A.D. 622.] HISTOET OP MAHOMET. 73 time died Laurence, second archbishop of Cantrebury, and was succeeded by Mellitus, bishop of London, who continued five years; Mellitus was succeeded by Justus for the like number of years. After Mellitus, the church of London was vacant many years ; but Justus was succeeded in the church of Rochester by Roman us. Of the false prophet Mahomet. In the year of grace 622, Cyrus, bishop of Alexandria, and Sergius, patriarch of Constantinople, preached the heresy of the Monothelites. A t this period the Saracens, who are also called Turks, under Mahomet, their false prophet, went forth from their homes, and began excessively to harass the empire of Heraclius. Now this Mahomet, the prince of the Saracens and the Arabians, was of the stock of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, who, being in his early life a merchant, used to go with his camels into Egypt and Palestine, where he had intercourse both with Jews and Christians, through whom he became acquainted both with the Old and the New Testament ; and, moreover, became a most cunning magician. In the course of his journeyings it happened that he entered the province of Corozon, the queen of which was called Cadisan. From admiring the various merchandize which Mahomet had brought with him, the aforesaid woman began to converse familiarly with him, until he had fascinated her by his incantations, and by degrees led her into error, asserting that he was the Messiah, whom the Jews still expect. And not only was this influential woman deceived with this opinion, but all the Jews who were within reach of his folly, struck with the novelty of the thing, flocked to him in crowds with the Saracens. He began to frame new laws, which he delivered to them, making it appear that they were sanctioned by both the Testaments. These laws the Ishmaelites claim as their own, and acknowledge him for their legislator. The aforesaid woman, seeing the man strengthened by the fellowship both of Jews and Saracens, believed that there was a latent divinity in him ; and as she was a widow, she took him to be her husband, and thus Mahomet obtained the sovereignty of the whole of that province. At length, with his Arab associates, he began to harass the kingdom of the Persians, and invaded the terri