20 HISTORY OF BOTANY. 



and even old and celebrated physicians felt no shame to 

 attend them and learn from him. Shortly he attracted the 

 attention of the Caliph al-Motewekkil, who, after he had 

 clearly convinced himself, by a strict inquiry, that he was 

 not secretly in the service of the Greek kings, appointed him 

 his physician, with a handsome pension. In a while one 

 Abu-al-Teifuri, incited by jealousy, found a device to ruin him. 

 At that time reverence for images had already crept into 

 the Christian church ; Honein, who was a deacon, strenu- 

 ously opposed it, and Abu al-Teifuri knew that he had once 

 said at a meeting that he spat on the image of Christ or of 

 Mary. So he lodged a complaint, first to the Caliph al- 

 Motamid and afterwards to Bishop Theodosius, who then 

 pronounced excommunication on Honein ; he died shortly 

 afterwards of grief, or by taking poison, 873. Honein was 

 of great service in his translations from the Greek, in which 

 language he also gave instruction to the youth of his time, 

 especially to his sons and nephews; he also wrote many 

 original treatises on various subjects. His sons followed in 

 the steps of their father, as physicians and translators, and 

 one at least as an original writer. Mention is also made of 

 a son of Honein' s sister, who was an author. 



Hitherto but few born Arabs or Mohammedans had turned 

 their attention to the study of medicine, by far the greater 

 number of Arabic writers being Christians, but now we not only 

 find independent inquiry among the Mohammedans proper, 

 headed by the illustrious al-Eazi, but also a great spread of 

 learning in the west, in Mauritania and in Spain. 



Easis, Khases, Rhazes, or Razi, was born and brought up 

 at Rai, in Chorasan, from which place he took his name. 

 He showed from his youth a great inclination to Science, 

 and acquired considerable philological and philosophical 

 knowledge ; but music charmed him most, and he was 

 known only as a good singer and performer on the cithern 



