YetinthesiegeofAmoriumaboutseventythousandMoslemshadperished:theirlosshadbeenrevengedbytheslaughterofthirtythousandChristians，andthesufferingsofanequalnumberofcaptives，whoweretreatedasthemostatrociouscriminals。
Mutualnecessitycouldsometimesextorttheexchangeorransomofprisoners:^94butinthenationalandreligiousconflictofthetwoempires，peacewaswithoutconfidence，andwarwithoutmercy。
Quarterwasseldomgiveninthefield；thosewhoescapedtheedgeoftheswordwerecondemnedtohopelessservitude，orexquisitetorture；andaCatholicemperorrelates，withvisiblesatisfaction，theexecutionoftheSaracensofCrete，whowereflayedalive，orplungedintocaldronsofboilingoil。^95ToapointofhonorMotassemhadsacrificedaflourishingcity，twohundredthousandlives，andthepropertyofmillions。Thesamecaliphdescendedfromhishorse，anddirtiedhisrobe，torelievethedistressofadecrepitoldman，who，withhisladenass，hadtumbledintoaditch。Onwhichoftheseactionsdidhereflectwiththemostpleasure，whenhewassummonedbytheangelofdeath?^96
[Footnote91:ThesamenumberwasappliedtothefollowingcircumstanceinthelifeofMotassem:hewastheeightoftheAbbassides；hereignedeightyears，eightmonths，andeightdays；
lefteightsons，eightdaughters，eightthousandslaves，eightmillionsofgold。]