Classic Souvenirs of Sicily — Its Great Natural Advantages — It becomes the Stronghold of the Papacy — Invasion of the Arabs — They besiege Syracuse — Strength of that City Failure of the Enterprise — Capture of Palermo — Rapid Progress of the Moslems — Condition of Italy — Arab Al liance with N aples — Messina taken — Betrayal of Castrogio vanni — Rout of the Greeks near Syracuse — Feuds of the Conquerors — Their Successes in Italy — Second Siege of Syracuse — The City is stormed and destroyed by ibn-mo hammed — Peril of Rome — Appearance Of the Normans in the South of Europe — They invade Sicily — Siege of Palermo — Subj eetion of the Island — In?uence of the Moslems over their Conquerors — General Condition of Sicily — Its Civil ization — Palermo and its Environs — Science, Art, and Liter ature — The Great Work of Edrisi — Arab Occupation of Sardinia, Crete, Corsica, and Malta.