1 1 Lutz, Viticulture and Brewing. 



gation through wine and gambling. But this is, however, not the 

 real cause which induced Muhammed to introduce his injunc- 

 tion. Palgrave ' held that "the strongest arguments would lead 

 us to assign it, with considerable probability, to the Prophet's 

 antipath>- to Christianity, and to a desire to broaden the line 

 of demarcation between his followers and those of Christ." 

 "Wine"' he proceeds to say, "has, in fact, been not onh- to- 

 lerated by the Founder of Christianit>", but even, if I may so 

 say, patronized, and raised to a dignity of the highest reli- 

 gious import; nay, in the behef of tliree-fourths of the Chri- 

 stian world, absoluteh supernatural. Close on its religious 

 and mystical use follows its social quality and among all 

 nations who own, in Eastern phrase, "tlie Gospel for their 

 book", that is, are Christians in the most comprehensive sense 

 ot the term, wine has always been in high favour, the accom- 

 paniment of civilization, of friendship, of cheerful and elegant 

 life, of social, domestic, even of political union, and in this 

 view has been ever>-where greatly esteemed and largely em- 

 ployed. This ^lahomet well knew; his Greek neighbors alone, 

 with whose ways and customs he was by no means unacquain- 

 ted, might suffice him for a good example of the fact. Mean- 

 while his ser-Hke sagacity, in which he had few equals, led 

 him to anticipate from the Christians far more dangerous 

 opponents, and a more lasting and more perilous hostility 

 than whatever might be expected from Jews or Persians; and 

 at the same time the prudent and almost respectful toleration 

 which numbers and strength exacted, rendered pre-eminently 

 necessary the establishment of distinctive nay disjunctive 

 marks, calculated to maintain his followers in a permanent 

 antagonism wth those whom the\- could not lightly despise, 

 nor yet securely persecute. To declare the social, the sacred 

 hquor which had become well nigh typical of Christianity, 

 and in a manner its badge, "unclean",-"an abomination", and 

 "the work of the devil", was to set up for his own followers 

 a counter-badge, equally unmistakable and irreconcilable, of 

 a nature to last through all time, of daily occurence, and of 

 equable appHcation in the mosque that antithesis of the sanc- 



l"^ Palgrave, \V. G.. CVt^j/ and Easte^^ Arabia. Vol. I. p. 4-2 >. 



