CH. VI. SCIENCE OF THE ARABS. 



39 



CHAPTER VI. 



SCIENCE OF THE ARABS. 



Dark Ages of Europe Taking of Alexandria by the Arabs The 

 Nestorians and Jews translate Greek works on Science Univer- 

 sities of the Arabs Hermes the first Alchemist Gases and Vapours 

 called ' Spirits ' by the Arabs. 



> Arabian Science. We have now arrived at what have 

 been called the * Dark Ages/ because for several hundred 

 years Europe was too much engaged in wars and disputes 

 to pay any attention to learning or science. You have, no 

 doubt, read in history how the Goths and Vandals, a barbar- 

 ous people from north-eastern Asia, spread themselves over 

 Europe, conquering the Romans, and taking possession of 

 all their colonies. They even crossed over into Africa, but 

 were driven out again by the famous general Belisarius, in 

 the reign of Justinian. This was in A.D. 534, and the 

 Emperors of Constantinople held Alexandria for about 

 one hundred years, and then came the Arabs or Saracens, 

 pouring out of Arabia, and they took possession of Alex- 

 andria in A.D. 640, only seven years after the death of their 

 great leader Mahomet. 



This people, who were originally a shepherd race in Arabia, 

 seemed at first to think of nothing but making themselves 

 masters of new lands. They went on conquering and 

 destroying till they had overrun all the north of Africa up 

 to the Straits of Gibraltar, had taken possession of a great 



