who had also learned of the existence of the stone, led to quarrels among the Arab tribes claiming an interest in it, and the monument was unfortunately broken to pieces. The fragments, however, were with great difficulty collected, and are now preserved in the Louvre. With the aid of a squeeze obtained by Clermont-Ganneau prior to the destruction of the stone, the greater portion of the inscription has been recovered, and as the result of numerous researches by French, German, and English scholars, the decipherment may now be said to be complete. The characters on the Moabitish stone are identical with those on Phœnician monuments, and the language is so closely allied to Hebrew that the conclusion is justified which makes Hebrew and Moabitish practically identical. The inscription itself refers to the deeds of Mesha, King of Moab, who is mentioned in the very first line, and the interest of the stone is greatly enhanced by the circumstance that he is identical with the Mesha (q.v.) spoken of in II. Kings iii. 4. Mesha begins in his inscription by referring to the affliction which Moab endured under Omri, King of Israel, and the latter's son (i.e. Ahab, who, however, is not mentioned by name). We know from the biblical narrative that Moab was tributary to Israel during the reigns of Omri and Ahab. This is the ‘affliction’ referred to and is attributed by Mesha to the anger of his deity Chemosh. Thanks, however, to Chemosh, who turned with favor to Mesha, the latter regained the cities which Israel had captured. Mesha adds in an exaggerated manner that “Israel perished with an everlasting destruction.” The rest of the inscription is taken up with details of the conflict and with building operations undertaken by Mesha. Besides its historical significance, the inscription is of geographical importance because of the many names of sites in Moab which it contains. According to the biblical account, the revolt of Moab took place after the death of Ahab (c.853 B.C.), but Mesha claims that already in the lifetime of Ahab he freed himself from the Israelitish yoke. This would make the date of the Moabite stone c.860 B.C. As the oldest inscription in Phœnician characters, the Moabite stone has also great epigraphical value. Of the large literature on the subject it is sufficient to refer to the publications of Smend and Socin, Die Inschrift des Königs Mesa von Moab (Freiburg, 1886), with supplement in Berichte der königlich sächsischen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften (1897); Lidsbarski, in “Ephemeris für semitische Epigraphik,” i. (1900); Nordländer, Die Inschrift des Königs Mesa von Moab (Leipzig, 1896); Driver, Text of the Books of Samuel (New York, 1890).
MOALLAKAT, mō′ȧl-lȧ-kät′ (Ar., hung up). A collection of seven Arabic poems by the same number of authors who lived in the century preceding the birth of Mohammed. The name refers to the custom of hanging poetical compositions on the walls of the Kaaba as a challenge to competing poets.
MOAT (OF. mote, embankment, from ML. mota, mound, embankment, ditch, castle; probably connected ultimately with Bavarian mott, peat, Swiss mutte, turf). The ditch round the ramparts of a fortress. See Fortification; Castle.
MOAWIYAH, mō′ȧ-wē′yȧ (Ar. Mu‘āwiyyah) (c.610-680). Caliph, and founder of the Ommiad dynasty. He was born at Mecca, the son of Abu Sofian, the bitter enemy of Mohammed. He was made Governor of Syria by the Caliph Othman, and during his term of office conquered the island of Rhodes, but lost Cyprus. On the proclamation of Ali as the successor of Othman in 656, Moawiyah revolted, and with the aid of the gifted Amr ibn al-Asi attempted to make himself Caliph. He was defeated in several battles by Ali, who, however, was prevented by domestic rebellion and foreign war from completely crushing his rival. Moawiyah was proclaimed Caliph at Damascus, 657, and after the assassination of Ali in 661 he succeeded in speedily reducing the rest of the Empire to submission. His army, after making extensive conquests, was unable, after a long siege and repeated assaults, to capture Constantinople, and in 678 he entered into a treaty of peace with the Byzantine Emperor. Moawiyah not only exerted absolute control over the Saracen empire, but succeeded in having the caliphate declared hereditary in his family. Consult: Muir, Annals of the Early Caliphate (London, 1883); Weil, Geschichte des islamitischen Volkes (Stuttgart, 1866).
MOB. See Crowd.
MO′BERLY. A city in Randolph County, Mo., 130 miles east by north of Kansas City; on the Missouri, Kansas and Texas and the Wabash railroads (Map: Missouri, D 2). It has the division headquarters and machine shops of the Wabash Railroad, brick yards, flouring and planing mills, foundries and machine shops, ice factory, and a large grain elevator. There are valuable deposits of coal and fire clay in the vicinity. An extensive trade is carried on in agricultural and dairy products, lumber, live stock, poultry, hides, wool, tobacco, and, of the city's manufactured products, flour and bricks. Moberly has a public library and a Y. M. C. A. building. Population, in 1890, 8215; in 1900, 8012.
MOBERLY, George (1803-85). An English prelate, Bishop of Salisbury. He was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and was educated at Winchester and Oxford. In 1820 he took the Oxford chancellor's prize for the best English essay. After connection with Balliol College, as tutor and fellow, he was in 1835-36 head-master of Winchester. He was then presented to the living of Brightstone in the Isle of Wight, and in 1868 became a canon of Chester Cathedral. In 1869 he was consecrated Bishop of Salisbury. Of his numerous published works the most important are: A Few Remarks on the Proposed Admission of Dissenters to the University of Oxford (1834); Sermons Preached at Winchester College (1844); and Sermons on the Beatitudes (1860). In 1868 he delivered the Bampton lectures which appeared under the title of The Administration of the Holy Spirit in the Body of Christ.
MOBILE, mṓ-bēl′. A port of entry and the county-seat of Mobile County, Ala., 140 miles east by north of New Orleans; on Mobile Bay, at the mouth of Mobile River, 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, and on the Louisville and Nashville, the Southern, the Mobile, Jackson and Kansas City, and the Mobile and Ohio railroads (Map: Alabama, A 5). It has a total area of about eight square miles and is situated on a
