him too far.
Notwithstanding his activity and his devotion to the management of
affairs, the Moslem power declined rather than advanced, and signs of
the decay of the Omayyad dynasty began to show themselves. The history
of his four successors, Walid II., Yazid III., Ibrahim and Merwan II.,
is but the history of the fall of the Omayyads.

11. _Reign of Walid II._--Walid II. was a handsome man, possessed of
extraordinary physical strength, and a distinguished poet. But Hisham,
to whom he was successor-designate, foolishly kept him in the
background, and even made earnest efforts to get his own son Maslama
acknowledged as his successor. Walid therefore retired to the country,
and passed his time there in hunting, cultivating poetry, music and the
like, waiting with impatience for the death of Hisham and planning
vengeance on all those whom he suspected of having opposed him. His
first public action was to increase the pay of all soldiers by 10
dirhems, that of the Syrians by 20. The Omayyads who came to pay their
respects to him received large donations. Many philanthropic
institutions were founded. As to the family of his predecessor, he
contented himself with confiscating their possessions, with the single
exception of Suleiman b. Hisham, whom he had whipped and put in prison.
But the Makhzumites, who were related to Hisham by his mother, he
deprived of all their power and had them tortured to death. The
vicegerents of Hisham were replaced by Qaisites; Yusuf b. Omar, the
governor of Irak, being a Qaisite, was not only confirmed in his office,
but received with it the supreme command of Khorasan. He made use of it
immediately by ordering Nasr b. Sayyar to collect a rich present of
horses, falcons, musical instruments, golden and silver vessels and to
offer it to the caliph in person, but before the present was ready the
news came that Walid had been murdered.

It is not certain that Walid also suspected Khalid al-Qasri of having
intrigued against him. But Yusuf b. Omar did not rest until he had his
old enemy in his power. It is said that he guaranteed Walid a large sum
of money, which he hoped to extort from Khalid. This unfortunate man
died under torture, which he bore with fortitude, in Muharram 126
(November 743).

Walid designated his two sons as heirs to the Caliphate. These were
still under age and were not the children of a freeborn, noble mother.
Both circumstances, according to the then prevailing notions, ma