478 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



The Saracens, who over-ran this country, were bigots in 

 their religion, as their pofterity continue to be at this day. 

 They have preferved the language of the Koran in its an- 

 cient purity, and adhere rigidly to the letter of its precepts. 

 They either extirpated the Pagans, or converted them ; but 

 this power and tyranny of the Saracens received a check, 

 both in Egypt and Arabia, about the i6th century, by Selim, 

 who eflabliflied Turkiih garrifons in all their principal 

 places on the frontiers of Beja, or Barbaria, and in the Ber 

 el Ajam, or ancient Azamia, along the well coaft of the Red 

 Sea. 



These Turks were all truly atheifls in their hearts, who 

 defpifed the zeal of the Arabs, and opprelTed them fo, that 

 Paganifm again ventured to fliew its head. The Shillook, 

 as I have faid before, made an eruption into Beja, and con- 

 quered the whole of that country. They became mailers 

 of the Arabs, and embraced their religion as a form, but 

 never anxioufly followed the law of Mahomet, which did 

 not hold out to them that liberty and relaxation by which 

 it had tempted the Jews and Chriflians. Thcfe the law of 

 Mahomet had freed from many reftraints upon pleafures 

 and purfuits forbidden by the gofpel, and thus made their 

 yoke eaficr. But it was not fo with the Pagan nations. The 

 Mahometan religion diminiflied their natural liberty, by 

 impofmg prayers, ablutions, alms, circumcillon, and fuch- 

 like, to wliich before they were under no obligation. The 

 Pagans therefore of Sennaar, and all the little Hates to the weft- 

 ward, Dar-Fowr, Dar-Sele, Bagirma, Bornou, andTombu6lo, 

 and all that country upon the Niger, called Sudan, trouble 

 themfelvcs very little with the detail of the Mahometan re- 

 ligion, which they embraced merely for the fake of per- 

 4 . . fonal 



