go round the towns and villages collecting the money, promising to bring him back at the end of two months. From being the distributor of bounty to the poor of the land the patriarch of Egypt was now reduced to the humiliating necessity of tramping from place to place among his flock in order to save his life and liberty. By this means the money was obtained. But that did not satisfy the rapacious emir. He had churches despoiled of their treasures, and Christians who had not registered in his census—which was only an expedient for extortion—branded on their forehead or hands. At last he pressed his extortions by torture. This provoked a rising in Upper Egypt, which was quickly quelled, with the inevitable result that the persecution became more severe.
On the death of the Caliph Abdel-Melech, and the succession of his son Walid, Abdallah was superseded by Korah-ben-Serik as Emir of Egypt. For the unhappy Christians every change was only a change for the worse. When Alexander presented himself before Korah to offer the expected homage of the patriarch to the governor, he was met with the same demand that Abdallah had made, and showing he had no means of paying, set off to Upper Egypt to collect the money. After two years' wandering he was only able to obtain a third of the amount required. The emir was suspicious, and believing a report that Alexander had a private mint, sent for it to his residence, where, since no trace of it could be found, the patriarch and his attendants were savagely scourged. The persecution was continued under the next emir, Amasa, with much cruelty. The repeated exactions of money, which were among its chief characteristics, give it a wretchedly sordid appearance. The motive was so evidently selfish greed rather than high policy of state.
At length the Melchites ventured in electing a patriarch to the post that had been vacant so long, and their choice fell on a needle-maker, Cosmas, who could neither read nor write, but who justified their wisdom in appointing him by bis able management of a peculiarly difficult position. He
