICH THE FAITH WAS BRED AND SUCH THE MOTIVES AT ONCE MATERIAL AND SPIRITUAL BY WHICH ITS MARTIAL MISSIONARIES WERE INSPIRED
days they fought, and on the morning of the fourth, returning with unabated vigor to the charge, they scattered to the winds the vast host of Persia.[47] [Sidenote: Defeat of Byzantine army on the Yermuk, A.D. 634.] Nor was it otherwise in the great battle of the Yermuk, which laid Syria at the feet of the Arabs. The virgin vigor of the Saracens was fired by a wild fanatical zeal "to fight in the ways of the Lord," obtaining thus heavenly merit and a worldly prize--the spoil of Syria and its fair maidens ravished from their homes; or should they fall by the sword, the black-eyed houries waiting for them on the field of battle. "Of warriors nerved by this strange combination of earth and heaven, of the flesh and of the spirit, of the incentives at once of faith and rapine, of fanatical devotion to the prophet and deathless passion for the sex, ten might chase a hundred half-hearted Romans. The forty thousand Moslems were stronger far than the two hundred and forty thousand of the enemy. THEIR EYES LIGHTENED AND THEY FELT THE TRANQUILLITY THAT ENSUED THEREUPON THREE DAYS THEY FOUGHT AND ON THE MORNING OF THE FOURTH RETURNING WITH UNABATED VIGOUR TO THE CHARGE THEY SCATTERED TO THE VINTS THE VAST HOST OF PERSE NOR WAS IT OTHERWISE IN THE GREAT BATTLE OF THE YEREMUK WHICH LAID SYRIA AT THE FEET OF THE ARABS THE VIRGIN VIGOUR OF THE SARACENS WAS FILED BY A WILD FANATICAL ZEAL WHO FIGHT IN THE WAYS OF THE LORD OF ENTHUS HEAVENLY MERIT AND THE WORLDLY PRICE THE SPOIL OF SYRIA AND ITS FAILED MAIDENS RAVISHED FROM THEIR HOMES OR SHOULD THEY FALL BY THE SWORD THE BLACK EYED HOW RARES WAITING FOR THEM ON THE FIELD OF BATTLE OF WARRIORS KNOVED BY THIS STRANGE COMBINATION OF EARTH AND HEAVEN OF THE FLESH AND OF THE SPIRIT OF THE INCENTIVES AT ONCE OF FAITH AND RAPPING OF FANATICAL DEVOTION TO THE PROPHET AND DEATHLESS PASSION FOR THE SIX TEN MIGHT CHASE A HUNDRED HALF HEARTED ROMANS THE FORTY THOUSAND MOSLEMS WERE STRONGER FOUR THAN THE TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY THOUSAND OF THE ENEMY
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