206 tlTF. or MOHAMMED. 



which has been preserved, recites, in the simple 

 style of Arabian manners, the noble lineage of the • 

 bridegroom, his beauty, virtue, intelligence, and 

 poverty ; the reciprocal loves of the happy pair ; and 

 a proniise on the part of Abu Taleb to pay the mar- 

 riage-dowry of his nephew, which consisted of 

 twelve ounces of gold, or (according to Abulfeda) 

 twenty young camels. 



Some have imputed a reluctance on the part ol 

 the bride's father to this alUance, as dishonourable 

 to his family ; while others would degrade the com- 

 mercial agent into a mere driver of camels, or a 

 menial servant in the household of his mistress. 

 Both suppositions have originated in mahce. Ka- 

 diiah could suffer no degradation in the esteem of 

 her kindred by a match with the grandson of their 

 prince, young, handsome, and affectionate. Neither 

 was there any reproach of servitude or dishonour in 

 the prosecution of commerce. It was a lucrative 

 occupation, in which the noblest and bravest were 

 eno-ao-ed Sovereigns reckoned it no indignity to 

 command their own caravans. This office was not 

 merely a simple affair of merchandise,— it was also 

 a military expedition, where they had to defend 

 themselves and their cargo from the robbers of the 

 desert To conduct an escort of this kind was in 

 truth to superintend the finances of the stat^, and to 

 maintain the freedom of trade, by repeUing the 

 affgressions of troublesome and rapacious enemies. 

 Whether or how long Mohammed continued after 

 his altered circumstances to cultivate his fortune by 

 traffic, is a question that has not been solved ; nor is 

 it of the smallest importance. Content with his 

 domestic virtues, Kadijah became the mother of four 

 sons and four daughters. This wealthy alliance 

 restored the heir of Abdullah to the splendour of his 

 ancestors, and to a station of equality with the rich- 

 est in Mecca. finnan 

 The total silence of his biographers for fifteen 



